Want to start a personal finance blog but don’t know how to get started?
We provide a step-by-step guide to help you start your finance blog and make money.
Personal finance is a compelling and exciting niche for many people searching to improve their financial conditions.
There are many personal finance bloggers who are making thousands of dollars from their blogs every month. If you can write quality blog posts about anything in finance, then you can make it.
In this blog post, I will be sharing step by step on how to start a personal finance blog and make money with just a little investment.
>>Start with $2.95 per month and get a FREE domain with Bluehost
Starting a personal finance blog could allow you to share your knowledge and experience with others and earn a living simultaneously.
Most people look for solutions to reach their financial goals or solve money problems.
Here is what matters most to people and what they are searching for the most in the finance niche:
- Achieve financial security
- Retire earlier
- Build a pension pot
- Pay off debts
- Build a saving account
- Start investing
- Set up a business
- Saving for trips or special projects
- Buying the first house
- Pay off a mortgage earlier
With a finance blog, you can help people solve all financial-related problems by writing content that provides solutions.
Since it is an extensive topic, it is possible to focus on a specific niche, such as: investing, loans or have a blog covering broad niches.
The steps to start a personal finance blog are straightforward. This article will show you all the steps to follow and make your blog goes live in less than 5 minutes.
Decide Which Aspect of your Personal Finance Blog You Want to focus on.
Before starting your finance blog, choosing a niche is essential.
Are you creating a blog to teach people debit relief, saving money, receiving loans, student loans, etc.?
Remember, the essence of starting a blog is to generate income and grow it to become a profitable business.
Later, I will explain how you can monetise your blog to generate more income and grow it.
10 Steps To Start A Personal Finance Blog In 2023.
Below is the step-by-step guide you can follow now, and make your blog LIVE under five munites.
1. Choose The Blogging Platform
The first step on how to start a personal finance blog is to choose the best platform, which is crucial to your blog’s success.
And there are many blogging platforms, both free and paid.
You decide what you want to archive, and if your goal is to build a successful blog that can generate income now and in the nearest future, you need to choose wisely.
Free blogging platforms like blogger, wordpress.com, Squarespace, Weebly and other content management system may entice you but are not recommended for serious bloggers.
All these platforms come with a drawback and can limit your success in monetisation and customisation.
Here are a few disadvantages of free blogging platforms
- Limit customisation
- Not access to complete control of your blog
- Limited Monetisation
- Lack of search engine optimisation
- The owner can deactivate your site at any time without your knowledge
Now that you understand the danger of using a free blogging platform, you may wonder which platforms will suit your needs.
The best option is a self-hosted blogging platform, which is WordPress.org.
This is the best place to build a solid blog that can last for years without worrying about losing your blog.
Here are a few reasons to choose WordPress:
- WordPress is free to use
- It has thousands of plugins to increase the functionalities of your blog
- You can customise your blog the way you want it.
- Monetisation is very easy and simple.
- Design your blog to attract more visitors without limit
So, when you are thinking about self-hosted vs free alternatives, you have seen a significant difference between the two.
Let’s move to the next step, as you have chosen WordPress as the best choice.
2. Choose a Finance Blog Niche
The finance niche is enormous. It covers saving, frugal living, investing, and making more money.
People are looking for a way to reduce their debts and achieve financial security. First, you should decide on the niche.
For example, you could focus your blog that helping people make profits investing and write good research articles on it will be great.
You can also decide to cover all the topics in the personal finance niche, focusing on one niche and then moving to the other later.
How to decide what you should focus on?
The best criteria for choosing your niche are your interest, your knowledge, and the monetisation aspect.
Ask yourself the following:
● What subjects interest you the most?
● Which niche has higher earning potential?
● Which topics are the most searched by readers?
● On what topic do you have more personal experience?
It is essential to blogging about a subject that interests you, preventing you from becoming bored with it and leading you to abandon the work in the future.
Although it is not necessary to have a passion for the topic, later, you will discover it would be a great help if you want to write content that can drive thousands of visitors to your blog.
You can also look at it from the income viewpoint and go for the more lucrative niches, regardless of whether you experience it or not.
In addition, you don’t need to be an expert in your chosen niche.
As long as you can write a well-researched article that helps people solve their problems and reach their goals, your blog will be successful.
Here are some of the finance niches
- Credit Repair
- Insurance
- Loan
- Saving
- Budgeting
- Investment
- Taxes
- Financial planning
- Side hustlers
3. Choose your domain name
Now that you have a topic in mind and know what you will be writing about, you must choose a domain name. Typically, the domain name is also the name of your blog.
