But having to write articles on topics I’m not interested in makes me feel like I’m working all over again.

So an idea suddenly came to mind – what if I start earning by writing my articles online. What if I start my website and earn through blogging? I thought that was going to be easy.

I did some research on how to start my own self-hosted blog, and it didn’t go well as planned at the start.

There is a lot of things to learn on your own and I hope there are available resources online that can help me get through the process step-by-step. I did get through the arduous path eventually.

And now I want to share what I learned with everyone who would like to take the same path as I did. Getting paid for your blogs is not going to be an easy journey.

But if you are well-prepared right from the start, if you have chosen the right niche and the perfect platform for your niche, you will get there eventually, just like I did.

And here are some of the best practices that I’ve learned as I work on my own self-hosted blog step by step.

Contents:

1. Finding the Perfect Niche for Your Blog
2. Deciding on a Blogging Platform
3. The Cost of Starting Your Own Blog
4. Domain Name
5. Web Host Provider
6. Starting a blog on WordPress

Step 1. Installing WordPress & Configuring Settings

Step 2. Choosing your Website’s Theme and Design

Step 3. Installing Recommended WordPress Plugins

Step 4. Writing and Publishing Blog Content

Step 5: Optimizing Your Blog Content for SEO

Final Steps: How Can I Start A Blog And Make Money

Finding the Perfect Niche for your Blog

Most of you might already have a special interest that you would like to focus on even before you decide to write your own blog. This is a good start. But the question is, is this topic going to help you get paid in the long run?

Perhaps you should ask yourself again if you intend to write your blog because you want to earn from it or if you simply want to write something about your interest.

Because these two are way different. And planning for your blog content that aims to earn money in the future should start now before you set up anything else.

Think of your potential readers.

If you have decided to write your blogs, hoping to earn money from them, be ready to set aside your preference with regard to choosing your topics. It won’t be easy, I have to struggle on that part as well.

Your preferences may be the topics that you enjoy writing, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that readers will enjoy them as you do. Remember that you are writing to get readers to read your content.

It’s a bonus if what you enjoy writing is also an interesting read for your readers. But the important thing here is to have a mindset directed towards the readers.

This will help you a lot in making unbiased decisions when it comes to choosing your topics in the future too.

In addition, you have to consider which topics will get more responses from readers. Remember, you are targeting to get more readers to earn.

So establishing a niche on a topic that is often searched for and read by readers, should be included among the list of things that you need to consider when planning for content.

Think of what you can give to your readers.

This is to counter some of the things I said earlier. Of course, you need to think of a niche that is popularly searched online to help you earn in the future.

But keep in mind your limitations as a writer as well. Do you have enough knowledge on the topic to be able to write quality and informative content? I’m sure you have your own style in writing, so we won’t talk about styles here.

But you have to ask yourself if you will be able to sustain writing about the same topic for a long time.

You might want to think about widening the niche. For example, if you are to write local travel blogs, make sure you’ll be able to provide enough material.

Don’t just focus on the travel destination itself – create a section for local delicacies or a section on the place’s history and culture.

In this way, you won’t run out of topics, and your readers who enjoy traveling can also be encouraged to read about your other articles.

Deciding on a Blogging Platform

Self-hosted blog vs. free-hosted platforms

There is a lot of blogging platforms available nowadays, and most of them come with a very accessible CMS editor. Choosing the best platform for your blog depends on your knowledge of website design and layout.

Of course, it is best to use a platform where you have complete control over how your content will be displayed – Self-hosted blog solutions like WordPress are ideal for this.

However, if you are not equipped to design your own website, and if you don’t have the time to edit everything on your own, it is best to choose free hosted platforms such as Blogger.com.

Yes, there are limitations if you choose to use free hosted platforms. But again, weigh your options. If you are willing to learn, it is still ideal to use Self-hosted platforms, and the CMS editor is very easy to familiarize with.

It’s like working on a PowerPoint presentation, only you may encounter HTML and CSS codes along the way. But if you are familiar with these two, you’ll get along with the CMS editor just fine. So I will still have to recommend using self-hosted blog platforms.

The Cost of Starting Your Own Blog

In determining the cost for starting your blog, there are different aspects that you first need to consider, and the actual cost will depend on your preferences along with the features that you like to include in your blog.

From here on, I will include an estimate of the cost for each service to give you a fair idea of how much it will cost you to start your own blog.

Picking Your Website’s Domain Name

(Estimated Cost: Approximately $12 – $25 Annually)

The cost for buying a domain should be around $12 to $25. And if you want to purchase domain privacy along with it, you may need an additional $10 per year. Domain privacy secures your personal information, so this may come in handy in the long run.

Meanwhile, here are the things you should consider when choosing your domain name.

Availability

Picking your domain name is one of the most challenging parts of starting your website. I had to think of several ways to find an available domain name that is close to the overall branding of my blog.

Because domain names are usually short, choosing one that is still available can be a real pain. Unfortunately for me, it appears that many bloggers were already using the domain name that I have in mind.

