I get many, many reader questions about how to start a blog and make money with it. There are already a lot of articles about blogging posted here, but I thought it would be a good idea to create a page to get you started down the right path.
In my fifteen years of blogging I’ve learned a lot, but I’ve also made lots of “newbie” mistakes that you can avoid! So, speaking from personal experience, below is an overview of what I suggest if you want to blog professionally.
Keep in mind that blogging professionally will require an investment of time and money, and it’s also not a fast way to make money. That said, it’s very rewarding and might pay off well if you just stick with it.
Can You Make Real Money With a Blog?
Absolutely. Blogging is my full-time job and more than pays the bills. However, I wasn’t able to claim “full time blogger” as my job title until around 2013. It was then that my blogging income finally surpassed what I ever made working outside the home.
So yes, you definitely CAN make real money! But don’t quit your day job until you see that you are, and it proves to be a consistent income stream.
Blogging is one of those things you have to work at and work at, experiment constantly, and never stop learning about before you see real results.
And, not everyone likes a challenge, nor does everyone enjoy putting hard work in for a long time and not seeing much return on their efforts. So you really have to enjoy the process.
What Can You Blog About?
Before getting into how to start a blog, you need to do some thinking. You should have a general idea of what you want to blog about.
You can blog about anything you want! But, if you want to get traffic/earn money, your blog needs to cover a topic people are actually interested in and also a topic you are interested in.
For example, my blog is about remote jobs, home business ideas, and ways to earn extra. People are interested in that. I’m interested in that, too. It’s been a perfect fit!
You could also start a food blog. Or a crafts blog. Or even a money-saving blog. The sky is truly the limit.
Many people are initially tempted to just start blogging about their day to day lives. This is fine if you just want to blog as a hobby, but it’s not fine if your ultimate goal is to earn a living with your blog.
You have to remember that while your day to day life may be interesting to you, your friends, and your family, it is not interesting to people who don’t know you. Therefore, you’ll likely never get much traffic nor make very much money with that kind of blog.
These days, most successful blogs are value-driven. That means creating helpful, engaging content in a niche people care about—something that either teaches, inspires, solves a problem, or saves time/money.
If people are interested in the subject matter, you can get traffic, earn money, and work remotely on your own terms. But again, it takes time and patience.
Don’t Set Up Your Professional Blog on a Free Site
If you plan to blog professionally, it’s best not to use a free blogging platform.
When you’re set up on a free blogging platform, you don’t really own your blog. You’re just setting up on someone else’s property and you’re at their mercy if they decide they don’t like your blog (and sometimes they do delete blogs when they decide that).
So, I’d suggest avoiding Blogger, WordPress.com (different than WordPress.org), Weebly, etc. for your professional blog.
It’s smart to be set up with a self-hosted WordPress.org blog if you want to be a professional blogger.
When It’s OK To Use A Free Platform
If blogging is a completely brand new concept for you and you just want to play around a bit first, it’s OK to set up a blog on a free site. There’s nothing wrong with learning the ropes and getting a feel for what blogging actually is on a site like Blogger, where there’s no money investment required.
But again, if you find you really like blogging, move your blog, or start a new one, to self-hosting.
Already Set Up On a Free Blogging Platform?
Is your blog already set up on a free platform? Don’t worry — you can get moved. You can either attempt to move yourself by simply Googling how to do it, or you can let a professional do it for you.
This won’t be free, but it will save you a lot of headache and time.
How To Start a Blog – First Step, Get a Self-Hosting Account
You’ll need to host your blog somewhere. The idea of “hosting” is confusing to new bloggers, but basically your hosting account is just a way for you to make your blog/website accessible via the internet. If your domain isn’t connected to a host, no one will be able to visit it.
I personally use BigScoots. I pay $34.95 a month, and their service, speed, and support are absolutely worth that if you’re serious about growing your blog. As your traffic increases, you’ll be glad you invested in quality hosting that can scale with you.
For new bloggers, BigScoots offers managed WordPress hosting with great uptime and lightning-fast site performance. Their support is extremely responsive and helpful, even if you’re just starting out.
You can always change your plan later if you find that one isn’t working for you.
Install WordPress On Your Domain
Once your domain name and hosting account are set on BigScoots, you’re ready to install WordPress and start building your blog!
