Hello, welcome to my step-by-step tutorial about how to start a blog.
In this easy-to-follow tutorial, I’ll cover the below topics to walk you through the whole thing:
- Is Making Money Through Blogging Possible?
- Why I Start A Blog?
- Why Starting A Blog Can Change Your Life?
- What Take To Succeed In Blogging?
- The Step-By-Step Tutorial To Create Your Blog
By the end of this blog post, you’ll learn why blogging makes money, and you can do it too.
Disclaimer: As the owner of Smileaffiliatesuccess.com, I have tracked down special deals for products, tools, and services mentioned herein. When you click my affiliate links on this page to make a purchase, I may get a small commission, and you will definitely get a great bargain. This is a win-win advantage for both of us.
Is Making Money Through Blogging Possible?
After 19 months of working on my site, I received my first payment from my blog.
I never thought my website could make money for me in the short term, but I’ve made it. And, yes, from my tiny blog.
I have to admit that starting a blog or running a website isn’t a piece of cake. However, you can still make money from your small blog if you have the correct mindset and know which route to go from the beginning.
I am not clever or unique in any way. I went through the beginner’s journey and made a consistent online income. If you are like me and literally know nothing about coding, programming, or any other tech skills, then you can do blogging!
So, if you want to get started but don’t know which route you should go down or which program you should join, I’d highly recommend you read on to learn more!
Why I Started A Blog?
It all went back to 2019 when I was stuck at a 9-5 job that I didn’t like, so I searched the internet for ways to make money online.
After reading so many blog posts and YouTube videos, blogging as a side hustle seems so much fun, so I created one blog to learn how to make extra money online.
As a part-time blogger, blogging helps to keep me from going crazy about my 9-5, and I gain the chance to share my findings with people in need of extra online income. It’s a stone that kills two birds.
I learned from my blog that I should have started blogging earlier to generate online income to get rid of the job I don’t like. I am confident you’ll feel the same once you take action today!
Why Starting A Blog Can Change Your Life?
Here are the five reasons I think blogging changed my life:
01. Improve Your Mental Health
Indeed, blogging can significantly improve mental health, and I am the best proof. Blogging allows me to share things I enjoy talking about and sharing with others to understand better how to make money online.
It also distracts me from negative thoughts about being stuck at a 9-5 job. Unexpectedly, I don’t even have time to feel sad because I am so excited about growing my blog with quality content to help others.
02. Learning Ways To Make Money Online Outside Of Traditional School And Workspaces
I’ve never learned how to manage wealth or make money in school or workspaces. Making money online is a different concept for many people with 9-5 jobs for most of their lives. It’s like a new world since there is so much to learn.
After running my blog, I know there is more in life than just getting the best degree to graduate or working for the best companies. Once you get started, you’ll soon discover hidden gems in the online world. TRUST ME!
03. Build Connections With Likely-minded People
I’ve met so many inspiring bloggers that motivate me daily. We all like to achieve something from our websites, so we support each other to make things happen.
It’s like the best friendly online community where you’ll find lots of help and keep going for your blog.
04. Share Your Own Story
When blogging, everyone has their own unique story(me included.)
If I share my making-money-online journey to achieve a laptop lifestyle, my story will offer value to people looking for the same, right?
05. Opportunities To Bring Yourself A Fortune
Nineteen months ago, I never thought I could make money through my blog, but now I have made it.
If I didn’t take action back then, getting promotions at a traditional 9-5 job seemed the only way to make more money.
Things are different now. You can make money through blogging, and it helps you get out of the 9-5 jobs, stop trading your time for a low-paid salary, save more time for your loved ones, and bring you financial freedom. Just Take Action Today!
What It Takes To Succeed In Blogging
Since I’ve generated stable online income, one thing in common I found that most successful bloggers do is that… They never GIVE UP!
Many of us gave up things after a few setbacks within 3-6 months, and I was one of you. But, to succeed in blogging, you need to train yourself with the following key traits:
01. Hard Work
If you don’t have any resources to build your blog, you could watch free YouTube videos or read as many blog posts as possible to learn how to start blogging. If you have invested in some online training program, you need to finish all the training and apply it to your blog.
Making money via blogging is never like a “GET-RICH-QUICK” scheme, and you cannot expect overnight success.
It will help to put in lots of hard work before seeing any positive results. On top of that, you’ll always have to fight with self-doubts. Once you conquer that, you are not far from success.