Branding

In addition to checking availability, you also have to keep in mind that your domain name is essentially the main factor that will carry out your blog’s branding.

Domain names must be memorable so that they can be easily remembered by your readers. Despite being short, it has to capture everything about your blog.

If it’s a travel blog, your domain name should indicate words related to travel. A food blog should include words related to food.

SEO Best Practices

You also have to make sure that the domain name you choose can maximize search engine-referred traffic. However, avoid using exact matches just to be able to meet the SEO requirements.

Remember that Google has a way to detect “brain signals” to determine if a website is of high quality or not. Branding comes first before SEO. We can think of other ways to optimize your blogs’ search results later on.

Pick a Trusted Domain Registrar

Once you’ve successfully picked your domain name, you will need to choose a domain registrar to buy your domain name. Here’s a list of some of the recommended domain registrars for you to choose from:

Bluehost

BuyDomains

HostGator

Domain.com

DreamHost

Namecheap

GoDaddy

Buying a domain name to use for your blog site is going to be fun and exciting. But you need to be careful when choosing a domain registrar. Do your research before you choose so that you can avoid some undesirable outcomes.

Watch out for hidden fees, and focus on transparency when making transactions. Finally, make sure that your data is going to be protected.

This is a long-term commitment not just to the company you are buying the domain from. You will commit to your chosen domain as well for years to come. Better get the best out of the deal.

Choosing your Web Host Provider

(Estimated Cost: Around $3.95 Monthly)

Now that you have a platform and a domain name, your next step is to find a web hosting account that will store all the information from your website. Usually, you can get a domain name as well as hosting services from one company.

But you also have the option of buying your domain name and web hosting from different service providers. There are five main hosting solution types:

Shared Hosting – Multiple customers share access to one physical server so that they share the same key resources for a lower cost.

Managed WordPress hosting – Also the same as shared hosting, but is managed by WordPress.

Dedicated Service – You own the entire server and you don’t share access to anyone, so it has more storage space and bandwidth, but also more expensive to maintain and requires advanced technical knowledge.

VPS Hosting – Divides one server into separate individual virtual servers. Similar to Shared Hosting but with a VPS, so you have dedicated resources at your disposal.

Reseller – You are allowed to sub-rent portions of your allocated hosting space to other users.

As a starter with a small personal blog, you may choose Shared Hosting to save up some cost or you can simply consider the web hosting services provided by WordPress if you choose WordPress as your platform.

It is easy to set up and also provides eBay migration services. Yes, you may have less control over the technical side of your website and server management, but you can think about upgrading later on.

Web Host Provider Checklist

When choosing a web hosting provider, you have to keep in mind that you are not just thinking about how to make your website available online. Hosting providers are also responsible for a lot

of other indispensable services that you may need in the future once your website becomes operational such as email services, firewall protection, and offering technical assistance when needed.

Here are some of the technical and support specifications that you should take into consideration when choosing your Web host provider.

Database Type

MySQL is probably the most common database type. WordPress and other high-profile websites like Google and Facebook are based on MySQL, so it is my recommended database type for your website. But if you want to consider other options, here they are:

Oracle

SQLite

Microsft Access

Interbase

FileMaker

DB2

Bandwidth, Scalability, and Accessibility

You also want to think of the amount of data or traffic that you’ll encounter, your future reach, and ease of access.

For bandwidth, the ideal for websites that have text content, podcasts, and images only is 10GB.

But if you plan on relying on bandwidth-heavy media materials such as video clips, movies, and audio recordings, you might want to consider a higher bandwidth – perhaps around 150 GB a month.

You also need to consider the future of your blog as early as now. If your reach has somehow exceeded your target, will you be able to upgrade or move to a different hosting provider without any issues?

Think of your users as well and make sure they provide a control panel that can help you manage your database and monitor or manage your emails easily.

Support Services

In addition to technical specifications of requirements, one thing that you should always consider is the availability of Customer Support for any technical difficulties you might encounter with hosting

your website. You don’t want to get stuck without any support for some time, right? Neither will your users appreciate any downtime. Ensuring the availability of reliable customer support 24/7 increases the value of the customer experience.

SSL Certificates and Backups

The security of your data and personal information, as well as your site’s visitors, is always one of the main things that you should think about. This is especially true if you will be collecting sensitive information such as credit cards and bank information.

That’s why it is important to make sure that your host provider includes SSL certificates on their plan. You should also check if they back up your data. Most providers offer backups every 24 hours.

Email Service

Email service is an important feature that should be included in the offer of your hosting provider. Check the limitations of their offer. How many accounts can you create? What features come with their email service?

Recommended Web Host Providers

Now that you’re equipped with the knowledge on the basic features of a Web host provider, here’s a simple list of some of the most recommended providers for you to choose from:

Bluehost

offers shared web hosting solutions at very affordable prices

Recommended for beginners Read newbloggingmedia’s Review Here

SiteGround

Very fast and secure servers

Recommended for beginners

Dreamhost

Offers shared web hosting services

Have 97 days free trial

Free migration plugin available

GoDaddy

Offers complete website solutions with affordable plans

Shared hosting is available too

Offers Windows-based hosting

GreenGeeks

Uses renewable energy to power their hosting service recommended for bloggers concerned about environmental safety

How to start a blog in WordPress?

