Do you want to know how to start a blog and make money? Then you are at the right place.

This is the ultimate guide you will need to set up and manage a fantastic blog.

Let’s get a few things clear.

Making money through blogging is not rocket science. This is a blog website too. We get thousands of followers each month.

So, you can trust what we say. And get ready with your notebook and pen because we will share the secrets on how to start a blog and monetize it.

Quickstart Guide On How to Start a Blog

Already have a blog idea in your mind?

What are you waiting for then?

Register on a reliable hosting site and get started. Try Bluehost or Hostinger, they have some of the best plans for beginners like you.

Once you have got your domain, hosting and security, you have to install WordPress.

WordPress is where you’ll do all the blogging. Plus, you can use the themes from here. They offer thousands of free and paid themes for you to choose from.

When you are satisfied with the look, you can start writing compelling blogs to attract readers.

But you need to sort out a few things before if you want to start making money. We’ll come back to it later in this blog.

So, read till the end.

Become a Blogger With These 11 Steps

New to the blogging world?

Then you must follow these steps to learn how to start a blog. We’ll discuss from the very start to the end so that you will have a complete idea.

Please don’t skip any step, or you might end up in a mess.

So, without further ado, let’s get started!

Step 1: How to choose a niche for Your blog

Coming up with the right niche or blog subject is one of the most important steps.

Your niche will determine your blog’s future. This is what you’ll be writing about! If your niche fails to attract readers, then no money.

It’s that simple!

But the good news is you can get readers from almost any topic. You have to find the right spot between your interest and what people like.

You can’t start a blog on a subject you have no clue about.

Image via QUICK SPROUT

So, first, settle what YOU want to write about!

Then do a little research and find out what the audience likes to read related to your interest.

You may check out Google Trends or Google’s Keyword Planner to get an idea of what people read.

For example, you might be an expert in foraging, but that’s a huge topic. People might get confused about whether they’ll find the information they need in your blog.

So, instead, you can narrow it down to foraging mushrooms.

There is a good number of readers who like to read about mushroom foraging.

So, in this way, you can find your niche that will work out.

However, if you still aren’t sure about the niche, you can write on some of the popular categories. They are:

• Freelancing
• Fitness
• Online business
• Careers
• Personal finance
• Test Prep
• Productivity

And more.

Step 2: How to decide the blog name

Do you know the internet has over 366.8 million domain name registrations?

Therefore, finding the perfect name for your blog is not that simple.

Almost all generic names are taken.

That means you can’t have a generic domain name for your blog.

However, your domain name must align with your content.

Plus, it should be unique.

So, you have to come up with a domain name that no one has taken and make it interesting.

People should remember your blog’s name.

So, make it interesting, short and memorable.

We’ll tell you how you can come up with a perfect name. Simply follow these:

• Use a unique name, perhaps your name.
• Add your niche topic name.
• Avoid using symbols and numbers.
• Use easy to pronounce words.
• Keep it short.
• Choose between .com, .net or .org (People find these easy to remember)

When you have decided on a few names, start searching for the domain on your hosting website.

Tweak the words until you find anything available.

Here are some of the websites where you may buy your domain names

• Bluehost
• Hostinger
• HostGator
• GoDaddy

Use synonyms of words related to your niche.

Working with synonyms is something you need to get used to for learning how to start a blog.

Trust us, you will need to use synonyms often while you write.

When you find a domain name available, purchase it.

However, if you have set your mind on a domain name that someone else owns, there is a way to get it.

But we can’t assure you that you will get it in the end.

If you want a particular domain name, you have to find the person who owns it and then make a deal with that person for a transfer.

It is a lot of hassle, and chances are if the person’s domain brings profits, he or she won’t give up on it.

Moreover, even if the person is ready to exchange, it will be quite costly. So, if you are ready to handle this trouble, go for it!

Step 3: How to sign up for your hosting

Your blog is a space on the server. When you are purchasing hosting, you are purchasing a space where your website will ‘live’.

People who visit your website will have to use the server. So, it’s quite important. Additionally, you have to see whether your web-hosting provider is genuine, trustable and reliable.

So, simply choose from the popular web-hosting providers in your country. If you are on a tight budget, we recommend buying from famous hosting providers.

Some of the popular web-hosting providers are:

• Bluehost
• Hostinger
• GoDaddy
• Yahoo small business
• SiteGround 

Image via Bluehost

Step 4: How to Install a Content Management System

Every blogger needs a comprehensive content management system (CMS).

