How to Become a Blogger in 2024

My Journey

Like many, I too became interested in how to start a blog through the many pins I had seen on Pinterest.

How could you not want to try to be one of the moms that were able to quit their job and stay home with their children while making money talking about things you love to talk about?

After reviewing many blogs about what it took, I decided to give it a try.

It was not the Pinterest pins that showed the hundred thousand dollar a month income that interested me. As much as that would be nice, but that seemed a bit overwhelming.

It was the 3k to 5k per month post that pulled me in. I wanted to focus on supplemental income as I knew blogging would not be my main source of income right away.

Due to my financial strains at the time, I found myself in search of any bloggers that offered free resources. I cannot tell you how many newsletters and subscriptions I applied for just to get the freebie they offered.

It also gave me a sneak peek into what email marketing would look like later down the line.

Once I had a good concept of the basics, I started building my blog with WordPress through Bluehost. Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed when I first was taken to the blog building dashboard. So many buttons and I had no clue where to start.

YouTube became my friend for walkthrough tutorials, that and random clicking around saying, “I wonder what this will do?”

After about 4 months, I finally had a blog I was proud of and a few posts to start. All that was left was to launch. I was nervous, but aware that this was only the beginning of hard work if I wanted to earn money.

I finally slid the not live button off and brought my site to life. So here we are!

What is a blog?

A blog is a website created to provide information on a specific topic. It is usually updated regularly and can be commonly found with informal, conversational wording.

It’s also known as an online journal where personal thoughts are shared for others to see, however, it has blossomed into way more.

Is Blogging for You?

I think it is important to say that blogging is not for everyone. For starters, if you do not enjoy writing, you may face some challenges. Some characteristics/skills of those who would be great for blogging would be:

• Patience: Starting and managing a blog are not fast and easy tasks. If you want to make money, it can take some time before you start seeing any income. Patience will be key.
• Determination: You need to really want your blog to be successful and use that as the drive you need to keep posting, making updates, and learning ways to continue to enhance your site. It can be a bit rough in the beginning when you aren’t getting the views that you desire, but if you are determined, you’ll keep going until you get there.
• Creativivity: Creating content can be a challenge and you’ll need to have an open and creative mind to ensure you keep things fresh and relevant for your readers.
• Consistency: Just like a good TV show, you need consistency to keep people excited and ready to come back for more. No one would be too fond of a show that had an episode every now and then so try to find a posting schedule that works for you and stick to it.
• Time Management: For many new bloggers starting out, blogging is a side hobby, but in order for it to potentially replace your 9-5, you will have to have good time management skills. Being able to balance your current job while growing a blog and possibly taking care of a family (amongst other life activities), can swallow you up. Being able to set aside and organizing your time can be a benefit for you in the long run.

Getting Started

So you have decided to join me on the blogging train but don’t know what to do next? Continue to read and I’ll show you all the stops…

Choosing a Niche

The first on the to do list when starting a blog is determining what you want to write about. If you are creating a blog just as a creative space to share your thoughts and ideas then there really is no need to pick any specific niche, however, if you want to make money, it would be wise to choose one or two to focus on.

A few niches include topics such as fashion, parenting, lifestyle, travel, health, fitness, beauty, food or personal finance.

Be sure to choose a topic that you can write about for years to come. But don’t worry if you are unable to select a niche right away. You can always make changes later and sometimes just jumping out there and getting started can give you guidance on what you may want to focus on.

Buying Domain/Hosting

Now that you know what you want your blog to be about it is time to pick a name! I personally felt a lot of pressure during this part of the journey because it seemed so permanent. I decided to choose a name that I felt could work for any niche. Most commonly you will find a lot of bloggers using their name.

There are several different hosting sites that offer both domain names and hosting and I recommend bundling if possible. Of course, I highly suggest Bluehost since that is the hosting site I am utilizing. They offer a great deal for your first year where the domain is actually free, and you can set your blog up for $2.95/mo.

