How to Start a Blog That Makes Money in 2024

Starting a blog can be a great way to make money online. With hard work and consistency, you can turn blogging into a full-time business and income source. This article will guide you through the key steps for how to start a blog that makes money.
Choose a Profitable Blog Niche
The first step is deciding on a blog niche that can be monetized. Some lucrative blog niche ideas include:
- Personal finance
- Making money online
- Affiliate marketing
- Career and business advice
- Product reviews (technology, tools, SAAS etc.)
- Travel guides
Make sure to choose a niche you’re passionate about. That passion will reflect in your writing and help attract an audience.
Get Setup With a Blog Platform
You’ll need to get your blog set up before you can start publishing content. Here are some top blogging platforms to consider:
WordPress
- Most popular blogging platform
- Tons of customization options
- Easy to scale
- Vast theme and plugin ecosystem
Medium
- Build an audience fast
- Very simple to use
- Limited customization capability
Blogger
- Quick and easy setup
- Limited features compared to WordPress
- Less control and flexibility
We recommend going with WordPress as it provides the most flexibility and room to grow.
Choose a Domain Name and Hosting
Every blog needs its own domain name and web hosting. Here are some tips:
- Choose a short, memorable domain name ideally with your primary keyword in it
- Get shared hosting to start which is cost effective
- Bluehost and SiteGround offer reliable WordPress hosting plans
Your domain name and hosting are what will give your blog its home on the web.
Optimize and Design Your Blog
With WordPress, you have thousands of themes to choose from to design your blog. Find a theme that aligns well with your niche and brands your blog.
Some key optimization tips:
- Make sure your blog design is mobile-friendly
- Create a media kit and contact page so brands can contact you
- Set up search engine optimization elements like metadata and XML sitemaps
Start Creating Awesome Blog Content
Now the fun starts – publishing blog posts!
To gain traffic and make money, you need to publish amazing content consistently.
Tactics for quality blog content:
- Research what content your audience wants
- Create linkage and reference other influential blogs in your niche
- Use images, stats, examples etc. to create better content
- Edit your posts properly or use a proofreader
- Practice and test different types of blog content: tutorials, list posts, reviews etc.
Monetize Your Blog to Make Money
Once you have an established audience, you can add income streams to start monetizing your blog traffic.
Some top ways blogs make money include:
- Affiliate marketing (promoting relevant products for commission)
- Selling online courses or ebooks
- Display advertising through programs like Google AdSense
- Sponsored posts and brand sponsorships
- Digital products like templates, plugins, graphics etc.
The money-making options above combined have the potential to produce a great income from blogging long term. Check out more details on how to make money blogging.
Grow Your Audience Over Time
Lastly, no matter how you monetize it, growing your blog’s audience has to be a core focus. Reach and traffic = money.
Some proven tactics to get more blog readers:
- Guest post on authority sites in your niche
- Promote your content on social media
- Run blog SEO optimizing individual posts
- Build an email list and subscriber base
- Connect and network with other bloggers
- Consider paid ads to accelerate growth
Stick with the above fundamentals, stay persistent, and your money-making blog will thrive long term!