Are you a mom who wants to create extra income so you can spend more time with your family?
I am a mom like you. In 2014, I started this blog to encourage other moms on this crazy parenting journey we are all on. I was hoping to create some extra income for my family to be able to travel, save for our first house and allow my husband to be able to take a few extra days off work each month. I had no idea the blog would later become the sole income of our family, making up to quadruple what we were before (over $210,000 total and growing), and allowing my husband to be able to quit his job only 18 months later.
You don’t have to be tech savvy to start a blog (I wasn’t!). I’m going to walk you through the entire thing step-by-step.
There has never been a better time than today to start a blog!! Let’s chat real quick about the 5 main ways bloggers make money, 4 layers every blog needs and then step-by-step instructions on how to start your own blog (even if you’re not tech savvy).
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for more info.
5 WAYS BLOGGERS MAKE MONEY
Those of you who have read my blog income reports already have a pretty good idea of different income streams bloggers have, but I thought it still might be helpful to hit on the 5 main ways in a nice neat list.
Now, it’s worth noting that not all bloggers do all 5 of these, some just do one or two but do it extremely well. That’s the beauty of blogging, you can build off your strengths, find what works best for you and do more of that.
- Display Ads — these are the ad boxes you usually see on the sidebar, top of blogs, etc. They are easy to set up and as you attract more and more readers to your blog you will, in turn, make more in ad money commission.
- Affiliate Income — affiliate income is when you recommend a product and make a certain percent of the sale for referring someone. Companies will provide you with unique referral links that keep track of who sends what sale.
- Sponsored Posts — when you work directly with a brand and create a blog post that weaves their product naturally into your topic for that day.
- Freelance Writing — You can use your new blog as the perfect portfolio to get hired for freelance work for larger sites, magazines, etc. And along the same lines, you now have the experience necessary to apply for virtual assistant positions.
- Your Products — This is something I didn’t do soon enough and was not as difficult as I had previously thought. Things you can create: ebooks, self-published books, courses or even something as simple as a printable that helps simplify someone else’s life.
This just skims the surface of ways you can make money blogging, the possibilities and potential with blogging are truly endless.
Last year we made $84,785 on this blog, it’s less than we could have made but it’s significant because I barely worked the first 3 months of the year. I had a baby and I took maternity leave for 3 months and still made money. I took 3 months to cuddle, snuggle and stare into my babies eyes and all the while I still had money rolling in.
We also spent the last 4 months of the year traveling around the US in an RV and working on the road! The possibilities with a blog are endless!
Grand total, I’ve made over $210,000 on this blog since I started 41 months ago (and the first few months barely count since I was just playing around and trying to find where I could learn from – my hope is to help you bypass this confused-where-to-start stage).
Why am I sharing how much I’ve made? I’m stepping out of my comfort zone and sharing my income totals because I want you to know you can do it too. A blog is the financial means to your dream.
- Pay off your house.
- Buy that dream car.
- Head on a long vacation.
- Start that art studio you’ve always wanted.
There’s room in the blog world for you. You can be both a mom and a business owner. Working at home on a blog is literally the best of both worlds!
4 LAYERS EVERY BLOG NEEDS
- Hosting — hosting is a fancy word for space in the internet world. You’ll need to rent a “plot of land” (internet space) in order to build your “house”/blog.
- Domain — your domain is the website address with your blog name and the way that people find your “plot of land” on the internet. (i.e. www.yoursite.com)
- WordPress — WordPress is your blogging “house”. It’s super easy (and free) to install on your site.
- A Theme — Themes are the fun part of blogging, they are how you decorate your blogging “house”. They are what make your site look like a professional website. Once you install a theme, it’s easy to customize it with your own logo, pictures, descriptions, colors and more.
I’ll explain exactly how to do each of these things below.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
When it comes to hosting, make sure you are…
- Self-hosted — this means you pay and, most importantly, own your site and content. Your site will also look more professional and be easier to monetize.
- With a reliable host — From my experience, Bluehost is one of the best to start on. It’s only $2.95 a month (that price is only available through our link) and if you purchase 12 months of hosting, you get your domain for free.
How to set this up is next.
STEP-BY-STEP HOW TO START A BLOG
Click to Bluehost.com and then follow along with the video below.
Step-by-step:
- Click to Bluehost.
- Click “Get Started Now.”
- Select your plan – I recommend the Basics Plan; you can always upgrade later if needed. You should see a $2.95 starting price, that’s a special discounted price only through our link.
- Enter the blog name/website address you want.
- Fill in your personal information.
- Choose your features – I highly recommend Domain Privacy Protection (this will keep your personal information private) and skipping the rest.
- I recommend skipping the special offers.
- Generate a password. Write it on a piece of paper or a secure document on your computer and save it in a safe place.
- WordPress should automatically install on your site. WordPress is what you’ll use to customize your blog, write posts, etc.
- Celebrate!
Note: If you have an existing website/blog you can still migrate it to Bluehost. In step 4 you will fill in your domain under “I have a domain name”.
Moving Forward: Blog Mastery
Continue establishing the right foundation for a successful, money-making blog.
Learn how to start a profitable blog.
Successful Startup is a step-by-step guide on how to start a blog the right way – walking you through every single detail, from the nitty-gritty details to the big picture stuff that turns into more paychecks.
Learn what works and avoid struggling for months on what doesn’t. This course is a fast track – you’ll know what to spend your time on (and what not to waste your time on) so you can get to the money-making stage pronto.
The key to success is a roadmap.
One of the big problems both new and experienced bloggers have is not knowing what the most beneficial next step is.
If you jump too far ahead, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.
If you get sucked into too many small projects, you’ll never get anywhere.
If you miss something crucial, you run the risk of your business crumbling because the foundation isn’t set up correctly.
The best way to avoid this is to know your current stage and use a roadmap to get to the next one.
Blog Mastery is a straightforward roadmap. Taking you through everything step-by-step without huge textbooks or long lectures. Instead, you’ll have…
• Systems that work
• Timeless strategies
• And easy to follow instructions.
Click here to learn more about Blog Mastery.
Sending love on your new blogging adventure!
P.S. Are you looking for extra side income? I make full-time income blogging part-time—check out this easy step-by-step tutorial on how start a blog (no tech knowledge required).Download My Free Family Organizer
Ready to de-stress + spend more time with your kids?
Life gets busy. I hear you. I'm here to show you how to CREATE more time for what matters most. Get a free family organizer as a thank you for joining our newsletter – includes monthly calendars, chore charts, meal planners and more...
Leave a Reply