If there’s one thing I’m always asked it’s, “How do I start a blog.”
It can be overwhelming as your researching various things.
I’m here to alleviate some of that stress.
I’m going to show you, step by step, how to start a money making blog today in this one post. You don’t have to go researching everywhere, ALL the information you need to get started is RIGHT HERE!
How to Start a Money Making Blog Today
Is Blogging Really Worth It?
You may be wondering if blogging is REALLY worth it. Yes, it is…..as a blogger who makes a fantastic living, I dare say HECK YES. 🙂
What’s Your Passion?
The first thing you want to figure out is what type of blog to have.
What can you talk about for hours and hours? What is your favorite thing to talk about? What advice do your friends always come and ask you for? What does everyone around you say you’re good at? What do you enjoy doing?
Perhaps you love to do DIY or home decor…start a DIY blog. Maybe you love to teach children…start a parenting blog. Maybe you love to cook…start a food blog. Whatever it is that YOU love to do, do it.
If you try to do a blog that you are not passionate about, you will fail. Sorry, it’s true.
First, you won’t stick with it. Blogging is hard work. No one wakes up a year down the line a superstar without having poured blood, sweat, and tears into their blog. If it’s not fun for you, if you don’t enjoy it, if you don’t wake up each morning excited to blog, all that hard work won’t be worth it to you.
Secondly, your readers will smell it a mile away. Whatever you are passionate about or not passionate about, for that matter, comes through. Whenever I go through a day or two of not wanting to blog and just being tired and drained, boy is my blog dead. It’s like they know. They feel it. They see it. They read it in my words, in my tone, in my language. You can’t fool your readers and you don’t want to. You want to be genuinely happy you.
Hosting
One of the first things you’ll need to decide is who to host your blog through. Now, listen carefully when I say, don’t go through GoDaddy. As a new blogger, my blog got hacked when I was with GoDaddy. They fully admitted it was because they didn’t install an update and it should have been. Two other companies I’ve had serious issues with and would not personally recommend are Host Gator and Lunar Pages.
Likewise, I sat there and watched the hacker hack away at all my hard work and GoDaddy could NOT get them off. It was absolutely ridiculous. I have never heard anything good about GoDaddy since I’ve been blogging.
A great company that is worth investing in (and backed by myriad of bloggers, including WordPress themselves!) is BlueHost. They are a great company and handle both small and bigger blogs, so you don’t have to find another host for a long, long time. They offer 24/7 support and will walk you through everything you need to know, without making you feel stupid.
Ready to sign up? Starting a blog is super easy and literally takes less than 5 minutes to do. Click here to get the best deal available online when you take that step, along with a full tutorial and video to help you get started. I wish it were this cheap when I started MY blog!
Right now, you can get hosting as low at $2.95! They have you pay upfront and yes, you absolutely WANT to do that, so you don’t lose your domain name forever. It’s yours and no one can take it from you for as long as you purchase it in advance (I have 9 years on SarahTitus.com!)
The pricing is as follows:
- $2.95 for 36 months –> $106.20 (so cheap seriously! I pay that for ONE month on my blog now because my blog is so big; I’m jealous. LOL)
- $3.95 for 24 months –> $94.80 (great deal!)
- $4.95 for 12 months –> $59.40 (but I wouldn’t recommend this one because I see no point in starting up a blog if you’re just going to do it for a year and these prices next year WILL GO UP! Better to pay less now all at once).
Remember that you MUST click HERE in order to get this special deal.
What’s in a Name?
Everything! I’m a big fan of using your first and last name as your URL if you have a common name. It’s easy to start out as something and change directions if your URL domain name is your own name. If it’s something else, it’s harder to change and I see lots of bloggers, new and established, re-brand and start over. Save yourself the trouble now!
If your name is something hard to spell or you really want to go with a niche, for the love of pete, pick something unique. Don’t go with something generic (example: frugal this or frugal that or mom this or mom that).
Why?
It’s REALLY hard to remember YOU and your unique brand when it’s a generic name. There are already so many common URL’s out there. Even me, myself, I can’t remember some of my own friends blog URL’s because they are all variables of the same thing. You want to be memorable, so people visit you more! 🙂
Be unique, be different, just as each and every one of you is unique and different, so should your URL. Now, I’m not saying to go out and be all crazy, don’t pick some really long name, but do let it represent YOU.
YOU are one in a million! Let your blog be too.
Click here to see if your URL domain name is available.
Themes
Themes are a little bit hard to understand. Right now, just know that it’s best to have both a “parent theme” and a “child theme.” You want both and you want to pay for both. Many blogs that get hacked is because they have free themes. The hackers know who has what, as it’s public information. Having a paid theme means you are paying for support AND protection.
For the parent theme, I highly recommend the Genesis theme, for many reasons, but here are my top three reasons.
- It is the industry standard.
- The SEO (search engine traffic) is known to be better with Genesis, which helps you get more traffic!
- They are extremely user friendly
For child themes, there are some great ones out there. Before I started designing my own site, I really loved Modern Blogger Pro. Eventually after you get going for about 6 months and have your feet wet and know your direction well, I highly recommend having a professional theme designed specifically for you and your audience. This can cost about $250-$600, depending on what you’d like to have done, but it is worth every penny.
Pick a Tagline
If I spent 6 months figuring out the difference between a post and a page, I spent the next 2 months picking out a tagline. I kid you not!
Your tagline defines you. It defines your site, and it’s REALLY hard to re-brand your site with a new tagline once you are visible to the world, even on a small level. If it takes you months to pick something that is completely unique, then take that time. Trust me, you will thank me in the end.
Wanna know my secret weapon? Clary Sage Essential Oil. When you want to be in a creative mood, put Clary Sage on your eye brow bone and smell it; it will help drastically! I am NOT a creative person by nature and this helps me tremendously in so many ways on my blog.
Social Media Platforms
The next thing you’ll want to do is grab your name on all the social media platforms A-sap! It’s horrible when you’re trying to brand yourself and someone else already has your name, so grab them quick. The main platforms you want to join are Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Google +, and Instagram.
While it’s a good idea to be present on all the platforms, I’d encourage you to pick ONE to focus on at a time. Honestly, I’ve not even touched, Google +, or Instagram yet, but I know Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook like the back of my hand and in knowing the platforms so well, I can really capitalize on the traffic.
It is better to know ONE platform very well, than all of them poorly!
Newsletter Anyone?
You want to establish this right away. I know, I know, at first you will be talking to yourself, get used to that. Everyone does it. It’s okay. Just know that it won’t always be like that and you can recycle your own best content again when you do become famous. 🙂 It’s not something you want to do all the time, but there have been a few articles or newsletters where I’ve gone back and was like, “Hey, that’s good stuff. I bet I can make it popular now.” And I have. We all start somewhere, but you need to establish yourself as a serious blogger with a newsletter.
Your newsletter is ONE thing that no social media platform can take away from you. It’s YOUR list. So, your newsletter is gold. It is your most loyal readers. Never sell it and never harm it in any way. Protect it.
I use Madmimi for my newsletter. They’ve been great so far and I’ve been with them a really long time. They were the only company that provided in-depth support as a new blogger. They made video’s of my own account for me to teach me and within 1 hour they respond by email to any email I send them. For a long time, I didn’t have much of a newsletter, but Madmimi treated me well, as if I had a million, and now that I have a good sized list, there is no change. It’s always been impeccable service, service that goes beyond the norm!
What to Talk About
Whatever it is that you decide to talk about on your blog, whichever direction you go, you absolutely need editorial calendars. You can download each month you need for 2015 here and for 2016 here.
Let’s Talk Traffic, Shall We
Two of the best ways to get traffic as a new blogger (and even as a seasoned blogger) is to join link up parties. I have a Frugal Friday Link Up Party (update: no longer active) that begins each Friday at 6 am MST. There are many link up parties to be involved in, and I plan to go into more depth in how to be successful at link up parties at a later time. In the meantime, try different ones and see which ones bring you the most traffic. Don’t take on more than 5 per week and always be there when they open to post as close to the top as you possibly can.
