I’m always preaching how a blogging business can be started with literally $0. And that is true.. you can, but like any other business out there, for it to progress, you will eventually have to make some investments.
Today I’m going to be sharing with you 8 investments worth making for your blog. If you’re new to this and you do not wish to spend any money right now, that’s ok: You can see how to start a free blog with WordPress using my guide.
Before I go on, I’d like to say that these investments and product are what have helped ME in my journey to creating a successful blogging business. You might not see any value in investing in some of the ideas I’m about to share with you.
As with everything in life; Make sure you do what you think is best for you!
Here we go…
8 Investments Worth Making For Your (New) Blog
Your Own Domain
While using a free service (such as SiteRubix) sounds like a less expensive option to getting started, I would really like you to consider getting your own domain to start with.
If you want to just “test” this out, then yes start a free blog using SiteRubix but once you decide this is something you want to do, please splurge $10 and secure your own domain.
Having your own domain looks much more professional and it shows everybody you mean business.
It’s always good to “own” things online. Never let your content and effort be “controlled” by a 3rd party.
If you’re going to make the effort to build a successful blog (and make money off it), make sure nobody can mess with it.
Hosting? Maybe
If you’re going to buy your own domain, you’re going to need somewhere to host it and your content.
Good reliable hosting packages start from around $5 and continue upwards (depending on how many traffic your site gets). In a short while I’m going to show you how you can get free hosting. Just stick with me for a second.
Whatever option you choose, you need to have hosting. It is a must.
We recommend SiteGround or BlueHost for your hosting needs.
An Email Autoresponder
You don’t have to have an email list, you need it.
Email marketing can help you scale your blog incredibly and if you build your email list properly, it can result is a huge boost of traffic and sales.
READ: Email Marketing: The #1 Way To Keep People Coming Back To Your Blog.
Personally I use Aweber to manage all my subscribers but a free option exist to those that just want to test if email marketing really is as great as I’m saying it is.
It’s called Mailchimp and you can get started for free but you will have to start paying once you reach a certain number of subscribers on your list.
A Mobile Friendly Theme
It’s 2015 and the world is mobile. Even Google last April did a major update that gave mobile optimized themes a boost in rankings. It was called “Mobilegeddon“.
Your site needs to be absolutely “mobile friendly” if you want to survive in this new mobile world.
Nowadays even most free themes are coming out as “mobile friendly” but some of the older ones aren’t so make sure you pick a theme that is.
If you want to know if your blog is mobile friendly, you can use this tool to find out.
My theme is mobile optimized and it looks great on mobile (drop me a comment if you’re reading this on mobile).
If you want to get one like it, I invite you to check out my Elegant Themes review.
Buffer
Buffer is not a requirement, but it would definitely be an investment worth making for your blog.
For those that don’t know, Buffer is a social media management tool that will allow you to schedule updates on major social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn.
It’s available (with some limitations) for free but a premium version will only cost you around $10 a month.
$10 might seem like an extra expense to some bloggers but if you can afford it, get it because it definitely is worth it.
*Please note that automating all your social media is not a good idea. I tend to automate my updates but as far as interaction goes, I make sure to spend ample time on my chosen networks engaging with my followers.
PopUp Domination
Pop ups are hated by a lot of people and I do understand why, but pop ups have also proven to be one of the best ways to get email subscribers on your list.
If you’ve been on my blog for 30s or more, you’ve probably came across my pop up promoting my free ebook.
*If it bothered you I’m sorry but I’m sure it only took you 2s to get rid of it and you won’t be seeing it again for a month. See that wasn’t too bad was it?
So should you get a pop up service for your own blog?
If you’re serious about building your email list, yes definitely. The conversion rates are crazy on the popups.
The popups you see on my blogs are generated by PopUp Domination. A plugin you install on your WordPress blog that will generate the pop up for you.
It sells for a one time payment of $47, which I know is not cheap but I assure you it’s worth it. You can check out PopUp Domination here. <affiliate link.
Wealthy Affiliate University
Ahhhh… you knew this was coming right?
I love Wealthy Affiliate and I think everybody should be on there.
It’s too good of an opportunity for anybody that wants to make money blogging, that’s why I want you to join me in there so I can mentor you.
If you can only afford one investment on your blog, then make sure it is Wealthy Affiliate and here is why:
- High quality training on everything related to blogging.
- Super cool website management system.
- Free hosting. <This is how you get free hosting!
- Free keyword tool.
- A community of bloggers and experts.
- Las Vegas incentive.
- 100% FREE to get started.
- and much, much more….
If you want to know more about WA, check out my previous articles and my official review of Wealthy Affiliate.
Your Time & Effort
We can talk about great tools and education all day long here but if you are not willing to invest your time and energy into your blog, all else is going to fail.
Starting a blog business is a lot like starting any other business out there (except it’s cheaper). Starting a business is hard work and blogging is no exception.
If you want to start a blog, be ready to work on it for months before you see any return but I promise you, it really is worth it and fun.
3 Things You Shouldn’t Spend Money On!
Now that I’ve told you my recommendation of things you should invest in, I’m going to give you 3 tips on where you shouldn’t invest.
Content Writers
Unless you’re a huge blog making $1000s a month, do not hire content writers. It’s just an extra expense and unless you’re spending above $50 per article, you’re getting poor quality content.
Graphic Designers
You do not have to be a Photoshop guru to run a blog, you don’t have to hire graphic designers either. All your design needs for your blog can be done on Canva.com for free. Check it out, thank me later in the comments below.
SEO Services
Don’t ever spend any money on SEO services such as “buying backlinks” or this sort of thing. These are bad for you, your site, your rankings and your business. All you need to do to get rankings is just create original and helpful content.
A Quick Recap Of Investments You Should (& Shouldn’t) Make On Your Blog
Definitely
- Your own domain. (NameCheap is my favourite)
- Email autoresponder (free if you use Mailchimp).
- A mobile friendly theme (I suggest Elegant Themes for this).
- Wealthy Affiliate (at least a free membership).
- Your time and effort.
Maybe
- Hosting.
- Buffer.
- PopUp Domination.
Just Don’t
- Content writers (at least not until you can afford the best writers).
- Graphic designers (Just use Canva).
- SEO Services (just write unique, entertaining content. You’ll be ok).
So there you have it folks; 8 investments worth making for your (new) blog.
What are your thoughts on this? Have you ever used any of the services I just mentioned? Do you have any other recommendations you can share?
I’ll be happy to hear your thoughts below.
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Thanks for stopping by. Talk soon.
CLV
