Hello and welcome to how to start a blog that is an income generator
Here at Smart Laptop Lifestyle I aim to help you become successful with your online business. I want to help as many people as possible realise the massive potential opportunities that are available by having an online business.
I am sharing what is working for me and the research that I have done and still doing on extremely successful people online.
Many of these people are not celebrities or even well known, they are everyday people like you and I.
Many of them have started from scratch and built very successful online businesses blogging.
How To Start A Blog That Is An Income Generator
How to Start a Blog?
Blogging is big business and there are new blogs popping up every day, because many people believe that blogging is a great idea. Why is this? What are the reasons why so many people want to start a blog? What are the things that you should know it you want to give it a try? I will be covering these questions below.
Before I get started like me explain what a blog actually is.
What is a Blog?
A Blog put simple is a basic website where you can find information about a specific subject. The specific subject is also known as a niche.
The owner of the website which is known as a blogger will write content that is known as posts for their website on a certain subject.
The content are normally displayed on the website as the newest posts first and the older posts last. This is really important for your readers, so that they will see your latest posts first.
You may have already visited blogs whilst you have browsed the internet. Like this post that you are reading.
You may not have even realised that you were reading a blog post.
Right now that you know what a blog is let’s get into the great things about having your very own blog.
Why Should You Create Your Own Blog?
Having your own blog is a great way of sharing with others what you know about a specific topic. Once you have created your blog there are many ways that you can share your blog posts, such as on social media.
Having a blog is a great way to create your own personal space and a way to attract other people that are interested in the same things as yourself and by owning and maintaining your blog you will start to attract an audience to your blog regularly.
Creating a blog that will start gaining traffic (visitors) to your website will take some time and commitment on your part and if you are will to put in the time you can become successful.
It is a great feeling knowing that you are connecting to other people that have the same interests as you and that you are building a blog that is enabling you to connect with new people.
Making Money With Your Blog
Another reason for creating a blog is to start to make money online. This is not a bad thing. I see it as part of the growth of a blog site.
As you gain more traffic (visitors) to your blog this came become either a second income stream for you and or even a full time business.
But for this to happen you can do this in at least two different ways:
1. The First Way to Make Money from Your Blog
The great thing is that if you already have a website and or online business, and or you are already providing a service you can use blogging to market it to more people all over the world if you choose or just to people in your own country.
For example, say you have a company that is selling smart baby monitors. If you are new to this market, you may find it hard to find or connect to new customers/clients and keeping those customers/clients even harder but why and how would creating a blog help?
Well let’s explore this a little more. If you create a blog along with your normal business people are more likely to find you online and purchase from you.
Having a blog will mean that you will have to write articles and you will be able to keep your customers/clients informed regularly, with say the latest in smart baby monitors and the latest trends and new releases into the market place.
You can also write product reviews which will be really helpful to your customers.
By keeping your blog updated with fresh content you will be ensuring that people search on Google and or Bing/Yahoo or other search engines will find your product reviews, located on your blog.
When they land on your blog post that is reviewing what they are looking for they are most like to purchase from that blog post.
Research states that businesses that have a blogging website besides there normal website are 55% more likely to attract more visitors back to their website and this means more visitors that are more likely to purchase from you.
Now that sounds like a brilliant way to go.
2. The Second Way to Make Money from Your Blog
The second way to make money from your blog is to use affiliate marketing to monetise it. This involves putting different affiliate links onto your website to other products.
If your blog was about sewing and you were sharing your sewing tips you could have links to say sewing machines and or sewing accessories.
Then when a visitor to your blog website clicks on the link that you have put within your blog content, they will be sent to the stores website, and this is where they will see a list of sewing machines and or sewing accessories and then it will be up to your visitor to decide whether to purchase or not.
You will see links, that will take you straight through to my Amazon Influencer store and the other will take you to my buying guide.
They are different in the way the products are presented to your visitor. The first one will take them straight to the product store and the second will show your visitor in more detail about the products so that they can find which one they prefer before going straight to the final store.
There are many other ways that you could earn from your blog, but these two are the most popular and easiest ones to choose.
I have shared with you a couple great reasons why creating a blog website is good idea. I can understand that by now you are wondering how you can get started.
Well you can get started but you will need to go through five steps before you can create your blog website.
The good thing is that once you have done these steps you will not have to do them again, unless you wanted to create another blog website.
- Decide on your blog topic
- Pick a platform
- Choose a hosting platform
- Choose a Domain name
- Set-up and use your blog
Decide on Your Blog’s Topic
Well this can often be a little bit of a challenge and can be the hardest part of starting a blog. If you have no idea what to choose for your blog’s topic, it would not be possible to create a great successful blog.
I have some suggestion on what you could do to get your creative juices flowing.
It is important that you choose and theme, otherwise known as a niche that is not too narrow and at the same time not too broad.
You do not want it to be too narrow that you will run out of ideas to blog about.
