How to Start a Blog and Start Making Money: A Beginner’s Guide to Gaining Freedom

Building websites seemed pretty cool so I went down that path and I decided to start a blog to keep track of all of the things that I was learning. I didn’t know anything about blogging besides the fact that you needed some software to write down your thoughts. By sheer luck, that blog blew up and I started to make money through advertising, affiliate marketing, freelancing services and other means.

For me, the most important thing that a blog can provide is freedom. The freedom to do what you want in life. The freedom to no longer worry about money. The freedom to get the most out of everything that you do. I want to live the happiest life possible and through trial and error, I’ve found that to accomplish that I need to be able to work for myself and have money to do the things I want to do and blogging has helped me achieve both. It’s not the easiest thing in the world, though. Thousands (maybe even millions) of people try to start a blog every single year that will allow them to quit their job or make money while they are a stay at home parent and thousands (maybe even millions) find it a tough road. But I do think anybody can pull it off if they follow the right steps and don’t give up. The purpose of this post is to help you with the basics of getting a blog up and running and what you need to do to increase your chances of success.

How To Make Money With Affiliate Marketing $20,000 To $100,000 /2018

I went from making $20k in 2016 to $100k in 2017 by dropping my web design/SEO clients and doing affiliate marketing/blogging full-time. 90% of my (passive) affiliate income comes from SiteGround, a hosting company who awarded me affiliate of the month in July, 2017 when I made $9k in 1 month. Since then I’ve continued to hit numbers like this – the screenshot below is from March, 2018 when I made $14.5k in 1 month (just with SiteGround).

1. Find Your Niche (And How I Found Mine)

My career journey went like this: online marketing > web design > WordPress web design > WordPress SEO > WordPress speed optimization. Now I’m getting into affiliate marketing.

While I was doing WordPress speed optimization I noticed lots of people needed it, but very few people supplied it (there were a lack of services and tutorials when I researched Google). I also knew hosting was the #1 factor of website speed factor and these companies paid up to $200/sale. Hosting is a competitive space but the commissions and lack of supply enticed me.

I expanded my SEO blog and started writing about hosting, cache plugins, and other relevant topics… while recommending SiteGround in each tutorial. I added social proof like this pollwhere they were rated the #1 host. Each tutorial was super detailed and tons of people found them helpful – many generated 100 visitors/day since the great content got them ranked high.

Once I found my niche (WordPress speed optimization), a solid hosting company with a high commission affiliate program (SiteGround) and created tutorials around topics people in my niche would find helpful (and might want to change their host), that’s what got me to $100k.

How To Find A Good Niche To Make Money Online With....... 2018

So you’ve taken the time to investigate the different ways to earn money online, and you’re ready to get started putting forth the effort needed to succeed. Congrats! That’s a huge first step, and knowing the basics is key for starting to earn. But you also need something else – a good niche focus that will allow you to really get the most out of what affiliate marketing opportunities offer to you.

Head to Wealthy Affiliate and you’ll see quickly that there are hundreds of thousands of products from thousands of companies, all of them designed to offer you the chance to market to your audience and earn money on every single sale you send their way. But it’s not just as easy as making a website and kicking up your feet, and it all starts with finding your niche.

What Does A Good Niche Do? Before you start looking at how to actually find a good niche for your situation, it’s worth understanding exactly why a good niche is so integral to your success. Essentially, a good niche can become like your identity – your brand, in other words. Think of major companies and how you identify with them, or even online personalities. Everyone from Youtubers to bloggers has their own identity and brand, and that brand is how they build up their name – it’s what the online world associates them with. Finding a good niche lets you do the same thing – it helps you establish your brand and your online identity. Are you serious? Playful? Filled with jokes? Do you focus on sports related products, cooking and kitchen related things, or camping gear? It’s a huge world when it comes to affiliate marketing, and setting up your personality and your main focus is the foundation for better success. A good niche helps you by:

