how to start a blog

How To Start A Blog In 2024 That Makes $2593/Mo Passively

You’re at the right place, if you’re seeking a trusted guidance to Start A Blog in this wonderful year 2024 & want to make money out of it.

Hi, My Name’s Palash, & I’m running this blog since Jan 2019. In all these years, I’ve gone through a lot of ups & downs with my blog.

And with all my experiences summed up, I’m here to guide you on How To Start A Blog & take it to the pinnacle of success.

Below are all the mentioned strategies that I’ve used to start my blog from scratch & it took me approx. a year & a half to get there where I’m today.

Also, In the upcoming posts, I’ll also reveal my income reports, so make sure, you’ve subscribed to my blog.

Let’s start with what actually is a blog.

Related: 4 Mandatory Things to Know Before Starting A Blog

What Is A Blog?

two-people-having-conversation

Blog is an abbreviation for a term, Web-Log.

Blog is a single/collection of multiple pages that gives some useful information on a particular topic to the general public.

It keeps on updating frequently & can be owned/managed by an organization, or an individual.

Since the past, blogging has advanced into a gigantic entity which not only performs the task of giving out information, but also has become a very good business.

Let’s figure out the earning potential of Blogging before you Start A Blog, & see how much can you earn, upon taking blogging as a business.

Earning Potential Of A Blog

earning-potential-of-a-blog

In short & simple words, Blogging has an Unlimited Earning Potential.

Let’s look at an example of some successful bloggers & let’ see how are they nailing it.

WEBSITEOWNERMONTHLY EARNINGSINCOME SOURCE
The Huffington PostArianna Huffington$2,330,000Pay Per Click
TechcrunchMichael Arrington$800,000Advertising Banners
MashablePete Cashmore$600,000Advertising Banners
Perez HiltonMario Lavandeira$450,000Advertising Banners
NoupeThe Blonde Salad$200,000Private Advertising
Smashing Magazine Vitaly Friedman$200,000Advertising Banners
SmartPassiveIncomePat Flynn$153,000Affiliate Commissions
Timothy SykesTimothy Sykes$150,000 Affiliate Commissions
Tuts PlusCollis Ta'eed$120,000Membership Area
Life HackerCollis Ta'eed$110,000Advertising Banners
GothamistJake Dobkin$110,000Pay Per Click
Venture BeatMatt Marshall$100,000Pay Per Click

To Avoid The Blog Post Getting Too Long, I’ve mentioned only 12 people here.

But there are more than 570 million blogs in the entire world. That accounts for 1 blog for every 7 people on the planet.

And even if we are supposing that, if only 1% of them are successful, then still there are at-least, 5.7 Million Blogs that are making Fat Money.

Also, recently a very popular blog named, The Wirecutter was sold to The New York Times for about $30 million.

the-wirecutter

Here’s a Screenshot From Google:

wirecutter-sold-to-nytimes

The WireCutter just used to review products from Amazon & other E-commerce sites, & used to earn commissions.

They’ve generated more than $150 million in revenue in just 5 yrs alone from affiliate commissions.

This is the Earning Potential Of A Blog that only Reviews Products From Amazon or any other E-Com website.


How I Started This Money-Making Blog & How You Can Too?

excited-to-start-new-blog

I Started This Blog out of Passion & a Business Mindset. Since I was in 8th standard, my dream was to be a writer. I always wanted to pursue literature in English.

But as in India, Indian parents being more conservative about their children’s future, they made me forcefully opt for Engineering.

I got admission in B.Tech Computer Science and the first year was really really full of shit. I just wanted to run away forever.

Thank God, I found some friends who also thought about Engineering as I do & it became easy to go on with engineering for 4 yrs upfront.

In the last year, it came to my mind & I accepted that Engineering was never a career I could ever take further.

So, I took Writing As A Career And Created This Blog.

It isn’t necessary that you should take blogging as a career just because you’re passionate about it.

Many people also Start Blogging As A Business & you can too.

