How to Build a Blog from Scratch that Makes Money 2021

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Are you ready to build a blog that makes money?

Well, congratulations. You’re now taking the first step to being a profitable blogger.

And by profitable, I mean being able to quit your job and have the financial freedom you deserve.

You can make $10,000’s and even $100,000’s every month just by blogging from home. Here are just a few examples off the top of my head that show the kind of money you can make as a blogger:

Pat Flynn of Smart Passive Income earns $200,000 per month or more.

Michelle Schroeder-Gardner of MakingSenseofCents earns $110,000 per month or more.

Paul Scrivens of The Billionaire Blog Club earns $76,000 per month or more.

If you’re thinking that it takes forever to start making money as a blogger, think again. The blog you are reading now, the Luster Lexicon made $150 in month 1, close to $2000 per month on month 5 and right under $8000 on month 9! This was done while working a day job, by the way.

Alright.

Before showing you how to build a blog, I want to make a quick note on websites that let you start a blog for “free.”

Why you absolutely must stay away from “free” blogging platforms if you want to make money blogging.

You may have heard of “free” blogging websites such as Wix, Weebly, and Squarespace. Well, I’m here to tell you that they’re not truly free. Most of their optimal customization features and plugins that you need to cost money. Here are some additional reasons why you shouldn’t build a blog on free blogging websites:

• They can shut your website down for any reason they see fit.
• Poor rankings on Google.
• Websites built on these platforms look cheap or outdated.
• They can post ugly-looking ads all over your blog (which you don’t get paid for).
• Money-making methods are extremely limited.
• Quality customer support is almost non-existent.

I could go on and on…

When I first started blogging in 2016, I used a free blogging platform and ended up wasting about three months of my time. Google wasn’t ranking my website at all and the entire blog-building process was headache-inducing.  Do yourself a favor and avoid them altogether. Here’s what you should do instead:

Choose the Best Blogging Platform

As someone who’s ready to make money as a blogger, you need the absolute best platform to build your blog on. I recommend going with WordPress.org.  Building a blog on WordPress.org will put you ahead of the game. Let me explain why.

Here are the key reasons why you must use WordPress in 2021

• It’s 100% free-to-use.
• Big name brands like Sony, TechCrunch, BBC America, CNN, Disney, and many more trust WordPress to host their blogs and websites.
• Wordrpress was created with bloggers who want to make money from home in mind.
• The WordPress control panel is easy to use and super customizable.
• WordPress is extremely powerful and super customizable. As your blogging traffic and needs increase, you’ll be thankful to have a platform that is able to grow with you.

The Luster Lexicon also runs on WordPress and will continue to indefinitely. I couldn’t be happier using the WordPress, especially starting from a “free blogging platform.” (Ugh! Don’t even get me started on those again).

Anyway, let’s get back to building a blog from scratch!

Choose Your Hosting Provider

Now that you’re going with WordPress as your blogging platform, you need a hosting provider to make your blog accessible for everyone on the internet. The hosting provider I recommend and still use for the Luster Lexicon is Hostgator.

Not only are they dirt cheap at $2.75 per month, but your website’s performance and speed will be second-to-none. Plus, their online customer service is outstanding, perhaps the best I’ve experienced with any online customer service in my life. I don’t say that statement lightly. Anytime I’ve had a technical issue or just needed help figuring something else, their support staff was punctual and had the exact answers I needed.

The Hostgator control panel is also really easy to navigate. You’ll come to appreciate how valuable that is as you mature as a blogger.

Through my special link, you’ll even be able to net some massive savings for Hostgator. 60% to be exact.  Their cheapest plan for you starts only $2.75 per month (that’s less than a cup of coffee)!

And, don’t worry!

This whole process is incredibly easy.  I’ll walk you every step of the way.

Ready to start a blog? Then, let’s dive in.

Click here to start building your blog on Hostgator for only $2.75 a month.

How to Build a Blog from Scratch that Makes Money

Sign up for your Hosting Plan on Hostgator

Now that you’re ready to create your blog, click this link to go straight to Hostgator.

Click the orange “Get Started” button.

You will now see three plans. Select the hatchling plan. It has all you need for getting your blog up and running. If you want more than one blog or website, you can always upgrade down the road. It’s a pretty seamless process and can be done in minutes with a one of Hostgator’s helpful phone representatives.

Choose a Domain. Now you will be brought to a new page. At the top, you will be asked to choose your domain name or register your domain name. Your domain name is the same name as your blog. As an example, if you are calling your blog “FennaFeechy” you would enter FennaFeechy and select .com as the domain extension. It is recommended you choose .com because it’s the most universally recognized by people and search engines alike. If you already have a domain name, select “I already have a domain name” and enter it there.

Choose a Hosting Plan. On this section, confirm that the Hatchling plan is selected. For the billing cycle, I highly recommend selecting the 36-month plan for maximum savings. When I started, I only chose 1 year and regretted it later on. Don’t make the same mistake as me. Lock in your savings here and now. Also, keep in mind that Hostgator does offer a generous 45-day refund policy if you change your mind on anything.

Next, choose a username for your Hostgator control panel. Pick anything you’d like. Be sure to write it down and keep it in a safe place. Afterwards, choose your security pin.

Enter Your Billing Info. This section is pretty self-explanatory.  This is the part where you fill out your name, address, and payment information.

Additional Services. Uncheck all of these options. You can get all of these features for free using plugins on WordPress (and I’ll show you how on the next section)!

Enter a Coupon Code. Your coupon code to lock-in maximum savings should be automatically entered. If there’s nothing there, try inputting SHARED3660 or rsosaveas2new.

Alright! Once you’ve verified everything’s correct, read and accepted their agreements, you’re all set! Go ahead and checkout.

You will now see a thank you page. At the same time, Hostgator should e-mail you a confirmation receipt and your control panel login credentials. Go ahead and find that e-mail with the credentials. Then, log in to your Hostgator control panel (also called billing portal or cPanel). This should be the link you find in the e-mail: https://portal.hostgator.com

Now that you have logged in, you are ready to set up WordPress and one big step closer to owning your own slice of the internet. Exciting stuff!

Installing WordPress

You should now be on the portal homepage. Click the yellow button that says “Launch Panel.” This will take you to the control panel homepage. On the left, look for Website Essentials and select it. Then, select One-Click Installs from the dropdown menu. Now, click WordPress. You will be brought to a new installation page.

Select Domain Name for Installation. Enter the domain name you chose when you signed up for Hostgator. Leave the directory blank.

Install Settings. Enter the name of your blog, your first name, your last name, the username you’d like to use for logging in to WordPress, and an e-mail for the admin (you). Check the box for “Automatically create a new database for this installation.” Check the box underneath to agree to the Terms of Service Agreement. Click install. You will now see an installation complete page with your username and password to log in to WordPress. These login credentials should also be e-mailed to you by Hostgator.

Logging into your WordPress website. Now, you want to enter your domain URL into a browser tab and add /wp-admin. Example: www.fennafeechy.com/wp-admin. Once you are at this page, log in using your username and password credentials. Congratulations! You are now on the WordPress dashboard and officially have your own slice of the internet!

Once you have briefly familiarized yourself with the WordPress interface, go to the next part in our Road to Profitable Blogging series to learn about how to choose a WordPress theme for success! Click here to be taken that article.

I’ll be really simple and straight to the point =)

Invest in your vision. Invest in you. Build your blog now and change your life.

-Yom A. Rahznah