How to start a lifestyle blog and make money in 2024? Beginner's Guide

Want to start a lifestyle blog the right way? You are in the right place.

We know that creating a lifestyle blog in WordPress might sound technical, but it's NOT rocket science.

The number one reason most people start blogging is to make money.

You can do it too because making money blogging is NOT hard.

Whether you want to start a blog to share your ideas or make money, it is advisable to choose a solid blogging platform like WordPress.

In this guide, we will therefore show you how you can create your own lifestyle blog using WordPress.

We will also cover all the other important aspects of lifestyle blogging including;

• The essential plugins to install
• What is a lifestyle blog?
• How to make money with a lifestyle blog
• A 5-step checklist and more

Let's go !

Contents :

What is a lifestyle blog?

Before we get into the details, let's first answer the following question: "What is a lifestyle blog?"

A lifestyle blog is a blog where you talk about your life, personal interests, or experiences.

A lifestyle blog mainly includes topics like;

• The fashion
• Human relations
• Fitness
• Food
• DIY (Do It Yourself)
• Travel and others

Most lifestyle bloggers talk about their daily activities or experiences and share their way of life. They also often give advice on how others can live happily, avoid mistakes, and become better people.

It is this unique combination that allows lifestyle bloggers to establish a “connection” with their followers.

So, if you want to become a lifestyle blogger and are looking for an EASY guide on how to start a lifestyle blog in WordPress and make money from lifestyle blogging, this article is for you. Let's get started without further ado!

How to Start a Lifestyle Blog in 6 Easy Steps

Step 1: Choose a memorable domain name

Once you've decided to start a lifestyle blog, the first thing you need to do is give your blog a name.

Before you even start a blog on WordPress, you must find a domain name.

A domain is the address of your website on the internet.

Facebook.com, Google.com, BlogPasCher.com, Amazon.com – these are some examples of domains.

Choosing the best domain name for your lifestyle blog is extremely important.

For what ? Because your blog's domain name defines your brand, so it pays to spend a few hours thinking it over.

We've purchased a ton of domains over the years, so we know a few things that can help you choose a memorable domain name for your lifestyle blog.

Always stick to .com

Although there are many TLDs (Top Level Domains), it is always a good idea to choose a domain with a .com extension.

For what ? Simply because most people instinctively use .com when typing a website address into their browser.

Also, a domain name with a .com extension is easier to promote, display on business cards, and grow your business. It is therefore advisable to stick as much as possible to the .com domain name.

Here's a fun fact about .com domains: Approximately 150 million .com domain names are currently registered. They are so popular that it can be difficult to find an available .com domain.

Use Instant Domain Search (free tool)

The easiest (and probably fastest) way to choose a great domain is to use free domain generator tools such as Instant Domain Search.

With these tools, you'll instantly get a ton of domain ideas.

Once you enter a keyword or topic, the tool instantly shows you a ton of available domains. Green results mean that the domain name is available for registration!

Finally, you can also take the time to find 3-5 domain names for your blog or enlist the help of others to finalize your domain name.

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Step 2: Purchase a web hosting plan

You have chosen the domain name of your lifestyle blog. Congratulation. What is the next step ?

You now have two options.

• One option is to register your domain with a domain registrar such as Namecheap, GoDaddy, etc.
• Another (best) option is to buy a web host that offers free domain registration.

Why is the first option a bad idea?

If you buy a domain from another registrar and you buy hosting from someone else, you need to connect them both. This is a time-consuming task and we do not recommend this option for beginners.

Where can I buy a web hosting plan that offers both hosting and a free domain?

The BEST option is Bluehost.

We are using Bluehost to host our niche sites and we've never had a problem.

Over 2 million websites are hosted by Bluehost. In fact, WordPress itself officially recommends Bluehost.

And the best? Bluehost offers affordable hosting plans along with free domain registration.

Bluehost's plans start at just $2,95/month (was $8,99 per month).

If you want a cheaper plan, you can choose the Basic plan which will cost you $2,95/month, which means you will only pay $35,40 for 12 months.

Once you have chosen a hosting plan at Bluehost, you will be asked to create a domain (which is free at Bluehost).

You can either register a new domain for free or skip this step to proceed to the payment page.

Quick note: you can set up your domain later and you will receive FREE domain credit from Bluehost. So you can register your domain now or later.

In the last step, you will need to create an account with Bluehost.

Once you have created your Bluehost account and made payment, you will receive a confirmation email from Bluehost.