So, without any further ado, let’s decide what topic do you want to blog about?


Choosing A Niche For Your Blog

searching-for-a-blog-niche

Before helping you select your niche, let me share with you my personal story.

I took Blogging as a Career Option just after I completed college.

What I did was, I took a Domain Name, a good web hosting And Voila, My Blog Just Started.

This was the Worst Mistake I did as I didn’t knew what I would be blogging about.

Eventually, my first blog named as “The Sentimental” got failed.

I didn’t planned about the topic well enough. I thought that I was better at understanding Human Emotions, so I created a blog around it & what happened next, was not good

Blogging about emotions isn’t bad, but there’s no money involved in it.

I failed to monetize that blog, & it became dead after 6 months.


What Can You Learn From My Mistake?

learning-online-how-to-start-a-blog

Always Do Your Niche Research Properly

It’s very important to figure out what topic interests you the most.

If you’re doing for the sake of money, sooner or later, you’ll give in, unless you’ve a team.

Secondly, figure out what are the ways to monetize the niche you’ve chosen?

What are the different ways you can earn money through your blog?

Can you do Affiliate Marketing, Run Ads, Do Sponsored Posts, Collaborate with brands, Provide services through your blog, or sell your own products?

Make a list of all the Monetization Methods you’re going to use in future for your blog.

Figure out the profit margins you’ll be getting from it.

Third step while choosing a niche is,

Do you have sufficient knowledge about that topic?

Do you really think you know about your chosen topic well & you can educate others.

Can you clear their doubts?

To get a clear vision about it, go to Quora & search for your niche there.

Try to answer at-least 30 questions that Pop-Up.

If you’re able to do it easily, it means you know enough & you can Start A Blog on that topic.

To simplify, look at the diagram below & it will become easy for you to decide your niche.

how-to-find-a-blogging-niche

After Deciding Your Niche,
Making A List Of All The Possible Monetization Methods, &
Testing Your Intelligence On That Topic On Quora,

Let’s proceed with Setting Up your Blog.

proofread-by-grammarly

How To Choose A Domain Name

How-To-Choose-A-Domain-Name

Before choosing your Domain Name, pay attention to these 3 things:

1. Look For A Name That Reflects your Work

working-hard

For. Ex, if you teach people about Blogging, make sure to use the word BLOG, or it’s other forms in your domain.

Don’t make the mistake I did. By seeing my domain name, no one can take a guess what my blog is about. This in turn confuses people.

It shouldn’t be the case with your name. Your name reflects your brand, choose it wisely.

It is best, if it contains the keyword from your niche.

Note: Your Domain Name doesn’t affect your google rankings at all. It’s officially declared by Google. Choose anything you like, but choose it wisely because you won’t be able to change it.

Either choose a name which is entirely different & unique like mine, or choose a domain which reflects your work.


2. Avoid Use Of Flagged Words

avoid-using-banned-words

Recently, A Blogger named Cathrin Manning said in her youtube video that choosing her domain name as “TheContentBug.com” was her worst nightmare.

REASON?

Her domain name contains a word “BUG“, which in computer terms, refers to an anomaly in a software.

Related: Black Friday Software Deals

Her website wasn’t able to rank for a longer period of time since it confused people. This problem got resolved when her site started to gain authority & she started publishing content regularly.

That was approx. 16 months after.


3. Always Choose A .COM TLD Only

choosing-a-domain-tld

.org, .in, .us, etc. are known as TLD’s. Out of several such TLD’s, .com is the most authoritative one.

Suppose, if there are 2 websites having entirely same content but with 2 different TLD’s (.com & .org). The site with a .com TLD will always rank higher.

Google Prefers Ranking websites with a .com TLD as compared to other TLD’s.

Though .com is a little expensive, but if you’re buying a hosting plan through Bluehost, you’ll get a FREE .com domain with it for 1 yr.

So, no need to purchase a .com domain at an expensive price.

Get A Hosting Plan From Bluehost To Start A Blog

blog-hosting-by-bluehost

You’ll be glad to know that this website still runs on Bluehost.

