“Not only are bloggers suckers for the remarkable, so are the people who read blogs .” - Seth Godin

It’s a new year and you are ready for a fresh start.  You’ve always dreamed about writing a blog.  

So how do you go about starting a blog in 2023? Let me tell you one thing:  it is POSSIBLE and you can do it!  Right now, in 2023!

Ready to add Blogger to your resume? 

💦 Let’s Cannonball! 💦

Here's my 3-Step Guide so you can be up and blogging… in just a few hours.  You'll learn to:

• Pick a Niche

• Buy a domain with your new blog name

• Start blogging on an all-in-one platform that handles both web design & hosting

No complicated setup.  No scary technical stuff to overcomplicate you sharing your take on the world.  Just a three simple steps and you’re publishing your first blog article!  

INTRODUCTION

Don’t be discouraged by the fact that millions of people are bloggers.  If they can do it… so can you!  The world is a very large place and you will find your audience.

One of the biggest roadblocks that people have starting a blog is the fear that no one will want to read what they write. 

Consider this for just a minute:  this blog you are reading was started by someone just like you, in 2021, and here you are reading what I wrote.  

Let that sink in for a minute.  You can begin today, building a blog and an income source that can make your life so much easier… if you only believe that you can do it.  As for profitable online businesses with low start-up costs, you don’t have to look any further than blogging.  

There are lots of varying opinions about how best to start a blog, but I am going to share with you the one that has worked for me.  

Follow these simple steps – possibly the most simple approach out there – and you’ll be through the business of startup and really focusing on what matters most:  sharing yourself and your passions with the world through your blog.  

It’s likely that you have questions, so let’s address those right at the start.  

The following are questions that every newbie blogger asks when they are starting their first blog.  

NOTE:  This post contains affiliate links.  I may receive a commission if you click a link or a button on this page and choose to purchase anything.  This is at no cost to you.  I give you my word that I only promote the tools and services I believe will be of value to you, as I have found them to be for me.

WHAT IS A BLOG?

Blogs have become one of the main sources of online information that people use to gather information about subjects that interest them.  

They are frequently-updated websites with articles focusing on a particular topic.  This topic is usually very focused and often called a niche.  

Blogs are usually written by a single person, but sometimes they can also be written by a small group of like-minded people.  

Blogs, like any other form of social media, can be entertaining, or they can be informational and educational.  The best blogs offer a share-worthy combination of all three!

WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW TO START A BLOG?

There are lots of ways to complicate starting a blog, but let’s keep it as simple as possible.  

There are a few basics that you’ll need to know, but we will cover those in this article.  

Mostly that has to do with deciding whether you want a self-hosted blog, compliance, affiliate disclaimers, and necessary pages you’ll need, but I’ll walk you through that right here!  

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO START A BLOG?

As for costs, you have some things to consider.  Wordpress.com is a free, open-source platform, a hosted blog, which can significantly reduce your costs, but there is one word of caution I would offer you.  

If you plan to monetize your blog with Affiliate Marketing, you will need to have a self-hosted blog.  What does that mean?  

HOSTED VERSUS SELF-HOSTED BLOG?

There are two different kinds of blogs:  hosted and self-hosted blogs.  

Hosted blogs offer a simple solution in that they can provide a source for your domain name, your hosting package and your blogging software.  

Simply put, hosted blogs like Blogger, Wix, Squarespace or Wordpress.com are common examples.  Most often, these hosted blogs offer a free-to-use plan to start with options for a variety of different plans.  

While that might seem like a really cost-efficient option, in the long run, that is not the best option for your future online income-earning potential.

As well, hosted blogs are technically owned by the company that you choose to host the blog and they can censor, restrict or delete anything they believe is a violation of their terms of service.  

Self-hosted websites are considered more professional than hosted websites.  As well, if you intend to monetize your blog through Affiliate Marketing, you will need to have a self-hosted blog.  It is a mandatory component of many well-respected affiliate programs such as Amazon.  

Most importantly, a self-hosted blog gives you control:  you are in the driver’s seat and you decide your direction.  You purchase a domain name that reflects who you are and what you will be blogging about.  

I bought my domain, along with a professional email, from NameCheap.  They have an amazing Customer Service department and I highly recommend purchasing your domain from them.  

We’ll talk more about domain names and your blog, further into this article.  

With a self-hosted blog, you’ll need to choose a host site and pay someone to host your blog.  Host sites include companies like NameCheap, BlueHost, and GoDaddy. 

