Do I Start Blog Free?
The answer is YES and NO. Here’s why.
When I first started blogging, I started with a free WordPress Site.
It didn’t look too hot (ugh) and I never really got anywhere with it. So in this case, my answer would be NO.
Maybe it’s because I wasn’t ready to start blogging yet but I suspect it’s more likely because I lacked SUPPORT and TRAINING.
Probably the latter.
Then, a couple of years ago, I discovered a far better way to start blogging free. And this is the way I recommend you start blogging free. This is how to turn that NO into a YES.
Because this is how to start a blog free AND get Support and Training.
The Better BEST WAY to START A BLOG FREE
Affiliate Disclaimer: I get commissions for purchases made through some of the links in this post (at no extra cost to you).
In November 2015, I stumbled upon Wealthy Affiliate and signed up for their Free Starter Membership which includes a free website.
While I was a Starter Member, I did Wealthy Affiliate’s Free Online Certification Course.
In this course I learnt:
- How to make money online
- How to find my niche
- How to create a niche site
- How to drive traffic to my site (free) using keywords (WA even provides a free keyword tool)
- How to create my first few pages of content
I created this blog: Toddler Teacher
I’ve done nothing to this blog since mid-January 2016 because that’s when I decided blogging was for me and it was time to up my game.
You can Start Free but Don’t Stop There
After doing this course and creating my first site, I realised there was real money to be made in blogging.
I also realised that to make money down the line I would need to invest some money upfront.
You can get some real figures in the first income report I published about 18 months after I started blogging.
On the 18th of January 2018, I signed up as a Premium Member so that I could take advantage of the rest of the Training, Tools and Support Wealthy Affiliate had to offer.
Which is a whole heaping LOT.
This was the best decision I ever made as a blogger.
Or should I say decisions?
Because I’m referring to my first decision – to try out the free membership and start a blog free.
And my second decision – to invest in more training and support once I was ready to go Pro.
To Go Pro it’s Best to Purchase Your Own Domain
Did you notice that my free site Toddler Teacher, has a long URL? Its full name is toddlerteacher.siterubix.com
Whenever you create a free blog it’s going to advertise the free service you’re using in your title.
My blog could just as easily have been called toddlerteacher.wordpress.com or toddlerteacher.wixsite.com.
Once you’re ready to start blogging as a business, you’re going to want to change that.
You’re going to want to buy your own Domain.
So in this case, if I’d decided to go pro with my test site, I would have purchased the Domain: toddlerteacher.com
However, by this stage, I had a couple of other names in mind.
Ready to Go Pro?
On 19th January 2016, I bought my two .com Domains, Happy Human Pacifier and Inspiring Mompreneurs from Wealthy Affiliate (for $13.99 each per year).
Are there brilliant bloggers who are self-taught?
SURE. But at some point, every one of them has invested in their education.
Either through trial and error, blood, sweat and tears. And years of experience.
Or through buying a blogging course and actually doing it, going through the steps.
- For me, I was ready to invest 2 months in.
- Others may only invest 2 years in.
- And others know they’re ready to invest 2 minutes in.
But I’ve never heard of any Top-Earning Blogger succeeding without any training or support.
In fact, many of them learn the ropes and then offer their own Training and Support.
Which is what Kyle and Carson at Wealthy Affiliate are doing. Paying it forward. They have the know-how and they are sharing it.
So… if you’d like to start a blog FREE and, in time, turn it into a business, here’s what to do next:
Sign Up Free Here
And then decide for yourself whether you want to upgrade to Premium.
Looking forward to welcoming you to Wealthy Affiliate.
If you have any questions, please feel free to pop them in the comments below.
Hi, Lauren,
Very inspirational post! You made me think how success (almost) never comes overnight and first you have to crop the seed to have the plant grown!
You are so right about learning stage – although you want to skip it, it is impossible, and you always come to the point you help! Wealthy Affiliate looks like a decent opportunity to learn how to make money from your blog!
What is the most significant advantage of becoming a member, according to you?
Everyone starts from somewhere and there is no better place to start than WA as it offers all the tools needed for someone that doesn’t need to know anything. You can practically start from zero. I highly recommend it.