That's it, you're done. You can simply use Bluehost's 1-click install option to install WordPress, and you're good to go blogging.

If you are not satisfied with Bluehost, you can get a full refund within 30 days of signing up.

Step 3: Customize your blog

Once you've installed WordPress on your lifestyle blog, it's time to start customizing it.

While you can choose free WordPress themes, if you want your site to look professional from day one, go for a premium theme. Most premium WordPress themes are mobile-friendly, SEO-friendly, and come with customer support!

Here are some recommendations that will help you easily customize the design of your lifestyle blog as you wish.

Kloe

Envato Market is the #1 platform where you can find thousands of WordPress themes and website templates. Kloe is one of best WordPress themes premium that are perfect for lifestyle blogs.

The Kloe theme comes with a ton of features, including 14 different homepage designs, 1-click import of demo content, full WooCommerce compatibility, image/video sliders, and more.

It costs $69 for a single license and comes with 6 months of customer support. If you are looking for a stylish fashion and lifestyle blog, this theme is the best choice for you.

Elementor Pro

Elementor Pro is the most powerful WordPress website builder plugin for WordPress. It helps you create forms, blog posts, image or video slides, and much more.

The advantage of using Elementor is that no matter which theme (free or premium) you choose, you can customize your site the way you want.

Elementor also offers a free version with limited functionality, but $59 per year is an attractive price to upgrade to the pro version of Elementor.

It comes with a plethora of features such as;

• A “drag and drop” editor
• Choose from over 300 beautifully designed templates
• Use their widgets to create anything you need, like buttons, titles, forms, etc.
• Access to the popup builder to create popups on your site to increase your subscribers and conversions.
• You can also create landing pages without any coding skills, and the list goes on and on.

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Step 4: Installing Essential WordPress Plugins

Once you've finished customizing your blog, it's time to install the most important plugins so you can run your lifestyle blog smoothly.

So what are the WordPress plugins you need for your lifestyle blog?

Although there is a wide range of WordPress plugins, here are some of the essential plugins you should install on your lifestyle blog.

WP Recipe Maker

Most lifestyle blogs cover “food” theme, if you are one of them, WP Recipe Maker plugin is a gift for you. It's a free plugin that lets you add recipes to any post or page with automatic metadata for your recipes.

You can also do a lot with this plugin like display nutrition data in a nutrition label, add “User Ratings” to allow your blog visitors to vote on your recipes without commenting, and more.

Contact Form 7

Every blog and website needs a contact page so others can get in touch with the website owner. Contact Form 7 is a free plugin that allows you to easily create and manage multiple contact forms. It is also the plugin of Contact form the most popular, with over 5 million active installs.

You can also customize the Contact form and mail content effortlessly. THE Contact form also supports various security features like CAPTCHA, Akismet spam filter, etc…

Rank Math

You need to optimize your content to improve your search engine rankings. This is where an SEO plugin like Rank Math comes in.

The SEO Rank Math plugin helps you optimize your blog posts (and pages) for your target keywords. You can also optimize for multiple keywords at once, add patterns, and more.

We've been using the SEO Rank Math plugin on our site for a long time, and it's by far the best WordPress SEO plugin.

WP Rocket

Website speed is extremely important because it affects both your search engine rankings and user experience. One of the best ways to speed up your page load times is to enable page caching.

You can use a premium caching plugin like WP Rocket (we also use it to run this blog) to improve your website speed.

Alternatives : You can also try W3 Total Cache which is free, although not as powerful as WP Rocket.

jetpack

This is another powerful WordPress plugin that is essential to use no matter what topic you are blogging about. Jetpack lets you do a lot of things, from your blog traffic stats to spam protection, security, backups, and more.

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Step 5: Write your first blog post

Most people wait to publish their first blog post. They expect to have PERFECT ideas. They want to be successful with their first article.

But there you have it: your first blog post doesn't really matter.

Do not delay and do not expect perfection. Publish it.

Your 100th blog post will be MUCH better than your FIRST blog post. Never forget that.

If you're wondering what to write about, here are some ideas you can consider for writing your first blog post on your lifestyle blog.

• Start with an introductory article where you talk about your lifestyle
• You can also directly address the type of content you are going to create
• What you hope to accomplish with your blog
• Start with lifestyle blogging tips
• Write about the people who inspired you to start blogging (and link to those people).

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Step 6: Promote your lifestyle blog like a pro

More than 2 blog posts are published every day. Did you know that the number one reason most bloggers quit? The lack of traffic.