BigScoots makes this pretty easy for you and walks you completely through the process of setting up your blog step-by-step.
Once WordPress is installed, you should be able to type yourdomain.com/wp-admin or yourdomain.com/login in the address bar of whatever browser you use and put in the credentials you set up when you installed WordPress.
If you are seeing your WordPress dashboard when you type in your domain name followed by wp-admin or login into your address bar, that means your blog is online!
Pick a WordPress Theme
If you’re just getting started with your host, they will walk you through the process of setting up your theme. However, eventually, you may want to purchase a really nice theme to make your site look incredible! But to start out, the theme you set up initially is fine to just get yourself online and start creating your content.
Your WordPress theme will have a direct effect on what your blog looks like.
There are lots of great free themes and there are also some very sleek, professional paid ones.
Like most people, I started with a free theme and upgraded to a paid theme. I personally use GeneratePress, which is one of the fastest and most customizable themes available. It works great with page builders and is easy to learn, even for beginners.
Another great option many bloggers use is Kadence, which also offers a high level of design flexibility and performance. Both themes are built with speed and SEO in mind.
Install Some Plugins
Plugins are things you can use on your WordPress blog to help it function in different ways and do different things.
Some are necessary, and some are not. Some are free, and some are not.
Don’t get too crazy with plugins because too many will slow your blog down. But, here are some I use that I could not do without:
- Broken Link Checker
- Yoast (for SEO)
- Wordfence Security
- WP Optimize
Getting a Logo and Graphics
If you want a custom logo for your blog, you can attempt to make your own using PicMonkey or Canva, or you can pay someone on Fiverr to do it for you for just $5.
AI tools like ChatGPT can also create pretty impressive logos now.
Cover Yourself And Your Blog Legally
If you’re going to make money with your blog, you need an affiliate disclosure to stay compliant with FTC rules. You also need a privacy policy and terms and conditions page.
I like the templates from The Contract Shop, created by Emory Law School graduate Christina Scalera. They’re professional, easy to install, and designed specifically for online business owners.
Getting Blog Traffic
There are three main ways your blog will get traffic:
- Organic search (Google, Bing, etc.)
- Social media (Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, TikTok)
- Your email newsletter
These days, many bloggers use AI tools like ChatGPT to brainstorm blog topics, draft outlines, or repurpose content into newsletters or social captions. Just be sure to add your own voice and experience. Readers want connection, not just information.
While Pinterest still works for some bloggers, it’s become harder to get consistent traffic unless you’re very active. Many new bloggers are now seeing more traction from Instagram Reels, TikTok, or even YouTube Shorts.
When I started this blog, social media was in its earlier days, so I was pretty dependent on search engines picking up my content to get any traffic.
Now social media makes up a large portion of the traffic I receive, and I’m no longer dependent on just search engines for getting people here.
Don’t waste time — as soon as your blog is online, create a social media presence via Facebook, Instagram, etc. and start using these accounts.
You also need to set up a newsletter as soon as possible, put an opt-in form somewhere on your site, and start collecting the emails of people who have visited your blog.
Emailing them at least once a week is the best way to get them to come back! I use Flodesk. It is one of the cheaper options for newsletters and overall it’s a good service.
For more ideas on getting blog traffic, read my post — 8 Ways to Get Traffic To Your Blog.
Check Your Stats Regularly
Speaking of traffic, you’ll need to keep tabs on it so you’ll know how many people are actually visiting your site. I use Google Analytics for this. It’s very easy to install and gives you excellent insight.
Making Money With Your Blog
Just like traffic, income takes time. There are many ways to monetize:
Many bloggers today use a combination of all of the above. That’s the beauty of blogging—you get to choose how to earn from your content.
For more ideas, read my post — How Does a Blogger Earn Money?
To Sum Up …
So this is just meant to be a general overview of blogging and how it works. It’s not a fast, easy way to make money (especially not in 2025), but if you are patient, persistent, and determined, you can do it!
Good luck!
Anna Thurman is a work at home blogger and mom of two. She has been researching and reviewing remote jobs for over 14 years. Her findings are published weekly here at Real Ways to Earn.
#Start #MoneyMaking #Blog #Scratch