This helps you write blogs and manage every content present on your website.

There are several CMSs in the market for you to choose from. Some of the most popular ones include Wix, Squarespace, WordPress and more.

However, if you are a beginner and learning how to start a blog, we recommend WordPress.

WordPress is powering 39.5% of all websites in 2021.

Moreover, it’s not that difficult to set it up. As it is a popular CMS, most web hosts have a one-click installation procedure for it.

So, right after you have purchased your hosting and domain name, you can install WordPress and start writing!

Step 5: How to decorate your blog

People will not only read your blogs but also check how your blog looks.

So, you need to have an eye-catching theme which aligns with your content.

If you are planning to install WordPress, things will be much simpler for you.

WordPress provides contemporary themes for every niche. You can search for the type of blog theme you are looking for.

There are hundreds of free ones.

You can change a few colors and fonts to give it a customized look.

The best thing is you don’t need to know any coding for this.

WordPress has readymade themes for you. However, not all of them are free.

But the free ones are enough to create a unique website look.

With the help of these themes, you can modify your website’s look every year. You can research the top themes and use which suits your niche.

If you don’t like the themes on WordPress, you may check out these websites:

• Envato
• Wix
• TemplateMonster
• Colorlib
• TemplateMo

But let’s not think much about the future now.

As a beginner, try to stick to simple themes.

Don’t go for too bold colors; stick to minimal designs so your writing is prominent.

Your website design and color should complement your writing.

Your readers should feel relaxed when they read on your blog. So, go through the themes and plan your website according to them.

Step 6: How to install Plugins

On WordPress, you will be able to install plugins. Plugins will help you do several things on your website.

They are software packages that connect with WordPress to give you some additional features.

But be careful that you don’t overload your CMS with plugins. It will slow down the system.

Almost all beginner bloggers face this trouble as they don’t go through “how to start a blog” guides.

When you install too many plugins, it becomes a security liability and stressful to manage.

Moreover, you will have to keep updating them from time to time. If you have too many, you will miss updating the important ones.

So, try to install only some of the useful plugins.

Here we have listed down a few.

• Yoast SEO: SEO is essential to rank on any search engine. However, while writing, we often forget to handle the SEO tasks. This plugin keeps a check we are following all the on-page SEO tasks.
• Akismet: When you start working on your blog, you will find many spam comments on your blog posts. It creates a lot of problems as you aren’t able to find genuine comments. So, this plugin helps filter all the spam comments.
• WP Super Cache: This plugin speeds up your website by removing the cache.
• Contact Form 7: Your work doesn’t end with setting up a blog. Feedback is important if you want to progress as a blogger. So, get this plugin which will create a contact form on your website. Your readers can easily send you a message or feedback using this form.
• MailChimp for WordPress: Do you want to get email subscribers for your blog? Then install this plugin. It is one of the popular ways to get started with your email marketing.
• WordPress Popular Posts: You might want to showcase your popular posts on your website. So, install the WordPress Popular Post plugin which will automatically show the blog’s popular posts on the sidebar.

Step 7: How to set-up Google Analytics

Keeping an eye on your blog’s analytics is essential if you want to progress as a blogger. Google Analytics is a free analytics tool.

You may easily set it up and connect your blog website with it to check your data everyday.

Google Analytics will help you learn the following things:

• Number of visitors on your website
• Demographical data of your audience
• Data on popular content

When you start using this tool, it may seem complicated.

So, if you want to be a pro in managing Google Analytics, go for an online course on it.

While you are learning how to start a blog, you have to learn the uses of several tools.

And Google Analytics is one of them!

Step 8: How to prepare your email list

Every successful blogger uses email marketing software. It is one of the best ways to stay connected with your audience.

Moreover, you may market all your blogs or services using email marketing tactics.

With the help of email marketing software, you can easily notify your subscribers when you have a new blog post.

If someone becomes your fan, then they will get the link to your post right in their email.

Here are our top email marketing tool:

• HubSpot
• MailChimp
• Litmus
• Mailgenius
• Drip

However, you need to learn how to prepare engaging templates for your email subscribers.

Your email post should make your subscribers click on the link you have sent.

So, as a beginner, you might want to learn that as well.

But if you are still not confident, you may check the free templates available on various websites.

