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A blog for making money costs roughly $80 including tax to set up. First, there are two different types of hosting: a hosted blog and a self-hosted blog. Self-hosted means that you purchase hosting from a company like Bluehost and use blogging software from a company like WordPress on WordPress.org. A hosted blog means a company like WordPress hosts a blog and runs it on WordPress software on WordPress.com. The most popular blogging platform for bloggers who want to make money is WordPress. Other popular platforms include: Medium and Tumblr.
Benefits To Self-Hosting A Blog
- Full control and ownership. You own the domain name, the content, and traffic.
- Customization: You can use a custom theme and add plugins.
- Better Monetization Methods: Through advertising, affiliate marketing, and sponsored posts. A self hosted site with a custom domain name looks more professional.
- Access to Analytics: Self hosted blogs allow you to use tools to track your blog’s performance.
- Scalability: They can easily accommodate increased traffic, additional features, and switching between hosts.
- No sudden risk of being shut down: a free platform could potentially be shut down with out notice. Self hosting can give you peace of mind.
- Support: most hosting providers offer technical support, which can be valuable, especially for beginners.
While self-hosting does require a small investment (usually $3-$5 per month), the benefits often outweigh the cost for bloggers who want an online presence with monetization options in the future.
Here Are The Essential Costs
Domain Name: Known as a URL, this is the web address of your blog. This is typically $10-$35 per year (there is usually a discount the first year). For example, you can get hosting at NameCheap for approximately $10 -$15 per year and at Bluehost for approximately $35 (including privacy protection).
Web Hosting: The cheapest plan on Bluehost is $2.95 a month for the first year. Between $2.95 and $10 a month are typical for basic plans. Also, when you sign up for Bluehost hosting, you automatically get a free domain name for a year. Wordpress software from WordPress.org is free to use. You can install it in Bluehost, there is a button to click, and Bluehost will do it for you.
WordPress Theme: Assuming you will be purchasing a theme, it can cost anywhere from around $35 – $180. There are free WordPress themes out there, but most bloggers opt for a more custom theme that looks really good! Some popular sites are: Code + Coconut, 17th Avenue, Pix and Hue, and Bluchic.
Blog Set Up
You can pay to have someone install it for you, but this is not necessary. Installation costs can cost on average $50-$180. It is totally doable to set it up yourself with zero experience. There are a lot of tutorials online such as WP 101 and WP Beginner, as well as forums where you can look for answers.
When you look for a WordPress theme, look for something called documentation. Documentation is step by step instructions on how to set up your blog by the creator of the theme. Also, check to see if there is customer support, where you can ask questions if needed.
WordPress is basically drag and drop, and while it may look unfamiliar at first, after you set up one blog, you can set up the next one relatively quickly. It is worth learning how to do, because any time you want to make adjustments to your site, if you learn WordPress, you can quickly make them. Just note that it is easiest to set up a theme when there is no prior theme installed, because plugins from another theme can sometimes interfere. Also, people are usually surprised when most custom themes that the purchased do not look like the demo. This is because the creator of the theme usually fills out the demo completely, and the one that you purchased is not filled out yet. It can be filled out to look like the demo.
Setting up your website for the first time on WordPress can take 1-3 days depending on how long you spend on it. If you have experience for example, it could take an hour. Just remember, if you have a question, search for an answer online or ask.
Conclusion
There you have it, roughly $80 to put your blog online. However, if you only opt for a domain name, self-hosting, and a free theme (WordPress has free themes), it will cost approximately $40 to put your blog online.