Focusing your efforts on particular areas Building a loyal online following Spreading strong word of mouth Improving your metrics And more In short, settling on your niche should be the first thing that any affiliate marketer does. How To Find Your Niche How To Find A Good Niche To Make Money Online WithNow that you know why having a good niche is so important, it’s time to find yours. Luckily, this is actually one of the easier aspects of affiliate marketing. As mentioned above, there are thousands of different products and companies that you can choose to market. Getting the best results means finding the ones that work best for you. There are a few key points to pay attention to here. Follow Your Passion – What do you like to do? What interests you, and what are you truly passionate about? Finding the things that most interest you allows you to focus on the things that you know a lot about, and that you’re excited to keep talking about every week. Think of the things that most interest you, and start there. Know the Market – Next, figure out if it’s a niche that is overloaded. Sad as it is to say, there are some niches out there that are just filled up with affiliate marketers. That isn’t to say that you can’t still market in that niche – just that doing so will take a bit more creativity and some personality. You can check out the community at https://www.wealthyaffiliate.com/community?a_aid=8cee2070 to see what others are focusing on and to get an idea of how they may be approaching things. Know Yourself – You can still turn an overloaded niche into one that works for you if you figure out what makes you unique. Think about how you want to market and how it matches your style. Are you looking to make it fun or just provide straight up, informative blog posts? The thing to focus on here is that a good niche means knowing what you’re good at. Each marketer approaches the process differently, and builds a reputation in the process. Figure out how you’ll be approaching things and then stick with that blueprint. The bottom line here is simple – you need to figure out what you’re going to sell, and how you’re going to sell it. That’s it – if you can make those two basic decisions, you’ll be able to start building up your online identity and carving out your own unique niche in the world of affiliate marketing.

Top 5 Online Businesses You Can Start With No Money​ 2018

The internet is the great equalizer. In business specifically, it has leveled the playing field. Anyone can start a money-making online business—anyone with a computer, that is. But here’s the thing: no technical experience is needed. You don’t have to know how to build websites—no programming knowledge is required at all. You can also live anywhere you want, set your own schedule, and work as little or as much as you want, depending on how fast or big you want your business to grow. No business or marketing experience is needed either.

It’s a truly democratic medium for entrepreneurship.

Best of all, unlike a brick-and-mortar business, you don’t need a lot of startup capital. In fact, you can get many internet businesses up and running with no money at all because so many free services facilitate the possibility. For example, you can set up a website or blog for free using WordPress. Or you can leverage a third-party site like Amazon or eBay to sell goods. You use their selling platform in exchange for giving them a cut of your sales.

And this is just the start of the many available no-money e-commerce startup solutions. Let's consider five of the top ways to make money online with little or no cost at all.

1. Drop Shipping

The basic idea behind an online drop shipping business is that, as a small business owner, you don’t have to maintain a large inventory of products or handle any delivery to your customers. That eliminates the financial cost and risk of having a warehouse full of stuff you might not sell, and the hassle of arranging to send orders all over the country or the world. In fact, you don't have to manufacture or store any products at all.

Instead, you work with a company that specializes in drop shipping. Here’s how it works:

1. You list products for sale on your website or a platform like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy.
2. When one of your customers makes a purchase, you purchase the product from a third-party company (the drop shipper, usually a manufacturer or wholesaler) for a lower price. This process is as simple as forwarding the order from your customer, a process that can actually be completely automated.
3. Your drop shipper then sends the product to the customer.

Easy enough, right? With drop shipping, you can offer a wide range of products, so the operating expenses for your business are super low.

As you can see there is no risk on your part because you don't even purchase the product (at cost) until the actual sale is made!

What are downsides to the drop shipping business model? You have to find a reputable drop shipper you can count on to deliver to your customers. If an order is late or doesn’t go out—or a product is poor quality—you get blamed.

Also, because this market is so competitive, the margins—that is, the difference between the wholesale price and how much you can sell a product for—are lower. But still, it is a worthwhile low or no-cost startup option.

One way to stand out from the competition with a drop shipping business is to private label your products. That way you're not selling the same product brand and just competing on price; rather you can use your own brand and face less competition. Consider these important factors when looking for a good drop shipping product.

Anyone considering a drop shipping business should seriously consider leveraging Amazon.com to grow their business and learn more about becoming a profitable Amazon seller.

2. Affiliate Marketing

Affiliate marketing is somewhat similar to drop shipping but with some key differences. With this e-commerce model, you again don’t maintain an inventory of your own products, and you don’t have to worry about shipping products to customers.

Basically, you pick a profitable niche for your online business, and then you find an affiliate partner who has products available in that niche. Some of the most popular affiliate sites are Clickbank.com, Amazon.com, and CJ Affiliate by Conversant (formerly Commission Junction). Between them, they offer just about any digital information product (like ebooks, audio files, video files) or physical product you can think of.

You offer the products for sale, for example, on your blog or e-commerce website. Each product has a unique link that tracks back to your account with your affiliate partner. A prospect who clicks on the link is taken to your partner’s shopping cart for checkout. Once they buy, that purchase is recorded and you receive a commission. It varies depending on the affiliate partner, but is generally 5 percent to 25 percent, or 50 percent or more with digital information products. As you can see, there’s little risk on your part and virtually no investment needed either.