02. Patience, Perseverance, and Consistency!
Making money via blogging is not always exciting, like “How I Make $10,000 In A Month By Blogging?”
I feel blue when comparing myself to other successful bloggers, but the key is Patience, Perseverance, and Consistency!
I turned the negative thoughts into motivations to keep myself going further. I stopped comparing myself to other successful bloggers but thought about what to do to achieve my goals.
03. Invest in yourself
Don’t be afraid to invest in valuable training courses—for example, Wealthy Affiliate.
I was afraid of investing in legitimate online training courses or ebooks since many online scams aim to steal your money instead of helping you succeed online.
I took action to try a 7-day free trial with Wealthy Affiliate Starter Membership. To my surprise, Wealthy Affiliate is the home of affiliate marketing, and I have been a happy member since day one. Check my full Wealthy Affiliate Review Here!
It shows me how to build one website, drive free & organic traffic, do keyword research, and many more.
Resources: Check my recommendation page to learn all the great tools that help me build my online business. Now, let’s start creating your first blog with Wealthy Affiliate!
How To Start A Blog With Wealthy Affiliate
Whether you want to make money via blogging or share your enthusiasm, you are here because you like to start your blog to chase your dreams, so I am glad you are taking action today.
Here Is My Step-by-step Tutorial About How To Start Your Blog:
#1 Choose Your Niche
Before we go further to create your first website, you need to know more about yourself. Success is possible if you love specific topics and turn them into your niche.
Some Tips to Identify Your Hobbies and Passions:
- What activities do you usually do after work or on the weekends?
- What topics do you talk about with others most of the time?
- What subscription services(TV/music/magazines/papers) do you have?
- Is there anything you want to learn more about?
- What organization or group do you belong to?
- Where do you visit most of the time?
- What problems do you face at the moment?
- What makes you happy?
If you still don’t have any ideas about your niche, feel free to check the below ideas:
The list goes on, and you can blog about anything you like to provide people value and help them solve their issues.
You may think it’s saturated or competitive in the niche you love, but it’s NOT true. Many people search for common topics daily, and you have your voice and story that offer value.
Recommend: How To Find Your Niche? with 100 niche ideas to help you find the perfect ones. π
#2 Choosing A Domain Name
The next step is choosing your domain name after you have a niche you want to blog about.
Your domain name is ‘www.yourblogname.com.’ I know people overthink this process because they want a perfect domain name. The truth is there is no such thing.
If you like to create a healthy living-related blog, you might put healthy + living in your blog name. Give yourself time to come up with the domain name; don’t rush this process!
#3 Wealthy Affiliate’s 7-Day Free Trial
Click HERE to start your Wealthy Affiliate Free account and try the platform for seven days.
I recommend you try the free trial first to know how good WA is. The free trial gives you access to the Online Certification Level 1 Course, and you can build up to 2 websites, including free domains and hosting.
Once you log in to WA, click ‘Website’ on the top menu, and then click ‘SiteBuilder.’ The system will ask you what kind of website/blog you want to build. Here are the three options:
- Free Domain
- Domain I Own
- Register A Domain
The first option is to build your blog with a subdomain name that will look like ‘youroblogname.siterubix.com.’ The second is building a blog on your domain; the last is registering a new domain name inside WA, which costs $14-$29 per year.
After typing your blog name & a title for your blog, we can now choose the design.
#4 Choose A Design For Your Website
You will have hundreds of blog designs to start with, but just like the domain name, people tend to be stuck here again since they want to pick up the PERFECT design.
Honestly, no one can make the blog 100% perfect from the beginning.
My suggestion is to keep things SIMPLE! Pick a simple design everyone can understand, such as a GeneratePress theme.
Recommend: Build Your Own Website For Free – Just In One Minute
#5 Final Steps
Now, your blog is ready. Congratulations, you are officially a blogger now, and you may start building your blog with quality content to help solve people’s questions.
For more information about the tools I used to build and grow my blog, feel free to check my resources page here.
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How Much Did I Make Online Through Affiliate Marketing From My Blog?
After reading my reviews, some of my readers tried WA, and I am glad they took action and started building an affiliate marketing business as I did.
We shared our passions for our niches, and I became their mentor & a true online friend.
So, if you want to build an online business, give yourself a chance to start affiliate marketing with Wealthy Affiliate.
Part 01: Referral earnings, total $1,068.5(Oct’23 updated)
If people subscribe to Wealthy Affiliate Premium through my affiliate link, I can make commissions.