Finally, it’s time to start writing.  Depending on which hosting option you select, you’ll likely end up with WordPress as the software that you’ll use to write your blog.  

If that sounds a little complicated, it can be.  I have two all-in-one platforms that COMPLETELY simplify this process and can have you posting your blog within 45 minutes! I have personally used:  JetPage by Wizrd and Lead Vortex.  I'll dive deeper into the benefits to both of these deeper into the article!

Now... let's get those questions out of the way so we can get down to business!

IS BLOGGING PROFITABLE?  

There are a number of ways to make money from a blog, ranging from Affiliate Marketing, selling digital products, and selling physical products to being paid to write reviews. 

Not to mention the advertising dollars that can flow in once you have established a good flow of traffic over your pages.

YES!  Blogging is absolutely profitable!  

THREE STEPS TO STARTING A MONEY-MAKING BLOG IN 2023

STEP ONE: PICK YOUR NICHE TOPIC

Most of you have been dreaming of a blog that is a reflection of your personality and passions.  You want to share what you know about parenting, food & diet, real estate, thrifting, frugal living, relationships, and the list goes on!  It’s called a niche and that becomes the specific topic that you’ve chosen to write about.  

Pick your passion and share!

There’s also a chance that you want to promote a business, company or organization through what you’ll share on your blog.  

No matter what your intention or niche is, consider these two things first:  what are your passions and how passionate are others about your niche?

Focus on what lights your soul on fire, then share that passion and focus on building a community of people who share your passion.  

NICHES TO CONSIDER

• General Lifestyle (sharing your personal journey)

• Meal Planning, Prepping & Recipes

• Healthy Eating Practices

• Diet Lifestyle Choices

• Travel Lifestyle

• Entertainment

• Healthy, Active Living, Fitness & Exercise

• DIY, Crafts, & Art

• Music

• Thrift Store Living

• Frugal Living & Budgeting

• Finances & Investments

• Fashion, Beauty & Esthetics

• Minimalist Living (Tiny Houses, Van Life, Nomad Life)

• Time Management

• Self-Improvement Journey

• Personal Development

• Mindset and Manifestation

• Career Development

• Social Media Mastery

• Technology

• Organization & Clutter

• New Entrepreneurship

• Collectibles (cars, coins, etc.)

• Celebrity Lifestyle

• Home Renovations

Remember, part of the joy of blogging is the journey.

Don’t get too focused on picking the perfect topic or writing the perfect article.  Share your passions and enjoy the process.  You’ll learn as you go!

Try to keep one key goal in mind:  Make it about your readers. If you can maintain a focus on solving their problems (by sharing how you handled a particular challenge) and providing value, your readers will faithfully keep coming back for more.  

REMEMBER WE SAID BLOGS WOULD DO THESE THINGS?

• Entertain

• Inspire or motivate

• Solve a problem

Do this and your people will find you, your blog, and sign up to journey with you!

Step Two:  Pick Your Blog Name & Purchase a Domain

NOTE:  This post contains affiliate links.  I may receive a commission if you click a link or a button on this page and choose to purchase anything.  This is at no cost to you.  I give you my word that I only promote the tools and services I believe will be of value to you, as I have found them to be for me.

Aside from pushing “Publish,” this can be the scariest part of the process and often the one many accomplished bloggers say is what held them back for months, maybe even years.

That’s right, picking a name for your blog.  

There is NO SUCH THING as a perfect blog name.  Had to get that out of the way because if you wait for perfect, you’ll never start.  

One really strong option is just to go with your name.  Personal brand drives all successful businesses and beginning your journey with a blog tied to your name is a good option to consider.  

Your blog will grow as you grow.   My online presence on all my social media platforms started out as Broad Minded Solutions, partly because my maiden name is Broad.  From there, I wanted to pick a blog name that reflected people who were open to new or different ways to make money.  The Broad Minded Money Maker was born from that.  

Sounds simple, right?  

It took me over 6 months to come up with that.  I am absolutely proud of the name I chose and how I’ve grown it, but in all honesty, I wish I would have just gotten started sooner.  

Your blog name will not be the determining factor in your success.  If you’re really unhappy with it down the road, you can always change it.  

If going with your name is not in your comfort zone or if you have something in mind that reflects the niche you have chosen, that can be another really cool option too. 

Want to start a crafts or DIY blog?  Choosing a name that has words closely related to “crafts,” “do-it-yourself,” “creative,” or “handy” might be a good place to start.  

Want to start a blog featuring your travel experiences and tips?  Choosing a name with words like “journey,” “wanderer,” “voyage,” or “tour” might be excellent starting places.  