They key difference between this and drop shipping is that the business model is even more hands off. All you have to do is provide a link for the customer to click on and the merchant handles everything; billing, order fulfillment, customer service, etc.

All you have to do is handle the marketing to get your prospects to buy (through social media, email marketing, blogging, or whatever method you choose). But after they click the affiliate link, it’s out of your hands. You don’t have to ship products or handle any customer service questions. And you certainly don’t have to maintain an inventory.

All you have to do is focus on paid and free ways to market your online business.

3. Blogging

If you have expertise or a passion or interest for a subject, you're ready to start making money with a blog. With a service like Blogger (www.blogger.com), you can start up your blog totally free. You can also create your own site and secure your own hosting for a low price, which is generally the route I recommend.

You may think blogging is all about writing. And it can be if that's what you want to do. But written blog posts are just the start. You can post photos, videos, and links to other sites, repost news and other articles… anything is game, really, as long as it relates to your niche.

What sort of content should you provide? Anything that is engaging to your prospect. How-to topics, top-10 lists, commentary on trends in your niche, tips and tricks articles—basically, you need to provide useful content. There's no shortage of ideas for your blog.

You make money in a variety of ways.

1. Google AdSense. These pay-per-click ads appear on your blog. Every time somebody clicks on an ad (which is supposed to be about a subject related to your niche), you make a few cents. Small amounts each time, but it adds up. This is extremely hands-off. You just need to get a code from Google, place it on your website - and the ads will automatically appear on your blog. Google will only show ads that are relevant to your blog so it's a good experience for your visitors and maximizes the amount of clicks you get, meaning more income.

1. Blog ad networks. You can also work with ad networks, like Blogads, and run banner ads on your blog. Same as Google Adsense ads, you place the code once on your website and when your visitors click on the ads then you get paid.
2. Affiliate marketing. You know this one already. You include links to products you are promoting as an affiliate, and every time somebody buys the product, you get a commission. With a blog you can integrate advertising with content to make it even more likely you’ll get the sale. For example, you could do a product review — which is useful content — and then include a link to buy the product under an affiliate link.

Here are a few successful blogging tips to make sure people can find your blog — and will keep coming back. This is key to building a following and making your blog a profitable venture.

1. You need to provide useful content in an engaging way. If your blog is boring or the information can be found everywhere else, nobody will read it. Don't hesitate to put your own personality into the blog.
2. You have to post content on a regular basis. People thirst for the new, so make sure you put up articles, videos, or whatever consistently. It could one post per day or three times per week. Whatever it is, maintain the same schedule. A scattershot posting history means losing readers. At a minimum try to aim for one new post, video, or other form of content a week.

1. Be genuine. Yes, your blog is supposed to make money. But you can’t make marketing pitches all the time. Focus on useful content so that your readers come to know, like, and trust you. Then they will naturally click on your advertising or buy the products you recommend. In this era of the internet and social media people are looking for authenticity.

Do all of this, and you’ll attract the notice of search engines like Google, which are always looking to put sites with useful, relevant content on top of the search results. This is what content marketing is all about.

You could start a blog in less than an hour. But it takes time to make money as you build readership, and only a small percentage of those folks end up buying your products.

4. Online Video

Have you watched a YouTube video lately? Of course you have! This is one of the world’s most popular websites, with more than 1 billion users watching hundreds of millions of hours of video each day. And it’s not all cats doing funny things, by any means.

You can leverage YouTube’s reach to make money online. No, you’re not trying to create a viral video, so to speak, although if it does go worldwide and is seen by millions, that’s a good thing.

Instead, you’ll be following a proven strategy for maximizing views of multiple videos on a regular basis. You’ll be creating useful content…something engaging that people want to watch. And it works in many, many different niches. It could be a how-to video, a talking-head video on a topic of interest to people interested in your niche...the sky is the limit.

You make money with ad revenue. Your first step is to create a YouTube account and start uploading videos. Then you enable monetization on your YouTube settings. Basically, this gives Google the go-ahead to include short AdSense ads with your videos, which you've seen if you’ve watched a YouTube video. When viewers click on those ads, you get paid.

Another opportunity to make money with a YouTube channel is through paid sponsorships. Build a large enough following and companies will be more than happy to pay you to promote or mention their products and services in your videos.