>>Get a Free Domain From BlueHost For One Year
The domain name you chose has to be easy to remember and unique. Here are a few tips to have in mind in choosing a memorable domain name:
● Easy to type
● Short or not too long
● Focus it around a keyword ( a word or sentence people would search)
● Avoid hyphens
● Avoid using numbers
● Easy to remember
● Avoid double letters
● Verify there is no registered trademark
● Preferably use a “.com” extension
● Do not choose a domain that can limit your expansion
In general, you want to make it easy for people to remember your blog and type its name in Google. However, it will be difficult to remember if you choose a complex domain name.
Think about choosing a domain name that is easy to spell and pronounce. You also want to search for a phrase that will let you expand your blog in the future.
For example, if you choose to focus on saving money and have a domain “savingmoney.com,” it may limit your blog to only that topic.
If, later on, you decide to write about investing, insurance etc, it may be challenging because of your narrowed domain name.
Here are some examples of catchy domain names for a personal finance blog:
● AlwaysFinance.com
● FrugalInvestor.com
● PlanetFinance.com
● Finspiration.com
● NewsFinance.com
● ModernFinance.com
Let’s look at how you can come up with a good domain name.
Bluehost has a tool that can help you with your domain name. When you enter a word that comes to your mind, it will suggest different variations for you.
For example, let’s say you choose FrugalFinance.com, unavailable. The tool will suggest other related domain names you can grab.
In addition, you can add a prefix to the domain and check if it is available. Also, you can use name generator software to come up with a good domain name.
Here is an example:
bestFrugalFinance.com
FrugalFinanceTip.com
4. Register Domain Name And web hosting
Once you have a domain, you must choose your web hosting provider. A hosting provider is a service provided by a company that allows you to host your site on their server to make your site available online.
>>Click here to sign up for BlueHost and get a free domain for one year
A domain name is the name of your blog. If you choose a name such as smart finance tips, your domain will be SmartFinanceTips.com.
There are some best web hosting services to choose from, and there are different hosting services, such as shared hosting, VPS (virtual private servers), dedicated hosting, and cloud hosting. However, for a new blog, shared hosting is OK.
Once a blog has a lot of traffic and requires additional space, you can move to dedicated hostings or VPS.
One of the most used web hosting providers is Bluehost. It is affordable, provides excellent customer service, and includes a free SSL certificate.
Some web hosting service providers have you pay for the SSL certificate in addition to what you pay already for the web hosting.
And if you want to register your domain name with Bluehost, you also get one year free.
The procedure to sign up for Bluehost is effortless. You have to go to their site and select a WordPress hosting plan. Once you have done so, all you have to do is follow the instructions.
You can check the list of the fastest web hosting of 2023 and pick the one that fits your need.
But the most recommended web hosting is BlueHost. And you only need a basic hosting plan to get started.
Here are the steps to get signed up with Bluehost:
Click this link to sign up for BlueHost, and get a free domain for one year. You will be brought to the WordPress hosting page, as seen in the image below.
Click on VIEW PLAN or scroll down to see all the FOUR plans.
2. Select your shared hosting plan
There are FOUR plans, and you don’t need expensive hosting for a starter like you. So choose the BASIC plan, an idea for a blog and a small site.
There are also other plans such as PLUS, choice plan and pro, but to be honest with you, you don’t need them now.
The cheapest plan at $2.95 per month is a good option for a new blog. The plan has everything to host your blog without experiencing any loading issues, downtime etc.
You get 50 GB SSD Storage, good custom themes and 24/7 outstanding customer Support.
In addition, you will also get Free Domain for one year, Free CDN and Free SSL Certificate. These features will save you a lot of money.
3. Select the domain name you want (or connect a domain you have already purchased)
After clicking on the plan, you will be redirected to the new page. You will type in your domain name on this page or choose if you have already registered a domain name.
The domain will be your blog’s address.
You have TWO options; you can select “create a new domain, use one you already own. And since you don’t have a domain, create a new one by typing in your domain name in the space ”Create a new domain” and say ”bestloansfinance” as your preferred domain.
If you don’t have any domain in mind, you can click on “I Will Create One Later” below.
4. Click on the NEXT and fill in all your personal information
After clicking on NEXT, a new page will open where you will need to submit your personal information.
Make sure to input all the information correctly—all self-explanatory.
5. Select your package price (the 12-month hosting plan is cheaper than the 36-month plan)
This is where you will decide if you want to subscribe for one year or two years. I advise you to choose 12 months.
The 12-monthly plan will cost $2.95 per month, while the 36 months will cost $4.95.
