Starting a blog can be a great opportunity to build an online business that will ensure a consistent income. See our dedicated article on How to earn money blogging. Food blogs, in particular, can generate a lot of internet traffic which is super important if you want to earn money with it. With this article, we want to offer a simple guide on how to start a food blog and get paid.
1. Name your blog and buy a matching domain name
Effective domain names are short and memorable. Typically, they end in .com. There are a lot of domain name registrars available online both free (like Bluehost) or for a fee (about $15 per year).
2. Find a web host
Again, there are a lot of services available. Whatever you choose, they generally require a small fee (between $2.50 and $3 per month).
3. Install WordPress
WordPress is the top-of-the-line blog/website building software. See our dedicated article on How to create a blog with WordPress.
4. Set up Google Tools
Create a google account that matches your new blog name. You’ll need it to use Google Tools and it’ll make your blog look more professional. Once you have set your blog’s google account set up the following tools:
- Google Analytics: it helps track blog traffic
- Google Search Console: it makes sure your website is up and running
- Feedburner: it allows your visitors to subscribe to your posts by RSS or email. It also gives you the opportunity to keep track of your subscriber numbers.
5. Start Blogging
You’ve now set up your food blog. You can start writing your posts – try to follow the following advice to make your blog gain traffic quickly and start earning money as soon as possible.
- Be consistent. Aim for a constant flow of new articles; whether daily or weekly, create a schedule a stick to it.
- Provide recipes and make sure the title and link of every new article read exactly the same as the name of the recipient.
- Create clear titles. Short and clear titles – like the name of the recipient – help the reader understand what the post is about with a glance, and it’s also helpful to search engines.
- Use photos. Always include pictures on your posts. Title every photo with the proper keyword – this is also super important to search engines (and keep in mind that a percentage of the visitors will land to your blog from Google Image or similar).
6. Start Earning Money
There are several methods you can use to earn money with your blog (for detailed info see our dedicated articles How to make money on a blog, and How to make money with blogs).
- Advertising Banners. Subscribe to services like Google AdSense to show ads on your blog and get paid for each visitor that visualize or click on it.
- Affiliate Marketing. Subscribe to an affiliate marketing program and promote products to earn a commission on every sold product. See our article Best Affiliate Programs in 2020.
- Sponsorships. Allow third parts to write or publish posts on your blog and get paid for this service.
- Sell your cook ebook. Once you’ve built an audience and you feel that they’re ready to buy from you, start selling your own cook ebook.
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