{"id":4506,"date":"2017-05-01T10:19:10","date_gmt":"2017-05-01T14:19:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/?p=4506"},"modified":"2023-01-30T15:11:21","modified_gmt":"2023-01-30T20:11:21","slug":"how-to-start-a-blog","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/how-to-start-a-blog\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Start a Highly Profitable Blog in 60 Minutes on a Shoestring Budget"},"content":{"rendered":"

So you want to start a blog?<\/span><\/p>\n

Well, you came to the right place. <\/span><\/p>\n

Not only have I personally launched and grown several blogs into profitability, and <\/em>helped other clients do the same, but<\/span> throughout my journey, I have found a simple system that works for everyone. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Regardless of your budget, blogging goals, or background knowledge.<\/p>\n

In this article, I lay out everything <\/em>that you need to know to get your blog up and running today.<\/p>\n

Whether you want to record random ruminations or leverage your blog to double your company’s profit, it’s all here. <\/span><\/p>\n

So pull another shot of espresso. <\/span><\/p>\n

Put on some music in the background. <\/span><\/p>\n

Get out your pen and notepad and get ready to take some notes on this (rather extensive) article. <\/span><\/p>\n

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Seriously… take some notes.<\/p>\n

Why Should I Start a Blog in the First Place?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Before I tell you exactly <\/span>how <\/span><\/i>to<\/span> start your blog and the simple steps that you can take to maximize its growth, I first need to answer one burning question. <\/span><\/p>\n

Why in the world should you start a blog<\/a> in the first place?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

After all, just creating<\/em> a blog will cost you a couple hundred dollars and a few hours of work, and actually scaling that same blog will likely take thousands of dollars and years <\/em>of effort!<\/span><\/p>\n

So why should you even bother?<\/span><\/p>\n

While I could drone on for hours about why you need to be blogging and how it will affect your life and business in a positive way, at its core, blogging gives you three major benefits.<\/p>\n

1. Blogging Improves Your Website’s Search Engine Visibility <\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the first reasons that you should start blogging is because it will improve your visibility to search engines.<\/p>\n

Google will rarely if ever, promote a website that does not have a regularly updated blog.<\/p>\n

As soon as you start creating and publishing content on a consistent basis, Google will begin crawling and listing your blog (especially if you learn how to do SEO<\/a> properly).<\/p>\n

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Ultimately, this will lead to new visitors and potential customers visiting your site on a daily basis.<\/p>\n

2. Blogging Gives you a Way to Monetize Your Knowledge<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are an expert in any given field, blogging allows you to take your expertise, package it, and sell it online.<\/p>\n

If you leverage your blog properly, you can easily generate loads of new traffic to your website.<\/p>\n

Monetizing a blog typically takes at least 1-2 years of upfront work before you will begin to see results.<\/p>\n

However, once you have made your first $1 through your blog, you now know that you can make your first $100 or $1,000 or even $1,000,000.<\/p>\n

As long as you learn the best practices and are willing to put in the work, the sky is truly the limit for what you can earn through your blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Blogging Gives You Unique Branding Opportunities<\/strong><\/p>\n

Blogging is effectively just a tool for self-branding and promotion (or business promotion).<\/p>\n

And if you can learn to use it effectively, you will be able to use your blog’s promotional capacity to land dozens upon dozens of new opportunities.<\/p>\n

Just think about Tim Ferriss’s four-hour blog.<\/p>\n

His blog helped him land a book deal which helped him land a TV deal which both have helped him become an entrepreneurial icon and make millions<\/em> in the process.<\/p>\n

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If you can leverage your blog effectively<\/a>, the possible opportunities that will be presented to you are limitless.<\/p>\n

The Simple 3 Step Process to Creating Your Blog<\/span><\/h2>\n

Getting your blog created and published is actually a simple process. <\/span><\/p>\n

After reading this guide, it should take you less than 30 minutes to create and launch your blog (adding and promoting content, however, is another story). <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are the three steps you need to follow to create an epic, blog of killer whale proportions. <\/span><\/p>\n

Step 1: Select Your Domain and Setup Your Hosting (~15 Minutes)<\/span><\/h2>\n

The first step on your journey to creating a wildly successful (and profitable) blog is to select your domain and setup the hosting for your website. <\/span><\/p>\n

Your domain is just the web address that people will type in to find your site. (e.g. <\/span>www.www.moneyjournal.com)<\/span><\/p>\n

While domains range in price from $9.99 $9,999.99 if you follow my advice, you will be able to create a killer domain name and <\/em>get it for free. <\/span><\/p>\n

