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From Mom to Money Maker: A Busy Mom’s Guide to Starting a Profitable Blog.
In today’s digital age, blogging has evolved beyond just a hobby—it’s now a wonderful avenue for sharing experiences, connecting with others, and yes, even earning a little extra income along the way. As a busy mom myself, I understand the importance of finding ways to balance family life while pursuing personal and financial goals.
I’ve developed a habit of documenting my experiences and finding ways to make money online more efficiently. While browsing through Pinterest, I stumbled upon some fascinating blogging-related images that got me hooked! I’m excited to share the incredible journey of starting a profitable blog, even with a packed schedule.
This guide is tailored to help busy moms, whether they work outside the home or stay at home, navigate the world of blogging with ease and efficiency. Despite my busy schedule, I’m committed to sharing what I’ve learned along the way and growing alongside my readers through this blog. While I may not be an expert, I’m eager to share my experiences and learn from each other.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BLOGGING IN TODAY’S DIGITAL AGE
Don’t forget to Pin this image so you can always
refer back to this page on the best Blogging For Beginners tips!
In today’s digital world, blogging has become super important for moms like us. Blogging gives us a voice, a place where we can share our thoughts and experiences with people all over the world. It’s like having our little corner of the internet where we can be ourselves and connect with others who get it.
One of the coolest things about blogging is that it helps us build communities. Whether it’s other moms going through the same stuff or people who share our interests, blogging brings us together and helps us feel less alone in this crazy journey called motherhood.
But blogging isn’t just about making friends – it’s also a great way to show off our skills and talents. Whether we’re sharing recipes, craft ideas, or parenting hacks, our blogs let us shine and show the world what we’re capable of.
And let’s not forget about the personal side of blogging. It’s a place where we can document our family memories, share our joys and struggles, and celebrate the little moments that make motherhood so special. It’s like having a digital scrapbook that we can look back on for years to come.
So, whether we’re blogging for fun, for work, or just to connect with others, one thing’s for sure – blogging is pretty awesome. It’s a way for us moms to share our stories, support each other, and make our voices heard in a world that sometimes forgets to listen. And that’s something worth blogging about.
PURPOSE OF BLOGGING?
In the digital age, blogging has become a vital platform for moms to share our experiences and tips, it’s about connecting with others, finding support, and even making some extra money from home. Understanding the purpose of blogging is crucial for crafting effective content. From parenting tips to personal stories, we leverage our unique perspectives to create meaningful content that resonates with audiences worldwide.
- Sharing Parenting Wisdom : We use our blogs to share parenting tips, tricks, and advice garnered from our own experiences. By optimizing our content with relevant keywords and addressing common parenting queries, we can attract organic traffic from search engines seeking authoritative and informative content on parenting topics.
- Building Community : Blogging allows moms to build a supportive community where we can connect with other parents facing similar joys and challenges. By sharing relatable experiences and offering valuable insights, we foster engagement and create a sense of belonging for our readers, optimizing for SEO by prioritizing user engagement and community building.
- Documenting Family Memories : Blogging serves as a digital journal for us to document our family’s milestones and memories. By incorporating descriptive language and multimedia elements like photos and videos, we create engaging content that resonates with readers and enhances our SEO by providing valuable, shareable content.
- Finding Support and Validation : Through blogging, we find a platform to share our joys and struggles, seeking support and validation from our readers. By optimizing our content with relevant keywords and addressing common parenting pain points, we attract organic traffic from individuals seeking advice and reassurance, thereby enhancing our SEO visibility.
- Pursuing Personal Passions : Blogging allows us to pursue our personal passions and interests outside of motherhood. By optimizing our content with relevant keywords and addressing niche topics within our chosen passions, we attract organic traffic from individuals seeking specialized expertise and insights, enhancing our SEO visibility within our niche.
- Contributing to Family Income : Many of us monetize our blogs as a means of contributing to our family’s income. By incorporating affiliate marketing, sponsored content, and ad revenue strategies, we optimize our blogs by creating valuable, revenue-generating content that attracts organic traffic and maximizes income potential.
Identifying the purpose of blogging helps bloggers stay focused on their goals. From building community to sharing parenting wisdom and generating income, blogging serves myriad purposes for moms in today’s digital landscape. We leverage our unique perspectives to create meaningful connections and make a positive impact in the lives of our readers.