Another great way to get traffic, and more importantly, is to connect with other bloggers by commenting on their blogs. I just LOVE hearing from my readers and most bloggers do. Every single comment that comes through this blog gets seen by MY eyes. I try to comment back on every single comment as well, though there are times I don’t because there’s not really anything for me to comment.
Either way, commenting regularly on YOUR favorite blogs is a great way to connect and get traffic and connect with other bloggers.
Speaking of Reaching Out
Make friends with other bloggers. The faster you get involved with other bloggers, the faster you will learn and be a part of a wonderful online group. Seek out those in your own niche. When I first started blogging, and even now, I totally admit that I stalk my favorite bloggers.
- Follow them on social media
- Comment on their blogs
- Email them reaching out to them, telling them I’m a fan and I love their work
A few haven’t had time for me, but that’s okay, I’ve met some AH-mazing bloggers in doing that. I love being a part of their lives and them in mine and all it takes is reaching out. Blogging is very much a social sport. Get involved. Always have the motto that it’s NOT a competition. There is room at the top for many.
Hire a Coach
This may be last on the list, but it’s definitely your first priority! Listen, when I first started blogging, I spent THOUSANDS of dollars doing everything wrong. I didn’t know where to invest, so I did this and that and the other and NONE of it panned out. I was new and I was taken advantage of many times over because I simply did not know.
THE single, most important thing you can do for yourself and your blog after you hit about 50,000-100,000 in traffic per month is to hire a coach.
When I say hire a coach, be very, very careful. Again, there are sharks out there in the coaching world too. People who promise you fame and fortune and just take your money, but there are also some solid coaching programs as well. The ones that will profit you the most of course, are the ones that offer private mentoring. One-on-one personalized programs are where you’ll learn the most amount quicker than any other training.
If I would have purchased some good, solid personalized one-on-on coaching when I first started, I would have paid at LEAST 1/4 of what I got scammed out of, I would have flew right from the start, and I would have known where, how, and what to invest my time into and what was a waste of time, energy, and money. I could have sped up my blogging career by a long shot.
That is my biggest mistake I made in my blogging career thus far. I wish I had the opportunity to take what you can now and the very reason I offer it and for so little. I have been told time and time again I should be charging at least $4,000, and I could, but I just want to prevent someone from going through what I did and set them on the right path straight away.
When researching mentors, always check them out thoroughly. Don’t just believe everyone who says, “Oh, I have a million pageviews a month or oh, I make $40,000/month.” You can easily flub or lie about those stats as a blogger and many do either unknowingly or knowingly. Be careful.
One of the first things I check out is their Alexa score. Just go to Alexa’s site and type in their domain name. You want to see their score as 500,000 or less. If it’s higher than that, they may not have enough credibility for their programs and it might be a waste of your time and money. In all honesty, I would look for someone under 200,000 and if it’s under 100,000 you know it’s the real deal for sure.
You can also install the Alexa toolbar on your Chrome browser to check out sites quickly and easily.
The most important thing I can share with you is to take your time.
Blogging is not a spectator sport and it’s not a sprint. You want to be in it for the long haul and that means investing time, patience, and money (spent wisely in the right things) to help you reach your goals. I also say this solely to show you that it’s possible, but I know a few people, myself included who are less than 2 years old in blogging and run extremely successful blogs and genuinely have a million pageviews a month and more. It is very possible.
If blogging is your dream and you are willing to put the time into it, you will reap the rewards.
Related: Want to monetize your blog? Check out my resources page here with all the tricks and tips you need to know to steer clear of scams!
This is a great post Sarah! You have some great information here, all in one spot. You’ve built a great site as well! Yes to the max on registering every single name you might want at the outset.
Thank you Lisa. 🙂
I am just getting started and I still feel like I don’t know what exactly I am doing. I am enjoying the process so far and I hope I will get there some day. There are things in here I don’t quite understand. I don’t know what a tag line is exactly. I am guessing the intro paragraph to your site? Also a newsletter?? Is this something on your site or just on the link you posted? I am not really understanding what this is all about. What is a child theme? Why do you need both?
Those are all great questions Natali. 🙂
Your tagline is what your site is about. For example, my tagline is: Saving Money Never Goes Out of Style.
A newsletter is an email that you send out to your readers, usually once a week. You want to start offering this when you get a little bit of an audience, so that they can connect with you on a deeper level.
A child theme is most necessary. If your theme gets deleted or your site gets hacked, you won’t lose all your data when you have a child theme. My site was hacked when I first started, so I speak from experience unfortunately.
how much do you estimate the start up cost would be total? im a new stay at home mom and am going to save up to start my own blog soon.
Stephanie, it’s really hard to say because it depends on your budget and if you want to make money from your blog or not. If you do, then it has to be considered a business and to start a business costs money. I would start with a host (I recommend BlueHost to start), and with a theme set (I recommend Genesis and a child theme, which you can see those options here under the themes section). After that, it’s just about learning what you can about blogging. Some of the way you’ll learn costs money. Perhaps it’s coaching, buying a book, etc. All that to say, starting up a blog as a business is one of the most cheapest businesses to start. Most of your equity is time. It takes a LOT of time to set up, especially as a new blogger because it’s self-taught, unless you know someone who blogs and can teach you, or you have money and can hire a technician. If I had to do it over again, I would have spent the $400 it costs to hire a technician from day one and I could have saved myself a year of frustration! lol.
Thank you Sarah. I have worked in the medical field for the last 23 years & have thought about leaving to be a stay at home mom to my 12 year old daughter for a while now. I always thought as our kids get older they would need LESS supervision but I now believe that as they enter the very uncertain & confusing world of adolescents that I need to be home to guide my daughter through this time that has changed by leaps & bounds since I was a tween girl. I want to be the one to know her friends, take and pick up from activities and not only be a guide but also a watchful eye over her. The kids of today are exposed to soooo much at such a young age these days. Thank you for all of your helpful tips.
Very, very true. With your experience, you could go in a number of directions. Praying you find the one that is right for you and your family. 🙂
Sarah, I am so glad I found your post on pinterest! I have been flirting with the idea of starting a blog to develop my writers platform online. However, I am a bit lost on how to do that; your post has helped me. I also might look into your consulting services if I get in a jam later on. Great post! Thanks for posting! Donna
Glad it helped you. Absolutely, writers should all definitely have a blog! 🙂
Hi, Sarah! Thanks for the good content. I am a complete newbie…been toying with the idea of starting a blog, seems like ‘forever’. I am interested in SO many different areas, and am having trouble narrowing it down to begin. My main question that I haven’t seen addressed anywhere…Does everyone who begins blogging do it to generate ‘traffic’? My husband and I are going to begin a cross-country adventure, for lack of a better term, next year, and I have been asked by many friends to begin a blog so friends can keep track of what we’re doing and where we are, as we go from place to place. Since my goal is not to make money , but to keep in touch, much of the material I read about blogging seems like it doesn’t apply (directed toward ‘driving traffic, how to make money, supporting other bloggers, recommending brands), and I am not experienced enough to weed through it before beginning to write or plunking down money. I am taking some baby steps by beginning to journal, keeping quotes, and trying out some simple art and doodling. Any thoughts? Thanks for your input!
Great question Sharon. No, not everyone’s plan is to generate traffic. 🙂 In fact, how I personally started blogging was that I kept having all my friends come over, see my house, drop their jaw, and ask me how I have all that I have on what the world calls poverty. Instead of taking so much time per person to explain it, I figured I’d start a blog and just point them to a blog post about it. It would save me time and I could teach people how to make money selling on eBay. That was about 15-16 months ago now and I quickly saw the potential in blogging (was able to get off selling on eBay full-time, as blogging makes more) and here I am, a very successful lifestyle blog.
