How To Start A Blog & Make Money From It in 2023

If you are here to learn “How To Start A Profitable Blog In 2023!” then you are absolutely in the apt place.

I always believe ‘Gaining knowledge is the first step to wisdom. Sharing it is the first step to humanity.’ By reading deep into this article, you can learn every phase I have gone through before setting up this profitable blog.

To begin with, I wanted to share my insights and experience with all those aspirants to be financially sound, no matter their position.

Firstly, Who am I? Why should you consider my savvy suggestions? Is my Blog that profitable? And lastly, How to start a money-making blog?

Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. We may receive a small commission when you make a purchase (No extra cost to you). Please read our Affiliate Disclosure for more information.

 

The Real Story Behind Dreamshala Blog

(Note: It’s a lengthy article; please spare a few minutes with me, I promise this will help you to change your life in the end!)

Hello Dreamers! I am Siva Mahesh; A chemical engineer turned successful blogger. I make my primary income from this blog (which started in 2017), and it took me less than a year to achieve. Now, through this article, I am excited to tell my story and help you achieve the same.

A couple of years ago, the only assets I held were Piling debts, Nescience, Bewilderment in my career, and rayless thoughts. This pushed me to search for ways to make online money like you do today.

Before blogging, I worked with MLMs, tried survey sites, and even worked as a Social Media Manager for a few clients from our city. I made money from those jobs, but none of them was really life-changing for what I aspired to.

At times, I only felt one thing “I’m so lost!”. But what I couldn’t realize at the time is- “Feeling Lost Leads To Greatness.” It Sounds funny and unreal, but in actual implementation, it can.

From all the nominal successes I got from my previous money-making attempts, I worked more on my Cognitivism(Focusing on the things I perform and working on what exactly went wrong).

In this process, it is highly worth mentioning my friend Swathi Chalumuri of HearMeFolks, who seeded an idea to start a blog, and her input cannot be valued in simple words in my beginning days.

Initially, I struggled a lot with writing as I am not from an English-speaking country. But I’ve worked on improving my writing style simultaneously while working on this blog. Finally, all the hard work I put in really paid me off, and my life has changed entirely because of this blog’s success.

Starting this blog is the best decision I have ever made. If you ever felt like starting a blog but didn’t take action yet, now I would insist you take action. Otherwise, you’ll miss a tremendous life-changing opportunity.

Likely or unlikely, we’ll commit mistakes, but the “real wisdom comes only from committing mistakes, facing them, and learning as a result of these experiences.”

No matter what, we all deserve a life-changing opportunity to escape from everyday problems like:

I, too, had faced these struggles and, luckily, have been able to overcome all of these just by trying something new. Well, that’s all in my case, but will it work for you?

I would definitely say a YES! It worked for me, and it worked for millions of other people, then why it doesn’t work for you?

But you have to make the right decisions at the right time to work the same for you. It is completely your choice to pick from a $60000/9-5 job after paying an $80000 tuition fee or to hardly invest $100 or less on a small-scale side hustle that can bring more fortune for you in less time.

Caution Note: I am not trying to insist you choose to blog over your career. I am just explaining its natural potential, and you can still do it as your part-time. I also started this blogging as my part-time and am now working full-time on it, earning nearly $6000-8000+/month. Now, I am working towards the $10,000/month milestone.

Now you know the truth that blogging makes money. But how much? What’s the upper limit? Let’s see how much the top bloggers are making from their blogs.

Before getting into every single detail about blogging, get clarity on why one should start a blog!

Reading Note: Considering the immensity of this article, I recommend you to have a glance over the below  section to know an overview of how to start a blog and pin this article to read it later when you have free time(I repeat, you won’t regret spending time on this!)

 

Busting The Myths That Are Stopping You From Starting A Blog

After having a glance at the overview steps on how to start a blog, you must also know a few common myths about blogging and why people often fail to get started!

1. Blogging Doesn’t Work In 2023 or Later!

No, that’s not true!

Look how much I earned only in a couple of years. This is ad revenue only, and affiliate income is not included. Check my full income report (I made $381,212.85 from this blog) here.

Blogging works anytime and anywhere. It’s never going to die. Because searching on the Internet is not a habit; it’s a routine for you, me, and billions of people worldwide; they all surf the Internet daily. So, blogging works as long as people use the Internet to search for information.