- WA Premium: Commissions are $20.00 for the first month $49.00 special offer, then $23.50 thereafter. You earn $235 for Premium recurring yearly.
- WA Premium Plus: Commissions are $40.00 for the first month $99.00 special offer, then $46.50 thereafter. You earn $320 for Premium Plus recurring yearly.
Part 02: Wealthy Affiliate Credits(2 credits=$1), total $70
If people join WA through your links but only complete their account setup, you earn two credits that equal $1. You also earn two credits if they purchase a domain name at WA.
The total earning from my WA review is now $1,068.5+$70=$1,138.5, and I am sure it will keep bringing me commission down the road.
Conclusion
I know starting a blog sounds overwhelming at first. With hard work, patience & perseverance, and the right tools, you can start your blog journey today and grow it passionately. You’ll also be ahead of other bloggers who gave up too soon and early in their journey. π
If you have anything you like to share, or there is something you want me to elaborate on, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comment below. Or you can send emails to matt@smileaffiliatesuccess.com. I would love to hear from you. I read and answer all my emails.
Enjoy this step-by-step tutorial. Don’t forget to bookmark this page or save it on Pinterest!
Hi Matt,
I just find this guide while searching on Google. I heard before about making money with blogging but actually, I did not believe that. Until I search for it.
I am really interested to learn more about how to blog the correct way and get the results I dream of.
I hope to blog with a true smile like you, I cannot wait to join the blogger’s home.
I’m very excited.
Hi Safia,
Thanks for the comment. I hope it helps you well. π Yes, many bloggers make consistent online income from what they are sharing in their blog posts, and it could be affiliate marketing, selling their own digital products, or providing consulting services. I will prefer affiliate marketing the most.
If you are interested, some of my posts help.
–How To Build A Website In One Minute
–How To Start An Email List
–How To Make Money On Pinterest
Cheers,
Matt
Hi Matt,
This is a really good post about how to start a blog. You are right in sharing many reasons why people start a blog and one of them is mental release to escape the 9-5job rat race. Also to connect with people in a great blogging community where you can all build your own online businesses.
The community you shared about seems pretty cool. I like how easy it is to set up your own website as you have shown in this post. It’s great to have the support of a motivated blogging community to keep you inspired!
Hi John,
Yes, blogging is a mental release to escape the 9-5 rat race. I love reading successful Wealthy Affiliate(WA) members who make money online to replace their corporate jobs, so having an online community of likely-minded solopreneurs is one of the best things with WA.
If people are interested in making money online through blogging and affiliate marketing, I do suggest they try WA’s FREE trial to know how it looks like from the inside, and I am 100% sure that they will love WA as I did two years ago…
Matt
Hi Matt.
I think you have hit the nail with this article. In a simple way, you guide prospect bloggers through the process of creating their first website for blogging. Using Wealthy Affiliate as the platform to build, learn and create your blog posts is one of the best, if not the best way to blog.
I might be subjective in my statement as I am a WA member, but related to blogging and WordPress, I believe that WA is one of the best. I have been a member for over a year, and what WA teaches holds its own compared to most similar platforms on the World Wide Web.
One thing I would highlight with the WA platform is Site Support, which helps you within minutes if you have technical issues with your website.
Roy
Hi Roy.
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. I hope this post helps you well or reminds you of how powerful Wealthy Affiliate(WA) is. π Make money blogging is possible if you commit to your blog and create quality content to help people. WA taught me everything, and I’ve leveraged it to generate a stable online income. That’s why I knew it’s doable.
I am glad you love Site Support, which is convenient if you face technical issues on your blog. I remembered I could not fix a problem on Sunday and raised a ticket. Surprisingly, I got feedback from the WA Site Support team after only three hours…Since then, I have fallen deeply in love with Wealthy Affiliate and cannot build my online business without it.
If you have any questions that I can help with, don’t hesitate to PM me inside WA. I am happy to help. π
Matt
Hi Matt – This is some really great information to share. Not only because it’s helpful to anyone who may be looking to start a blog but also because you stress the fact of how much work it takes to be successful. This is my second attempt at starting a blog as the global pandemic essentially rendered my niche out of commission for a while. But giving this a second chance, I’ve been able to start fresh and build on what I’ve learned. I’ll admit, including both of my blogs, I haven’t made much money at all but for me, it isn’t as important. I know that if I continue to focus on creating quality content for people it will eventually come. I appreciate you sharing that it took 19 months before your first payment, that’s the true dedication that you’ve shown by sticking with it. Thanks for sharing this insight!