Some of our favorite websites to get free templates are:

• Sendinblue
• Litmus
• Stripo
• Email on Acid
• Dyspatch

Also, you don’t have to send an email every time. You don’t want to send too many emails, right? Send an email when you have important news.

For example, if you have an interview with a niche expert, you might want to share the news with your subscribers.

Step 9: How to follow a writing routine

This has to be the most important step of this “how to start a blog” article.

As a blogger, you can’t take too many holidays.

You have to maintain consistency regarding your blog posting.

Here are a few rules you need to stick to as a blogger:

• At least publish a blog once per week.
• Write 2000 words at least.
• Market your blogs on several platforms.

When you have built an audience, start publishing 2-3 times a week.

Professional websites publish at least 5-7 blogs per week.

However, they hire multiple blog writers for this. And popular blogs publish around 25-50 posts per week.

HubSpot, Social Media Today and more are good examples of this.

Step 10: How to build an audience

What’s the purpose of a blog if you don’t have an audience.

So, after you have mastered writing blogs, you should try to build your audience.

From the first day of your blogging career, you should aim to get at least 1000 readers for your blog.

Once you accomplish this goal, you can plan for more.

But for starters, try your best to get your 1000 fans.

When you have built this fanbase and monetized your blog, you will get enough earning through Ads.

So, how to build an audience?

Start with your friends and family.

Let them know about your blog and request them to spread the word. You may use your social media pages for getting more audience.

However, it will all depend on your marketing strategies.

If you have good digital marketing skills, you will surely get your audience quicker!

But your work doesn’t end with building the fanbase. You will have to engage with your audience daily.

Give them the space to send you feedback on your blogs. Reply to them whenever required.

You must reply to all the comments on your social media platforms.

The more the comments, the more the post will reach other people.

So, make sure you are replying to your audience to keep them coming back to your website.

Step 11: How to monetize your website

When you search for ways to monetize blog websites, you will find several ways.

However, not all of them will help you earn enough.

One of the popular ways of earning through blogs is Adsense.

When you are eligible for Adsense, you will show ads on your website for visitors.

You will get paid every time someone clicks on these ads.

However, it’s a slow process.

So, we recommend these three ways only!

1. Affiliate Programs: There are thousands of affiliate programs on the web. You need to have a certain amount of followers to get started with it.
   
   Through affiliate programs, you will have to work with brands and promote their products. On each purchase, you will get a commission.
2. Info products: You may sell courses, e-books, webinars and more.
3. Consulting and Freelancing: If you can provide any service such as web-building, graphic designing, writing and more, you can use your blog to get clients.

In this way, you will earn for your service through your blog.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Q1. How to start a blog for free?

A. Multiple platforms allow you to start your blogs for free. We recommend using free platforms only when you don’t wish to earn. You may create an account on Medium, WordPress, Blogger and more.

They allow people to design their website and write on it. However, your website link will contain the name of your blogging site.

Q2. How do bloggers get paid?

A. Bloggers use various ways to monetize their website. They earn through selling merchandise, info products and more. They also work with brands using affiliate programs to earn commission.

Also, many bloggers offer service to earn their living. Adsense is also a popular way to make some money just by creating content.

Q3. What type of blogs makes the most money?

A. Several niches generate more money compared to others. You may go for these instead.

They are:

• Fashion.
• Health.
• Travel.
• Motherhood.
• Lifestyle.
• Food.
• Finance.
• Career.
• Productivity.

And more.

Q4. Why do bloggers fail?

A. Most of the bloggers fail due to inconsistency and improper planning. They need to study “how to start a blog” guides to produce engaging content.

Lack of engaging content, poor marketing and more are some of the reasons why most bloggers fail.

Q5. How to start a blog that gets noticed?

A. If you want to popularize your blog, you need to get started from day one. You have to work a lot on marketing your contents.

You may reach people through emails and social media platforms, connect with other bloggers, and do guest posts.

Other than that, you must try to acquire referral traffic and work on your SEO as well. These will surely help you get your blog noticed.

Are You Ready to Start a Blog?

You may read many “how to start a blog” guides, but the key is to follow them step-by-step.

If you don’t follow the steps, your blog might fail.

Most of the bloggers are not able to carry on for long due to improper planning.

From day one, when you decide to start a blog, you must start planning your journey. You should research and try to find ways that will grow your blog later.