 

2. Blogging Is Saturated

It is a false claim. People told me the same thing when I started my blog two years ago. If I had given up that day, I wouldn’t be making $7000+/month in passive income these days.

My Income Proof: Blog Income Report: How I Made $381,212.85 From This Blog?

I agree with the fact that there is competition, but that doesn’t mean blogging is not going to work for you.

Coming to the competition, let’s discuss some actual facts here.

• There are millions of blogs out there on the Internet.
• Millions of articles are being published by bloggers every day. (Don’t get scared by the stats)

Let’s see the positive side of these facts:

• Not all the blogs available on the Internet are active.
• Millions of articles get outdated every day and replaced by fresh articles in the search results.

This cycle continues. Got my point? These are the actual facts, and no matter how many blogs are out there, you can still rank well in search results as long as you publish the best pieces of content.

 

3. Blogging Is Very Expensive To Start

Would you call paying $2.95/month really expensive? Not really, right? This amount is far less than a pizza cost, and that $2.95/month investment could bring back $10,000+ every month with time and the right effort.

 

4. Article Writing Requires Strong English Writing Skills

This is another false claim! To burst this myth, honestly, no one would be the best example than me. I ultimately started with zero blogging knowledge and command of the English language.

As I am not from a native English country, I had to struggle a lot to deal with English in the beginning days.

It is common for everyone to receive mean comments, and they shouldn’t bother us. Only a few people care about our writing style and grammar, but the majority of people care only about the content.

When your concepts and writings are interesting and genuine, people really don’t care about your mistakes.

 

5. Blogging Requires Technical Knowledge

Gone are those days when everyone had to learn programming to create a website or blog. Any non-techie person can create their own blog in less than 30 minutes and run it for a lifetime with zero tech experience.

 

6. Blogging Takes Forever To Grow

Though blogging takes time to show you the desired result, it doesn’t take forever.

It’s not fair to expect results from a brand-new blog. We are not simply not preparing breakfast to get the best results in minutes. We are creating a business that will change our lives. So you should spare some time span to find some potential growth.

Great things take time. Be prepared to work for at least six months without expecting any results.

 

7. Are There Really Ways To Promote Blog?

Leveraging social platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and Reddit will boost your progress. Work for a long time of growth and give your best while creating the content. Once you start getting results, you’ll witness exceptional growth and income for sure.

For instance, my blog didn’t make a penny in the first eight months, and it grew exponentially later. I got accepted to ad and affiliate networks after so many rejections. And some of these platforms that rejected my blog in the past have come back and requested me to be a part of their network later.

That’s how the situation will change when you don’t give up. So yeah, blogging takes time to grow, but the result after that will change your life as it did to me.

 

The Step-by-Step Guide To Creating Your Blog

By now, you got a few myth bursts and suggestions. This is the time to discuss a clear step-by-step guide to start your profitable blog. Spare your next 10-20 minutes to create your dream blog setup!

 

Step 1: Choose Your Niche (Topic) & Blog Name

As everyone says, you must choose the most comfortable topic. We call it “Niche” in blogging. Once you finalize your niche, you can start searching for a catchy blog name (yourblogname.com).

Almost every blog revolves around a topic. For instance, This blog niche is  “Finance,” and we have other dedicated blogs separately for Health and Lifestyle niches.

Well, you can blog about multiple niches on your blog, but it doesn’t work well in the long run. So I wouldn’t recommend you do that. Here you can find more info about blog niches and their potential.

I must say, never choose your niche based on its earning potential (every topic has its own earning potential). Because it is you who is going to write about it, if you are fed up with the niche in the middle, you may give up or regret later choosing the wrong niche that you don’t like and are not passionate about.

• If you love cooking and making recipes is your hobby, start a food & recipes blog.
• If you are a travel freak, start a travel blog.
• If you love fashion & trends, then you can start a fashion blog.
• Health, Photography, Lifestyle, and Technology are also great blog niches to start with.

So, choose your niche smartly. There is no wrong niche, in fact. Any niche will make you money if you can consistently post excellent content. And once you make the first one successful, you can start new blogs in other niches you love.

I hope you have your favorite niche in your mind by now. Now it’s time to search for your blog’s available name (domain address). The blog name you are on right now is Dreamshala, and “dreamshala.com” is its domain address. Similarly, you must search for a catchy name for your blog. So, Let’s do that.

To get a unique available name quickly, try different combinations like HollysKitchen.com or MeganTravelDiaries.com.