And also Bluehost is a priority choice for all the Newbie Bloggers since it’s the Best, & the Cheapest to go with.

Just Go To Bluehost, and follow the steps below:

1: Click On WordPress Dropdown & then click On WordPress Hosting

click-on-wp-hosting

2: Select The $3.95/mo Plan

select-hosting-plan-from-bluehost-for-your-blog

3: Choose your .com domain name

setup-your-domain-in-bluehost

4: Use Sign In With Google To Auto-Populate Your Details

5: In the Add-Ons Section, Only check on Domain Privacy + Protection, as the domain owner’s address, phone, email won’t be exposed to the internet.

All other Add-Ons are unnecessary & their cheap/free alternatives are available.

bluehost-upsells

6: Fill In Your Payment Details & Pay

payment-details-in-bluehost

7: You’ll be logged in automatically, now just create your password

welcome-to-bluehost

8. After creating your password, you need to re-login to your account. Just Login with your domain name/email & password

password-set-successfully

9: Don’t choose a theme now. Skip this step, I’ll explain ahead why.

10: You’re all set for now. Now let’s choose a theme that’s best for you.

choose-a-theme

Get A WordPress Theme That Strictly Follows Schema Markup Before You Start A Blog

selecting-wp-themes

If you want to rank first & fast on Google. Always go for a schema markup oriented theme.

Avoid using fancy themes. They’re bulky, and makes the website slow, thus affecting your google rankings.

Google loves Schema, and ranks those websites on top having a schema pattern.

Various schemas are: How-To Schema, FAQ Schema, Book Schema, Movie Schema, Recipe Schema, etc.


FAQ schema

faq-schema

Organization schema

organization-schema-for-blog

Recipe Schema

recipe-schema

Book schema

book-schema

Other examples of various schemas are mentioned below:

website-schema-types

The Best Schema Markup WordPress Theme is Affiliate Booster Theme.

Even if you’re not doing Affiliate Marketing, this theme will always come in handy.

You can try the FREE version here & if you love their features, you can always upgrade later.

I love this theme, because it is fully customizable & you don’t need any heavy external page builders too that will slow down your site.

They have majority of schemas built in, so it’s worth going for.

Install These Necessary Plugins To Improve Performance & Security Before You Start A Blog

WordPress-Plugins

Every WordPress Blog Requires some plugins to function better & provide not only the best user experience, but also to track user data to improve your site.

Some of the necessary plugins one should install on every new WordPress Blog are as follows:


1. UpDraft Plus

updraftplus

This is the best recommended plugin for taking regular backups of your website.

With this plugin, you can take entire backup of your blog, & keep it in your Google Drive, Drpopbox & 23+ other places for FREE.

Backing up is necessary in case of server failures, virus attacks, etc.


2. Sucuri Security

sucuri

Sucuri is a Website Auditing, Malware Scanning plugin for your WordPress Blog.

It creates a firewall around your website & prevents unauthorized/malicious attacks.

You’ll also get notified everytime about any changes which have been made on your blog.

Even if someone edits/publishes a post.


3. Yoast SEO

yoast-seo

SEO refers to Search Engine Optimization.

In order to rank your blog posts higher in Google Search Results & improve the SEO of your website, this plugin is the best option for your WordPress Blog.

4. Akismet Anti-Spam

akismet

This plugin will safeguard your blog comments or any input forms from spammers, who just want to build backlinks to their website using yours.

5. Easy Table of Contents

easy-table-of-contents

Not all readers will read your whole blog post. Some just come to find their solutions to a problem, & when they get it, they leave.

This plugin makes it easy for your readers to find exactly what they’re looking for & creates a good User Experience.

Remember, Google is focused on to rank websites that provide a good User Experience.

This plugin displays all the main headings & sub-headings at the top of your posts automatically, & allows readers to skim through.

Moreover, you need not install this plugin with Affiliate Booster Theme as it comes pre-installed with it.

