Blogging is one of my top hobbies. It’s also one of my side hustles. Here’s my strategy on the cheapest way to start a blog.
Everyone wants to start a blog. Beginning your blogging journey isn’t that difficult and within a few clicks, you can have your own corner of the internet. Whether you want to be a side hustle or eventually go full-time blogging, you can easily launch your blog for under $100.
This blog post will detail the cheapest way to start a blog.
The Cheapest Way To Start A Blog That’ll Make Money
1. Website Hosting
If you plan to have a blog to make money, you will need a blog with hosting. Web hosting is like buying the lot of land for your blog/website. Web hosting is probably going to be the most expensive part of this. I recommend LyricalHost. You can get a 10% discount with my code ASTOLDBYARIEL10.
I personally am going against most bloggers and not recommending that you go for the absolute cheapest hosting out there. As I mentioned in my other blogging-related posts that sites like Bluehost and Siteground are great at first, but in the long run you end up paying way more. (Trust me, I learned with my various blogs over the years.) Most bloggers tell you that you’re paying only $3 a month, but you’ll end up owing somewhere between $100-$200 upfront. Then when renewal time happens, you’ll end up paying 2-4x more than when you started. Sometimes it’s also a hassle to get a return if you want to cancel.
My recommend web hosting is LyicalHost because they give you so much more compared to the basic packages that other hosting programs give. You don’t have to worry about any other add-ons or security packages. LyricalHost gives you everything you need and has SUPERIOR support. You also can choose a monthly, 6-month, or annual subscription which gives you more power over if you want to cancel or quit blogging.
You also can read more about why I recommend LyricalHost here.
$20/mo
2. Domain
Most web hosting companies have a deal where you can buy a web domain and get your hosting all in one. You can buy your domain separately. It will last for a year. I recommend that you purchase your site’s domain from the same place you buy your hosting to save costs later on.
I learned the hard way by buying everything separately, thinking that I’ll save money or that I’ll just buy a domain in case I want to use that blog name. It’ll take some time for your domain to move to different web hosts and cost you.
I recommend buying your domain from LyricalHost. I went through it and transfer from Siteground with them. The support, again, was nice and helpful throughout the whole process.
$18.00
3. WordPress.org
If you go with LyricalHost, the company will have instructions on how to help you install WordPress. The process is free.
4. Website Theme
Next, you will need a website theme.
Etsy was my go-to website when I started my first blog in 2019. I found tons of cheap, beautiful, and professional-looking posts. I recommend searching through Etsy to find a new blog theme that suits your needs.
I personally recommend when you’re starting out to looking between the price ranges of $10-$40. I’ve bought a few in that price range and they looked and worked about the same as some of the most expensive ones I bought from Etsy.
Some examples I like:
Etsy WordPress Themes
I actually about this WordPress theme for my school’s digital portfolio a few years ago. Spirit WordPress theme is a versatile theme that you can use for any kind of blog niche.
This WordPress theme is super cute and perfect for any new blogger who wants a simple theme that stands out. I love how this Etsy shop, LittleThemeShop, has unique themes that are colorful. I also use one of their designs for my portfolio and totally recommend it.
It’s also by LittleThemeShop. I love the design of this WordPress theme because of how bold and pretty it is. Zine Queen has a unique design that is sure to make any website stand out. Even though, it is on the higher side, but I think that it’s totally worth it.
17th Avenue WordPress Themes:
Another great site to look for beginner-friendly WordPress templates is 17th Avenue. They were the site I got my previous college blog’s theme from. They run a bit higher but are worth it. I never had any issues with 17th Avenue’s themes. I used to have the Vivienne theme and actually bought the Mia Rose theme when I started this blog.
$15-$70
4. Canva Pro
If you’re serious about starting a blog, then you will definitely need Canva Pro eventually. Canva’s free version is phenomenal and you can use that until you make a big more money blogging. But I recommend starting out with Canva Pro because you’ll have access to an unlimited photo library that’ll help out with pins for Pinterest and you’ll have Canva’s branding tool that’ll help you in the long run with your blog.
$0-$12.99/mo
If your budget is over $100…
The next section is for blogging courses. I think when you’re starting out, you should take at least one blogging course. It’ll save you tons of headaches and tons of time. This is for anyone who’s dedicated to making their blogging dreams a reality.
The first course I recommend is By Sophia Lee’s Perfecting Blogging course.
My full Perfecting Blogging review is here.
This course is wholeheartedly why I’m still blogging to this day. Perfecting Blogging is the ideal course to start off with in your blogging journey. Sophia breaks down everything you need to know to start off as a beginner blogger. She mainly shows what she does to maintain her 6-figure blogging business.
Click here to buy Perfecting Blogging!
Next is Sarah Chetrit’s Not Your Average SEO Course.
This course’s full review is here.
Not Your Average SEO Course explains everything you need to know about SEO. Google SEO is one of the key things that new bloggers need to know since it can seem complicated. Sarah Chetrit explains everything you need to know about SEO, specifically a blogger. This course is the reason how I grew this blog from 300 page views to 2.5k pageviews during my first three months of blogging. And from there I am now making income from my new blog.
Click to purchase Not Your Average SEO Course!
Finally, I recommend Amy LeBlanc’s entire Pinterest course collection, but really her Pinterest Ranking Boost course and her Scheduling Shortcuts course.
Amy Lelanc’s Pinterest courses are the most researched and structured Pinterest courses I’ve ever taken. Amy takes Pinterest seriously by paying attention to the company’s engineering blog posts and breaking them down and simplifying the new Pinterest algorithm. I am constantly going back to her classes to learn more. I’m actually in the middle of rewatching her Pinterest Rank Boost class to revamp my Pinterest strategy. I totally recommend it!
Click to buy one of Amy’s thorough courses!
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