All things considered, my honest advice is to choose a name that is straightforward, connected to your niche and easy to remember.  

The rest will work itself out.  

Now that you’ve chosen a name, it’s time to see if that name or a closely related name is available as a domain.  

For those of you that don’t know the difference between a website, a domain, and hosting, here’s a simple little comparison:  Think of your website as your house, the domain your address and the hosting as the city where you live.  

My website is the Broad Minded Money Maker Blog, the domain is https://broadmindedmoneymaker.com/blog, and the hosting is provided by JetPage at a specific I.P. address (a series of numbers & periods) that tells the entire world where to find me online.  

With that out of the way, it is time to purchase a domain.  I got mine from NameCheap and they are an absolute dream to work with.  You can get a domain for as little as $5.95 for the entire year and a coordinating professional email for $9.95 per month. I highly recommend you lock in your domain with NameCheap.  

I know something that would have pulled me off-track was not being able to use the Blog name I had in mind, so if you know what you want… go and claim it!  Act quickly because you’ll never know who will take your blog name.  In the unfortunate event that your desired domain name is taken, NameCheap also has this really cool feature called Beast Mode that you can use to help you come up with an alternative to the domain name you want to use if that domain is already taken.

Step Three:  Start Blogging

NOTE:  This post contains affiliate links.  I may receive a commission if you click a link or a button on this page and choose to purchase anything.  This is at no cost to you.  I give you my word that I only promote the tools and services I believe will be of value to you, as I have found them to be for me.

Now as I’ve said before, I am sharing my journey as a new blogger with you.  I hope to help you over the first couple of obstacles by explaining my process.  

You can complicate this as much as you’d like and seek out separate hosting and web software providers.  Finding a service that is an all-in-one is often more cost-effective.  

Spending a little time thinking about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is also a vital part of any successful blog. When someone searches for a topic related to your niche, they will often click on the first few pages of results. These are usually the websites that have the most relevant content or are paying for top placement.

The performance of your website (how fast pages load, how easily it is indexed by Google Search) also plays a key role so that needs to be considered when choosing your web design and hosting.

Those are the considerations I weighed when I was considering my choices for web design and. hosting. I wanted to fast-forward my success, simplify my process and start making money faster. 

That started with my decision to use an all-in-one platform designed for Bloggers and Affiliate Marketers that combined both web design and web hosting. I started out using JetPage as my all-in-one self-hosting platform and web software provider and just recently switched to Lead Vortex (another all-in-one-provider that does even more than my first choice). Let's compare the two!

WHY IS JETPAGE BY WIZRD A SOLID HOSTING CHOICE?

JetPage by Wizrd is an all-in-one web-hosting and software platform that is specifically designed for Bloggers and Affiliate Marketers.  

They have four plans to choose from, with their entry-level plan supporting one website, one custom domain, 25,000 monthly views, 2,000 subscribers and 5G of storage space.  Billed at a yearly rate, this equates to $24 monthly.  There is a $60+ savings if you pay the billed yearly, one-time cost instead of the monthly, recurring cost too!

Starting out, this is all you’ll need.  As well, you can start a Free 14-Day Trial of JetPage and be blogging in just a few hours.   

While that may seem pricey to some, there are so many benefits to selecting JetPage as your hosting & writing platform.  

JetPage is designed to focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO), Blogging and Affiliate Marketing.  

With a focus on how to most-quickly monetize your efforts, JetPage lets you focus on your business and creating content rather than the setup and maintenance of your website.  

JetPage was built to have optimal load times, Google Core Web Vitals, HTTPS, mobile-responsive, advanced image compression and conversion.  JetPage consistently outperforms almost all other platforms because of how it is built.  It has blazingly-fast page load times and uses cutting-edge technology like CDNs and cloud hosting.  

What that means is your page will rank faster in Google Search than with many other platforms.  

For Affiliate Marketers, JetPage is designed with the ability to collect email leads, and include email integrations with popular email marketing software like ActiveCampaign.  

For Bloggers, JetPage is designed so that all you need to do is focus on writing and publishing amazing content with no need to add a web developer, web designer or server administrator job title to your already busy resume. 

I had been thinking about what my first blog post would be for a while, sitting on the fence seriously thinking about starting a blog, but never actually pushing the button to buy a domain, select a platform, and publish any content.  

I had the blog written already in Google Docs, so once I actually set up the blog on JetPage (not kidding that took me 15 minutes), all I had to do was copy/paste my draft blog, upload pictures to compliment my blog, and include my affiliate links. By the way, you can also completely format your articles in Google Docs then copy/paste your masterpiece directly into JetPage, keeping all that formatting completely intact!