6. GA Google Analytics

ga-google-analytics-plugin

It’s necessary to set up Google Tracking for your site to measure your Site Performance & User Behavior.

Based upon these stats, you can improve your website user experience.

Google Analytics give you a full detail about how your readers are interacting with your page, where are they coming from, for how much time they stay on your blog, etc.

For Ex. you see in your analytics that most of your audience comes from Facebook, so you’ll share your content more on Facebook, etc.

7. Social Snap

social-snap

Are you seeing social share counts below & above my blog post. These help people to share my content & bring more traffic to my website.

I use social snap plugin.

There’s a new feature that is going to be launched soon, which is:

People can get access to your most important part of content only if they share your content.

Suppose, you’re offering a free guide/tool to people. You can hide that behind this plugin, & when people will share your content, only then they’ll get access to it.

Note: This feature is to come in the future.

8. Pixel Caffeine

pixel-caffeine

Even though you’re not currently running FBads, it is a wise practice to add a FB Pixel to track user behavior & re-approach to them in future with your products.

To set up FB Marketing Ads in the future, make sure you add a FB Pixel in your website. This Pixel tracks every page of your site for who is visiting your page & when.

Suppose, someone lands on your face cream product page. But they don’t buy it then & leave.

You can track that person & show him/her that face cream ad on Facebook & then make a sale.

Wondering now how FB shows you the Ads of such products you’ve already visited?

These were some of the mandatory plugins you need to have on your WordPress Blog.

Set Up Your About Us/Me Page

about-us-page

After setting up your plugins, the next step is to compose your About Us Page for your Blog.

In your About Us Page, mention about yourself, your interests, how you came to your niche, your struggles while creating your blog, etc.

Get personal with your audience. Let them know the face behind your blog.

Put your most beautiful picture of yours.

Let your readers know that you’re there for them, if they need any help from you.

Also, create an About us widget for your blog.

Put that widget on the left or right sidebar of every blog post.

Take Adam Enfroy’s Example here.

adam-enfroy-blog

Moreover, when you’re adding an About Page, make sure to change it’s schema to an about schema for faster & higher Google rankings.

Here’s how it’s done:


1. Go to Yoast SEO column in the WordPress Editor

yoast-seo-schema-bar

2. Click On Page Type & Select About Page

page-schema

Your About Page has been assigned to an about schema.

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Set Up Your Contact Us/Me Page

contact-us

Next you need to set up a Contact Us page for your blog.

Contact page must contain details about your E-mail, Links to your Social Media Accounts, or a Contact Form.

You can add the Contact Page link to your footer section also.

Similarly, you need to set the Contact page Schema to your contact page also.

Follow the steps below.


1. Go to Yoast SEO column in the WordPress Editor

yoast-seo-schema-bar

2. Click On Page Type & Select Contact Page

contact-page-schema

The importance of adding About & Contact page is to build trust & credibility in the eyes of Google.

If you’ve mentioned About yourself & also mentioned your Contact details. Google thinks of you as a legitimate personality or brand & helps you gain higher authority & rankings on the internet.

proofread-by-grammarly

Set Up Google Search Console Before You Start A Blog

google-search-console-befor-starting-a-blog

Google Search Console is a platform where you get a full idea of where your pages are ranking on Google. Also how much traffic from Google your blog is getting.

How many Clicks & Impressions your posts are getting is also displayed there.

Setting up Search Console is very easy. Just follow these steps:

1. Visit Google Search Console

2. Login With Your Google Account

3. Click On Add Property in the top-left corner.

4. Enter your blog’s URL & click on Verify

5. You can verify your blog via any 4 methods mentioned there.


Add Legal Pages Before You Start A Blog

legal-pages-for-blog

If you don’t know, adding Legal Pages For Your Blog is a very important practice.

Suppose, if you’re recommending something on your blog. It can be a piece of information or a product or a service.

Let’s take an example if you’re providing information about how to invest your money. If someone follows your advice, & ends up being in a loss.

