Make Money: Start Your Own WordPress Blog – The Basics.
Start your own WordPress blog & make money. All you need to start a money making blog on a tight budget in easy clear steps. Get blogging.
* This post contains affiliate and referral links.
Congratulations on taking the brave step towards starting your own blog or at least checking it out.
As you can see I have not been blogging for long in fact, I would say that I am still a newbie who is constantly looking at ways to improve my blog on a very tight budget.
So I thought I would take the opportunity to share what I have learned and experienced on this journey along with links, tips and favourites.
What you need to start your blog on a tight budget
Lucky for us not everything involved in the starting of your new blog has a price tag, some of it is down to creativity, thought, time, writing skills, plugins, marketing… okay so there is a lot involved but there doesn’t have to be when you first start.
Here are some of the things I needed to start my blog on a budget, a tight budget:
Niche
What is your blog going to be about? This is important but not as restricting as you may think. My blog is about life whilst on my debt-free journey, as you can see from my content I don’t just talk about debt – my blog covers fashion, books, wellbeing, health, home, finances, shopping, careers etc.
So, what’s your blog niche?
Blog/Brand Name
Warning – This may take some time. You have to spend time on this, you want to love the name of your new brand.
It has to ring off your tongue when you proudly speak of your blog/brand/business. I had a list of 18 potential names and can you believe after 3 weeks I decided on my first one on the list. Typical.
Don’t forget – Great minds (often) think alike – So now you have your name, double-check that it has not already been used.
Domain
What is a domain?
This is the name of your website, for example, my domain is BasicWithLife.com, I purchased mine via siteground for 2 years as it worked out cheaper.
Hosting
What is hosting?
Basically, this is what puts your blog online. Unfortunately, this is another expense but it is vital. I use SiteGround for my hosting, I have used 2 others in the past but I prefer SiteGround for their customer service and support.
SiteGround has three plans however as a blogger I would recommend the StartUp plan as this is perfect for people with one website, that are starting out.
Check out my referral link for the latest prices and discount deals.
Logo
It’s time to get creative, my advice is to grab a notebook and pencil and get doodling. Just remember this is your brand image and it needs to be clear, relevant and memorable.
I did mine myself using my favourite graphics platform – Canva.
There is so much that Canva can do, for me, it is a must-have tool.
Canva has a really good basic free package but they also have a pro package which has a monthly fee BUT it also has a no min months contract and so you can cancel at any time.
Here’s my referral link for a free trial of the Pro package.
Alternatively, you can use Fiverr, they have many professional and expert logo and graphic designers at good prices. Check them out.
Fiverr also have a range of WordPress freelancers, if things get too much check them out for a quote.
Useful Tools
Newsletters, email marketing and more – This is essential for marketing, MailChimp has a brilliant and productive free package.
SiteGround – For your Domain, Hosting, WordPress, Security and Back Up Service.
Hootsuite – Schedule your social media posts with this time saving platform. Even the free package is super helpful.
Canva – For your all your graphic needs and wants, I am a super fan of Canva, even their free package has so many features you would not believe. The pro package includes their handy social media post schedule calendar which you’ll find a huge bonus in the future.
Useful Links
Blog Hubspot – This site needs to be bookmarked on all of your devices. Everything (and strangely more) that you need to know is at least generally covered on this site.
Free Privacy Policy – Don’t get caught out – Visit How to Add a Privacy Policy (for bloggers) for information, advice and templates for blog privacy policies etc.
Fiverr – Online professionals and experts marketplace at a reasonably priced
Useful Books
Start Blogging: The Complete Guide for Successful Blogging. Invest in Your Passion, Learn How to Make Money with Brands and Get Traffic.
By Lucas Marsden
How to Blog for Profit: A Step by Step Guide for Beginners to Start Blogging from Zero, Writing Great Contents through SEO Optimization and Make Money Generating Passive Income with Online Business – Passive Income 4
By Robert King
Social Media Marketing and Blogging for Profit: Turn Your Business or Personal Brand Online Presence into a Money Making Machine with a Responsive Blog – A Copywriting Secrets Guide for Beginners By Michael Branding
How to Make Money Blogging: Tips and Tricks for Beginners to Start a Blog for Profit (Including Trend Topic Ideas for Customer Loyalty)
By Tim Trend
Blogging Like a Ninja: Making Money on Blogging Starting from Scratch – The Definitive Guide for Beginners on how to Blog – Best Blogging Books 1
By Dave Connally
Useful WordPress Plugins
Yoast SEO Package The first true all-in-one SEO solution for WordPress
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress – Adds various highly effective sign-up methods to your site.
Insert Headers and Footers – Allows you to insert code or text in the header or footer of your WordPress blog
Google XML Sitemaps – improves SEO using sitemaps for best indexation by search engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo and others.
Google Analytics for WordPress by MonsterInsights – The best Google Analytics plugin for WordPress. See how visitors find and use your website, so you can keep them coming back.
GDPR Cookie Consent – A simple way to show your website complies with the EU Cookie Law / GDPR.
Broken Link Checker – Checks your blog for broken links and missing images and notifies you on the dashboard if any are found.
Custom Sidebars – Allows you to create widgetised areas and custom sidebars. Replace whole sidebars or single widgets for specific posts and pages.
Jetpack by WordPress.com – Allows you to connect your blog to a WordPress.com account to use the powerful features
How to make money on your blog
Now that you have your blog and visitors you are ready to make money. I have two things to say to you ‘Affiliate Groups’ and ‘Google Ads’.
Get googling, researching and then of course promoting.
There are so many Affiliate Groups out there, what you have to do is find the right one for you.
What you should bear in mind when choosing a group is:
Is there a fee?
What are their company reviews like?
What brands/products they cover?
The commission rates, payment methods and thresholds?
My Advice – Research the hell out of them because as with almost everything there I have heard some dodgy stories.
Earn Money by Promoting Fiverr
Need Help? Try Fiverr.
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