I remember my first posts wern’t even spell checked. I just wrote them for friends. I still get comments, “Check your spelling you dummy! You shouldn’t have a blog if you can’t spell right” I laugh to myself. I’ve been trying to go back and find the articles and spell check them now, but it’s funny where I started and where I am now. I would say blog for what you love to do. Blog because you want to. It may turn into more, it may not, but either way, I think everyone should have a blog because sometimes, it can turn into more than a full time income.
I read a blog post that suggested having content before “advertising” so I decided to write some posts before paying anything and it’ll give me time to research. This post has new info I hadn’t even thought of, thanks.
That’s a great point Christal. I’d agree. Personally, I would wait until there’s at least 30 posts before advertising or even trying to get traffic because when you get traffic, you want to have something for them to look at. 🙂
Thanks for the tips! I just started out a little over three weeks ago. I am planning on setting up my e-mail list this week, and I was considering using Mad Mimi. Thanks for the tutorial!
You’re welcome Sarah. Madmimi is really good. I love them. 🙂
Hi Sarah, I just started a blog after losing my job hoping to generate some income. I would love to know about copyright issues regarding using photos off the Internet. Where can I go to get free photos from the internet? Also, if I feature a link from YouTube do I need to seek permission from the owner? Does the same apply to website links I put on my page? Thank you in advance!
Great questions Maria. If you are featuring a link from YouTube or another site, you don’t have to get permission. If you are using their photo’s on your site, you want to get permission. As for the copyright issue and pictures, it’s too large of a question for me to answer in a comment, but I will make a post on it for you at a later time. 🙂
Love your ever increasing wisdom you give so generously here and that you are so welcoming and helpful–genuinely helpful! My question is: I’m in the beginning stages of blogdom. I have paid my blue host and have installed wordpress. I would like to blog for a living but have read that I should have a wordpress.org self-hosted site instead of a wordpress.com site. Mine currently is a .com. Do you happen to have a post on switching it from .com to .org?
Thank you for your time!
Glad you like the site Bekah. If you’re a new blogger, you will LOVE (hint, hint) what’s in store for you this summer/fall!!!
On the switching, you lost me a little bit. You want to have a self-hosted WordPress site. I’m not sure what the .org and .com mean exactly, but your host should have you set up on a self-hosted WordPress site, so be sure to ask them and if they don’t, have them set you up on one.
I just signed up with Mad Mimi through your link. I love it already!! Thanks so much. I am on a mission to work from home with my kids and run my business. I know that sounds like an oxymoron but I believe it can work!!
Loran
Glad you like Madmimi. 🙂
It totally can Loran! I’m on a mission to help! 😀
I’ve been thinking about moving my blog over to WordPress for awhile now. I just haven’t had time to really sit down to figure it out. I still have a full-time job and a full house to juggle, that my blogging has taken a backseat. How hard is it to move all of my content? I want to get a better traffic flow.
Wow! I’m learning so much from your website. I’ve been blogging for about 10 years, but it’s only recently occurred to me that I could generate an income stream from it. Occasionally, I would receive emails from vendors asking me to review their product or service, but I never looked at them as an opportunity and therefore deleted them from my inbox.
In the last couple of days, I’ve made some progress registering to become an affiliate, but I’m having a hard time getting one new banner to stop disappearing from my sidebar. I know you prefer WordPress to Blogger, could that be one of the reasons why? Is Blogger just not as friendly for those types of things?
Anyway, thank you for all the information available here. I look forward to learning more. 🙂
So glad that you are learning. Hmmm, I’m not sure about Blogger to be honest. I’ve never been on that platform, however, I have had friends tell me who have been on both platforms, that WordPress is SOOOO much easier and a lot more user friendly.
Dear Sarah, I live in Costa Rica and the economy is different but I really desire to stay home and help my family. I love to read and write… discover, investigate, share details normal people couldnt see… Thank you for your blog. You are really inspiring me! Blessings!
So glad the site is inspiring you. A lot of principles can still be applied. Some things may not be true if you are in another country though. But hopefully you can find some really good things to help. 🙂
Hi, Sarah! I don’t normally comment on anything online, like blogs, forums, or even Facebook-where my audience is limited to only my closest family and adopted family (aka: very dear friends)… But after reading several of your posts, around 6-8, I feel compelled to take a moment to thank you for your generosity in sharing SO many invaluable resources for a better way of living. I am a very frugal type person, likely because I was raised to live by the saying “waste not, want not”. And that phrase was applicable in all areas when I was young and even more so now (orphaned single mom to a 16yo daughter). After reading only one post of yours, I was blown away by how in depth, creative, resourceful, meritorious, and genuine you are. You have really gone above and beyond and have treated your audience as well as I would treat my family… You seem very “real” and sincere through your work, and that is something that I appreciate so much, it is a rare trait (or gift, imho). You are awesome and inspiring, and I pray you are blessed in this life! Thank you… So very much!
Sincerely,
-laura valane
P.s. I look forward to learning even more from you… I can’t wait to catch up on all of your posts, past and future!
Ah, thank you Laura. That was so sweet. I’m so glad that my words come off like I’m speaking to family and friends, because that is honestly how I feel. I also find it a high honor that you commented, since you don’t normally do. That means a lot to me. Thank you. I absolutely LOVE hearing from everyone. <3
Thank you for sharing. I am so very inspired by your story. I have a mountain of student loans and other consumer debt that is screaming at me and that I need to pay off. After making a mess of my finances, I woke up and wanted to be home with my children. I’ve been home for 4 years, but have to get from under this mountain. Your post was filled with great information. It’s a lot to digest, but will definitely save this to reference over and over as I move forward.
Absolutely. It definitely can be overwhelming. Just take one step at a time, one foot in front of the other where ever you are at. I wrote a book about how I went from homeless to being debt free and onto making 6 figures, How to Become Financially Free. If you haven’t already taken a look, you can get it super cheap here on Amazon (I wanted to make it a price EVERYONE could afford). How much debt do you need to get out of (if you don’t mind sharing)?
May I ask how soon you could generate income and the potential range of income? I just don’t want to spend lot and if it doesn’t work out or doesn’t generate what it should.
If I am completely honest and speak to you as a friend, out of love, I would say that the sentence “I just don’t want to spend a lot and if it doesn’t work out or doesn’t generate what it should,” is the completely wrong thinking. In a sense, it’s shooting yourself in the foot before you start…thinking you’ll fail. Preparing to fail. Waiting to fail. You have to change that. I WILL make it happen. I WILL earn $x from blogging. It may take a few years to make thousands, but I WILL do it. If you started now with the wrong kind of thinking, you will fail. Self sabotage is real. I know, because I deal with it myself! :/ Sometimes, for me at least, it comes down to giving myself permission to be successful. I freaked OUT for MONTHS when I first started making 6 figures. I’m this little homeless girl I told myself and I sabotaged myself and lost income. The problem was my thinking. It’s okay to go after your dreams. It’s okay to be successful. It’s okay to give it everything you’ve got to MAKE it work. Don’t focus on the money part of it, yes, set some aside or work as a virtual assistant to earn money to pay for your blog, but don’t let the cost stop you from going after your dreams. Out of all my 18 years making money from home, blogging has got to be one of the two most CHEAPEST ways to get started making money from home.
Dying of curiosity… You said blogging is one of the TWO cheapest ways… What is the other?
The second would be reselling. 🙂 I have a making money resources guide that has all the info. You can see the guide here.
Thank you so much! I am brand new to blogging and I would love to be able to start bringing a substantial income to my family. You are an incredible inspiration! I actually feel as though it might be possible for me now.
That’s awesome Mattie! 🙂 Blogging is for the long haul, for sure, but if you are willing to put in the effort in it, you get what you put in and can totally rock it!
Hi Sarah, I enjoy reading your blog and would like to start one myself as I also have no home and need to make money. I read the above but I am not very technically minded and I don’t understand a lot of your jargon. For example what is a host? What is word press and blogger and what do they do? What are themes, genesis etc and what do they do? What are parent and child themes? What do they do? What is an editorial Calender? What is commentluv and what does it do? How do you actually make money from any of this? Sorry if my questions are stupid but I just don’t understand any of it and I want to.
