This post may contain affiliate links. See affiliate disclaimer here.
After the AMAZING response to my first post on blogging (you can read How I Made $4,618.58 in June by Blogging here) I’ve decided to do a whole series on blogging! I received comments and a ton of emails (don’t be nervous about leaving comments, a lot of people were thinking the same things!) asking about gaining traffic, affiliate marketing, setting up a blog, emails & more.
I thought what a better way to start than with the very basics – launching your own blog!
Personally, starting a blog was the best thing I’ve decided to do. Besides the extra income it has given me, it’s a great way to express myself creatively and find people who just get me that I wouldn’t have been able to connect with otherwise.
Everyone should start a blog. I truly believe that. Start a blog to express yourself, to earn extra cash, to share your passions & interests with the world. I find it can be very therapeutic & if you make money, there’s the added bonus!
This post may contain affiliate links. See affiliate disclaimer here.
LET’S GET STARTED
So you have an amazing idea for a blog, but where to start?
Set up your WordPress account via Bluehost here. Now you are probably asking yourself two questions:
Why WordPress?
I have found (& I have tried out MANY platforms) that WordPress allows for the best integrations for affiliate linking (how you’ll make $$$), social media plug-ins (which will allow you to display your Pinterest, Instagram, etc. accounts easily) & customer-friendly setup. I personally am NOT well-versed in coding so having an easy set-up was the most important feature for me.
Why Bluehost?
Self-hosting (meaning you’re at your own.com & not blogname.wordpress.com) is important if you want to start making money off your blog. First & foremost, free blogging sites can delete your account or site for any reason at any time. Seriously. Michelle from Making Sense of Cents had this happen to her on a free blogging platform. Not cool.
Also, most ad platforms & affiliate marketers will NOT even consider you unless you are self-hosting. At $3.95 per month (a special price you only get through my link here!) you will receive a FREE domain name, a FREE site builder, 1-click install for WordPress & 24/7 tech support. Not bad for the same price you’d pay for a small coffee at Starbucks!
Don’t be tempted to skip this step, trust me, I learned this the hard way. You will not be able to signup with high paying affiliates or ad platforms & many sponsors will turn their noses at unprofessional looking sites like blogger. I sat on blogger for the longest time making absolutely no money and having no idea why. My first month using a Bluehost/ WordPress setup, I was making money.
There are so many hosting sites out there – why Bluehost?
Let me count the ways:
– I personally use this hosting site so I know it’s quality (I wouldn’t expect you to use this site unless I was a member as well!)
– WordPress itself says that Bluehost is the #1 self hosting website, they recommend it on their site
– FREE domain name (this typically costs upwards of $20 or more depending on the name you want)
– FREE 24/7 tech support (like I said, I am NO web expert, I heavily relied on this support! You can contact them by email, web chat or phone.)
– FREE Site Builder (again, without this my site would not be in working order)
– Competitive pricing (Bluehost has some of the best prices out there)
– You will be self-hosted (yay, this means you can start making money!)
– Professional (it took me far too long to realize I wasn’t making money because of how my site came across – amateur)
– Self hosted emails (this looks so good when communicating with your audience & makes applying for affiliate marketing a snap!)
– Money back guarantee – for some reason you aren’t satisfied – you get your money back!
How Do I Setup?
Once you’ve clicked over to Bluehost, setup is seriously so easy!
1. Pick your plan. I would personally go with basic & then upgrade at anytime if needed.
2. Choose your domain. This is the exciting part! Adding your domain name makes it SO REAL!
3. Add in your account info, payment info & then you are in! I picked the 36 month plan because it is the absolute best rate. Bluehost also has a money back guarantee so it’s risk-free.
4. And there you go! How easy is that? Once you’ve submitted the above info, go to your CPanel & click the Install WordPress button. Then just type in your account info, click submit & the whole process is complete. Now comes the fun part – create your blog posts!
Lastly & for full disclosure sake, I am a Bluehost affiliate. This means the company pays me a commission every time someone signs up via one of my links. This does NOT influence my recommendation – I have done my research and tried multiple platforms. I recommend Bluehost because I personally use it & I honestly believe they offer the best, easiest to use & most cost-efficient hosting available.
The next step? Set yourself up with affiliate marketing – get the step by step guide here!
If you start your own blog, please let me know in the comments below – I’d love to check it out!
Related:
How to Create Real Income from Pinterest (with or without blogging!)
How I Made $18,160.74 Blogging in November!
Very helpful!
Glad I could help Lalie, thanks for stopping by!