Even your domain name is essential for marketing your blog.

So, take the help of YouTube videos, courses and “how to start a blog” guides. They will inform you of all the important ways to popularize your blog.

However, you have to keep working even after you have built an audience.

You must follow a routine, respond to your audience and educate your audience. So, best of luck on your journey.

Follow the steps mentioned above and let us know whether they worked for you.

The real estate business has changed over the years. Now more and more people are using the internet for their new house hunt.

Gone are the days of several face-to-face meetings with agents.

With more online hunts, things have become difficult for real estate business owners. They are not able to get the local high-quality leads that they got before.

They are also missing the chances of using their communication strategies for converting the leads.

When a person searches online for real estate they have a wider selection. They can look at the images of plots, houses and get the essential details.

Sometimes they only look for reviews.

BrightLocal says 87% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses.

Therefore, as a real estate owner, you must have a website having all the accurate details and reviews. At the same time, to attract the right leads, you must use SEO strategies.

You may have a great website but only SEO will help you get quality leads. However, for real estate, the SEO strategies are a bit different.

So, let me explain to you in detail.

What is Real Estate SEO and Why is it Important?

You can find several definitions for real estate SEO online but the gist is:

The SEO tactics one uses show up when a user searches about buying and selling a property on search engines.

Imagine yourself as the customer who wants to buy a new home. You’ve decided on the location and the kind of house you want.

What’s the next thing you would do?

That’s right, go to Google to look at all the real estate available in that location.

Source: Google

Now, when you are searching on Google, you’ll find two sets of links – Google ads and organic links.

Google ads will show up on the top with a symbol of “Ad” along with it. In case, you have a budget to invest or you want leads quickly, then you may go for this.

However, if you want to spend the least and want your website to rank on the first page, you should go for real estate SEO.

Using real estate SEO strategies, your website will be showing at the top. It’s all about keywords and different optimization about which I will discuss ahead.

And here is the best part, the first result in Google’s organic search gets a 28.5% click-through rate.

So, if you can get your website to rank numero uno on the Google search engine page, you’ll get huge traffic. However, it’s not only about ranking number one. You also need to show up on the right searches.

It’ll help you in the overall brand awareness.

Your ranked website will receive more clicks when someone searches for certain keywords. If the website is designed accurately, you’ll get more calls and emails from potential leads.

Now that you know about real estate SEO and its importance, let’s find out the strategies you can apply.

The Real Estate SEO Strategies in 2021

You don’t have to be an expert to implement SEO strategies on your website. However, if you are not confident and all new to this online world, you may take the help of a digital marketing agency.

They’ll help you make the right on-page and local SEO setups that are vital for ranking.

However, if you think you can take on real estate SEO all by yourself, here are the strategies.

1. Optimize your Google My Business page.

When someone searches “real estate” in a location, the Google listings also show up. The Google listing consists of all the real estate companies that are available in that location.

You can get potential prospects using the Google listing as well. Many people go for this listing instead of clicking on the organic links.

The listing consists of the name, contact details, and reviews. So, anyone researching real estate can take a look at the reviews and decide whether to visit the website or not.

For example, when I search the keyword “real estate company in Boston” this Google listing shows up.

Source: Google

As you can see that there are two types of listing. One is a Google ad and the other one is an organic listing. You can always invest in ads, but we would recommend going for organic listing.

It’s free and you’ll get more customers from here.

When someone clicks on the name, Google will show the ratings, reviews, pictures, website, and more.

So, if you haven’t set up your Google My Business page, you should do it immediately. Just visit google.com/business and fill in all the details.

Make sure your profile has all the necessary details. Don’t forget to include:

• Website
• Location
• Telephone number
• Description
• Opening hours
• Photos
• Primary and secondary categories

When someone will search for “real estate near me” Google will show only the top 3. So, you need to optimize to get in the top 3 places.

For that, you need to add all the information correctly.

2. Focus on reviews on Google listings

When 90% of consumers read online reviews before visiting any website, you must pay attention to your reviews.

Online reviews help in building trust. People believe in recommendations from others who have used a business.

Google listings are one of the top places, people read the reviews.

Even if your company is not in the first place on the list, if you have a good number of reviews and ratings, it will help. When there is a sea of real estate companies online, having positive reviews can make you stand out.

It’ll also help in improving your local SEO.

