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Blogging is relatively low cost business, but it does cost money to start and maintain a blog.
Fortunately a lot of tools and services necessary for blogging start out very low cost or free.
There are only a few tools that are absolutely necessary to purchase right away.
Based on my experience blogging I recommend setting aside at least 500 dollars to start your blog.
The absolute minimum amount of money you need to get starterd with a blog is around 200 for hosting and a domain name (billed yearly).
Run down of the Start up Costs of Blogging
1) Creating a website
If you are serious about blogging and making money later on you really need to have your own site.
This is because a lot of third party sites won’t let you run ads or have affiliate links.
Note: If you want to start blogging but don’t plan on running ads there are free/low cost sites that allow you to make money with subscriptions.
Substack is a popular platform that handles all of the really complicated stuff like email lists and payments.
These sites are definitely easier to get started with but you will be limited in the ways you can make money with your blog.
It is important to know that there will be a lot of technical things to know when you get your own site and domain name. This is one of the reasons so many blogs fail.
Using a blogging platform you don’t own is like renting (or at best owning a home with an H.O.A) You are limited in the ways you can make money because technically you are borrowing someone else’s property.
Renting is cheaper at first. You don’t have to worry about fixing the plumbing or getting a new roof. But over time it will cost you much more and you can’t turn your rental into a real estate empire.
How to Start a Blog
1) Pick a Host ($150/yr.)
To start your blog you need someone to “host” your space on the internet.
I personally use bluehost. It was the most recommended hosting site when I first started researching blogging. Even having no experience, I have found it pretty intuitive to use.
Bluehost also includes wordpress which is the most popular platform for blogging. If you decide to use another hosting service I highly recommend finding one that includes wordpress.
A domain name costs around 20 dollars a year. Bluehost offers both hosting and domain name.
Note: You cannot change your domain name later on, so if you are unsure of your niche, make sure your domain name is neutral.
For instance if you are not sure what you are going to be blogging about avocados forever don’t name your domain avocado-saurus.com.
As cute as that name is, it will make any sense if you decide to stop blogging about apples instead.
Believe me, when you start blogging it is easy to change your mind about what you want to write about!
2) Pick a Theme (price varies)
After you have picked your host and domain you need some kind of theme. A theme is a basic template for your website.
Note: It is not essential to pay money for a theme. There are many free themes out there.
I started out by buying a theme on etsy because it looks cute but it didn’t work with my site. Then I just picked a random theme and used it for awhile, but it wasn’t that intuitive to use.
Eventually I switched to DIVI by elegant themes. It is extremely intuitive to use and I was able to pay one time for a lifetime of use (with as many sites as I want to use)
3) Legal Pages:
Legal pages usually cost around 300 dollars. Many sites claim to offer free legal pages, but they are actually not free. I realized this after trying out several templates. All of them asked for additional money for basic information.
If you collect information such as email addresses or have ads or affiliate links on your page, you need legal pages.
I personally use these templates for my legal pages. They are pretty straight foward to fill out and was able to add them within minutes.
Those are really the only absolute costs necessary for blogging.
It isn’t absolutely necessary to spend more money right away, but there are services that help make running your blog a lot easier.
Here is a Breakdown of additional Costs of Blogging:
1) Courses: (prices vary)
There is a ton of information about blogging out there, but if you are new it is hard to assimilate.
I highly recomment investing in blogging courses because there is so much to learn, and it helps to learn from someone who has already been through the trenches.
If you are going to make money blogging you need to market it. Pinterest is the main way to market your blog when you first start out.
This pinterest course made marketing on pinterest a lot easier to understand.
SEO is also important when blogging. I spent a lot of time trying to understand but I didn’t really know what I was doing until I took this SEO course.
Later down the road, taking an affiliate marketting course is also a good idea, because that is one of the main ways that bloggers make money
2) SEO tools: ($25/Month and up)
There are many free seo tools out there. I used them at first but I didn’t really know what I was doing.
When I first started researching the best SEO tools, many bloggers recommended expensive SEO tools that cost hundreds of dollars a month.
I was a full time waitress at the same, so there was absolutely no way I could afford that. I finally found keysearch, which is much more affordable, and in my opinion comparable to more expensive tools.
3) Email Marketing Services: (You can usually start with a free plan)
You will need some kind of emailing marketing service to start an email list. It is a good idea to start your list as soon as you learn the basic of blogging.
I use mailerlite and have found it very intuitive to use.
(PIN)
Of course, there are always more apps and services that make blogging easier. While blogging really isn’t that expensive, I will be honestly and say that when you are not making money on your blog it feels like a lot.
This is the reality of any business. There is a cost to getting it started, it takes some time where you will not see any return on your investment.
The main “cost” of running a blog is time. When I first decided to start my blog I listened to many seasoned bloggers. Most of them admitted that it took them more than a year before they saw any profit.
I knew what I was getting into but it was a struggle at times to keep going. I actually had to take a breaks to clear my head.
I am not trying to discourage anyone to start blogging but I think it is important to know that there are basic costs involved in blogging and it can seem like a lot when you are not rolling in extra cash.
I hope you found this article helpful!
I developed a simple method to avoid information overload when starting your blog. It is a method I wished I had followed when I first started my own blog. You can download it here for free…
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