Then you’re liable to be fined. Many blogs have also been fined a ton.

But you need not to worry as these Legal Pages For Your Blog will save you from such bad times & all take care of all the legalities for you.

Set Up E-mail Marketing

email-marketing

Focus on building your E-mail list from Day 1. Do not miss on any potential subscriber.

Remember,

“Money Is In The List”

Use a good E-mail Marketing Software. I personally use Convertkit because it’s very simple & convenient to use.

Set up tags in your CRM software. Provide lead magnets like a free E-book and collect E-mails of your site visitors.

Those are your future customers. Establish trust & authority with them.

Send them regular updates about your blog posts, new offers, new opportunities, etc.

Add optin-forms on at-least 5 places on your blog posts.

On top of the post, center of the post, end of the post, on your sidebar, & an exit intent popup.

Don’t miss any chance to collect your visitor E-mails.


Do your Keyword Research Properly

do-Keyword-research-before-you-start-a-blog

Always perform keyword research before thinking to write a blog post.

Use Keyword Research Tools like Semrush to gain insights into what people are searching on Google & how can you fulfill their needs.

Target for Keywords Having At-Least 5k Monthly Searches & Keyword Difficulty Below 50 when you’ve just started your blog.

This is the sweet spot to target traffic, for people who have just started blogging.

Plan, Write & Publish Your First Blog Post

cat-writing-a-blog

Now after your blog is fully set-up & keyword research is done. The next part is to start writing your blog post.

Related: How To Write A Blog Title That’ll BOOST Your Traffic Now By 567%

Plan Your Content Outline, do some Content Research From Other Blogs, Observe the Similar Headings that are being repeated in blogs posts which are ranking for your target keyword.

Next, Create Some Wonderful Content Around A Particular Topic, Give Stats & Data To People, Explain The Process In Detail, etc.

If required, you can also take the help of these AI writing tools to speed up this process.

Remember, People Love Numbers, show them how much money you’ve made, on which position your posts are ranking on Google, etc.

Use your Target Keywords at-least 5 times per 1000 words, that’s 0.5% keyword stuffing. Avoid going beyond that.

Related: How To Write A Blog Post That Gets HUGE Traffic & Affiliate Sales

Also, don’t stick to a particular keyword, remember, your single post can rank for multiple target keywords.

Research those keywords through Semrush.

Be Original. Be You. And Be Savage

cute-attractive-stylish-smiling-woman-walking-city-street-pink-coat-spring-fashion-trend-holding-purse-elegant-style.jpg111

While writing your blog posts, try to be YOU, don’t pretend to be someone you’re not.

Showcase your personality in your writing. Let your audience know the real personality behind the article.

Your blog is your creation. It’s a representation of who you’re underneath. Let it mirror you. Let it be ORIGINAL like you.

Add humor to your posts, evoke emotions in people. People connect with people more than they connect with a wall of text.

Lastly, Don’t Over-Think. Let your thoughts flow into the vast never-ending universe.

Remember, you created this blog, you’re it’s owner, not the other way around.

If you don’t feel good about something on your blog, don’t hesitate, just remove it.

It doesn’t matters what people say about your blog.

What matters is:

“Not Losing Yourself In The Run, While Chasing To Make Your Blog A Success”

Do share this post, if you loved this quote by me!


Add Facebook & Twitter Open Graph (OG) Title & (OG) Images

open-graph

Always Add Open Graph Title & Images to ensure that your blog post becomes worth sharing on social media.

When You’ll take this post’s link, & share on Facebook or Twitter or any Social Media Platform, you’ll see an entirely different image & title, which isn’t present on this page anywhere.

Just try for yourself, just copy this post’s link & just paste it in Facebook or any other social media.

The purpose of adding the og image & title is to make the blog post link as attractive as possible so as to bring huge traffic from social media.

Make your OG images as attractive as you can, craft your OG Title as click worthy you can, & you’ll see enormous social media traffic re-directed to your blog.