Regards
Sally
Your questions aren’t stupid. 🙂 However, anytime someone mentions they want to start a blog to make money, I highly caution them to explore their “why.” If a person is wanting to start a blog, with the number 1 reason as to make money, they will never make it, because the truth is that any new blogger puts in an incredible amount of time and some money LONG before ever seeing anything in return. Before they see money, they will have gotten frustrated and quit. Of course, I’m NOT saying this is the case with you, just something I always mention. Many people look at blogging like a get-rich-quick thing and it’s anything but that! As for the questions you ask, they are great questions. I have all the answers on my resources page, where I go into more detail what things are. 🙂 You can find that page here.
You are such an inspiration! Thank you for this post and all of your posts about blogging. I have a passion for my faith and homeschooling and I am trying to earn some income for my family starting a blog in the last couple weeks. I feel completely overwhelmed with all there is to do! I’m trying to not let it take over my life, but it seems it has to if I want it to succeed. I don’t need or expect to make $10,000 a month (my husband is a great provider!) but I do want to help us pay off our house in the next couple years and save for my children’s college education. Any advice?
I don’t think it has to take over your life if you want to succeed, not at all. I don’t think that would be God’s plan for anyone. Commitment, yes, taking over, no. 🙂 There is a lot to do, that is very true. Perhaps it would be good for me to write an article about where to spend your time as a blogger and where not to. That would really help. There are SO many things I call “noise” that keep us from doing the things that really ARE worth our time in blogging, and like when I was new, I had no clue where to invest time and where not to. I’ll be sure to get on that in the next few months. 🙂
hello, I’m new at this and i wanted to ask you if posting about shows is legal? for example if i watch a show and want to write about every episode would it be legal?
Great question! I’m not sure. I would check with a blogging lawyer in your area to be 100% sure before proceeding to be on the safe side.
I love all the helpful hints thankyou. I could not find a recent Frugal friday though.
You’re most welcome Vickie. 🙂 For Frugal Friday’s, I discontinued them. I’ve found a way to get massive traffic to other blogs, so I’m doing that now. Last month, I sent one blogger over 70,000 in traffic. It’s so cool to be a part of that!
I keep reading that if you have blogspot you should switch over to WordPress…How do you do that without losing the content already posted? Or the traffic the blog with blogspot has produced?
It can be transferred over so you don’t lose traffic and content. I know someone who can do this for you for the cheapest I’ve seen online. If you’re interested, just contact me and I’ll forward her info to you. 🙂
After stalking your pages (thank you for all the content) I just read this and just last week switched to Genesis and Modern Blogger Pro! I’m having issues, yes newbie stamped on my forehead at the moment, but thank you for the encouraging words. I’m a SAHM too. Overwhelmed is a good word to describe this blogging stuff. Between content and learning about the technical side, stressed. I’ll be researching all of your content to glean some info. Thank you!
Definitely check out YouTube and Modern Blogger Pro has support I believe, if you contact them. I used to have the theme and they were great about little fixes. : )Little secret spilled…there’s a LOT more blogging stuff coming soon! 😉
Hi Sarah,
This is literally the very first comment I have ever made outside of Facebook. 🙂 You certainly have an incredible gift of sharing information and knowledge. Congratulations on all of your success!! May it continue for many many years to come!
I’ve been wanting a lifestyle change in my life for at least 2+ years and I’ve been dreaming of starting a small farm, becoming more self sufficient, and using that to start my own business. Primarily open a mini fiber mill and becoming a fiber artist…to start. I’m learning a lot of new skills by reading other homestead blogs and trying different things on my own. I’ve been thinking of starting my own blog in the last few months because I’d like to share my journey of all the new things I’m learning and talk about my thoughts and starting from scratch. The only problem I have is that I have so MANY interests, it’s hard for me to pick just one. I’m passionate about animals, fiber arts, DIY, gardening, photography, homesteading, fitness, dating etc. and honestly that’s not even half of the list. What would your recommendation be regarding a main focus for a blog that would have many varied interests? In your opinion, what would be the best approach for incorporating everything into one tagline?
Thanks again for all you do!
Megan
Aw, I’m honored you commented here first. <3
Why do you HAVE TO pick just one topic? I write on many: organizing, making money, blogging, saving money, DIY, essential oils, parenting, the list goes on and on. Don't buy that you have to be pigeon-holed into one thing, just make sure you buy the URL that is your first and last name so that you CAN make it about any topic and grow into different topics as you go. The tagline would be your why. Why you want to start the blog? Why you're different than other blogs? Why are you passionate about it? Mine is, "Every mom should have the option to stay home, regardless of income." I'm tired of the world telling women we have to work outside the home and dang it, I'm gonna prove it. LOL. My mission is to show other women they CAN be home with their kids and I back it up with expertise and my own life. That's my passion; that's my why. It's why I blog. To show them they can stay home if they want. What's your mission? What do you want to teach them? That's your tagline. 🙂
Sarah, thank you SO much. I’ve recently started a blog and I was getting a little discouraged about not getting a lot of traffic. Your post really helped me regain focus and realize it will come with time. Thanks again!
Absolutely Kelly. 🙂 It’s definitely a journey. Just keep marketing everything really well. That’s the key.
Hey Sarah,
So I want to start a blog but am torn on what to write on! I teach kids dance do I love kids but I also love fashion and cooking! I looked at a few blogs you had as examples and some touched on all three things! Could I possibly do that also?
Ashley, I wouldn’t see why not…just find a way to combine the three interests on the site, so that it’s all cohesive. 🙂
I don’t have a website yet, so I just put yours down because this is the one I’m on now. My questions is: I know Bluehost is having that $3.49 a month deal right now, until October 31st, but what about after October 31st? Because of your post I am considering starting my own blog and I want to take my time learning about it and saving money to pay for all this protection and CommentLuv and themes and whatnot. So, after Oct. 31st how much is it usually?
Jasmine, their normal rate is $3.95/month, which saves you quite a bit as you have to pay upfront (you don’t want to lose your URL or that low rate, so it’s best they have you pay upfront). 🙂 The discounted rate I receive from them is on a month-by-month basis. It *looks like* I will be able to get it for November as well, I just can’t promise until November happens and I find out. Either way, if you have a good URL in mind, I’d grab it before someone else does.
Sarah I am so excited! Your information is amazing and I can’t wait to dive in! I’ve tried various methods in the past and just didn’t have it to stay at home. I’ve always wanted to be a SAHM, and now I see a way to possibly achieve that. I am driven and just want to let my husband leave his job (government after 22 years in the military). I’m super happy I found your resources! Do you have a recommendation as to which to spend money on first? Obviously the web page and theme, but after that? And what organizational tools do you use? What’s next? And how about having several passions? How did you narrow it down?
Annie, as you know with any startup, it will take time to make money. So, with blogging, you want to be in it for the long haul. With that said, if you are driven, that is 90% of what it takes to be a great blogger. An attitude that you won’t give up. That is great. 🙂 As for spending money, I would be careful what you spend on. There are a LOT of scams out there. I’ve written a post here that lays out the foundation that you’ll need. If you want a step by step guide, I have a free eBook coming up soon about plateau’s. It will walk you through 0 in traffic to over a million, where I’m at now. Obviously I can’t teach higher than that, as I’ve not done it myself, so I wouldn’t even try. 🙂 As for your question about passions, that is something you’ll want to get private coaching on. A trusted and credible blogger would have to show you the ropes and help you hone in what to talk about and what direction to take your blog. Without that type of guidance, you can spend months, and even years going in the wrong direction, wasting both time and money.
Thank you for this post! I’m just starting out a blog I hope to make money with — http://www.widemeadow.com, (Simple solutions to natural living) and your tips are practical and helpful in the face of my millions of questions (how do I build an e-mail list? How do I set up a newsletter? How do I make my blog look appealing? etc…) Anyway, back to pursuing your blog!