For 12 months, you will pay $35.40, while for 36 months, you will pay$178.20.
6. Select the extra services, if you want or need them
When you scroll down, you will see where to select the extra service. I don’t recommend any of these services except Domain Privacy.
So, make sure to uncheck some of these if you want them.
7. Input the payment information
In this section, you will add your payment information. Add your credit card number, then follow by the CVV2. The CVV2 is the FOUR digit number at the back of your card.
8. Complete the Registration
The final step is to complete the registration by confirming that you agree to the BlueHost terms and conditions.
TICK the “I have read and agree to Bluehost Renewal Terms, Terms of Service etc
Then click on the GREEN bottom that says SUBMIT.
9. Create an account with Bluehost And Password
The next step is to create an account and enter your password with BlueHost.
You will be asked to choose a username and password. The username and password are what you will be using to log in to the BlueHost account.
Then, click on Create Account.
10. Answer the Questionnaire or Skip it
After clicking on the create an account, you will be prompted to a new page where they will ask you to answer a short question about your website.
You can skip this process by clicking Skip The Step” at the bottom.
To be in silverside, I advise answering the question to help BlueHost understand your website to help your onboarding experience.
11. Choose A Theme
After completing the Questionnaire, the next step is to ask you to choose a theme for your blog. You can choose a free theme and later change it to any premium theme you prefer.
There are many WordPress themes both free and paid, and if you have a budget, I will recommend using a premium theme.
For this blog, I use the Generatepress theme, which is one of the best and fastest themes to help your blog load faster.
12. Launch Your Blog or Website
After selecting a theme, you will be prompted to WordPress backend in the admin panel. You can manage your site, create a page or post etc.
To complete the process, click on the blue bottom that says ‘Launch Your Site; and your blog is LIVE.
Step 13: Check Your Site
Your blog is LIVE; you can visit it by opening a new browser and typing your domain name to view your site’s appearance.
Hello World!
14: Access Your Site Admin
You need to access your blog through the admin panel to edit or log in to it. Type your website URL with /wp-admin.
For example www.Newblog.com/wp-admin
When you log in, you can play around with the admin panel.
Now that your blog is live let’s move to the next step.
The WordPress setup is completed. As you can see. It is just one click
The process is automated and takes a few minutes from beginning to end. That is the reason we choose BlueHost hosting.
5. Install A New Theme and Design Your Site
Now that your finance blog is live, it is time to find one of the best WordPress themes to give your blog a facelift.
A theme is a software that makes your site look more attractive and easy to navigate, and you have seen that some sites look different.
If you want a professional-looking finance blog, you should get a premium theme that fits your blog’s topic and inspires trust.
You could spend hours selecting a theme to find out later what is not the best for your site.
You need a theme designed for a personal finance blog, or you can use any premium general theme, which is also a good option.
But that said, here are some excellent tips to follow when choosing a theme:
● Choose a clean and simple design (avoid cluttered themes)
● Find responsive and fast-loading themes
● Choose a theme that represents the colour of your brand
● Consider buying a premium theme with more features
● Find a theme with an easy-to-read font and customise
● Preview and test the theme before installing it
If you’re on a tight budget, you can still use a free theme available on your WordPress site, but not recommended.
Choosing a simple and clean theme is always better so visitors do not get confused when visiting your site.
Some of the most used premium themes you can look at are:
● Divi ( by Elegant Themes)
● Kadence
● Astra
Each theme has many layouts and colours to choose from (including finance page layouts). In addition, there are already pre-designed finance themes you can check if they fit your blog.
Here are some best personal finance themes:
If you prefer to use a specific theme designed for the finance blog, the WordPress theme below will be a perfect option.
● Exponent
● Financing
● Adri
● Success
● Consulting
● Finance Plus
Advantages of choosing a premium WordPress theme
User-friendly and easy to use
Full customisation
Fast loading
24/7 customer support
Many premium templates and landing page features.
6. Install Relevant Plugins
A plugin is a tool that adds extra functionality to your WordPress site. WordPress has plugins for everything, such as adding a table of contents, connecting to other software, measuring your traffic, and much more.
Generally, keeping a site free of tons of useless plugins is better. You do not need to add a lot of plugins at the beginning. You can add them with time and based on what you need.
In the beginning, you can install the following plugins:
Security plugin: The first plugin to install is the security plugin that can prevent your blog from hackers, malware and so on.
● Table of content plugins
● MonsterInsights ( to monitor traffic)
● Rank Math or Yoast SEO (to help you with SEO and optimise your articles)
● Cookie plugin ( choose the one that suit you best, it is necessary to comply with the GDPR)
● Insert Headers and Footers ( it allows you to insert pieces of codes across your site for ads etc
● Short Pixel ( it helps optimise your images and reduce their size, so the site doesn’t slow, affecting your ranking.
