How to Start A Mommy Blog and Make Money With It

She’s starting to get into everything. Since this is my niece’s first child, she does not want to go to a job outside of the house. However, she has never had a blog before and does not know anything about getting started or using WordPress.

Related: 111 Mom Blog Ideas That Will Inspire and Make You Money

I was surprised when she approached me to ask me how she can get started making money online. So I pointed her to my online tutorial that shows her how to start a blog on SiteGround.

I figured it was time to write a blog post that helps my moms learn how to start a mommy blog. Now it is time to set up your blog and start setting up your foundation.

If you are completely new to WordPress, I suggest checking out my new Kindle eBook WordPress Complete Beginners Guide: A Reference Guide to Help You Set Up Your First WordPress Blog to help her grasp the basics of WordPress.

Why Do You Want A Blog?

Before you actually start a blog and get ready to work hard. Ask yourself this, why do you want a blog?

Is it because you need a creative outlet? Are you wanting to make some money from home so you don’t have to go back to your job after your maternity leave?

These are the same questions that I asked my niece. I personally think it’s important to know your why and have a strong enough why before you start your blog.

Otherwise, you’ll quit when you realize how much work goes into building a successful blog.

Sit down and decide why you want to actually want to start a WordPress blog. If you’re starting solely for money, you need to realize that it is going to take some time before your blog makes any money.

Don’t expect to make any money right out of the gate.

Steps to Start A Mommy Blog

Whether you’re starting a mommy blog, wedding blog or any other type of blog, the foundational steps are the same. Here are the foundational steps that you need to take to set up your blog on WordPress.

I am a huge fan of using a self-hosted WordPress blog because it gives you so much freedom to customize and work on your blog. Many new bloggers want to use BlogSpot or the free WordPress platform.

Related: Using Blogger is Tempting But You’ll Be Sorry

I am going to assume that you are going to monetize your blog down the road. When we install your blogging platform, we will be using WordPress.org.

#1 Choose and Buy Your Domain Name

Before you can start your mom blog, you first need to decide on a catchy domain (also referred to as a URL). If you’re like me, you are not a very creative person. The best thing you can do is search online to find some domain name generators to help you brainstorm some catchy domain names.

Of course, if you want to start blogging under your personal name like I am, head on over to NameCheap to see if your name is available.

If so go ahead and register it. If possible register your domain for more than one year. Google loves it when people register their domain for more than one year in advance. Visit the Backlinko site to help you understand the domain factors that will make you look good in Google’s eyes.

#2 Sign Up For Hosting

Once you have purchased your domain, congratulations. You’ve taken the first step to claim a piece of your online virtual real estate. Next, you will need to sign up and pay for your hosting account.

What is Hosting?

You don’t actually own the hosting, you rent space online that will host your website files. Whenever someone types in your new domain or URL the hosting company will show your site.

Without hosting, no one will ever be able to see your blog. Not all hosting companies are the same. Many people start with BlueHost because it is extremely affordable.

I personally use SiteGround for my blog. Back in the day, I was hosting my blog’s with HostGator but after dealing with months of bad service.

I started searching for reputable hosting companies. After reading everything I could about the right hosting company, I decided to pay for 3 years in advance for SiteGround’s Grow Big Account.

What You Will Get:

• It’s easy to use
• Signing up just takes minutes
• They offer excellent 24/7 customer support
• Offer built-in WordPress Caching
• Built-in CDN Integration
• Extremely affordable (you get the best discounts at sign up)

You can sign up for SiteGround through this link.

#3 Installing WordPress on Your Mom Blog

Okay now that you have your hosting set up, it is time to install the WordPress.org software on our blog. It may sound complicated, but this video tutorial will walk you through on setting up your blog on SiteGround.

Once you get your WordPress installed, it’s time to start choosing the right themes and plugins to help add some functionality to your blog.

Tips for The Mommy Blogger

Be Consistent

Starting a new blog is exciting. Most new bloggers find themselves writing content on a daily basis because they think that if they build it people will come.

The truth is that growing a blog is hard. I’d love to tell you that your blog will grow into a successful online venture in a couple of months. But the truth is that it takes time.