Hi Sarah, these tips are so great! Thank you so much for posting this. I also found your recommendations post very helpful as well. I’m new to blogging (thanks to you and your blog) so I haven’t seen any traffic just yet but I’m staying positive. Thank you for giving these helpful tips and keeping me motivated. -Becky
Absolutely Becky. 🙂 So glad you found it all helpful. I wouldn’t encourage you to promote the blog until everything is how you want it and there are at least 20 posts up. First impressions online are huge and can’t be taken back…plus, you want to have something there on the site for them to read. 🙂
Hi Sarah! I am a newbie who is starting a blog to raise money for an adoption, keep friends & family up to date, then to create an income after the adoption. I have a WordPress sight but not through Bluehost. Is it possible to switch once we are able to afford the 3.95/month? Does it matter?
Thank you for the tips & I LOVE that you are staying home:)
Kam
If it’s just for family and friends, I would say it doesn’t matter, but if you are wanting to make income from it, at that point, yes. It makes a huge difference in many areas such as SEO for traffic (be sure to get on the Genesis theme right away for more traffic), for credibility purposes, and so on. Wishing you all the best in your new adventure! 🙂
Hi Sarah – (Great name!) I had been thinking about starting my own blog for awhile, but never actually made the move forward. My mom forwarded me your e-book about making money from home and it linked me to your blog. I started reading your stories and it gave me that final push to move forward with my idea. Sometimes the hardest part is just getting started! I used your BlueHost deal and just wanted to say thank you for the candid advice and for giving me that final push!
I’m just getting started, but here is my site: http://www.sugarmaplenotes.com
That’s awesome Sarah. So glad you were inspired to begin your own blogging journey. 🙂 Yes, the hardest part is getting started. It’s like a snowball. Hard at first, but the longer you blog, the easier it gets.
Sarah thank you much for this post!!!! I am just getting started. There is so much to learn!!! I appreciate your thoughtful post and easy to do advice. I’ve already gone out and gotten my pinterest account. Can I ask you a few questions? Did you take any of your personal accounts and turn them into your blog accounts? I already have twitter and pinterest followers. Curious if I should start new ones. Also what is your tagline? I want to make sure I am understanding that piece of advice. Thank you again!!!! I know you can sell your advice, but I definitely appreciate that you are giving away some of your knowledge for free!!! I promise to pay it forward!! XOXO – Caytie
Hi Sarah, I just want to first thank you for all of your super helpful posts and connection with us readers! Your site is literally my go-to guide for practically everything lol especially blogging. I purchased hosting/theme etc. just recently and gosh! I knew it would take a load of work but i didn’t realize how technically declined I was 🙁 I am not techie at all but didn’t think it would be such a time consumer to learn and I feel wayyy behind. In one of the comments- you mentioned hiring a technician- could you make any recommendations? Several months ago, I bookmarked one of your pages in regards to your coaching and then realized you stopped offering it! I felt so bummed because I honestly feel overwhelmed, don’t know where to safely and wisely put my money so I can get my site running and started on the right foot. I’ve been slowly following all advice on your recommendations page, I just feel like this process would spare me time if I had help from an actual person (well, email support as I travel alot). Thanks sooo much again!
HaHa. I can relate! I’m not technical at all either. I would tell you how bad it is, but I’d embarrass myself! LOL. Right now, when you’re first starting out, your best technician will be YouTube. I love to go there and see how things and done and then implement it. VERY helpful. I know a couple of designers, but that’s more designing your whole site and not just a couple little things here and there. For the coaching, yes, I’m so slammed to offer personalized coaching at the moment, however, I will say that coming Dec 23, I’m going to be releasing a step by step, detailed guide of all the things you should do (and the things you shouldn’t waste your time on!) to start making money on your blog and get your traffic up…all the way to $10k/month and 1 million in traffic. 🙂 You can pre-order the book on Amazon here. I’d also encourage you to get on the newsletter because Tuesday I will be announcing a giveaway for a coaching package with me and how to enter!!!
Thank you so much for your blog and specifically this post. I have decided to start my own blog, and this post has been EXTREMELY helpful to me!
Absolutely! So glad it’s helping. 🙂
Oh my goodness thank you! I have no idea why or how I completely forgot YouTube. I went with the Modern Blogger Pro theme as you suggested and they have video tutorials that have been really helpful and great support. So glad you recommended them! And that it’s great! I will do that now as I’ve found all your ebooks sooo helpful in this journey! and the newsletter– that’s your subscribers right? LOL Sorry, silly question just want to be sure. I am a dedicated reader! LOL and I’ve been subscribed for a while, looking forward to it! Thank you so much!
Absolutely Sheree. If you’re subscribed, then you’ll get the news release. 🙂 So glad it’s all helping you. Modern Blogger Pro is awesome. I had them for a long time and loved them. Sounds like you’re off to a great start!
I suppose what is holding me back right now is having the money to start with when it comes to starting up. My husband asked me to promise to not spend more money to try and make more money until the debt is paid off and I fully intend on keeping that promise. I would like to start a blog and have ideas on content but getting started without spending money and still being successful doesn’t sound as easy as it had when I first started researching. Any tips that might help me would be amazing. 🙂
The truth is, that the more you invest financially into something (that is not a scam of course), the more it succeeds. Why? Because you are emotionally connected to it. You’re fervent, you’re passionate about making it work BECAUSE you’re invested in it. In my oils business, I know those who will make it big and those who won’t by the package they start with. The same is true in blogging. If you want to make money, there’s no going around the basics. It *sounds like* you might have been scammed before or money has been wasted somehow, so your husband is not trusting anymore. It might not be the right time to start a blog. Perhaps you could make money on your own somehow in order to pay for the blog you want to start, but keep in mind, if YOU are not 100% all in, neither will your readers. Praying that you’ll be shown the way. <3
Hello,
So I’ve launched my blog! But other than posting frequently I don’t really know what to do next. To be honest I really want to make money doing this but to figure it all out seems so immense. I’m intrigued by the idea of hiring a coach. Do you have any recommendations on how to find a great one?
Congratulations!!! I’m just releasing on pre-order today a step-by-step guide that will help you. It’ll show you exactly everything you should (and shouldn’t) be doing on your blog from here on out until you hit a million in taffic/month and $10k/month income. It’s going to be epic! You can pre-order the book here on Amazon, How to Turn Your Blog Into a Six-Figure Money Making Machine.
The other thing I’d suggest is getting a Genesis theme along with a child theme that you like. Genesis is foundational to having a money making blog in many ways.
Outside of that, at this point, I really wouldn’t bother with coaching until you are farther along. There are so many materials available to you. It’s when you get to 200k pageviews a month, when I would suggest hiring a coach at that point. 🙂 At this point, there are TOO many scams out there by seemingly nice bloggers and you can get taken very easily and they prey on new bloggers, so BE CAREFUL! Here’s a great resource guide that will show you some great tools and tricks that will also help, things you can 100% trust (it also has links to pretty themes in there!).
I just started my blog today and I’m super nervous about starting it up. This is starting to help but I’m hoping to read more about starting up.
Congratulations Kayla! Anything worth doing always makes us nervous. Totally normal. I still get nervous sometimes. 🙂
Hi Sarah! I love this post, it is SOOOOOOO helpful!
I do have one question though, if i want to be able to blog from my home and from a laptop will I have to pay for the programs on both devices or will they be available after 1 purchase on any computer I own?
Thanks,
Megan
Megan, Things like WordPress and your blog or anything you put on your blog like a theme or plug in will always be on your site, so you can access from home or a laptop, but let me know for sure which programs you are referring to and I can give you a better answer. 🙂
Thanks.
I do read a lot about blogging 101 tips.
I am trying to get my hands on all info re: how to blog to increase traffic.
Ques: I use Pinterest to attract followers. I gain a lot of followers and then I lose a lot of followers. How did you ramp up your Pinterest following?