The steps to go to the domain search page of Bluehost are mentioned in the next step. You’ll find them with a small down scroll.

Or follow these steps to land on the domain setup page. Go to Bluehost Website >> WordPress (First in the Menu) >> WordPress Hosting >> View Plans >> Select under the BASIC section.

If the domain is unavailable, try different word combinations and search again until you find an available name. If it is available, continue reading. Don’t leave this page for now. I will explain how to get the domain for FREE. Otherwise, you may have to pay for the domain and hosting separately.

Got an available domain of your choice? Now let’s move forward to get that domain for FREE along with a Hosting plan.

Hosting is a space/storage on the Internet where you keep your website files to make your website available via the World Wide Web (www) and domain (ex: www.yourwebsitename.com) will be its address.

Now, let’s go to Bluehost.com, the best hosting service provider for beginners.

 

2. Buying The Best Hosting Service For Your Blog

We are beginning with buying the hosting services and linking the domain address to it. So, visit Bluehost.com here or click on the blue button below. We are going to show how to create your blog with Bluehost.com step-by-step, along with images. After clicking the above button, you’ll land on Bluehost’s homepage. (image is given below).

Desktop Users: Now, place your pointer on the “WordPress” option on the main menu at the page’s top-left corner. A drop-down shows up. Click on the first option, “WordPress Hosting.”

Mobile Users: Go to the top-right corner and tap on the “Ξ – (Menu symbol)”; after that, tap on “WordPress” (first option), and then tap again on “WordPress Hosting.”

No matter which device you are on, after hitting on the WordPress Hosting button, you’ll be redirected to this page (Image is given below).

After visiting the page, you have to click the “View Plans” button. It will take you to Bluehost’s pricing page, where you can see available hosting plans. The “Basic” plan is enough since you are a beginner. You can upgrade to higher plans anytime if your blog goes viral.

So, choose the “Basic” plan by clicking on it. This plan includes all the essential things required, including a FREE SSL Certificate.

After clicking on the “Select” button under the BASIC plan, it will take you to the domain setup page.

Enter the domain name you have in mind in the below section, “Create a new domain.” (image is given below). Make sure you have entered the blog name correctly without any spelling mistakes. Click on “Next.”

Now, you are on the last page of this setup. You need to fill in all your details and choose your hosting plan. The minimum plan you can choose is one year, and the maximum is three years. It’s your call to pick one.

After choosing the plan, look at the section named “Package Extras.” Uncheck all boxes except the first one, “Domain Privacy + Protection,” and enter your credit card details in the last section, “Payment Information.”

Bluehost offers a 30-day Money-Back guarantee, so you don’t need to worry about it. You can cancel it anytime if you feel blogging is not for you (But we suggest not giving up!).

Once all the required details are entered, agree to Bluehost terms by checking the box given and hitting the green “Submit” button.

Done! You got the domain and hosting registered. Once you complete the purchase, it will ask you to create a password for your account. All those steps are pretty straightforward, create a password and login into your account using your credentials.

 

3. Choose A Theme For Your Blog

Once you log in to your account after creating your password, it will ask you to pick a theme for your blog. There are thousands of free themes available. You can find them by clicking on the Appearance Tab >> Themes of the left menu in your dashboard.

Since you are starting now, a FREE Theme is more than enough. Or, if you want your blog to look more professional, you can go for a premium and customizable theme. I would recommend the Astra WordPress theme. It is cheap, lightweight, and looks more professional.

Pick and apply the selected theme. Now it’s time to launch your blog. Click on it.

You have created a blog for yourself successfully. Give yourself a high-five. Congratulations on creating your first blog. I wish you a great success ahead. Start working on it without thinking about anything else. You can do it.

 

4. Important Plugins To Install

Well, you have a very brand new blog in your hands. So before starting writing, let’s make your blog look even more professional by installing some required plugins. If you don’t know what the plugin means, give me a moment to explain.

A WordPress Plugin is nothing but PHP script that used to extend the functionality of the WordPress. It adds entirely new features like Contact Form, Social Share Buttons, SEO to your blog.

Don’t worry about the installation process. You don’t need to code anything here. You can install any plugin by Clicking on the “Plugins” >>“Add New” option from the left menu in your WordPress dashboard.

The process will be like installing an app from the Play Store or App Store. First, you search for an app and click on install. Same here.

Go through the below list and install those plugins one by one.