Don’t overwork yourself right out of the gate. As long as you choose a blogging schedule that you can live with, that will work. If you’re a brand new blogger, I recommend posting new content 2-3 times per week.

This blogging schedule will give you enough time to promote your content as well.

The most important thing to remember when deciding how often you will post new content. Ask yourself what are you really capable and can live with?

Know Your Readers

Every new blogger struggles with finding the voice and understanding what their readers need. The first few blog posts on your blog may not really be on topic or make a lot of sense.

That’s okay and trust me, we all go through it. If you go back and look at the old archives of popular bloggers. You will notice that their writing didn’t sound as amazing as it does now.

Heck if you check out my very first blog post on my blog. You will notice that it sucked. Sometimes I still write blog posts that do not sound that great.

We all learn how to write to our readers as we continue blogging. If you need some help determining who your avatar is, read this.

I know that you’re going to think that it’s a complete waste of time to sit down and figure out who your avatar is. That’s what I used to think.

Don’t waste your time writing a bunch of content that doesn’t speak to your readers. Otherwise, it is going to take you a lot longer to grow your blog.

Start Promoting Your New Blog

One of the biggest mistakes I made with my blog is I waited 6 months before I started working on the promotional aspects of my blog. For some reason, I wasn’t confident about my content.

I kept telling myself that people would eventually find me, so I kept my head down and wrote blog post after blog post.

You know what happened?

Nothing, my traffic never grew. Without traffic, you can’t make any money. You need to get your blog in front of people if you ever want to make it profitable.

One of the best places to start promoting your blog is Pinterest. I have personally seen a lot of mommy bloggers have huge success with Pinterest. Here’s a great article you can use to help you get your first 100,000 page views from Pinterest.

Word Of Caution

Chances are you have already typed in “How to get more blog traffic” or “how to increase my page views” into Google. We all do it at one point in our blogging business.

There are tons of different ways to grow a blog. One of the biggest mistakes you can make when you are trying to grow your blog is you spread yourself too thin.

Choose 2-3 traffic methods and use those methods. Here is what I am doing to learn how to grow a blog. When I first started this blog, I was trying to be everywhere it was so tiring.

The worst part is that at the end of the day, I was so exhausted and nothing ever changed. I finally sat down and made a plan. Now I know what I am going to be working on and where I will be spending my time.

It’s much better and the best part is that I am not running around trying to be everywhere.

Best WordPress Themes for A Mommy Blog

Now that you have your new blog set up, it’s time to start customizing it and making it yours. Now I am not a designer and personally, I don’t think that new bloggers should spend money on a custom blog design.

Once your blog starts earning money and can justify a custom design. You can then spend your money on a customized design.

One of the awesome things about WordPress is there are several WordPress themes that will make your blog look amazing. I am going to provide you with some of the most popular ones being used by other mommy bloggers.

Divi Theme

This theme is perfect for anyone who doesn’t want the confusion or spend time learning the ins and outs of a WordPress theme. It is a drag and drop theme that makes it so easy to work with. Elegant themes have put together a list of 15 examples of mom blogs built with this theme.

I use it for a lot of my current freelance clients and they love it. This theme makes it so easy for them to add elements to their theme without having to contact me.

Tasteful

Beautiful feminine themes that will make your mom blog pop. The Restored 316 Themes are beautiful and are designed with the female entrepreneur in mind. If you do decide to use one of the Restored 316 themes, you will need to purchase the Genesis Framework.

Working with Genesis does come with a learning curve. I am currently using the Genesis Framework for my blog. I’ve also created some basic Genesis tutorials to help you get started with it.

Recommended Plugins for Mom Blogs

Plugins are nothing more than adding functionality to your blog. Here’s a great article that will show you everything you need to know about WordPress plugins.

As a new blogger, the worst thing you can do is install tons of plugins on your blog. I recommend only installing the plugins that you will actually help you accomplish something.

When I was brand new, I used to install plugins because I thought that they were cool. I’d also install them because other people said that it would help me grow my blog.

The truth is that while a plugin can help improve your blog. There is not a plugin that I know of that is actually going to help you grow your blog.

