Create a Profitable Mommy Blog

This post does contain affiliate links.

I started this little blog of mine on a free site, and shared my life for my family back home and for something to do. I had no intentions of doing it forever and I had no idea you could make money off of it! I have been profitable for the past two years, and have received countless messages asking “HOW”. I am going to be upfront with you and tell you a lot goes into it. It’s not all writing and posting pretty pictures, it takes some technology knowledge and tons of patience. I love sharing blogging tips with people, because I know it’s not the most traditional job. I’ve been blessed to have my blog as an income for me and my family, so why not share that and bless others!

1. Find Your Niche

There are a million mommy bloggers, what makes you so special? This is something to legitimately ask yourself and write down if you have to. If you can, I highly suggest finding out what you want to blog about right off the bat. What makes your journey as a mom unique? I always advise people to write down 3-5 things they would use to describe themselves. Example: Coffee addict, loves Disney, cat obsession, loves the color pink. These are all random, yet they define you. Having these aspects woven into your posts and blog will keep cohesion while being stand out pieces that your readers will associate with you! Write down a whole list if you need to and pick your top favorites that you feel you could capitalize on. This could also help you later on if you are struggling to pick a blog name, just saying.

2. Start your website

I was on Weebly for years, and while it was the best of the Free in my opinion, I wish I would’ve just started with WordPress! Moving over all my old blog posts took a lot of hard work and I had to learn some simple coding, no bueno. Create a WordPress account but don’t do anything just yet! Choose the blogging platform you want to write on. Some people love Blogger, Squarespace, and obviously WordPress. This decision is ultimately up to you and what you feel comfortable doing. This is also a good time to start claiming your blog name across all social media accounts! Create an Instagram, Facebook page, Pinterest, and twitter all with the same or similar name as your Blog.

3. Self Hosting Site

You know how some websites say example.wordpress.com? That site is owned by WordPress. To cover yourself and be on your way to a money making blog, go the self hosting route. This means you own your site outright and can edit it to a more detailed level. I chose Bluehost because of the great reviews, but also because it included my domain, thestrattonsblog.com for free.

It was cheap and they make it very easy to use and build your website. They also have amazing support and I’ve been able to receive help super fast!

4. Choose a Plan

This step is completely up to you, but you can choose between basic, plus, and prime. There will be a helpful chart listing out what every plan comes with. Once you select one, it will take you to a page to start filling in your info and customizing your package options. Some options I really recommend are Domain Privacy Protection and thinking about how long you want to have your plan. Choosing a longer term contract will make the monthly fees lower, so it is up to you which you want to go with!

5. Domain Name

Now this is a huge step, and honestly a lot of fun. You can get creative and decide what you want to name your blog! You can open a site like blue host, go through the steps to join, and type in the domain name you want to see if it’s even available first. My advice is to keep it short and sweet. You want it to be something people can spell, type quickly, and remember. A lot of people get creative doing a play on words (momsmakecents.com), or using words that all start the same (littleboysandlattes.com). You can go the route of using your name too, like I did, but I recommend having it encompass what your blog will be focused on.

6. Install WordPress

After completing and paying for your website, it will bring you to the Bluehost dashboard. There will be an option to Install WordPress, and once you select it you will start to finally build your site! Just a helpful tip, to reach your wordpress page in the future, you will just type your domain URL then /wp-admin to log in!

7. Choose a Theme and Plug Ins

This was the fun part for me, but it can be overwhelming! I recommend going through themes and finding which look you want to go for. When you change this later on there are a lot of things to update and it’s just easiest to do it before getting started. I personally use Sela and I’m satisfied with it. In your side panel, you will see an option for “Plugins”. Ones I recommend are Jetpack (something that is normally automatically installed), Google Analytics, Pinterest PinIt Button, Google Adsense, Google Fonts (youtube how to add this, it was a bit of a process and a step by step video helped big time!) Ads.txt manager, and anything else you think will apply to what you blog about.

If you haven’t already, set up a google account and create a Google analytics and adsense account. Adsense (If I remember right) will require a day or two to approve your site, and you will have to have content for them to review first. But, this is important for monetizing your blog with ads to make money. You could also look into other ad programs to connect to your site, and just use plug ins such as ad code inserter!

8. Set up Blog

Now that you have the bones of your site, start blogging! Go to posts, Categories. From here you can make your Home, About, Contact, etc pages. If you want a tab underneath a “Parent” category, you will choose that under the Parent Category tab. When you create a blog post, make sure you have a few things filled out. Right hand side, choose a category or add a new category. These will be parent pages that you can add to your top header of your blog. Always add a tag or two, but keep in mind these will be visible and just keep things categorized.

Also, adding a featured image is important for when you are sharing your links. Scroll down to the bottom of your blog post, and add a focus keyword. This will help your post be visible and searched for in Google, and it will give you a red, orange, or green light to help guide you.

If you click Appearance, customize you can start rearranging your site. You can change up your sidebar order and what is visible there. Site Identity allows you to change your header logo and customize your blog tagline (basically where you will put what your blog will be about, mine says “Motherhood and Lifestyle Blog”). You can go to Typography to edit the fonts in different areas of your blog. When you click Content Options, you can choose between if it will show the full post or just an excerpt when people initially go to your blog.

You can also choose by going to Homepage settings if it shows your most recent post or if you make a static page (basically a page that you create to direct your readers by your choosing).

9. Set Yourself Up to Make Money

Soooo how do I make money after all this hard work? By having a self hosted site, you have the ability to host ads and create sponsored content to your hearts desire. Build your blog up and start joining affiliate programs (like Amazon), reaching out to companies, or joining influencer programs like ones listed here.

When you are approved for Google Adsense you can set up auto ads or choose where you want them located. It sounds more complicated than it is, but building your site on a stable foundation is key. Once you start building up your posts, and gain a following, you will be desirable to companies because you can be used in influencer marketing and it’s a win win situation.

10. Treat it Like a Business

This is more of a learn from my mistakes moment. Treat your blog like a business from the get go. Keep track of all the investments you are making, including purchasing your domain, any add ons you bought, etc. Anything and everything relating to your blog needs to be tracked. Also, you have to put in time to your blog. Being a mom comes first, always. But, I have found myself working on it during nap times or bed time. Take your time writing and editing your posts and photos, set aside time to post on Pinterest, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. These are all tools to help promote your business, and are great ways to expand your audience reach!

Switch to a business Pinterest and Instagram as soon as possible. This will allow you to create rich pins (here is an explanation), and you can track your analytics for these outlets.

Now you are ready to get blogging!!!

Are you excited? Overwhelmed? It can be a lot, but as you start getting familiar with it, things will come naturally to you. You don’t have to be a coding expert or hire someone to start a blog. Companies like Bluehost make it all simple and offer tutorials for you! I know a lot of my readers have messaged me about starting a blog, and being scared to do so.

My biggest piece of advice is start NOW! The longer you wait, the longer you go without helping others and also possibly making an income. Blogging is fun and allows you freedom creatively, talk about things you are passionate about and your audience will come!

If you decide to create a blog, let me know your website in the comments below. I would love to check it out!

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