You do not want it so broad that it is hard to stay focused on the main topic. I did this with my first website and realised that I have so many topics within my topic.
Here is an example, say you choose health, which is a really broad topic and is really large, and instead you could narrow it down to say a particle health challenge such as diabetes or natural health products or the benefit of a particular health products.
I hope I haven’t lost you. lol.
Another reason for not going too broad is that it would be a lot harder to establish yourself as a professional.
Oh another way that I can explain this is the topic of sports, which is a very board niche/topic. So instead of using sport you could narrow it down to a single sport like football and this way you can focus on sharing your ideas on football and you will not run out of ideas to write about.
It is much better to doing it this way because it will keep you focused and make planning your writing much easier.
Choose a Topic You are interested In
Another important this to think about when you are choosing your topic and that is to choose a topic that you are interested in.
This is really important because if you choose a topic that you are not that interested in, it will be a lot harder to write about it.
Choose a topic that you could talk about 24/7 and you know that you have a lot of ideas and can come up with new ideas.
Also if you choose a topic that you love, this will reflect in your writing and your blog will become popular much faster.
If you are not interested in your blog topic, why should your visitors, so think really carefully about your blog topic because the future of your blog website will depend on it.
Pick A Blogging Platform
Firstly What is a Blogging Platform?
A blogging platform is a place where you are going to create your blog website and put your blog posts (content). It is a tool that you will be using build your blog website. You need a blogging platform to be able to build your blog. It’s that simple.
There are many blogging platforms and I could list all of them but to be honest I thought about this when I was writing this article but then thought why not just tell you about what I am using because I think it is the best.
As I mentioned earlier there are many blogging platforms out there and many of them offer the same things or similar.
For beginners some platforms will be great for beginners and will have a great starter package, because in the beginning you will just want the basics to get started.
But if you want to grow your blogging business and start to monetise you website, well this is where things start to change with the type of platform that you will need to build a successful blogging website.
It is better to start off on a blogging platform that will provide you with the necessary tools and features to help you blogging business grow to it true potential.
1. Choose WordPress for Your Blog Website
The best option for most bloggers and companies is to have their websites built on the WordPress Platform.
WordPress is what is known as a Content Management System (CMS). When WordPress first came out it was mainly used for blogging and this is why it is so good today.
Using WordPress is brilliant because you will be using a tool that is already developed with blogging in mind. It is one of the best website builders on the internet and much more, you will be using a platform that was specifically built for blogging.
The developers behind WordPress are working hard to improve the experience of each and every user on this platform and are adding new features to this platform all the time and are constantly fixing and improving it.
But before you choose WordPress I must state that it will take some time to learn all the ins and out of this platform and if you are like me and not technology minded then you are going to need help in getting started with WordPress.
Well like I mentioned earlier that I want to recommend the best to you and show you what I am using.
You can get all the benefits of having a WordPress Website but with extras such as step by step training and much more by using the platform that I use.
The great thing about this platform is that it is free to get started and not only will you get your free Word Press website you will also get Free step by step training to get you up and running.
You can get started by clicking the image below.
This platform that I use will also teach all about becoming a successful blogger, you can be up and running within the hour.
WordPress is really worth your time because of the technology behind it and features such as plugins.
2. What is a Plugin?
Well when I first started I did not have a clue what a plugin was. Anyway it is essentially a small program/software that you can install onto your blog.
WordPress has thousands of them that will help your blog website look and feel like a professional website.
Plugins will add specific functions to your website such as, social media buttons. You could get a little carried away with all the plugins available but it is advisable to only install the plugins that are necessary or adding too many plugins could slow you website down.
Right now that you know that WordPress is the best blogging platform for your blogging website, let’s looking into choosing a hosting provider for your blog.
3. Choosing a Hosting Service for Your Blog Website
What does it mean when I say hosting provider? A hosting company is the one that will give you space on their server, so that your blog website will become accessible to everyone.
If you just use WordPress on its own and download it to you PC / laptop the blog will work but only you will be able to see it and no one else will be able to get access to it.
When using WordPress, it is best to choose a hosting provider who will provide you will an integrated or native WordPress hosting. This is a service that will allow you to install your WordPress website directly onto their server and will take care of the technical part of your blog website.
Once again there are many companies out there that will offer this service and you can check them out. BUT ….. I want to only share the best with you and what I am using.
This is mainly because as I have mentioned a few times now I am not technically minded and I just want it to work.
With the platform that I am using the hosting is included, nuff said. No extra cost and it is free to get started. You can click the image below to get started.
I totally recommend this platform because not only will you be getting free step by step training to get started but you will also be getting free hosting included.
This is great because you can focus more of your time on building your blog content instead of spending it researching hosting companies and comparing prices on which one will be the most cost effective.
Also this platform is one of if not the best platform for running an online business.
You will get full technical support and your website will be backed up daily.
4. Choosing A Domain Name
When it comes to choosing your domain name it goes back to the topic that you want your blog to be on.