Source: Google 

Here you can see that even though the marked real estate company is in number two. However, it’ll receive more clicks because of the high number of reviews.

At the same time, always try to get reviews on other platforms such as Yelp, Facebook, and more. Most people visit websites only after going through a few positive reviews on the web.

3. Do your keyword research

Keyword research is one of the most important aspects of on-site SEO. It is only with the help of the right keyword, you can target your customers.

To find the keyword you need to understand your consumer’s intent. If you can get yourself in the shoes of your customers, you can easily find the keywords that they might search. However, if you are unable to do so, you may run a survey to find out.

On the web, with the help of keyword research tools, you can easily figure out the keywords.

What most real estate marketers do is spend the most time on social media marketing and content marketing. However, if your keyword game is supercharged, you’ll be able to rank high on Google.

If you do your keyword research correctly, you’ll get free traffic. But it will take some time.

Here are a few tips you may use for your keywords:

• Try to use more long-tail keywords.
• Use the Google search bar to find these long-tail keywords.
• Check the search queries in Google Ads.
• Check for organic terms you rank for in Google Analytics.
• Give a go at Ahrefs’ keyword explorer

4. Optimize on-page components

The optimization for on-page elements for local and national real estate companies is a bit different. However, both require to include the name, address, and phone number (NAP) clearly on the website.

It will not only help the people to contact you but even the search engines to index properly.

Along with that you also need to get the title tags, meta description, and body copy right.

Make the meta description engaging so people will quickly click on your link. Most people read the meta description to judge whether to click on the link.

So, try to add CTA in the meta description along with the keyword.

Always select a website platform that uses Schema local markup. It helps the indexing bots know what to look for.

You want to have your all listings indexable and also have an XML sitemap. These are the essentials if you are planning to optimize the website.

Here are some additional things you should do for on-page SEO:

• Try to add the focus keyword at the beginning of the title.
• Keep the title engaging and short.
• Use the keyword in the permalink.
• Add the keyword in the meta description.
• Try to keep the keyword density at 1-1.5%

5. Produce engaging content

Most real estate companies do not focus on the content. They have the pictures and the pricing but people always want more detail.

If they get all the details they need right on a single page, they will be more interested in buying.

So, if you feel that your website is lacking good content, you should invest in engaging content as soon as possible.

You can take the help of a content writing service or hire a content writer.

Other than having the main content on the website, you should also try to write blogs every week. Having enough content on your website will educate people about your business.

But I understand finding good content ideas for real estate can be difficult. So, you can always check what your competitor’s blogs are about. You can steal some ideas and give them a unique twist.

You can also check out BuzzSumo and Google Trends to narrow down the contents which will help you get more shares. These free tools will tell you about what people are interested in from the real estate sector.

You may focus on those topics and create engaging content that your customers will love.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):

Q1. How do I do SEO for real estate?

A. Here are a few ways you can do SEO for real estate:

• Do an SEO audit
• Do keyword research.
• Make your website user-friendly
• Optimize your website for mobile devices.
• Make an account in Google My Business and other directories.

Q2. Is SEO important for real estate agents?

A. Yes. Most of the customers are using search engines for real estate hunting. So, it would be wise to use SEO for your website.

It will help you present your website in front of people when they are searching for real estate-related terms.

Q3. Does SEO work for Realtors?

A. Yes, most home buyers use the internet for researching real estate. So, SEO works well for real estate companies.

Q4. How to get real estate clients fast?

A. Here are some ways you can get real estate clients fast:

• Work with influencers.
• Use email marketings.
• Ask for referrals.
• Create a professional website.
• Use SEO to rank high.
• Use local SEO.
• Do content marketing.

And more.

Q5. Is it important to use Google My Business for real estate?

A. Yes, it’s necessary if you want to get high-quality leads. Google listings take away half of the page of a Google search page. So, most people focus on that.

Having your company name on the first three positions can help you get a good number of leads.

Ready to Improve SEO of your Real Estate Website?

Improving SEO on your real estate website can help you gain more traffic which in turn will get you leads. So, as a real estate marketer, you cannot neglect on-page SEO.

At the same time, you should also ramp up the local SEO. Set up the perfect Google My Business page to get listed in the Google listings.

Google listings take up almost half the page, so people’s attention is dragged to it. If you can use this as an advantage, you’ll surely get high-quality leads.

So, try these real estate SEO tactics for your website and let us know how things go for you.