Hi Dereck,
Thanks for the compliments. I wrote this post to help beginners interested in making money online through blogging and affiliate marketing. I’ve learned everything from this particular educational platform and generated a stable online income, so I knew it was possible. Although it takes longer to see positive results, your time and effort spent on your blog are worth it.
I am glad to see you stick to your blog and keep creating quality content for your readers. It’s a good sign that you are on the right track. Don’t worry too much about monetization. The more you focus on helping people with quality content, the sooner you can make money from your blog. π
Matt
Starting a blog is absolutely a great way to make money online. Most of the newbies are overwhelmed with lots of details and drop out quickly.
In the past 5 years, I have started 3 to 4 blogs and I found Wealthy Affiliate is the best place to start quickly and easily. You get lots of support and training not only to start a blog but also to develop and grow your online business.
You have explained so well that why and how to start a blog right away. I’m sure those who want to start a blog will make the most out of it.
Hi Kavitha,
Yes, blogging is the best way for newbies to try making money online because it’s affordable, easy-to-follow, and no prior experience is needed. I started two blogs in the last three years with the help of Wealthy Affiliate. Now, I can generate a stable online income, so I know it’s possible.
I am glad to see that we have the same thoughts about Wealthy Affiliate(WA), and it’s good to connect with other WA members here on my blog. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to drop me a line inside WA. I am happy to help. π
Cheers,
Matt
An honest, detailed article on how to start a blog.
With so many noises in the market, it’s so important to like what you write (your niche) and truly give content in it.
As an affiliate marketer myself, I have to admit, it gets REALLY tough putting in the time consistently. But yes, as long as you produce the right content, along with the right keywords. The right audience will find your blog eventually.
There are plenty of opportunities in the blogging industry and I think this article is a good start for people who are thinking of it.
And you are right – just take action today. The rest will follow through.
Awesome stuff!
Hi SAM,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment today. I hope this review helps you well. π People fail to make money blogging because they are not patient enough or cannot commit to their blogs. If they could put effort and time into building an online business, yes, a business, they would know how to make one successfully.
I started my blog with zero knowledge, but this particular platform taught me everything for my humble blog. I’ve leveraged it to make a stable online income. I am sure everyone could do this too.
Matt
Thank you very much, Matt! I love how honest you write. It is accurate, and I can relate to your article; blogging is a great tool to create an online business and building up an income. The older the website, the more posts are on the website, the more traffic will come. Visitors will come to the site, reading the articles, and try themselves to build a website. It happened to me like that.
People have so many possibilities of creating websites for e-commerce, blogging, news websites, selling their handmade products, having a financial advising site, an Amazon website, etc. There are so many possibilities. Wealthy Affiliate is a great platform and community to learn everything from scratch. I would always recommend registering for the free trial and try it out. I am glad to hear you could leave your unloved job!
Hi Sylvia,
Thanks for sharing your comment on my blog post. It’s good to see likely-minded people agree with me about taking blogging seriously as an online business. Starting a blog running affiliate marketing is easy to follow, and everyone can find a niche they are highly interested in to start their online journey.
Wealthy Affiliate is the place that I learned everything to start an online business. It taught me everything, and I generated a stable online income after a 19-month endeavor. If I can do this, trust me, you can do it too.
Matt
I really enjoyed your story of how you started blogging. I agree, it is good for mental health as you can become completely absorbed. You’ve explained the initial steps on starting your first blog really well, and as a Wealthy Affiliate member myself I can highly recommend it. Having the right mindset is important for becoming a successful blogger, as well as being consistent. You are right that so many give up far too early
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment. This blog post aims to help people who like to blog and eventually make money. I’ve leveraged Wealthy Affiliate to start a blog and generate a stable income stream, so if I can do this, people can do it too. Before they start blogging, it’s essential to have a correct mindset that blogging is a marathon instead of a sprint. Plan a 5-10 year business plan on your blog, and think like a businessman. Your online business will skyrocket once you do everything right.
Matt
Hey Matt,
Great guide, going to help many people who have trepidation about starting a blog online. You’ve covered all the key aspects, especially the need for some patience and a lot of effort.
Getting help and support is one of the most under-rated aspects though, and I like that your top recommended program offers it in spades.
Thanks again Matt
Hi John,
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment on my blog post. I hope it helps you well. π
I know how it feels like without support and help when I started my blog, so I like to write a post to help as many people as possible. Wealthy Affiliate is the platform that I learned everything to start a blog with quality content to run an affiliate marketing business.