W3 Total Cache: It makes your site load fast.
All of those are free, and you can upgrade to a premium version.
With time, you can add other plugins, but it is better to keep your site free of unnecessary plugins that can slow down your site loading if you do not need them.
7. Create Legal Pages
You want to ensure that your blog complies with current regulations to avoid problems. It would be best if you had the following pages on the safe side:
● Privacy Policy Page
● Terms and Condition Page
● Affiliate Disclaimer Page ( if you have affiliate links)
You should also include a disclaimer about financial advice you share on your blog, ensuring that you are not responsible for their financial decisions.
In addition to the legal pages, you should include the following pages: About and Contact, so people can contact you and know about your brand.
Furthermore, you do not need a lawyer to do the legal pages. There are tons of templates available online, and you can look at other financial blogs to have an idea of what needs to do to make your blog outstanding.
8. Create your first blog post
Now that everything is set, it is time to write your first blog post.
Content is the key to blogging, which is why I said earlier that choosing a niche is essential but not compulsory if you have at least an idea.
There are TWO options, you write the content yourself or outsource it.
You can outsource your content to many places, such as Upwork, Iwriter etc.
The first step is to do keyword research on the topic you want to write about to find out what people are searching for in that topic.
Let’s say you want to write about ‘how to increase credit score quickly”.
According to the Ubersuggest keyword tool, the number of people searching for the keyword “how to increase credit score quickly” is 8.100 per month.
This shows that people are searching for this term.
Other related keywords are:
- How To Increase Credit score
- how to increase credit score fast
- how to increase credit score to 800
These are the keywords you can add to the content.
There is a lot to say about keyword research. But for now, you can use free tools like Ubersuggest to get all the related keywords and topics with relative traffic volume.
You can see what the people are searching for and get some good ideas about what to include in the content.
There is competition in the finance niche. It would be best to start with low-competition keywords or long-tail keywords.
Long-tail keywords are keywords with four words or more.
Post Consistently
It is crucial to post consistently when you have just started. You can start with 2 to 3 blog posts per week.
It may take time before people start noticing your blog, don’t be discouraged; it always is like that.
Also, post only quality content to help your readers solve their problems.
To get more ideas on what type of post to write, you can check some of the personal finance blogs online and see what type of content they post on their blogs.
9. Promote Your Finance Blog
You’re now ready to promote your blog. Without blogging promotion, getting visitors to the blog will be very challenging.
There are various ways to promote your blog, and we will examine the most crucial area.
Social media
Social media such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok are the best ways to share your content and get thousands of visitors to your finance blog.
Use a Content Syndication site.
These are other places to get traffic to your blog. Here are a few of them:
Medium, LinkedIn and Reddit.
And lastly, search engine optimization (SEO) is a must for your blog to rank on major search engines.
10. Start Making Money from Your Finance Blog
You start the personal finance blog to make money and share your experience to help others.
And without proper monetisation, you will find it challenging to make money to pay for web hosting and other expenses.
Let’s now look at various ways to monetise the finance blog and make money.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the easiest way to make money from your blog. It is not as difficult as many thinks, but you must learn how it works.
Join the best affiliate program in your niche.
Affiliate marketing is a process where you promote companies’ products, and when you make sales, you get a commission.
Join ShareASale’s affiliate program. This is one of the best affiliate networking where you can find hundreds of products you can recommend to your blog readers and make money.
Selling Information product:
You can create your product and promote it on your blog. It may be eBook, online training, mini-course, membership training etc. You can read the product launch formula to learn how to launch a digital product.
Display ads on your finance blog.
Another way to monetise your blog is to display ads on it. You can join Google Adsense and place their ads on your blog.
Conclusion
Starting a personal finance blog is not complicated. You can do that in straightforward steps and get on your way to earning passive income.
Blogging is not a get-rich business, it takes time and works to get a blog to succeed, but once it does, you will be thrilled you took the above first step!
Personal Finance Blog FAQ
How to start a personal finance blog on WordPress?
The step-by-step on how to start a personal finance blog on WordPress is what we shared in this blog post.
The blogging platform we choose is WordPress, and you have learnt how to make your blog go live. If you follow the steps, then you build your blog on WordPress.
How to start a personal blog and make money?
I explained how to monetise your blog and make money. You can make money with your blog by promoting affiliate programs, adding Google Adsense to your blog, accepting sponsor posts and so on.
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