These are some essential plugins you should have installed on your blog. Setting up these plugins is pretty easy and straightforward. If you still find it hard, I would recommend you watch some related tutorials on YouTube. (We will try our best to add a video tutorial on plugin installation here as soon as possible.)

Once you are done with the plugin installation process, it’s time to begin what matters the most.

 

5. Start Writing Awesome Articles

Now your own blog is in your hands. It’s time to start writing articles, share your thoughts, express yourself, and write whatever you want to share with the world on your chosen topic. (follow your passion, and money follows you. Just be patient until your turn. Don’t ever give up. You’ll make more money than you expected.)

In case you still haven’t started your blog by implementing these steps, click on the button below and get started.

 

How To Start A Blog: Some Useful FAQs

1. How much does blogging cost to get started?

Blogging doesn’t require substantial upfront investments. Most people think blogging costs too much, but it is less than $5 a month. But you have to buy the hosting plan minimum for one year long.

Apart from that, you will not have to buy anything unless you want to go for premium features. WordPress has tons of free themes and plugins ready in the store. You can use anything you want.

 

2. How do bloggers make money?

Income from a blog depends on the number of visitors it gets. Once you start getting daily readers, there are dozens of ways to monetize your blog. Mainly blog income comes from Display Ads, Affiliate Networks, Sponsored Posts, Courses, and eBooks.

Our Affiliate Income Proof:

 

When you don’t own any products your readers are interested in buying, you can sell someone else’s products by joining their affiliate program.

They pay you a certain percentage of the sale as an “Affiliate Commission” if someone purchases the product through your affiliate link.

There are a number of affiliate networks out there. You can freely join these programs and promote their products on your blog. This blog makes around $3000 – $4000 affiliate income every month from different affiliate networks.

Ad Income:

 

Ads are standard on every website. That’s the primary source of most of the blogs and websites. You need to apply for a particular ad network to display ads on your website to get approved. Your blog should get a certain number of visitors to get the approvals.

Once you get your website approved by ad networks like Mediavine or AdThrive, they’ll take care of the rest until ads go live. If you go with AdSense, you have to insert ads into your articles on your own.

We love Mediavine because it pays the highest out of these ad networks. This blog makes around $3000+ from display ads every month.

Sponsored Posts:

Once your blog gets popularity and online presence, companies and brands will reach out to you to get their products featured on your website. Based on your blog’s popularity, you can demand how you want to feature their products on your blog.

Each sponsored post may get between $500 and a couple of thousand dollars. Multi-article deals may get you even more.

After the deal, they’ll ask you to write and publish content regarding their products or services. Sometimes, they may also ask you to review their products.

 

3. Can I start a blog for free?

Yes, you can start a blog for free, but you shouldn’t start a free blog if you want to make money from your blog.

I didn’t explain the freeway here because these free blogs don’t get you anything. Those are for fun. Let me explain why these free blogs are impossible to make money.

To create a blog for free, you’ll have to use platforms like blogger.com or wix.com. These platforms offer you limited free hosting, but your blog address looks like “yourblog.wixsite.com” or “yourblog.blogspot.com. “ You cannot remove that “wixsite” from your blog address unless you upgrade to a paid plan.

On the other side, since you are a free user, they run their own ads on your blog, and you’ll get paid nothing. To get approvals from affiliate networks, you must verify your own, which is impossible in this case.

You can’t run ads, and you can’t run affiliate campaigns on these free blogs. Free blogs are for those who want to do it for fun. Not to make money.

If making money is the idea behind your blog, investing less than $5 a month is far better than having a free blog. The blog will be fully in your hands. No need to depend on any other websites.

 

How To Start A Blog: Final Thoughts

That’s all about starting a new blog. I hope you have got a new blog following those steps. If you haven’t started yet, I recommend you make a wise decision here. This is really blog-changing.

Remember one best saying by Joseph Cambell:

“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come,”

Blogging has changed my life. A decision I took two years back turned my life, which I had always aspired to.

Now my goal is to help as many people as I can. If you ever feel like you need help, you are always welcome to ping me through Email.

So, make a decision and take action now. Your righteous actions will always lineate and define you. Write whatever you have enjoyed writing for a long time. And I am sure it will help you to make a living out of that.

What else do we need in life other than doing what we love and earning a handful of cash? So, start it now. Plan it and start working on it. Be consistent for at least a year, and the results will definitely shock you.