Bluehost also provides self-hosted blogging services. This means that you have complete ownership and control of your blog website. Hosted services are more like renting a home instead of owning it. You have a lot more to lose in that scenario when you are not the boss.

Using WordPress

If you opted to go the Bluehost route you are in luck! WordPress is automatically installed for you. WordPress is the source of your blog management controls.

On the dashboard you will be able to make changes to your blogs’ appearance, create new posts, and alter your shop if you have one. You can also add images and check insights to see your pageviews amongst other things.

As I mentioned earlier, when the WordPress dashboard first loaded, I was a bit overwhelmed by all the different tools. I used a combination of YouTube and pressing random buttons, but I was able to figure my way around fairly quick and you will too.

Choosing a Theme

Now time for some fun! Designing your blog!

When it comes to picking a theme there are three options to choose from. Default themes are usually free and offer the basic outline for your blog. There are several limiting features, as to be expected with anything free, but it gets the job done.

The second option is paid themes. With this option you still get an amazing layout but have the ability to alter your page significantly more. I have seen a lot of great themes for $50-$60.

Lastly, you can always build or have someone build your site from the ground up. Prices for this will depend on who you choose to build it, but it does start from free if you do it yourself.

Creating Content

Depending on what you decided your blog will be about is how to best determine the type of content you should add. Here are a few blog post ideas:

Fashion Blog: Get Ready with Me, Best Stores for Business Attire, Must Have Pieces for Winter/Spring/Summer/Fall.

Finance Blog: Side Hustle that Work, How to Budget your Check, Ways to Build your Savings.

Lifestyle Blog: Share your Morning Routine, How to Get and Stay Organized, Books for Personal Development.

Parenting Blog: Best Tips for Nap Time, Fun Indoor Activities for Toddlers, Healthy Snacks for Picky Children.

Travel Blog: Safe Travel Tips, Must Haves for Road Trips, Traveling on a Budget.

Ready, Set, Launch!

Now that your site is designed and has some content, it is time to launch!

This was very exciting but nerve wracking for me. I kept pushing my date out as I felt there was something else I need to fix before letting the world see. After over a month of pushback I realized I was making excuses, and it was time to stop.

To encourage me to follow through I decided to post on social media that I was going to release my blog on Mother’s Day. Since my content was geared towards mothers, I figure this was the perfect day to do it. Because I had told “the world,” it gave me the push to follow through. Ready or not, it was live.

It can play to your benefit to let people know when you plan on launching to build some hype to your blog. You also are more likely to keep your word if you know other will hold you accountable. When you set a date, try to stick to it and know that the earlier you get your content out there, the quicker you can start collecting pageviews and start making a profit from your blog.

Getting Traffic

I’m sure you probably got to this page from none other than Pinterest and so you can bet it is one of the best ways to boost traffic to your site. You can find courses on how to use Pinterest effectively on many blogs and maybe one day I’ll have one too, but even I am still learning.

Sharing your site on your personal social media is also a great way to get more pageviews. If you already have a supportive following there is a higher chance they will continue to be supportive by checking your site out or even sharing it to their following as well.

Additionally, there are Facebook groups for bloggers that you can ask to be a part of. In those groups you can share your site amongst others who all support each other. I personally have not created a Facebook page for this blog yet, but I have heard a lot of great things about them.

Making Money with your Blog

If you skipped all the way down just to read this section, I don’t blame you. I used to do the same thing before I started my blog. Tell me how I can earn money and let me determine if it is something I think that is realistic before I spend any money on an investment that I may not get a return on.

There are a ton of ways to make money with your blog! As tempting as it is to add to this already long post, I won’t. So you can view some ways to make money by viewing my post How to Make Money with your Blog.

Don’t Forget to Pin it!

Best of Luck!

Now that you have all the basic tools needed to start your blog, tell me how your journey goes down below! Be sure to check in under my Tips and Resources tab for additional support to help along the way.

Here to see you succeed!

Always, Tiffany