How To Set OG Title & OG Images For Facebook & Twitter

1. Go To your WordPress Editor

2. Scroll to Yoast SEO column below, & click on Social

3. You’ll see something like this:

og-title-og-image

4. Upload Your most attractive Facebook Image for your blog, add a Facebook Title & Description.

The ideal Facebook & Twitter OG Image size is 1200 * 630 pixels. Follow this image standard strictly.

Similarly, the process is same for Twitter OG. You’ll find Twitter filling details just below the Facebook Description.

Now your blog post has become attractive & worth sharing on social media.


Always Proofread Your Blog Post Before Publishing It

proofread

Just before you hit publish, always proofread your blog post yourself. If you’re not confident about it, get it done by someone else.

Since I live alone, I use Grammarly to proofread my blog posts, & this post too was proofread by Grammarly.

proofread-by-grammarly

Promote Your Blog Posts On Social Media Platforms

share-blog-posts

Congratulations! You just published your first ever blog post of your life.

NOW WHAT?

Wait for people to come to your blog & read it?

Your Blog Is Just Born, It’s Just A Small Child. It Can’t Walk On It’s Own For At-Least A Year

You need to take your blog on a walk on social media to let other people see & play with your blog.

Share your posts on various social media platforms. Utilize every inch.

Ask your family & friends to share your posts for you.

“Put all your Efforts To Make This Blog Run On It’s Own Legs”

Related: How To Drive Huge FREE Traffic From Quora Effortlessly In 2021

Join Multiple Blogging Communities

Join-Multiple-Blogging-Communities

There are multiple Blogging Communities present on every social media platform.

Spaces on Quora, Groups on Twitter, FB & Linkedin, Group Boards In Pinterest, Online Forums, Redditt, etc.

Go & join them. Make connections with your fellow bloggers.

Ask them to share your content with their followers & in turn, share their content with your audience.

“Grow Together, Learn Together”

Be a part of my Blogging Community on Facebook Here.


Before You Start, A Blog Don’t Hesitate To Invest In Blogging Tools

BLOGGING-TOOLS

Just like you buy various baby products like toys, clothes, cereal, etc. for your new born baby.

Just buy your new born blog some tools, that’ll help him in it’s growth.

I’ve come across many people till now who want everything free.

They want hosting free, domain free, keyword research tools for free, etc.

And they were the only ones who never succeeded.

Related: 17 Best Blogging Tools That Reduced My Blogging Efforts By 73%

Don’t be like them.

Invest in some good image websites to get high quality graphics like on this page.

Get yourself a good keyword research and a site audit tool like Semrush.

Invest in good hosting plans, and as your blog starts to rise up, hire an SEO Editor, a Content Writer, Social Media Manager, etc.

These investments will surely give you benefits in the long run.


Lastly, Publish Blog Posts Consistently

follow-blogging-schedule

Make a content calendar for your blog. Decide in advance when you’ll publish and what you’ll publish about.

I perform keyword research for my articles 1 month in advance. I generally publish 2 articles/week.

Figure out your sweet spot. Figure out what suits you & when.

Most importantly, Learn To Stick To A Schedule. Don’t keep on Jumping here & there.

Be Focused, and in the end, remember:

“Blogging Is Not A Sprint, It’s a MARATHON”


How To Start A Blog: Conclusion

conclusion

I know this article got a bit longer & contained a lot of information.

By now most of you people must be feeling drained & must be thinking whether they should even Start A Blog or not.

Don’t Over-Think too much. Slowly & Steadily, you’ll reach where I’m today.

It’s definitely not some rocket science.

These were some of the few basic steps to follow before you Start A Blog.

Also I’m with you for guiding you along your Blogging journey.

Don’t think, just get started.

And If you’ve any doubts regarding any topics above, message me on social media or E-mail me at [email protected].

I’m highly active on Facebook, Twitter & Linkedin, so make sure you follow me there.

Do subscribe to my newsletter to get notified of my future blogging articles & if you found this post helpful, do share this post with your friends.

Till Then, have A Nice Day 🙂

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