Thanks so much for your personal recommendation of Wealthy Affiliate, Stratos.
You are so right, I started from zero and now have 3 sites, with another couple in the planning stages.
Hi Lauren.. thank you for a great article. I really enjoyed reading it!
I am aware of Wealthy Affiliate platform and how this platform provides the 3 things that I believe are needed for online success. Education, Website and Expert Help.
You are absolutely right when you say at same stage all bloggers invested time in education. I know I did! It all starts with education!
The other thing people forget is that ALL businesses whether offline or online require effort and time. It takes time to develop a strong business. I would say don’t expect much to happen in the first year!
I have bookmarked your site and will be visiting often to read more of your interesting articles.. keep up the good work!
Hi Moni, my pleasure.
And I agree with you on all your points. It took me at least a year to find my feet.
Interestingly though, I have seen some people (mostly young students) join Wealthy Affiliate and become successful a lot faster than that. Within a couple of months, they have stunning sites set up and are earning from them.
I think it’s all about how much free time you have and how internet savvy you are.
Wealthy Affiliate is an amazing platform when you want to start a blog. I am using it for some time now. It will help you get ranked in the search engines and generate traffic to your blog, This post will help a lot of people that want to start a blog…:)
Hi Dennis, Thanks for lending your voice to this post. Appreciate you speaking from your own personal experience.
Wonderful to hear you’re getting such great results and wishing you all the best as you continue to build your online empire.
Hi Lauren,
I’ve been wanting to start my own blog. I am a guitar player and I love talking about, reading about and I now want to start writing about guitars, guitar playing and guitar players.
Your post has helped me find that place to start and with the info you have provided, I might be able to start a career out of it which is even better. I will work through your information and try to make something of this.
Thanks for sharing, I am really happy I came across your post and I look out for future posts.
All the best,
Tom
Hi Tom, oh wow.
I’m so happy to hear you’re inspired to start your own niche blog.
I would imagine you would do very well with a blog for guitar players as you’re so passionate about your subject.
Looking forward to connecting with you at Wealthy Affiliate and following your progress.
All the best
Lauren
Very helpful post for those who want to know how to start and where to start. You really explained everything in a flow. I agree with you, learning and training is very crucial and helpful to get success. Keep sharing such useful posts. Have a great time!
Thanks so much for another lovely comment, Sarah. I appreciate you reading so many of my posts and taking the time to leave comments on each of them.
I just checked out your site too. Kiddieversity is gorgeous!
I’ll be in touch as I would love to feature you on Inspiring Mompreneurs if you’re keen?
Good post describing to start blog for anyone. I believe one need to find his or her passion for some activity and fond of expressing his passion . So anyone can start blog from scratch.
But on other side, to monetize blogs, things like SEO, quality content and good platform necessary to start online business model, and WA is best to get into hands from scratch !!
Such a great post to understand how blogging and monetizing it really works. I love how you relate your story and how honest you are in guiding your readers towards the right way of blogging. I definitely agree with you, anything worth doing takes time and during those times are training and taking action consistently. I also clicked on your income report and the reports are amazing, there are thousands if not millions of bloggers out there, but only a few have decided to keep going and learn the right way, just like any endeavor. I also loved your honesty. It’s very inspiring. Looking forward to more of your posts.
Great post! You have really mastered the system of blogging and monetizing your blog.
Awesome!
Cheers
LAUREN, as I read through your blog, I kept nodding my head agreeing with what I was reading. I too made a decision to sign up for the FREE TRIAL of Wealthy Affiliate training. On the third day of the week, after seeing all the great training available, the wonderful, helping community and the great hosting platform, I signed up for Premium membership. I have never regretted that decision. I now actually save money with my 25 free paid domain sites that come with my Premium membership. I have over 13 sites hosted there FREE, 4 of which are client sites which I get paid to work on. Just one of these paid website creation jobs paid for my entire year of WA Premium membership this year. I am so happy I made that decision almost 4 years ago. I totally agree with your blog – keep it up. -Shirley
Wow, Shirley. 13 Sites hosted at Wealthy Affiliate! That’s awesome, you’ve been busy.
Thanks so much for your wonderful comment confirming my opinion of WA.