Some tips to create professional-looking videos (no expensive pro equipment needed):

1. You can use your smartphone or a simple video camera. But make sure the lighting is good so that you and everything else in your video are clear and easy to see.
2. Make sure the audio is clear. You don't want an air conditioning hum, construction noise, or other distractions.
3. Use simple editing software like iMovie to put titles at the beginning of the video and to edit out any flubs.

Above all, remember that your videos can be simple and don’t have to be slick. Just provide useful content and be engaging and interesting. Funny helps, too.

And to extend the reach of your videos, be sure to post them on your Facebook business page, Twitter, your blog, and other channels. Let people know you’re in the video business now.

In addition to ad revenue from YouTube videos, you can also use your YouTube channel to drive traffic back to your website, where visitors can read your product reviews, click on the ads on your website, or even get onto your email subscriber list—where you can make multiple sales with your email list.

5. Information Products

When you have an internet business, it doesn’t have to be about selling physical products. In fact, digital information products are one of the easiest and quickest ways to make money. Outside of affiliate marketing, it's probably one of my favorite ways to make money online.

There's no shortage of ways to create information products, but the most popular formats include:

• Audio: a recorded teleconference, interview, course, or some other spoken-word product
• Video: a recorded webinar, a how-to, an interview
• Text: an ebook, an instruction booklet of some sort, a travel guide

In each of these categories, you can really get creative and make any type and format of content, as long as it’s engaging and useful.

No matter which way you do it, it’s passive income—money you earn while you sleep because you put these products up for sale on your website and a customer can buy and download them any time of day or night, automatically. All you have to do is check the sales periodically to see what topics or types of products are selling best so that you can make more of those.

Putting It All Together

The trick with any online business is to make sure you’re in a profitable niche market. So be sure to keep an eye on trends, check out bestseller lists on sites like Amazon, and consider what people are discussing on social media.

One thing to keep in mind is that you don’t have to restrict yourself to just one of these e-commerce opportunities. Start out with one and get it going. Then add new revenue streams as you’re able. That will grow your income and ensure that you have something to fall back on should one business start going south.

How to Make Money 2018

The No. 1 rule of personal finance is to spend less than you earn. So if you want to get ahead financially, it’s important to save money where you can. But if you really want to improve your finances, there’s the flip side of that equation to consider as well – making more money. With a side hustle or money-making hobby, you can give yourself a raise whether your employer wants to or not. Here’s the truth no one wants to talk about: Learning how to make money can improve your finances in ways that saving money simply cannot. There are only so many ways to save, but there are an unlimited number of ways to earn extra money you can use to pay down debt, save for the future, or actually have some fun. If you’re eager to boost your earnings but don’t know where to start, this list should provide you with a few ideas that could work.

20 Ways to Make Money Online

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, it’s completely possible to bring in a steady side income from the comfort of your own home. If you want to know how to make money online, consider these possibilities:

Open an Etsy store. If you have a creative talent or skill – whether it’s creating art, sewing clothes, or making keepsakes – you can open an online store on Etsy.com and sell your wares for some quick cash. With your own Etsy store, you’re left in charge of pricing and, ultimately, how much you make. See our detailed primer, “How to Make Money on Etsy.”

Complete surveys online. Sites like MindFieldOnline.com, Global Test Market, and UserTesting.com pay people to share their opinions on products or services, test mobile apps, or participate in market research. While the payday for these sites is modest, participating frequently can help you earn extra money in a short amount of time.

Get paid to search the Web. Sites like Swagbucks.com and Zoombucks.com will pay you to use their online interface to search the web. To qualify, you need to be willing to download their search bar and use it for everyday Internet use. The only caveat that comes with this “gig” is that you might be paid in gift cards instead of cash. If you can parlay those gift cards into items you need to buy anyway – like groceries or gas – searching online can be a lucrative way to spend your free time.

Evaluate search engines. Search engine evaluators use commonly-accessed search engines in order to seek out bugs or errors. You may not earn a lot, but you can do this job in your spare time and from the comfort of your own home. To find gigs, check sites like Leapforce, Lionbridge, and Appen Butler Hill.

Start a blog. If you love writing and are passionate about a specific topic, starting a blog is a great way to launch a low-cost side business with little money out-of-pocket. All you need to get started is a domain name, some basic online support, and a head full of ideas to share. Here’s a basic primer on starting a blog for profit.