HOW BLOGGING HAD CHANGED US, MOMS?
We’re fortunate to live in an era where working from home is not only possible but increasingly common, thanks to the Internet. It’s opened up a world of opportunities, allowing us to embrace a laptop lifestyle and work from virtually anywhere. As someone from a developing nation, I’ve found that all we need is literacy and a laptop to tap into this incredible platform.
One of the most accessible ways to utilize the Internet is through blogging. We don’t have to be a tech expert to create a website or start a blog. The beauty of blogging is its simplicity and accessibility. It’s a medium where we can share our thoughts, experiences, and expertise with the world.
The Internet is a rapidly evolving landscape, offering countless opportunities for moms like us to not only share our stories but also to grow our businesses and expand our reach. Through blogging, we have the chance to connect with brands, collaborate on projects, and even earn extra income on the side.
For many of us, this extra income is crucial. It can mean better food on the table for our families, access to educational opportunities for our children, and a brighter future overall. The potential of the Internet, combined with the power of blogging, allows us to dream big and work towards a better life for ourselves and our loved ones.
WHY CHOOSE BLOGGING AND BENEFITS OF STARTING A BLOG
- Flexibility: Blogging offers us moms the flexibility to work on our terms, accommodating our family obligations. We can manage our blogs during spare moments, such as nap times or evenings, ensuring they align seamlessly with our schedules.
- Creative Outlet: For us moms, blogging serves as a creative outlet, enabling us to express ourselves and share our experiences and interests. It provides a platform to unleash our creativity and connect with like-minded individuals.
- Community Engagement: Blogging fosters community engagement, allowing us to connect with fellow mothers and individuals globally. Through our blogs, we can build a supportive community, exchange advice, offer encouragement, and find the best solutions in our motherhood journey.
- Personal Development: To be honest, this is a huge learning curve but a fulfilling journey. We will create and manage a blog to enhance our personal growth as we develop new skills in writing, photography, marketing, and website administration in which I will further share interesting stories in choosing our blogging platform below. It presents opportunities for self-improvement and skill enhancement.
- Empowerment: Blogging empowers us moms to share our stories and viewpoints, contributing to important discussions and advocating for causes. It provides a platform to effect positive change and make a difference.
- Memories Preservation: Blogs serve as digital journals for us to document our family’s milestones and everyday moments. They create a repository of cherished memories, preserving a legacy for our children.
- Monetization Opportunities: While not guaranteed, blogging offers income potential through avenues like affiliate marketing, sponsored content, ad revenue, and product sales. This supplementary income can be invaluable for families seeking financial stability.
CHOOSING A BLOGGING PLATFORM
We see there are countless blogging platforms available, it’s essential to choose one that aligns with our needs and preferences. For busy moms like us, simplicity and user-friendliness are key. Consider platforms with intuitive interfaces and easy setup processes, allowing us to focus more on creating content and less on technicalities.
I’d paid for courses and read hundreds of articles before starting one, just like you, I was new to the blogging world. From my understanding. There are two types of blogs:-
- Hosted
- Self hosted
Say hosted is like renting a place, we get to do all things we want but end of the day the owner will pull back his property and there’s nothing we can do about it. Hosted websites do not allow affiliate marketing and other monetization activities.
But if it is self hosted site, we can do anything we want without worrying about the rules imposed as a hosted blog. We own the content and we may apply any strategies that we want such as affiliate marketing to selling our products.
The conclusion if we are serious about making money, a self-hosted blog is a way to go and the initial cost is less than USD30.
Popular options like Siteground, Bluehost, and GoDaddy offer various features and customization options. The story in which I’m about to share below is solely based on my personal experience. You may have different opinions but these are my thoughts for this company.
Tadaa..!
Buehost
To be honest I had a rocky start with Bluehost, I wasn’t sure till today what did I do that my account was created on two different accounts with the same name.
I talked to the agent and my account was deleted (back then I was very new and the blogging terms were overwhelming) the next day.
I tried to ask for help and my account was deleted again after they had suggested to make a new payment just so I could restart again.
Again, my account was deleted after 7 days.
This time I e-mail instead of speaking to the agent on the customer service line. My issue was rectified after two weeks long.
To be honest I’m happy with the result as they reimbursed what I deserved and my blog is still running without major issues till today. Knock on the wood!