But before I detail how you can do this, I want to talk about hosting.<\/p>\n

If you were running a physical retail store, hosting would be the building where you house and sell your products. <\/span><\/p>\n

Once you have selected your domain, it is important that you find the right company to host your website (considering that the hosting service will handle security and website backups, this is a pretty important service).<\/p>\n

Just like your domain name, hosting is a relatively cheap expense coming in between $3-5 a month (typically purchased as an annual or two-year subscription).<\/span><\/p>\n

If you’re just getting started, I personally recommend BlueHost<\/a> for all of your web hosting needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to stellar service and phenomenal features, BlueHost offers a free domain name with the purchase of their $2.95\/month hosting service.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here’s how to get started with your domain and hosting using BlueHost.<\/p>\n

Head over to bluehost.com<\/a> and click the giant green “Get Started” button.<\/p>\n

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Now, select your hosting plan. (Yes, it is ok to select the cheapest option.)<\/p>\n

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The next step is selecting your domain.<\/p>\n

Here, you are presented with two options.<\/p>\n

#1: You can select a new domain that Bluehost will give you for free<\/em>.<\/p>\n

#2: You can host an existing domain that you purchased before signing up with Blue Host.<\/p>\n

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Now before we move on, we need to discuss exactly how <\/em>to select the best domain name for your new blog.<\/p>\n

Tips for Selecting a Killer Domain Name <\/span><\/h2>\n

Ten years ago, selecting a domain name was simple, easy to remember, and related to your brand or business was easy. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, as the art of blogging becomes more and more popular (and as investors realize the value of a strong domain name) the proverbial well has started to dry.<\/p>\n

Nowadays, finding a coherent two-word domain name for less than $1,000 is a monumental task, and unless you have a very uncommon name, it is almost certain that you will be unable to purchase yourname.com<\/em>.<\/p>\n

So does this mean that you should just throw in the towel and call the quits?<\/span><\/p>\n

Would I have written this article if that was the case?<\/em><\/p>\n

Even though finding and buying a good domain name is more difficult than it has ever been, it is still possible.<\/p>\n

Here are a few simple tips to help you navigate this process and find a domain name that you love. <\/span><\/p>\n

1. Keep it under 4 Words<\/b><\/p>\n

Most high-quality domain names under 3 words are already taken. <\/span><\/p>\n

However, you still want to do your best to keep your domain relatively short (preferably four words or fewer).<\/p>\n

You will rarely find highly successful blogs with long domain names that are difficult to find and remember.<\/p>\n

And even though there are exceptions, the world of blogging is already competitive enough, so stack the cards in your favor and keep your domain name short.<\/p>\n

2. Eliminate Ambiguity<\/b><\/p>\n

One big mistake that people make when selecting their blog name is that it is hard to spell or has ambiguous or repetitive wording.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, imagine that you are listening to a podcast episode on the Money Journal show and you hear someone mention their blog “foursimplefunnels.com”.<\/p>\n

Hold up… Was that “Four” or “4” or even “For”?<\/p>\n

Unless the speaker specified, you would have to test out the different variations until you found their site, and unless he had a crazy offer that you couldn’t refuse, odds are good that you would not go through the trouble.<\/p>\n

Another common wording mistake is to create domain names with redundant spelling. <\/span><\/p>\n

What I mean by this is that your domain contains repeated letters that the audience might not know about.<\/p>\n

For example, something like sociall<\/span>egacy.com <\/em>is rarely a good idea.<\/p>\n

Make sure that when you are selecting your domain, each word is clearly delineated.<\/p>\n

3. Make it Memorable and Catchy<\/b><\/p>\n

Make the name something that audiences will remember.<\/span><\/p>\n

The internet is full of irrelevant and unmemorable blogs. Be sure that yours is something that grabs the audience\u2019s attention.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Don\u2019t Use Blog Extensions<\/b><\/p>\n

I see lots of blogging newbies opting for domain extensions like .biz .ly and .game.<\/span><\/p>\n

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This might be a cheaper option but almost always makes your website more difficult to find. <\/span><\/p>\n

Do yourself a favor and stick to .com<\/em> (don\u2019t even use .org unless you are actually an organization<\/span>)<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Double Check the Name’s Availability on Social Media<\/strong><\/p>\n

Social media plays a huge role in the growth and success of any online business.<\/p>\n

And if you want to grow your blog following and eventually turn your blog into a cash generating machine<\/a>, then it is important that you have access to the social media accounts associated with www.yourblog.com.<\/p>\n

Ready to search for your blog name?<\/p>\n

Use the tool below to get started.<\/p>\n