Thanks in advance,
Sarah,
Trying to understand all this. I already have website and Bluehost. Watched your Comment Luv instructions and it looks like a really good tool. This is a plug in from WP and would like to know what you might know about it.
Akismet
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Hello Sarah,
Thank you for this post. It really helped me with some question I have been wondering about. One issue I am still having problems with is my name…I would like to move from a free wordpress blog to personal url. I have been blogging for steady for a few months and I need to take the next step. I do have older post but I took a break for a while. I am basically starting all over. BUT my name is kinda tough to remember and spell. I do have it all over social media though. Would it be smart to pay for my url and use my full given name Janelle McCoy but keep JEM’s Eclectic Home for my social media until I rebrand?
Any advice on the subject would be helpful.
JEM
Hi Sarah! Thank you so much for the knowledge you share through your blog! Just started and it is overwhelming and scary when you realize the amount of things you just don’t have a clue!!! A few days ago I was on my desk wondering “what is the difference between a page and a post?!?!” and reading this post today made me laugh and it especially reassured and encouraged me.
See you at the next Frugal Friday Link Up Party (…just discovered that they exist!)!
Jasmin
Jasmin, yes, there is definitely a learning curve, but stick with it. It’s worth it. 🙂 The link up party has been discontinued; I’m sorry.
Right now I have a very neglected website that I started a few years ago. Lately I’ve been thinking about getting back to blogging at my site again. Currently I have Host Gator as my provider and my website platform is WordPress. If I decide to switch my provider to Blue Host, is it easy to do? Do I just need to sign up with Blue Host or is it more complicated than that?
Great question Christine. There’s a place where you can switch over your hosting as you’re purchasing. Just select that you already have a URL and enter that in. Then, to be sure, call Host Gator and cancel with them.
Thank you so so so so so much for all of the hard work you have put in and your generosity in sharing with us! I had been tossing around the blogging idea for quite some time and after running across your Why I don’t shop at Walmart post on pinterest, I just got lost in your blog for days! I seriously couldn’t stop reading! I finally decided to go for it and began the process of setting up my blog yesterday. I got my husband and my dad in on it with me and we’re all super excited about seeing where it takes us. It’s set to go live Sunday! I did have a question concerning pinterest, is that your personal pinterest account or did you make a separate one for your blog? I’m a pinterest addict! lol. Thanks again for doing what you do!
When I started blogging, I turned my personal Pinterest account into my business one. That way I’d have a leg up on starting, but I imagine either way would be just fine. Totally a personal choice. 🙂
Just over here going through all your posts and you are so strong-willed it’s amazing. I love how possible you make it seem to earn a living from blogging. I’ve been down tonsss of business ventures, but blogging is the first one that I’m actually seeking out help because it feels like aiming in the dark for traffic.
I do have 1 question:
When you went from talking to yourself to EPIC, did traffic just keep trickling in or did you see a huge surge from one post or one link share that was sustained by your content?
Sarah you are incredible. I have wanted to start blogging for a long time but know nothing about it. I have looked at a few sites and I thought I was trying to learn Chinese, German, and 6 other languages at once (ok, maybe I’m exaggerating). Truthfully, I didn’t understand everything you wrote but I came away with a feeling it’s possible and I know I can learn. Thank you. By the way, this is only the second time I have sent a comment.
I’m so glad it’s helping. Starting a blog is definitely like learning a foreign language, at least in the technical department. 🙂 But, there IS hope. If I, being the worst technically-challenged person, can do it, so can anyone else. 🙂
Thank you for sharing your experience. It means the world to me. I started my “serious” blog on November 24, and I have had 342 page views so far. I have read SO much, and still feel so confused and unsuccessful. I have not made one cent so far. We really need me to be bringing in income, and so far my husband has been patient. I KNOW I can make this work, but am not sure where to go or how to do it. I just found your website and plan on taking the steps I can. I have a wix blog. I have already paid for a year, so I hope they won’t be hackable. Everything else I think I can do. What I love about blogging is being able to share my life, and things I love. What I don’t like is how confusing all of this is to learn and knowing where I need to stay focused. Thanks again!
If you are looking to make money from your blog, I’d highly encourage you to check out this post. 🙂
Dear Sarah,
I tried to comment earlier but I don’t think it went through. I really want to thank you, but excuse me if this is a second comment..
I am so thankful I have found your blog and I really appreciate how helpful and encouraging you are. I am a single momma of a wonderful little girl. She is my world!! And I would do anything to be able to stay at home with her. I had no idea of what a blog was until a few months ago. I didn’t even know about Pinterest three years ago. I thought that for me to stay home I would have to be a phone rep or sales person. Wow, if I could be able to just get by, but be able to be do so with my little girl next to me.. I would be extremely blessed. I am so not the social one. It is a little scary. But if I could start a blog and if some mommas out there found me encouraging at all to them, oh, I would be happy. So, this is my goal! I am working full time and barely getting by, but I am going to figure out how to do this!!! Thank you so much for all the resources you have but most importantly for how you present it. Thank you Sarah 🙂 God bless you and your family.
It might have been a comment on a different post, but I remember seeing it, so I think it went through just fine. 🙂 It’s definitely a whole new world to learn and explore and the possibilities are endless! Wishing you all the best with your little one. <3
Hi Sarah,
I guess it’s time to admit I’ve been stalking your blog like crazy! I had never really thought about blogging as something I might enjoy, but thanks to your blog, I’m officially in a constant state of brainstorming and have been drafting a few posts. Hopefully I can make the leap and publish sometime soon! I’m having trouble with my domain and tagline. I agree that going with my name is easy and allows me to go in any direction, but I don’t know if it’s too hard for people to remember (Shallary Marie) What do you think? Thanks for all the info! Your blog is very motivating and easy to understand.
Stalkingly yours
Shallary
Haha. Stalkingly yours. You are too funny. 🙂
I would say Shallary Marie is great. If people misspell it, Google is good about getting them to you anyway, which leads to Google knowing you’re a site people are searching for anyway. Win win, in my opinion. 🙂
Thanks Sarah for you encouragement. I’ve only been blogging since mid Oct. 2015. I really enjoy it and it is very much a passion of mine. It’s a wonderful group of ladies and all of their creative talents. I’m not getting the traffic I’d like so hopefully tuning into your blog will give me the advice I need. Thanks for the inspiration.
I am so inspired by your information regarding blogging , I appreciate your generosity in making this available to me. You have the gift of teaching-thank you so very much. May God continue to pour out His favor and blessing on your family and your business . Can you please comment on the type of computer you recommend to start?
I personally like Gateway and Toshiba brands. 🙂
This was super helpful! I just started a blog (like a month ago) and definitely need some tips. I’m looking forward to reading more of your posts as well!
I am absolutely IN LOVE with your blog!!! This post was so inspiring; I want to stay up all night starting a blog!! Haha. I’m seriously going to give it a try and may be reaching out to you soon for tips and advice! I look forward to checking out your different sections! :))
That’s great Ashley. So glad that I can be used to be inspiring. <3
Which one is better .org or com?
It really depends on the purpose for your blog. If you want a hobby blog, there’s nothing wrong with .com. If you want to have an income-generating blog, .org.
You inspire me!
I’m a 24 year old mom of three beautiful little ladies three and under, and yesterday was my fifth wedding anniversary.
I’ve wanted to write for a living since I was in 4th grade. I took a college course when I was 14, and wrote four complete novel manuscripts by the time I was 17, but I was too scared to send them out after a rejection letter and I stopped writing. 🙁
My hubby works his butt off driving a big rig and unloading trailers full of freight to Family Dollars all over Texas and Oklahoma, but money is still very tight.
He lives for being a daddy and it is killing him only seeing us on the weekend and one night during the week if we’re lucky.
He got hurt at work last Thursday. He can’t go back until the 20th, and I didn’t know what to do.
I decided that I now is the time to start writing and earning enough side income so my hubby can get a local job and get to kiss our girls goodnight every evening!