Imagine things may go the other way round if I was a long-term blogger and lost all my traffic overnight though I would advise to always do out backups.
Now, think about it. Choosing a reputable web hosting provider is as important as deciding to how start a blog.
Reasons why I go with Bluehost even after all the ordeals I had gone through.
(I am not an affiliate but I still insist on choosing them. Thank me later Bluehost ;D)
- The resources for solutions are available everywhere. Forums, Facebook groups, YouTube, and many more. Save the head-scratching if we come into contact with road bumps.
- It is self-hosted which means I own it even though I have to take care of the “furnishings” but trust me there are many resources as mentioned in point number one above. My blog, my rules.
- They have reliable service. Despite the stories above that my account was deleted three times, I am happy with the outcome. My blog is still running as normal without interference and I got back what I had asked for.
SELECTING A NICHE
(Take a day or a maximum of 2 days to think about this. No more than 2 days. Do not dwell on this topic as we can spend more time on other money-generating departments)
The purpose of blogging can range from sharing personal experiences to promoting products or services. Finding our niche is crucial for attracting and engaging our target audience. As a busy mom ourselves, we should leverage our unique experiences and interests to carve out a niche that resonates with other moms.
Whether it’s parenting advice, healthy recipes, or time-saving hacks, choose a topic that we’re passionate about and knowledgeable about or it will feel like a chore to be constantly creating new content.
I’ve paid for a tool to help all of us here brainstorm some of the niche ideas that are making good money in the blogging industry.
The examples are as follows:-
- Interior Design
- Crafting
- DIY Projects
- Travel
- Motherhood
- Food
- Self-care
- Parenting
- Entrepreneurship and Business
- General Beauty
- Personal Development
- Fitness
- Fashions
If you are still confused about which to choose, you can always opt for lifestyle blogging as I do. After all, I want to share as many things as possible under the sun with all of us busy moms here because I know it is not easy to juggle between work and a family.
However, we have to ensure all these topics target the same audience.
We can explore various niches while still maintaining a consistent tone that resonates with our teenage audience.
For example:-
- How to maintain youthful skin throughout my 20s
- Easy ways to save money while studying
- Hairstyles for a prom night.
SETTING UP OUR BLOG
(Maximum a day for this process)
Think simple at first. Setting up our blog doesn’t have to be daunting as we can always learn as we become more familiar with the blogging world, we will be able to have our blog up and running in no time.
This is what I have learned based on my past experiences. I spent too much time trying to perfect my blog when the fact is that nobody remembers what my layout would look like. Again start simple at first as mentioned above, and spend time on the constructive parts of blogging such as the methods to monetize our blogs. Time is precious for busy mothers.
However, I do not want to leave you hanging by giving you a vague imagination how to start at all. Below are the 6 simple steps by steps how to start with a trusted web hosting provider, Bluehost. From domain registration to hosting and installation, I’ll guide you through each process, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free setup.
Step 1: Go to this URL https://www.bluehost.com/hosting/shared
Step 2: You will see a pop up “Special Offer”. SKIP. We are not online store.
Step 3: Bluehost has this feature where you can buy first even without having a domain name in mind. How cool is that?
JUST THAT! 3 SIMPLE STEPS TO START A BLOG
the rest are just complemetary
Step 4: Account information. Choose your origin country. For example, if you are from Germany, type that, don’t pretend. Hahaha. Jokes aside. Please give your true address. Do not worry as you will be protected under domain privacy and protection. This is the basic you will have to pay after a month.
Step 5: Additional services. Below are the only things you need for now.
Step 6: Make payment using credit card or paypal. And 1-Click WordPress Install. Tadaa!
You are now officially a blogger!
DESIGNING OUR BLOG
(Maximum three days for this process not more)
Continuation from the above. Once your WordPress in up and running, click “Edit Site”as above, you will be linked to your WordPress.
You can always explore different themes and templates that reflect our personal style and brand under the “Starter Templates” of the Astra theme. Astra theme is light and most suitable for beginners. I’m currently still using it.
Start with a simple menu. Never rush into creating multiple menus as these can be added thereafter.
What is important is that we first create pages as below as a start:-
- About Me
- Contact Me
- Privacy Policy
- Disclaimer
- Terms and Conditions
Designing a blog is just not as important as a beginner’s.
I will need to emphasize again and again, as a beginner what’s most important is to generate a handful of 20 posts for a start.