Now, I’ve generated stable online income. so I want to guide more people to make money through blogging. π
Matt
You’ve described how to begin blogging to a “T”. I like your step-by-step instructions and also the recommendation to Wealthy Affiliate, which is a platform that helps you develop your site through visual and auditory examples.
I also like how you stressed perseverance, patience, and consistency. It is like you said, not a get-rich-quick idea. You really have to work at it and also, not give up.
I have been working on my blog for 6 months now and still am not making money. However, I am improving my site with each new article. I find it stimulating and fun to develop a blog. Hopefully, others will feel the same way after reading your post.
Well done!
Nina
Hi Nina,
Thanks a lot for stopping by and leaving your thought. Blogging or running a website is a marathon, not a sprint. I am so sure that people with hard work, perseverance, patience, and consistency can walk to the end for their online success. So, NEVER GIVE UP!
It’s good to see you back me up here for my recommendation-Wealthy Affiliate. It’s the best platform for people interested in affiliate marketing, and I’ve leveraged it to make passive income gradually. I hope this motivates you to go further on your online journey. π
Matt
I can’t stress enough how valuable content you’ve put together Matt. Thank you for that. I feel like every line in it, is pure wisdom and should be taken damn seriously by everyone looking to earn money with blogging. As you said, it requires hard work, patience, and perseverance. I think maybe consistency as well, what do you think? I am a blogger myself and I see that if I don’t keep writing and posting on regular basis, my page rankings could drop. Do you feel the same? Thank you for your great writing.
Hi Julius,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts on my blog post. It’s good to hear from others about how to start a blog. And YES, consistency is also the key to online success! Like what you mentioned here, if we don’t create posts consistently, the ranking would drop. I will add this one into my paragraph. Thanks a lot.
Blogging for me is more like therapy than running an online business, especially when you are writing an article about perseverance. I gained so much from building a blog and learned many from my Wealthy Affiliate fellow affiliate marketers. They are all the reasons I could walk this far to build my online business. If you are interested, you are more than welcome to check my full review here.
Any other questions about starting a blog, you can come back and leave one more comment. I am always happy to help people out. π
Cheers,
Matt
I like your honesty. You’re not promising quick results or getting rich quickly. It took you 19 months to make your first sale and I think it’s great to achieve that, no matter how long it takes.
I also loved reading your points about why starting a blog. I agree with them completely. Ever since I started blogging I have also made connections with like-minded people, and I had never considered this before but now that you mentioned that it’s good for your mental health I couldn’t agree more.
It is good for our mental health because we are doing something we love and we’re investing time and effort in our own venture. We must pay attention not to spread ourselves too thin, but I absolutely understand how this is beneficial for mental health. You’re writing about topics you love or are interesting to you. And doing that makes you happy.
Hi Christine,
Thanks for those warm words you left here. I was motivated by your comment, and I hope it did give you insights.
Starting a blog to share our passions about things we love is indeed good for our mental health since we are doing things we love, so we don’t have time for those negative thoughts from our lives. If people can do this more often, I guess our world will be so peaceful and positive to live in. If people can make money through their blogs, things will be so much better. That’s how affiliate marketing comes into play.
Cheers,
Matt
Indeed people start blogs for all sorts of reasons but many struggles because writing is not everybody’s cup of tea.
The internet is a great place to tell your story and full of things that you could write about.
I remember starting my blog and found it a struggle for some reason but couldn’t understand why because I was emailing all the time.
I think what scares many people is the mentioning of a “website” and whilst it might have been an issue 10 years ago nowadays there is nothing to be afraid of.
If you are afraid then find a training platform where you can be taught everything you would need to know.
I know people start with the right intentions such as starting a blog to make money online but very quickly give it all up because this is not happening quickly enough.
Like you have mentioned that why not use Wealthy Affiliate, they can teach you everything you would need to know and have a very good reputation in doing it also.
Thank you for sharing
Hi Mick,
Yes, creating your very first blog/website was a big issue 10 years ago, but it is never easier than today. You can build one site in less than one minute and start writing quality content to help solve people’s problems. Once you build trust with your readers, they may purchase things from you. Here comes your earning potential.
Thanks for backing me up about my recommendation, Wealthy Affiliate. It’s indeed the best platform for everyone interested in affiliate marketing. I am happy every single day while I learn and apply all the strategies on my blog. People can check my FULL review here. π
Cheers,
Matt