Update: I have created a resources page, where you should check for further updates. This page will not be updated anymore.
In this blogging advice series, I will cover topics on how to start a blog and make it successful. In this post I will cover things like: how to register a domain name, how to setup a hosting environment, how to choose CMS (Content Management System) and how to make your blog successful.
This post will be updated at least monthly.
How to register a domain name
I will speak of my experience for buying a domain name, for buying a .com domain name I'm using godaddy.com, you can get a domain name here for about $10 a year.
How to choose a hosting
In many years of my online career I have been using many hosting providers, and for the last 3 years I have chosen VPS (Virtual Private Server), but if you are just starting out there - then I would suggest for you to stick with a shared hosting, for example Bluehost offers hosting for just $3.95 per month.
- Cheap Drupal Hosting - Starting $3.95/mo - Bluehost
- Best WordPress Hosting From Bluehost - Starting Just $3.95/mo
How to choose CMS
Again, many will probably be surprised that I'm running my blog on Drupal and not on the more popular WordPress. Basically it's all up to you - but if you are new to blogging thing - stick with WordPress.
Make a Goal (s)
At the begging, before I even started a blog I did set a goal for me - can I blog 365 days continuously, turns out I can. At the start I didn't focused on some particular niches, I just wrote what interests me, like some Drupal tutorials, some financial charts, my experience of living in Georgia, restaurant reviews... I just made sure - there is a daily blog post every day (including weekends and holidays). I made it a habit - to blog!
I have two major goals each month: traffic and money. I'm always searching for ways to get more traffic to my blog, and the best way to do this is by writing great articles (like this), my second goal is to earn more next month, than I earned this month. It doesn't always happens like this, but I'm aiming there.
How To earn money with a blog
If you will read my monthly online income reports you will learn that I'm actually making some decent money. Basically you are left with two major options: Display Ads and Affiliate Marketing. By saying Display Ads I mean services like Google Adsense, Svorn ads, blogher and other. Usually you won't earn much, if you don't have a very trafficked site. Affiliate marketing means, that you can opt-in write reviews of things you like or enjoy and get some commission from links provided in articles. You are not obligated to have zillions of page views to earn from affiliate marketing.
I'm using both affiliate marketing and display ads to monetize my blog.