I observed many famous bloggers are still using a basic design and they are making over USD20,000 / month. This supports the fact that content comes first before layout.
It is not easy to start posting your first blog. You will understand what I mean once you begin with one. 😉
CREATING COMPELLING CONTENT
(This depends on how fast we can write. I’m a slow producer and I will need more time for this):
Content is king in the blogging world. We must first learn how to create high-quality and engaging posts that resonate with our audience. From generating content ideas to crafting captivating headlines, I’ll share practical tips and strategies to help us stand out in the crowded blogosphere.
There are many other “gurus” who mentioned that it is right that we should just churn out multiple blog posts without minding the flow, eventually, we will know what a good blog post looks like. However I digress, I would rather do my homework and study how an effective blog post should look rather than amend the past 100 posts one by one thereafter.
Of so many articles I had consumed and digested, here I concluded that in every blog post, we must have the following if we are serious about making our blogging journey a successful one.
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I will lay out which to prioritize as a beginner.
- Always do our keyword research right. Simply go to the search engine, and look for the relevancies, quality, and authority. Check out the articles, and eyeball our targeted keywords to see if we get the chance to stand out among others. However, I will want to remind us all that this doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be writing a post that is high competition if we can link to our other post. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have any other things to post. You get what I mean. We can always link to our relevant posts. 100 pageviews are still pageviews.
- The title (H1) plays a significant role here. Have the main keyword on the title. Includes a summary or introduction with a hook.
- Upon creating a post, we will be able to see a permalink right above the typing space. Change it to something we as a user will type on. For example, if we write an article on 5 simple ways to lose weight in a month. This permalink will automatically be set to “5-simple-ways-lose-weight…….”. Who would specifically type “5 simple ways to lose weight in the search bar”? You get what I mean. Change it to SEO-friendly as in “How to lose weight in a month”.
- Always use subheadings (H tags) for eye breaks and better user experience (UX). Nobody likes to read a long post without a break. Make sure to have many white space, point forms, and images in between our long articles. This will need an additional post to talk about UX alone.
- Do not forget to have images that are pinnable on Pinterest. Pinterest is also a great platform to drive traffic slightly quicker than SEO. I hereby recommend Ling’s The Treasure Map To Blogging Success in 30 Days. She broke down keyword research in every detail possible for beginner and advanced pinners. She used the same method to get accepted into Mediavine for her second anonymous blog. That proves there must be something that is working right.
Don’t forget to rename your image file into your keyword that you are targeted for. For example image above.
Instead of 3.jpg or brown-cover.jpg, I changed to
a) How to start a blog.jpg
b) What is blogging.jpg
- Always, always, always link our popular to relevant posts. This will not only retain our readers longer but will also push our blog further to the main pages since this is how the algorithm works.
- Always add links to our affiliates. Since we already like the products why not recommend them to our readers? It would be silly if we don’t since there is serious money making here so long we apply the correct strategies here.
Facts: According to a statement of Rewardful statistics. 9% of affiliate marketers earn an average of more than $50,000 a year, showing a wide range of earnings from $10,000 to a huge $400,000 annually.
- CTA – Call to action, engage our readers by having them click. Be it pinnable images or our products. Promote our products at least three times in our blog post.
- Make sure we sprinkle secondary keywords here and there in the blog post so we are not only ranking for the main keyword.
- Create an e-mail opt-in. This is a full other topic in which I’m still in my learning stage. I haven’t started one as I’m not ready since I am considered quite new and I feel that I may lose my reputation if I am being too pushy. We may at least create some solid facts/products if we were to start with one. This is my personal opinion and some bloggers may not agree with me.
- Install the Yoast SEO plugin within WordPress and familiarise with the term. Learn how to fill out the “Yoast SEO Metabox” and take note of the “focus key phrase”.
- Link to external posts to boost our ranking. Incorporating links to verified facts and data not only boosts credibility but also enhances our Google search rankings.
- Write a summary of our blog post for UX. In conclusion, we emphasize the significance of the topics discussed, which ensure a memorable and fulfilling user experience for our readers.
- More links to other posts.
- Edit making sure our blog post doesn’t look funny and sound professional with our twists.
Practically it takes time to churn out a blog post instead of what we have seen around people saying we can simply post a blog within a minute. This just wouldn’t happen. Trust me in the blogging industry, it takes effort and time.