I just launched my own blog and I am working my butt off to live my dream!
Thank you. I’ve been reading, taking, notes and coming back your blog several times a day. You’ve been so helpful. I can’t thank you enough.
Absolutely Daundra. My best advice…keep that motivation strong and don’t give up. Nothing can stop you (outside of God) if you do! 🙂
Thanks for sharing this information. I’ve started a blog but not really sure what to do next. I appreciate the post.
I truly love every single one of your posts. I have so many articles pinned on Pinterest, it’s not even funny. After talking with my husband today, we realized that we have too many dreams for him to be stuck in a full time boring job. After explaining your story, and skimming your site, he was 100% on board. My blog is only in its infancy, and I finally started taking it really seriously today. Thank you for your transparency and honesty. You’re an inspiration. We have big goals, and there’s hope that we can accomplish them while having time to be good parents to our son.
Absolutely. That is great Karleigh. 🙂 So happy that my transparency and honesty shines through written words. <3 All the best in your new endeavor!
Thanks you so much for all the info. I am just getting my feet wet and so far I love it. I am only talking to myself most of the time but I never answer 😉 I am on WordPress and would love to make money blogging …I want to stay home with my kids too and if I could make money doing this it would be an answered prayer! Heads up I will be stalking you as you put it ,so much great information…Thanks again, Kris
Welcome to the blogosphere Kris. 🙂 So glad you like the site. <3
Thank you Sarah for all the great information! I have been thinking about staring a blog, and up until I read yours it has seemed like a daunting task. You have definitely inspired me to get started right away.
That’s great Tiffany. What a huge honor. 🙂
Hi Sarah
I’m a guy and I’d like to start a blog about construction. Do you think it would work?
David, I’m not familiar with that genre. I’d start by researching it. If there were to be one encouragement I could give you, it would be that you’ll never know unless you try and that if you are dedicated to making something happen, there’s not a whole lot that you will let stop you.
Wow this is a lot of information and its so helpful! I’ve been wanting to start a blog for a while now but it is sort of a pipe dream. I am currently a college student and I don’t really have any more than 15 or 20 hours to put into it a week until we hit summers. Is it even worth it?
I find your site super helpful and your posts so informative. As I’m relatively new to blogging, posts like this are what I look for each and every day. Thank you!
Very informative post, thanks for sharing. I’ve been entertaining the thought of starting a blog but haven’t gotten the courage yet. This post was very helpful!
HI Sarah. I love your blog! I’ve visited many times and you have such great money saving tips and advice! I’ve just started a blog (literally one post in). Feel free to check it out!
Hi Sarah! This is a great post on getting started. Fortunately I was in IT for a few years so I have had some experience with WordPress and website design. My husband recently joined the military and we have our first baby on the way. The goal is to be able to be a stay at home mom, but if I could supplement with something like a blog that would be great! One major thing I am struggling with determining is the theme of my blog. I have so many interests that don’t really fit together. I am a personal trainer so fitness and nutrition are a big part of my life and I love passing tips and healthy recipes along, but I am also a DIYer, so I feel I could provide instruction on certain projects, etc. is it appropriate to have a blog of many topics?
I do and it works best for me. 😉 Just find a way to make it all fit together cohesively.
So I started a blog and I love it! I write, and have done so all of my life. I decided to try a blog as I was going to write anyway-and maybe I will have some income one day with it If not, I still get to write and maybe lend some beauty to someone’s day. I am using wordpress.com as its free and allows me some time to try this out. My income is limited for now, too. Oh my, the tech part is tricky! But I am determined. You are the reason I attempted it at all. I have a ways to go-but your story keeps me motivated. Your story is beautiful, Sarah. Thank you for the hope.
Absolutely Michele. 🙂 All the best in your new adventure!!! <3
Hi My name is Mary and I have always known that I could make money online I just don’t know or understand exactly how to do it. I keep starting things just to get discouraged and shut it down then try again at something else. I have a niche that I am passionate about and I am looking at some additional education in one area but I just don’t get it. How do I get into the affiliated part and sell other’s programs or stuff on my blog and how do I set up the advertisement on my blog so that stuff that is of no interest doesn’t keep showing up? I need a more detailed list where and how can I get help doing this so that I am more successful? Do you coach or know someone who can help me? how long would it take? My other problem is that I am currently living in Belize and planning a move back to the States at the end of May so my child can finish their education. I am in the middle of selling everything I own other than our clothes and packing up. I would be doing all of this on a half dead computer. The battery is dying and needs to be replaced and I can’t do it until I get back to the U.S. I have an iPad that I can do research on. I have notes and blog ideas and discussion topics started in a file for at least 6 months or more. I have a never ending supply of posts in my head. What I need is the money generating part of it. I was also looking into a paid for newsletter that I am starting now to generate some money but how do you get paid? when people buy the product that is on your post or newsletter how do you get the money? I have so many questions! Thank you Mary
Hi Sarah,
Thank you so much for sharing my blog name here! I had no idea you recognized my page here…what an honor! Hope you’re doing well!
xoxo
Yes, doing well. Glad to do it. <3
Hi Sarah! Woah, such an interesting post! I am an aspiring blogger, and have no idea of what I’m doing. lol. Well, I currently have a blog, (currently looking for a host), but I want to learn to do this well and full time. Your post has great tips! Thank you so much!!!!
All the best, Deramir, in your endeavors! Bluehost is the host I recommend when first starting out. After you hit about 500k in pageviews per month, I recommend Agathon Group. Both are absolutely amazing! 🙂
Hi, I read your information about blogging and making money. I don’t understand exactly what blogging is and how do you make money. It seems it cost a lot to do, but not sure of what a return would be.
Any more information would help me, so I can decide if this would work for me, since I can’t find a job and I live on $12,000 a year. Extremely hard.
Thank you.
I had listened that Bluehost it is terrible now, 2016. What do you think?
I’ve never had a bad experience with them, ever. My assistant has never had a bad experience with them, ever. And all the other bloggers, clients, and readers I’ve personally worked with and know, have never had a bad experience with them, ever…so I’m not sure outside of that. I would say that it’s a fantastic company. They are always going above and beyond, and they seem to genuinely care. I support them whole-heartedly. 🙂
Your blog is such a great resource, Sarah! I’ve started a free WordPress blog but I’m doing all my research before I dive into a paid domain blog. I work a 9-5 and I really used to love it. The last three months have been TERRIBLE! I hate feeling that way. I don’t want to have to work there unhappily for the next 30 years just to retire and be happy. But, my pay is good and I have insurance, benefits, and a pension. I would love to have the freedom to just do something I love without it negatively impacting my family’s finances. I absolutely love your site and after reading, I feel empowered. Do you have a post about working your 9-5 and trying to blog?
I don’t Alesia. When I first started, I was already working 80 hours a WEEK on eBay, so I can definitely understand and it can be done (if you don’t want to sleep 😉 ) but it does prove to be a lot more challenging. I’ll have to think about writing a post like that to help. 🙂
Hi. I love your site and all of your ideas for making extra income! Thank you for sharing! I have a question that may seem pretty ridiculous, but with the lack of income in the beginning, how did you go about getting a desktop or computer? I only have access to my phone, my small hp stream and then my work computer which I can’t use. I thought maybe you would have some ideas about getting something that can handle the workload at a decent price. Thanks so much!
Brandi, I’ve always had a computer. I’ve been making money online since I was 17. When I lived with my mom at that age, we had a computer. So, it’s just something I’ve always had. I would say maybe a laptop. You can get a good brand (Toshiba is my personal fav) around September (back to school sales) for like $350. I would sell stuff on Craigslist and eBay to save up for it if I didn’t have one. 🙂
Hi, Sarah!