Write and publish an eBook. You don’t need a traditional publisher and financial backing to publish your own book anymore. In fact, Amazon.com makes it possible for you to publish your own eBook and sell it independently – with no financial investment on your part. And with Kindle eBook publishing, your book will appear on Kindle stores worldwide within 24-48 hours. Just be prepared to market it yourself on social media, your blog, or elsewhere if you expect to generate sales.

Become a freelance writer or editor. If you have a passion for storytelling or a background in writing or editing, it’s possible to find freelance writing or editing work online. To search available job openings, check out sites like UpWork.com and Problogger.net. You can also check traditional job sites such as Indeed.com and enter “telecommute” or “anywhere” in the location field.

Get into affiliate marketing. If you’re active on social media and have a large following, you could parlay those connections into some fast cash with a comprehensive affiliate marketing strategy. By becoming an affiliate marketer, you’ll sell items through your own links tied to sites like Amazon.com, ClickBank.com, and Commission Junction.

Earn cash back for shopping. Earning cash back on your purchases is a smart idea, and credit card rewards aren’t the only good cash-back strategy out there. With sites like ShopAtHome.com, eBates.com, and TopCashBack.com, you can earn up to 10% cash back on purchases made with approved merchants. Many frequent shoppers also love the Ibotta app, which lets you earn cash-back on every purchase.

Buy and sell domain names. If you’re good at finding popular yet undiscovered domain names, you can make some cash on the side by buying and reselling websites. Think of it as digital real estate speculation. Domains are available on GoDaddy.com for as little as $2.99 per year, but are sometimes resold at far higher prices: According to Business Insider, the site MM.com sold for $1.2 million dollars in 2014. Once you find the perfect domain name to resell, you can market it on Flippa.com for a flat fee.

Make money on YouTube. People who love the spotlight and have other online hustles should consider creating their own YouTube channel. If you’re interested — and interesting — you can use the platform to market affiliate products, sell products you create yourself, or receive ad revenue for your informal tutorials or entertaining videos. Once you get the ball rolling, YouTube offers a partner programthat can help you monetize your business further.

Become a virtual assistant. Virtual assistants perform a wide range of services for their clients, all of which can be completed online. Depending on the day, they may open and reply to emails, schedule online work or blog posts, write mock-up letters and proposals, or perform data entry. You can look for virtual assistant jobs on sites like UpWork.com and Problogger.net.

Work as an online interpreter or translator. If you’re fluent in a foreign language, it makes sense to look for work as an online interpreter or translator. Depending on your individual skillset, you could find work translating blog posts or eBooks, transcribing recorded lessons or speeches for clients, or translating through Skype or another online video service. And, thanks to the increased use of foreign languages in the United States, getting started could really pay off. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment for interpreters and translators is expected to increase 17% nationally through 2026.

Manage social media for businesses. If you have a knack for social media, you could potentially get paid to manage various platforms for others. Many businesses are too busy running day-to-day operations to stay on top of their Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest accounts – and will pay someone with the knowledge and time to do it for them. To find these jobs, ask local businesses and check sites like UpWork.com and Problogger.net.

Work remotely for a call center. Because many call center jobs are location independent, finding work in this field is an easy way to earn some money from home. Dozens of sites list job openings for call-center representatives, including Freelancer.comand SimplyHired.com. Meanwhile, you should check local job listings for openings and opportunities as well.

Rent out your car. If you’re not using your car on a daily basis, you might consider renting it out for some easy cash. Sites like RelayRides.com and FlightCar.com let you rent out your car for a daily – or even hourly – rate.

Answer questions. If you’re a subject matter expert, you can get paid for your expertise. Sites like Just Answer will pay you to answer questions either on the phone or online. Just register, enter your area of expertise, and get started to begin earning money on the side.

Rent out a room on Airbnb. Living near a tourist area has its perks, including the prospect of renting out a room for a profit. With home sharing sites like Airbnb, you can rent out a room in your home – or even the entire place – for a day, a week, or longer. If you have extra space and might enjoy the company of travelers, renting out a room is great way to earn some extra money with little effort on your part. See our post, “How to Make Money as an AirBNB Host.”

Teach English online. A company called VIPKID makes it easier than ever to make money teaching English to international children online. You do need a bachelor’s degree and at least one year of teaching experience to get started, but you can easily make up to $22 per hour working just 7.5 hours per week.

Become a proofreader. All kinds of businesses hire professional proofreaders to look over their copy and content for errors before they publish. This side hustle is one that could work for nearly anyone since you can work from home provided you have a computer and an internet connection. You can find online proofreading jobs through websites like Indeed.com and FlexJobs.com