It took me 5 weeks to get started and a week to post my very first post and also a reminder that blogging doesn’t make us rich overnight. This however gives us a sense of fulfilment in the blogging world.
Blogging is a steep learning curve and nobody succeeds on their own. Taking up courses isn’t money wasting money, in fact, it is a stepping stone to achieve what we want a little faster. If you are overwhelmed with the information on the internet and scattered facts here and there, I strongly encourage us all to purchase this ebook.
Time is money, we don’t want to waste months and months hitting roadblocks while raising our children. That is just not worth it. I have always believed that we mothers are busy enough to simply need some sort of “shortcut” just so we can reduce bumps and humps ahead to have a start a little quicker.
The information laid out by Ling is easy to understand for a beginner and gives us an idea of how blogging works. I had always referred to the manual I called it back in the days when I was a newbie. It is a total lifesaver as I don’t see many bloggers who teach this.
HOW TO PROMOTE OUR BLOG WHILE BEING A BUSY MAMA
There are many ways to promote our blogs. Facebook, e-mail marketing, Pinterest… you name it. However, the takeaway here is how fast we want our blog to be able to push higher on page 1 on the search engine and how long will these options sustain.
SEO on the other hand takes longer to be able to see its results generally more than 6 months to a year but it doesn’t fluctuate as much as social media. If the algorithm of social took a dip it will impact the page views on our blogs.
This narrows down to our senses that we should apply all strategies throughout our blogs.
Promotion is key to expanding our blog’s reach and attracting a wider audience.
One of the methods in which I am using is Pinterest.
Pinterest operates as a visual discovery engine, making it ideal for showcasing our blog’s visually appealing content. By creating captivating pins that feature images, infographics, and quotes from our blog posts, we can pique the interest of Pinterest users and entice them to click through to our website.
Promoting our blog on Pinterest involves creating visually compelling pins, optimizing them for search, and leveraging the platform’s collaborative features to expand our reach. By incorporating Pinterest into our promotional strategy, we can effectively drive traffic to our blog and connect with a broader audience.
I would suggest taking up Ling’s The Golden Compass To Pinterest Traffic. It is easy for beginners wanting to kickstart on a platform. Ling generously giveaway THREE bonuses if we make this purchase.
According to statistics of Sproutsocial from 2023, Pinterest has 450 million monthly active users. This is a small fraction of Facebook’s nearly 3 billion users, but Pinterest is steadily growing year after year.
It takes less time as compared to Google and here she will guide every step meticulously. It is so affordable at only USD47 for such jam-packed info.
MONETIZING OUR BLOG
Monetizing our blog is a strategic approach to turning our passion and expertise into a sustainable source of income. There are various methods we can explore to generate revenue from our blog content:
- Affiliate Marketing: Partnering with companies and promoting their products or services through affiliate links within our blog posts. We earn a commission for every sale or referral made through these links.
- Sponsored Content: Collaborating with brands to create sponsored posts or reviews that feature their products or services. Brands pay us to showcase their offerings to our audience.
- Advertising: Displaying ads on our blog through ad networks like Google AdSense or Mediavine. We earn revenue based on ad impressions or clicks generated by our readers.
- Digital Products: Creating and selling digital products such as e-books, courses, printables, or templates related to our blog niche. These products provide additional value to our audience and can be a lucrative revenue stream.
- Sponsored Events or Workshops: Hosting sponsored events, workshops, or webinars related to our blog niche. Brands or companies may sponsor these events in exchange for exposure to our audience.
By implementing one or a combination of these monetization strategies, we can transform our blog into a profitable venture while continuing to provide valuable content and experiences to our audience. It’s important to strike a balance between monetization and maintaining the authenticity and integrity of our blog content to ensure continued engagement and trust from our readers.
CONCLUSION
As a busy mom, starting a profitable blog may seem daunting, but with the right guidance and determination, it’s entirely achievable. Small progress is still progress. Blogging doesn’t blossom in a night, it takes effort, a lot of patience, perseverance, and time to make it an autopilot in the future in the beginning. Take one day at a time. I encourage you to take the first step today and embark on this exciting blogging journey. Remember, you’re not alone—join our community of mom bloggers and support each other every step of the way. Together, we can turn our passions into profits while balancing the beautiful chaos of motherhood.