Within one hour, I signed up with JetPage, purchased & connected my domain, uploaded my first blog post, formatted everything and pushed the button to PUBLISH my very first blog post! Here's the link to my second blog post: Five Questions About Affiliate Marketing That You've Always Wanted Answered if you want to read it.

WHY I LEFT JETPAGE AND SWITCHED MY ENTIRE BUSINESS TO LEAD VORTEX!

As I said previously, I was cruising right along, blogging with JetPage, until I switched EVERYTHING to Lead Vortex...

JetPage is a fantastic hosting platform geared towards high-performance in terms of Google Analytics and blogging metrics. With that being the case, why would I consider switching from such a great platform?

Lead Vortex offered me the opportunity to host my blog and eliminate yet another monthly cost: the cost of JetPage hosting my blog. While I was more than happy with the service provided by JetPage, Lead Vortex offered me a monthly savings I could not refuse.

Here's the piece that sealed the deal for me and converted me to Lead Vortex... Lead Vortex does it ALL for me!

• Host my blog?

• Manage my email?

• Build my Sales Funnel?

• Manage my customer relations?

• Host my courses (along with video content)?

The answer to all those questions (plus a million other smaller ones) is YES! It's a true all in one!

Further to that, Lead Vortex is one of the most powerful pieces of online software I have ever encountered. It is an all-in-one software platform that that I use to manage every single one of my online business tasks, all for one incredible price!

It is an autoresponder, sales funnel, Customer Relations Manager (CRM), website builder, website hosting service, blog platform, and course delivery platform. Add to that impressive list, Lead Vortex has an awesome sales funnel builder with drag & drop functionality that is on-par with the industry giant, Clickfunnels!

As an added bonus, for those of you who are current Clickfunnels users, Lead Vortex offers an amazing option. As an avid fan of Clickfunnels, I was very, very hesitant to try a new platform because of all the work I had invested in creating my funnels and building my coursed. Just the thought of rebuilding all my funnels on a new platform was enough to put me into a cold sweat!

Lead Vortex made it nearly impossible for me to NOT give them a chance because they have an import function that allowed me to paste the url of your current Clickfunnels products and seamlessly imports them into Lead Vortex with a few clicks and under 5 minutes.

What else could you possibly ask for in a business management software?

Well, how about this? You can also be an affiliate for Lead Vortex That's right, your monthly cost for using this platform to meet your own business needs can be easily covered by promoting Lead Vortex as an affiliate!

Lead Vortex meets my every need and it meets my blogging needs too, all for one reasonable price that saves me over $150 monthly The blogging format is easy to use and provides a simple layout that allows me to focus on what is most important: my message.

They say the rule for business success is to keep it simple... and this allows me to exactly that. I have never looked back!

ABOUT COMPLIANCE

If you want to monetize your blog, there are five mandatory compliance pages you’ll need to put in place.  

If you do not have these compliance pages in place, you will not be approved for many affiliate programs and could have your ability to run advertisements revoked.  

The easiest way to write any of these compliance pages is with an online service called Termly.io.  It is FREE to use and will create any of the policies you need.  I use this service because it handles all the legal jargon and generates policies that are specific to me, my blog, and the topics I write about.  

There is an advantage to using one of their paid plans:  they update your policies automatically if any laws change and ensure that you are always protected.  

Honestly, this is a “Set-It-And-Forget-It” method that is proven and reliable.  Why over-complicate things when this service will do it all for you?  

PLEASE NOTE:  many people who get started in online business think that they can just copy and paste the compliance pages of someone already in the space doing what they want to do. Example:  you’re an Affiliate Marketer for Legendary Marketer and use the compliance pages of someone you already know promotes for that company.  Bad Idea! You want compliance pages specific to you, your business and the specific focus you have chosen.  

DISCLAIMER PAGE

A Disclaimer is an absolutely necessary component of your blog.  Bottom line:  it is the published document that will protect you from lawsuits and ensures that you are not legally held responsible for anything you write about on your blog.  

What goes into your disclaimer will be determined by your niche and the kinds of things you want to write about on your blog.  

For example:  if you are writing about diet and exercise, you don’t want to open the door to a lawsuit from someone who tried one of the ideas you wrote about on your blog and then suffered health complications as a result.  

As well, having a Disclaimer Page will protect you if the information on your blog is not up-to-date.  Older articles on your blog with information that may no longer be accurate can be the basis of a lawsuit, so it is better to be protected.

