If you are considering starting a blog with the intention of making money from it, or already own a blog and are looking for ways to make good money from it, you’ve come to the right place.

Blogging is an incredible way to express and share your passion, make a difference, refine your writing skills, build your professional network, earn exposure and most importantly, make money.

We asked Matthew Woodward, an award-winning blogger who earns 7-figure monthly income from his blog, to tell us the secrets behind his success. Here are his sentiments regarding how one can start a 7-figure blog:

Decide what to blog about

According to Matthew, the first step is to decide what you want to blog about; this could be anything from fashion to food, travel to lifestyle, education to career and so on. It should be something that you enjoy doing because otherwise, it will feel like a lot of work. Your aim should be for your website to become the sought-after resource for its niche or topic.

what is niche

Select a blogging platform

If you want to study, you’ll need a class. The same principle applies to the blog. You need to have a blogging platform to blog. You can pick one of the many blogging platforms, including WordPress, Squarespace, Blogger, Weebly, Wix and so on. However, Matthew warns against using a free blogging platform because it only limits the potential for success. According to him, WordPress is an ideal option because it is free, simple to customize, easy to use and is designed with bloggers in mind.

choose blogging platform

Choose a domain name

Domain name is the address of your blog. If you don’t have ideas, you can use your name or go for something shareable, catchy and short. Matthew advises that the name be easy to type, memorable and should target your niche. He also discourages the use of hyphens and numbers in domain names.

choose domain name tips

Setup web hosting and WordPress

You’ll need a hosting company to get server space so that your blog can be online and accessible to everyone. A good hosting company means that your blog will be accessible to anyone around the globe every single second, all year long. According to Matthew, a good host should be budget friendly, allows for easy WordPress installation, include a free custom domain and offers 24/7 support. Once you have your host, you can then install WordPress.setup hosting wordpress

Design and use your blog

Think of design as the body language of your blog – it will either make or break your website. Go for a theme that’s simple and clutter free, optimized for speed, mobile responsive, SEO ready, easy to customize and has built-in shortcodes.

design customize your blog

Include content

Content is king, without content, it will be hard for prospects to find your website. The secret is to publish relevant and high-quality content on a regular basis. Examples of content include videos, articles, blogs, pictures, audios and so on.

Link building

Other than publishing content on your website, you can also have your content published on authority sites, and have them link back to your site. This will help you drive in more prospects, and in the process, help build your brand name. You can also use social media for link building and to market your platform.

There you have it; the top tips for how to start a blog. Follow them religiously and you’ll be headed to the top.