You can choose a name that is relevant to the blog topic or you can become your brand and name it after you, the choice is yours.
But it is important to think about your domain name because once you have named your blog you will not be able to change the name.
For example if your blog is about sewing you could choose a domain name such as sewing .com, of course this is just an example and this may have already been taken, but you get the idea.
Come up with a name that suits your blog website.
You can learn all about this in the step by step training and you will also have the option of choosing a free domain. You can check it out below.
You can always purchase a domain name later. You will also learn all about this in the step by step training, which will show you how to transfer your blog website to your new domain.
When you choose a domain name that is relevant to your blog topic it will be much easier for other people to find you online.
There is a strategy that is call SEO (search engine optimisation). Which you will also learn in the step by step training.
On this platform that I recommend you use for your blogging venture you can obtain a domain name when you are ready to do so. It is all included on the one platform so you will not have to go elsewhere to locate a domain name.
The prices start at $13.99 for a dot COM domain name and this is a yearly charge. But as I mentioned you can purchase a domain name when you are ready to do so.
I started my first website on this platform with a free domain and to this day I still have that website.
With other domain platforms you may see then stating low starter costs and then you will see all the little extras that you will need to keep it running at a high level. With the platform that I use you get none of this. What you see is what you get, not hidden or additional costs anywhere.
5. Set-up and Using Your Blog Website
Setting up your blog website could not be easier because whilst you are doing the step by step training you will be setting up your website.
You can get you website set-up in a 30 minutes with this step by step training. Also you can watch the step by step training videos as many times as you like.
To be honest the best way to learn is to just do it. You will get all the help and support that you need to become successful and you will have all you need on one platform to build a solid foundation for your blog website and business and to grow a successful blog website if you choose to.
The best thing is that you can get started Free, it will only cost you, your time.
These are the five steps that you will need to take to build your blog website.
But apart from these steps you will also need to promote your blog because this will make sure that your blog will survive in the worldwide web.
Promoting Your Blog Website
The main reason for having a blog is so that you can share with others and so that other like-minded people can read what you have written.
Especially if you are starting out you will need to know how you are going to promote your blog website.
There are many ways that you can promote your blog and before you spend all your time promoting for the sake of promoting it is useful to learn which way will be better for you and your blog.
So I will only be mentioning the methods that are really worth using.
Social Media
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook.
When you first launch your blog it is good to let your followers and connections know about it.
You can let them know that you have a new blog and that it is online. Also when you add a new post to your blog let them know when you have published it.
Also join groups that are relevant to your blog topic/niche and let them know when you have a new blog post.
Email Marketing
This will come later when you have grown your email list. The great thing about an email list is that these are people that are already interested in your blog.
If you are new to email lists, don’t worry because you will learn all about it in the step by step training.
Well that is it to get started with your blog website.
Let’s Sum it up
Let’s sum it up so that you are sure about how to start your Blog website:
- Think about your blog topic and make it something that you are passionate about and love doing or talking about. This is an important step.
- Choose a blogging platform. The best one to use is WordPress for bloggers and other Websites
- Hosting Provider for your website. The one that I recommended comes with the WordPress website at no extra cost with a proven track record of offering a flawless online service and performance.
- Domain name. You can use the free domain name to get started or you can purchase your domain name on the same platform that I recommended.
- Setting up your blog website with the free step by step training to get started and will include all of the above, hosting service included with a WordPress website. The technical stuff done for you so you can focus on building your blog content.
- Promoting your blog website so that your people can find your blog. I have only mentioned a few ways that work but you will learn a lot more with the step by step training.
- Last but not least and this is that being a blogger, content is our business and this is why it is important that you choose a blog topic that you are able to create a lot of interesting content for.
So now you know the steps on how to start your blog website. All of these steps are important to develop a successful blog website.
You can save yourself a lot of time and energy by getting onto the right platform. So that once you have set up your blog website you can focus on your content and planning and setting your writing goals.
At the beginning you may feel a little overwhelmed and this is why being on a great platform can help. Because this platform along with having a great technical support team, industry experts, live chat, help centre, there is also an awesome community of like-minded people that are willing to help you.
We have all had to start at the beginning and remember what it is like so we are will to help. I would say that it is important that if you have any questions, you can freely ask within the community and someone will be willing to help you. I always say that this community is second to none.
I will also be available to help you when you need it. I will do all I can to help you become successful in what you are doing.
Give it your best and make it happen, like so many other people have done and be confident in your ability to do so.
I hope to see you on the other side. Just click the image below to get started.
Thank you for visiting how to start a blog that is an income generator
Here at Smart laptop Lifestyle as I mentioned above is to show you how you can become financially free work from home doing what you love.
Show you how you can have you very one income generating website. Working the hours that suit your lifestyle.
Thank you for reading and if you have any questions or just want to leave me a comment, please feel free to do so in the comments section below.
I would also really appreciate your liking and sharing this article.
Thank you
Jennifer
