Blogging has been a lucrative hobby for most people. There are currently over 400 million blogs in the world today, with over 30 million bloggers worldwide. There are so many enticing and inspiring stories online about regular folks writing blogs that became rich and famous. Plenty have become inspired to start their own blog but do not quite know if they need to take out a loan from Miami Gardens or not to fund their blog.
This will hopefully help bloggers-to-be and blogger-hopefuls to start your own blog.
As a writer, you already have the writing chops. But you have to get your work out there. You first have to register a domain name. You can go to goDaddy or NameCheap to do. Cost may cost as low as USD 7 to up to USD 15 a year.
Once you have a name users can find online, the next thing you need is a web host where you can store your content online. Web hosting costs around USD 10 per month, which translates to USD 120 per annum. Bluehost.com is one of the largest web hosts. It offers free domain name registration on top of web hosting. And it only costs USD 2.95 a month.
The next thing you need is a platform to write your blogs on. WordPress is the most popular platform online. It is the most commonly used platform because it is user-friendly, easy to set up, and it is free!
Now you are all set to get your blogs published. Writing content may cost you nothing or something, depending on what you write about. If you outsource articles, it can cost you USD 7 to USD 70 per 350 words. The cost varies depending on the content and quality of the article.
To improve the look for your site, themes must be added. If you use WordPress, there are pre-set themes available. They are also customizable. Premium themes may fetch USD 37 to USD 97 each. If you want something uniquely yours, customized themes, those may cost you USD 500 to USD 5,000. These themes are only paid once.
To further establish your “brand,” having your own logo will distinguish you from the rest. With graphic designers all around the world now accessible to you, you have a lot of choices in terms of designers. Logo design should cost at least USD 37. The more complex it is, the more expensive it will be.
Another feature that you may want to add to your blog site are social media icons, like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Reddit, etc. So users can share your content via these icons. Plugins like sumo.me are free.
Once you start blogging, you should also find ways to keep on improving. Attending or participating in blogging workshops to hone your skills is an investment you would need to make.
In summary, you may need USD 80 more or less to start your own blog. If blogging is calling to you and you are quite passionate about it, then give it your all and give it a go.