Here’s a small list of plugins that can help you get your blog started on the right foot.

Akismet: This plugin will help you combat WordPress spam. As your blog starts to grow, you’re going to be bombarded with tons of spam comments.

Updraft Plus: You’re going to be working hard on your blog, the last thing you want to do is lose your virtual real estate. This plugin will help you create automatic backups of your blog so you can sleep better at night.

Social Warfare: This plugin makes it easy to have other people share your amazing content. You want your content shared as this will put your blog in front of other people. Make sure that you make it easy for people to find your social icons.

How to Start Writing Content for Your Blog

We’ve already discussed the importance of being consistent with your content. But how do you get started?

It’s scary writing your first blog post. I mean you’re putting yourself out there and it’s so easy to think that no one is going to listen to you.

Maybe you have thoughts going through your head saying “what gives me the right to write this, I am not an expert.”

Don’t let that stop you from writing your blog content. We all have those feelings, even though we don’t admit it 🙂

Writing content for your blog is so different than typing an email to your best friend. Yes, you’re going to be writing in a conversational tone on your blog.

But you want to make sure that you are searching for keywords that your audience will be looking for.

Also, you want to make sure that you’re spending some time learning how to properly optimize your content.

SEO (search engine optimization) can make the difference between landing on the first page of Google or not being found at all. Here’s a great beginner’s guide to SEO to help you get started learning.

Great Mommy Bloggers to Network And Grow and Be Inspired

Starting a brand new blog is challenging. At first, you’re so excited about your new venture. Once you have been publishing content on a regular basis, it’s so easy to abandon your blog.

No one is visiting or commenting. So you start thinking that maybe you’re not cut out to be a blogger.

The truth is that it takes a lot of work to grow a blog. Some people will grow faster than you. But that’s why it’s important to put your head down and focus on your blog. Don’t compare yourself to anyone else.

We all need inspiration and it is a lot easier to stick with blogging when you are actually making friends online. Here are some mommy bloggers that you can reach out and say hi to.

These women will give you the inspiration to keep going, especially when things just aren’t going the way that you want.

Twins Mommy – Elna Caine is the mastermind behind this blog. She helps mommy bloggers make money. You will get tips on how to grow your blog traffic, email list and turn your blog into a profitable money maker. She has a lot of great content that will help new mommy bloggers.

Start A Mom Blog – Suzi Whitford is the creator of this awesome blog. She started her blog as a creative outlet while her daughter was napping. Follow her to learn how to grow your blog into a profitable online business so you can stay home with your kids.

You Baby Me Mummy – Aby is the creator of this blog and loves blogging to help her readers grow their blog. Her hope is that one day her daughter will be able to read her childhood stories on her blog. If you are tired of struggling how to get blog traffic or can’t seem to figure out how to get visibility online, then follow her blog for great tips and advice.

There is no shortage of mommy bloggers. All you have to do is spend some time online to see how many moms have decided to start their own blog.

Many of them do not have any prior technical or marketing experience. Yet they have pushed past their limitations and have learned how to do what they needed to do.

They do not let their lack of technical knowledge hold them back from getting started. These bloggers understand that these things can be learned as they continue working on growing their blog.

If they can do it, so can you. Imagine how you will feel when you’re able to work from home doing what you love. Your family will thank you for all the hard work you put into your online venture.

Final Take Away

Anyone can start a blog. It’s one of the cheapest ways to start a business online. If you followed this tutorial, you have learned how to start a mommy blog.

Congratulations, you took the first step to taking control of your own financial destiny.

Now it’s time to hustle and grow your blog. No, you don’t have to go crazy like me. It’s 4:00 AM as I write this post. I always wake up early to work on my blog before I work on any of my freelancing clients’ websites.

My goal is to build this blog into a full-time business so I can walk away from my WordPress freelancing business.

So, while you don’t have to go crazy and work early in the morning like I do. If you are serious about growing your blog and making money with it one day, you do need to work on it every day.

That’s the only way that you’re going to take your blog from hobby to business.

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Are you considering starting a mom blog? What’s driving you to start your blog? Let me know, I’d love to hear why you’re wanting to join the millions of other bloggers online.