How to Start a Blog: 5 Easy Steps for Long-Term Success

I keep seeing this question, “Is blogging dead”?

That couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re now in a golden age of online income where there’s more opportunity than ever. 

I’ve made over $50,000 from blogging since 2015 without any one-on-one phone conversations or in-person meetings.

The crazy thing is there is so much potential in front of me. I’ve not even scratched the surface.

If you think about it right now, there are 4.5 billion people online, a majority of the world’s population, and it’s growing every single year.

95% of those internet users are purely content consumers who are not publishing anything of value online. Many complain about politics and do nothing to improve their digital skills. They are pawns in our new economy.

Meanwhile, the other 5% – the learners and content producers – they’re the ones reaping all the benefits of this internet growth. That’s where you need to be if you’re looking to create a blog and turn it into a legitimate side income.

With a little elbow grease and luck, it may turn into a full-time gig where you’re living the dream of making money from home.

Every person on earth should have a blog, and there’s never been a better time to start. It brings you more opportunities since it connects you with people outside of your local area who have the same shared interests.

Even if you’re looking for a job, you’ll give yourself a significant advantage by showing a potential employer your level of care writing about what you love. Meanwhile, the competition submits a boring 1-page resume that will likely get a quick glance before hitting the trash.

⚠️ THE PROBLEM: There are 100,000 voices out there telling you how to get online, and it’s more confusing than ever to figure out which path is the best way.

Right now, I manage about 20 WordPress websites (my own blogs and local clients) with over a decade of experience, and I have plenty of wisdom to pass along.

That’s why I want to help you launch a blog within two weeks with a plan for success.

Let’s talk about how to start your blog on the best platform from day one.

We’re going to simplify everything into five easy steps required for long-term blogging success.

1) Pick Your Blog Topic

You first need to settle on a specific niche for your blog. Pick something you’re passionate about because that’s the only way you’ll be willing to go through the work at the beginning stages.

Believe it or not, those initial building blocks are what stop most people from ever starting. You have to get over your fear of tech because that’s what it takes to build a successful blog.

Let’s be honest, though, you don’t have to be a computer wizard or rocket scientist, just slightly above-average competence.

I always recommend looking back at what you were interested in when you were a kid or growing up. What has stuck with you to this point now that you’re an adult?

That’s a good indicator that you will create something that lasts for years. A big part of blogging is crafting your communication on a subject you love over a long period. Publishing content consistently builds compound interest.

When I first started learning about the online world, I was picking domain names based on keyword research for topics that didn’t have much competition.

The thing is they were stupid.

My favorite example is window treatments for sliding glass doors. Yes, I bought a ridiculously long domain about this home product without knowing WTF a window treatment even is. 🤣

Why would I voluntarily write on that blog every single day? It doesn’t make any sense.

Pick something specific at the beginning that you care deeply about, within a broader topic that you can grow into down the road.

2) Get Your Domain Name & Web Hosting

I always recommend that you start with a self-hosted WordPress blog, the most popular setup that nearly every professional blogger uses.

The reason WordPress reigns supreme is that it’s the most powerful and flexible platform to write online.

The flexibility means that you can launch your WordPress website on any web hosting company. If you don’t like their service, you can easily transfer a WordPress website to another host.

You aren’t locked in the way you are with a company like Squarespace, Wix, Weebly, or any of the “big guys.” 

Why is it more powerful?

Those website builders don’t allow you to customize in the same way as WordPress, where you have access down to the raw code. You’ll see many stories of how people are left at a dead-end because they cannot “hack” into a design like you can with WordPress.

WordPress gives you an almost unlimited array of solutions in the form of “themes” and “plugins”.

What makes it even better is you’ll start much more affordably by using WordPress on a popular web hosting platform. These are reliable for beginners, and in almost every case you’ll spend less than $100. If you go month-to-month, that initial total might be closer to $10.

However, I always recommend that you go for a 1-year (or more) investment to drive down your monthly cost to the lowest possible rate, roughly $3-5 a month, which equals little more than a cup of coffee.

On top of a better price, that gives you the runway to build without the easy excuse to quit too soon.

Within the FREE 14-day blog training, you’ll get step-by-step setup instructions on how to launch with three of the best web hosting options for beginners!

3) Create an Email List

Like a blog, your email list is a cheap asset that you own and have full control over. That means no one is moderating, editing, or otherwise limiting what you can say and who sees it.

That isn’t the case with social media. You’re at the mercy of their algorithms, and one change can wipe out your following.

If you look closely at every successful blogger, you’ll find an email collection form somewhere on their website (if not every page).

The best way to get someone’s email address is to give them something in return.

• Video training
• PDF report
• Case study
• Curated list

I practice what I preach because that’s what I do on my website!

The ultimate way to make money online is to help people and build a relationship with them over time. You do this by gaining trust and not pushing products or services for the sole purpose of generating income.

Keep in touch regularly using free email marketing software Mailchimp, and you’ll only need to upgrade to a paid plan after you get traction.

4) Create a Social Media Page

I know I just told you that social media is not as reliable as a blog and an email list.

But everybody’s hanging out on social so that’s where you can find free traffic and send it to your blog.

Once people are on your blog, get their contact information so you can stay in touch via email. That’s the primary flow that you’ll see with everybody successful online, regardless of their website topic.

The best piece of advice I can give you is to pick one social network that is the best match for the type of content that you would like to produce and stick with that versus being everywhere.

It is better to become an expert with one platform than to be a novice on all of them because you’ll spread yourself too thin and won’t generate positive momentum in any direction.

Most blogs only need one primary traffic source to make money online. Once you’ve proven one that works, take the winning lessons and apply them on another social network to diversify.

It’s not that difficult to figure out the best social network for what you’d like to share

If how-to videos are your thing, YouTube is the obvious choice.

Instagram and Pinterest are excellent sources of traffic for food blogs.

For family and pets, Facebook should be the best option.

If you’re looking to become a thought leader, then Twitter and Linkedin are your friends.

Find a few competitors in your blog niche and go through their social profiles – see which platform gets the most followers. It will likely be tied heavily to the type of content.

5) Create a Content Calendar

The key to success in blogging is consistency. Almost everyone quits before they make meaningful progress. It’s likely because they have a big vision and realize it’s not going to come anytime soon. It’s going to take work.

That can be kind of depressing. Yet, it’s also motivating with the right mindset.

Pace yourself at the beginning, even if it’s one post per month. Just keep at it, and you’ll become more effective each time you repeat a task.

Build a process around going from blog post to promoting it, get good at that to stay on course, and then behind the scenes, you’re going to have data to make better decisions.

All social media platforms have analytics, and you should install Google Analytics on your website to see how much traffic you’re getting. With those reports, you’ll know what pages are bringing you email signups.

The goal is to improve your strategy regularly from these facts, not based on intuition which is often wrong.

There is no perfect blueprint from day one since the blogging world is so diverse, but what you’ll learn in this 14-day training puts you on track for success.

A good analogy for blogging success is picking a lock. You have to tweak each pin to a certain optimal height, and only when you discover the combination does the magic happen.

The same is true with the components of your blog. It takes a trustworthy message, enjoyable content, a well-designed landing page, a connection with your subscribers, a helpful sales offer, and more to reach the gold.

There is a winning combination in there for you. Will you make the effort to figure out the triggers?

That dedication stems from passion and curiosity, NOT the sole desire to profit.

Keep pushing, keep testing, and you will make your first dollar online. When that happens, you’ll be more motivated than ever to keep that number rising in the future!