First order of business once you’ve got your name picked, domain purchased and signed up with JetPage:  add a disclaimer on your website!

TERMS & CONDITIONS PAGE

Your Terms & Conditions Page is your way to create a legal understanding between your business and the customers you will attract to your blog (and any products you offer via your blog).

You need a Terms & Conditions page to lay the groundwork for how your customers will use your website and pay for any products/services you offer them.  This is a  legally binding agreement that holds up in court, but the bonus is they will protect you financially and limit the amount of money for damages if you make any errors in business operations.

PRIVACY POLICY PAGE

To be completely honest, Privacy Policies are not going to get a lot of attention, but they do send a very clear message about you as a business person to your customers & readers.  It is a resource they can inspect to offer your reassurance that their privacy will be respected and protected. 

Taking the time to offer your promise to protect your customer's private data is as easy as using a service like the one provided by Termly.io to generate a policy that details what you will do with the personal information you will collect from your subscribers and customers.  Simple and essential for building trust!  

CONTACT PAGE

When a visitor to your website wants a more direct line to you, the Contact Page is where that conversation starts.  As well, in order to comply with most affiliate programs, you need to have a dedicated Contact Page.  

Think of a Contact page as a digital business card. You don’t need a lot on a Contact Page, but you also want to make sure you are optimizing your first impressions!  

Bottom line, your Contact Page is a trust signal. It’s proof that you are an actual person that people can contact, and potentially even work with!

Your contact page should have the following information:

• Your company name

• Your physical address

• Contact information:  email address, mobile number (if you think it’s relevant)

• Links to relevant pages

This should be a clean, no-fuss, tastefully-designed page with just these things.  No need to overcomplicate.  Keep it streamlined for support and ease of use.  

ABOUT ME PAGE

The About Me page is one of the most overlooked, but most important pages on your blog. 

Why? People always underestimate the importance of developing a Personal Brand.

Personal Brand drives most successful businesses, and if you want to make a connection with your readers because of your personal brand, this is where you start to build that connection!

Think of your About Me Page as a one-page, you-in-a-nutshell page that gives readers a taste of your personality and a short resume of why they should follow you!  

Your About Me page is one of the most important web pages on your blog. Want to see one in action? Check out my About Me page: Boy Momma Behind the Biz.

See? You also don't have to call it About Me! 😉

CONCLUSION

There you have it, friends!  That’s writing a blog in three easy steps.  

While it may not seem as easy as you may have thought, it is simple and straightforward in the process.  

There are some other things you can do along the way to improve your knowledge and give you the inside edge for getting eyes on your blog and followers on your email list!  

One of the most valuable actions I ever took was signing up for a 7-day course on how to optimize my blog for SEO.  Now, if you're interested in checking this out, you can access this course and a whole vault of others for $97 monthly and cancel at any time. It's a steal of a deal and there are so many actionable courses you can take to up your game, both as a blogger and as an Affiliate Marketer!

Here's my thoughts on how the course actually worked for me, a newbie blogger with no experience who was able to set up a profitable blog in under a year's time: A Review of Bavaro’s SEO Sniper School:  Bloggers Hit Your Mark In Google Search Rank. Be sure to check it out!

Not only did I have a better understanding of Search Engine Optimization, but Dom Bavaro also provides lots of insider tips on how to accelerate your blog’s performance and get it more quickly ranked in Google Search (which means it is discoverable by people searching for the topics you’re writing about).  And that means you’ll be able to monetize it more quickly too!

As well, if you haven’t already joined, check out my Broad Minded Solutions Facebook Community!  I teach basic side hustles and can help you along your journey in Affiliate Marketing, Blogging and so much more!

Maybe you want to know a little bit more about all of this? Be sure to check out this video: So You're Thinking About Getting Started in Affiliate Marketing?

So what are you waiting for?

💦 CANNON-BALL!💦

And start your own Affiliate Marketing Business or Blog TODAY!

Did you enjoy this post? Please consider sharing with others on your favourite social media platform!

Here are your take-aways from reading to the end. You CAN easily set up a profitable blog in as little as 3 easy steps. Blogging can be your way to share your special gifts and talents with the world!  

The steps I have just shared I personally used to jump-start my own money-making blog.  Use them to start your own blog to share your passions with the world, work on your education, and put in the work!  Take the next few weeks to really focus on yourself and you can accomplish anything!

And finally ... what more do you want to know about starting a profitable blog that can generate you reoccurring passive income and move you towards financial freedom?