At this point, you already have all that you need to start your blog. We’re going to focus on starting a blog on WordPress here because I am more familiar with it and it is also the most beginner-friendly self-hosting website platform available.

Before we proceed, remember the difference between WordPress and WordPress.org. WordPress is the free blogging platform while WordPress.org is the self-hosting website platform that we will be discussing here.

I’ll be referring to WordPress.org when I say WordPress moving forward.

If you’re new to self-hosting platforms, getting face to face with WordPress features can be intimidating.

You have to think about everything from setting up the software, deciding on your themes, picking the right plugins, SEO optimization, up to writing your content, and scheduling the release. I admit that this can be overwhelming.

I felt the same way too. But let’s take it one step at a time by following this simple step-by-step guide to starting a blog on WordPress.

Step 1. Installing WordPress & Configuring Settings

Install WordPress (adding domain name and web host migration)

Earlier we have discussed picking a domain name and choosing a web host provider independently. But, if you are using WordPress, you can simply choose a plan from a list of their recommended providers to start setting up the website for your blog.

After selecting your plan. – Once you’ve selected a plan, you’ll be able to install the WordPress software on your device and move on to configuring its settings based on your preferences.

For starters, Bluehost has an option to automatically set up your profile as soon as you sign up. You just have to log into your account and choose the “Install WordPress” option.

You’ll be asked to follow a series of instructions and then you’re good to go. Sounds easy, right?

For some providers that do not offer domain names, you will be asked to add a domain name or migrate your website.

To add a new domain or migrate your website:

Login to your account

Go to Install > Site Migration (to move your website) or

Go to Install > Domains (to point over your domain)

If you are using a different host or if you choose a premium or professional plan, you can install multiple websites. You just have to install WordPress annually and then add a new site by hovering over “Install” and choosing the option to “Add” a new website, then follow the same procedure in adding a domain.

Configure Settings

Once the account has been created, domain name added and hosting completed, you’ll need to configure the settings on your account.

1. User Profile

The first thing you will probably change is your Profile Settings. You can find it under Users > Your Profile or you can simply click on your name at the top right corner of your screen.

You can choose your preference in the display name publicly using the drop-down option. You can choose your username, first name, full name, or nickname. You can also add a short bio and change your profile picture.

2. WordPress Settings

To enter your Site Title & Tagline, simply go to the General Settings tab and enter the information. You can come back and change them at any time, but it is good practice to have it set up early on so that you can easily plan for your site’s branding as you move on to the next steps.

Next, set up a Default Post Category & Post Type for your articles under the Writing Settings.

Under Reading Settings, you can set Your Homepage Displays, which is basically how your followers will be able to see the layout of your website.

The Discussion Settings allow you to set up your preferences when it comes to posting comments on your site. You can choose to allow all comments or have the comments manually approved by you.

You can go to Media Settings to control your options for the images or other media assets that you want to add to your website. You can set your images’ thumbnails, cropping options, and sizes here.

Permalink Settings allow you to change the URL that appears on your browser’s address bar when a visitor is on any given page on your site. It is the URL that leads to a page or a post identifier on your website. Permalinks can be optimized for SEO by using keywords.

Step 2. Choosing your Website’s Theme and Design

(Estimated cost: Free to $80)

ThemeForest has excellent blogging themes check them out here

Elegantthemes are pretty slick to view here  

Probably the most time-consuming part of creating a blog, choosing the best WordPress theme and design can take a lot of your time. But don’t worry, this is not due to any technical stuff that you are required to learn.

By default, WordPress offers a default theme set up automatically on your site. If you want to switch to a different theme, you will need to install a new theme by going to Appearance/Themes/Add New on the sidebar.

Simply upload the zip file and hit Install to activate it.

Now, choosing your theme and design takes time because, among the many available options for you to choose from, you may find it hard to decide which one would best suit your website.

So here are some guidelines that I found to be very useful during those times when I have to choose one myself.

Don’t forget to align your choices with the big “B”

When it comes to themes and designs, your big boss should be no other than your BRANDING. Color schemes, Icons, Logos, etc. should all be decided with your blog’s branding in mind.

Making sure that the theme and design align with your branding can help set you apart from your blog site from other blogs that offer the same content as you.

This can also contribute to your site’s discovery and searchability (remember Google’s “Brand signals?”).

Keep in mind that having a consistent brand recall can build trust and credibility, especially nowadays when everything seems to be connected and information is readily available online. You have to make your website original.

Always prefer responsiveness over anything else.

It’s the digital world, and people and their phones are inseparable. Research shows that most web traffic nowadays is generated from mobile devices. And this trend will likely continue to go up in the years to come.

So make sure that the design you choose will be responsive enough so that the layout will not be affected even if your website is accessed through a mobile device, or devices other than a computer or laptop.