First of all, I want to say that I really love your blog so far. I’ve always wanted to start a blog but I’ve never known how. I am afraid of taking risks, but you are so generous in your tips and guidance that I’ve finally taken up the courage to seriously put my foot in the business world. My biggest struggle is fear that I won’t have good content and I won’t be successful. But I’ll overcome it. I have a real passion for helping people and I think that will really drive me to do my best. I’m really shy, but I can open up with kind and genuine people. Thank you for being just that.
Hi Sarah,
I’m a new stay at home mom after working in the medical field for 11 years. I have 5 little kids and now living on one income. We’re doing fairly well thus far, but I’ve been reading up on blogging and would really love to start to make some extra money, therefore I’d really want to start it as a business. I read that you recommend hiring a technician from the start. Should I start my blog and write a few posts to generate traffic and see how it goes? Also, I have several topics I would like to blog about. Do you recommend sticking to one or can I blog about all of them? Thanks for all the informative info!
Estera
Thank you so much for writing this article. I have read books that were not as clear. My husband suggested I blog years ago. Ok, what is that. He gave me a book. I read it. Didn’t understand it. Closed the book and didn’t mention blogging again. The idea was always there, in the back of my mind. He recently mentioned blogging again and told me about you. There is a time and season for everything and I firmly believe that my time has arrived. Thank you for allowing God to use you. I’m so glad you are as open as you are.
I’m glad you liked the article Daphne. Ecclesiastes 3 proves there’s a time and season for everything….am praying for you! <3
Hi Sarah! I just read your advice on starting a blog, after scrolling through Pinterest. I was saying to my husband this morning how blogging is something I’d like to do. In my mind, it was something that would be easy, even though I’m a 53 year young woman who works full time. However, after reading your advice, I guess it’s something I should wait to do once I’ve retired, since it doesn’t appear to be as cut and dry as I thought. I have a passion for helping others, primarily by giving advice and I’ve found that many people, including family and co-workers flock to me for, either advice or just to vent. Sometimes I provide advice, suggestions or what have you on a serious note, but more often times than not, it’s given with humor, or at least that’s what they tell me. Anywhoo, I really enjoyed reading this, and hope to join you and other bloggers in the very near future.
Hi, Sarah! I am so encouraged by this post! I am just getting started with my blog, and there is still so much that I don’t know! Some days I think I will never get it all figured out, but I found reassurance here that probably almost everyone feels this way in the beginning. I also just read your “You Were Meant To Move Mountains” newsletter. Awesome! I know God is faithful and He will be right here with me through this process! Thank you for such encouraging words and the very useful information as well!
Absolutely Nicole. Your blog looks great so far. Pretty recipes. 🙂 Yep, EVERYONE feels like that when they first start out. There were so many days I just hit a wall and cried out to God, “LORD, you know I can’t do this without you; this blog is your will for me…help me.” And He did…every single time. 🙂
Love reading your blog! I have read through some of the comments here, and several of my questions have been answered. I work full time, and would love to start blogging so I could eventually quit my job and stay home with my autistic son. I tried to get in on a recent deal you advertised with Bluehost, but found I didn’t have the money. Finances have been so tight since my husband has had health issues. I really need prayer on this, because I feel it would benefit my family if I could be home instead of at work 80% of my day. Hopefully I can get started with a few hours of blogging and work up to being able to stay home.
Praying. <3
Hi Sarah! I launched my blog last week with the help of all your blogging tips and suggestions. They have been super helpful. Thank you for sharing!
That’s great Adrienne…it’s looking good so far! 🙂
So I have 200+ posts from a private blog that I intend to revamp and use in a new blog about homeschooling ( primarily ) but would like to have other things on the blog. I am excited to start this new blog and hope to be successful! I have read this post several times and am about to take the plunge 🙂
That’s great Sarah. All the best in your new endeavor. 🙂
I love this post. Thank you, dear! I run a specialist bakery and have a website/blog to go with it. I have been wanting to focus more on my blog for a long time, but have always prioritised the shop. Recently I have been trying to work more on my website, but always felt guilty, like I am wasting time I should be spending on the bakery itself. This post has given me the inspiration I needed. Thank you.
Absolutely Simone. I’m so glad to have inspired you. 🙂
Sarah I have enjoyed you posts and information. It has been a big help. I have been in the retail management field for 20 years. My husband just retired and I’m 55 and want to spend more time doing what I enjoy. TRAVELING!! 1 1/2 years ago I became a Travel Consultant and I love doing it but working full time and keep up with my travel is a lot. I am hoping to start a blog site making money talking about travel that I love and helping people live out their dream by helping them realize that they can afford to travel without going broke. You have given a lot of great direction and I look forward in following you!! Thank you again for your help! It would be great to be able to make enough money to stay home and enjoy life doing what I love.
Absolutely Valerie. <3 Glad the wheels are starting to turn in your head. Sounds like some great ideas. 🙂
I’ve tried several times to start blogs, and I just can’t seem to get past not having a well-designed layout. I’m not much for web design myself, but it BUGS me when everything seems disorganized, or I can’t figure out how to get posts and pages organized and published the way I envision them! I want to hire a designer to create a good layout for me, so I’m not discouraged by technical issues, but I’m afraid that I’ll just find something else wrong with it and give up again.
I absolutely love writing and blogging and think it’s something I’m called to do… but ugh. Technology.
Mookie, definitely a concern for a lot of people, including myself when I got started (and even now to an extent). I’m not technical by any means. How I did it when I started was look up everything on YouTube and what I couldn’t figure out, I hired off Fiverr. 🙂
This post is amazing!! The hardest part for me is getting traffic and sales. I work on my blog for hours a day and I have been blogging for almost 2 years and my traffic has grown slowly. My sales haven’t grown. But I am still going and keeping my head high! If you have any tips for me I would love to get your advice!
Hi again Sarah!
So I’ve got my blog up and running. Taking all of your awesome advice into consideration. Wiring as much good valuable content as I can. Posting every single day, and doing my best to try to help my audience as much as I can. Of course, I don’t have many viewers yet so not much feedback to go on.
Couple questions for you if you don’t mind:
1) Should new bloggers who want to earn income from their blogs always post with the intention to earn? Like, should I always be promoting an affiliate product (I don’t do this currently unless it makes sense for the post)
2) How do you know if you are doing it right/well? What’s the benchmark? I’m a month in and google analytics shows me that I have about 100 new viewer this week, up 50 from last weeks numbers. Is this good or do I need to revise what I’m doing?
3) I keep thinking I need to buy a blogging course or something… but I don’t know if maybe I’m a bit early on in the game to do this. I’d hate to spend the money on one only to find that every bit of info in there is stuff I’ve already found online elsewhere. Took a top rated affiliate marketing course with exactly that result. Very big waste of precious funds. What do you think?
Ok. I’m sorry for the extra long comment… I know your time is so precious. I just want to make enough to stay home with my babies too. Thank you for all of the awesome content you share!
That’s so great. <3 From what I see so far, you're on your way to truly engaging your audience! 🙂
1) That's really up to each individual blogger. At different seasons in my blogging career, I've done it both ways. I think as long as you don't compromise engagement, that is #1, it's okay whatever you choose. If your audience is complaining it's too much, back off a little. Just listen to them and be super connected with them.
2) I think it's a really good start, especially since you're brand new. You're working really hard and it'll just snowball. Your titles are grabbing and everything looks great. I think it's a mistake to compare numbers, b/c everyone's blog is so different, but if I was just starting again fresh, I'd be happy with those numbers myself, so I feel like it's good. 🙂
3) That one is up to the individual blogger as well. If it were me, and I was that new, I'd just focus on the free information and setting things up. When you get more established, start looking at blogging courses to up your game, but right now, it's a lot of setting things up and stuff like that. When you get further, start looking at blogging courses that offer strategy over "what's hot" right now type of thing. You'll grow more stably looking at the long term. 🙂
Omg you saw my blog?? Thank you so much for writing back! I really can’t believe you really took the time to respond.. and so fast. I know I’m a complete stranger to you and you had no good reason to get back. Thank you again for the great insight! You are such an inspiration! Bless you
My pleasure. <3 <3 <3