If you're not getting traffic, it's extremely difficult to keep posting new content. It's always best to come up with a promotion strategy before you even launch your lifestyle blog.

If you're wondering how to increase traffic to your lifestyle blog, use these smartest promotion strategies.

Contact other bloggers

Networking is the most important thing when it comes to succeeding online. The best way to promote your blog is to connect with other bloggers in your niche. First, list 30-50 lifestyle blogs in a spreadsheet, including their blog URL.

Then try to find their email addresses (you can use tools like Hunter or just subscribe to their newsletters). You can then email them regularly to give them ideas, praise their work, or email them whenever you link to their content.

Be active on Pinterest

Lifestyle or fashion blogs use a lot of attractive images. So what is the best social media platform to share these images? Pinterest.

If you're a lifestyle or fashion blogger, you should use Pinterest because you can find tons of recipes, home ideas, style inspiration, and more.

Did you know that in Q2020 442, Pinterest had XNUMX million monthly active users worldwide? This means you can drive a lot of traffic from Pinterest. So go create a Pinterest profile and add your website links if you haven't already.

Start chatting with other people on Facebook groups

You can use Facebook groups to connect with other lifestyle bloggers. There are tons of lifestyle groups you can find on Facebook that make it easy to connect with other bloggers.

Do not use these groups to blatantly promote your content. Instead, seek to add value to the group by responding to comments from others, sharing your knowledge, etc.

Choose one or two Facebook groups to actively engage with others. Once everyone starts seeing your helpful posts or replies, you'll automatically start getting attention, which will ultimately result in increased traffic.

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How to make money with a lifestyle blog?

You now know how to create a blog in WordPress. What's the next most important thing? Monetize your lifestyle blog.

How to make money with a lifestyle blog in 2024?

While there are plenty of ways to make money blogging as a beginner, here are some PROVEN ways that most lifestyle bloggers make money from blogging.

Affiliate Marketing

The benefit of monetizing your blog with affiliate marketing is that you earn passive income. This means that you earn money even while sleeping.

So how do you make more money selling affiliate products on your lifestyle blog? Here are some proven methods that have helped us generate thousands of dollars through affiliate marketing.

Choosing the Right Affiliate Products

There are millions of lifestyle products that you can promote as an affiliate. Choosing the best affiliate programs that suit your target audience is key to generating more sales.

There are also many platforms where you can find great affiliate products for your lifestyle blog;

• Amazon Affiliate Program
• ClickBank
• CJ.com
• Shareasale

Visit these affiliate networks and become an affiliate (you can join each one for free). Then you can choose suitable products to start generating affiliate income from your lifestyle blog.

Write honest product reviews

Once you have a list of lifestyle affiliate products to promote on your blog, you need to start creating reviews for those products.

By creating authentic product reviews, you will get the following benefits;

• Building a relationship of trust with your audience
• You will attract traffic from search engines
• It's easier to generate affiliate sales with helpful product reviews.

Don't write random product reviews. Have a plan. Try to make your product reviews as detailed as possible and let your audience know how these products can benefit them.

See how other bloggers are promoting their lifestyle

Another quick tip to boost your affiliate sales is to see how other top lifestyle bloggers promote their affiliate products to their audience.

Ask yourself the question;

• Do they create content to promote their affiliate products?
• Do they offer special offers or discounts to boost their affiliate product sales?
• Do they generate most of their sales from affiliate product reviews?
• Does he use special pages such as "Resources" or "Tools I use" to promote his affiliate products?

By carefully analyzing your competitors' websites, you'll get loads of ideas that you can implement on your own lifestyle blog.

Sponsorships and Paid Reviews

One of the most common ways lifestyle bloggers make money is through blog posts and sponsorships.

If your lifestyle blog gets a lot of traffic (or at least 100 hits/month), you can attract lots of potential brands to post their sponsored posts.

Just make sure the brand you're promoting is somehow relevant and useful to your target audience. If you don't, you risk killing your blog's loyal readership.

The best way to attract sponsors to your lifestyle blog is to create an advertisement page where you can mention your website stats, benefits of covering a brand or product on your site, etc.

For example, this is what the A Beautiful Mess lifestyle blog referral page looks like;

You can also try sponsored article networks like “Blog Meets Brand” to connect with great brands in your industry.

You can also try selling your own products, such as e-books, online courses, fashion or beauty products, etc. Carefully analyze your competitors and you will find many solutions.

How to Start Your Lifestyle Blog the RIGHT Way: A Simple 5-Point Checklist

It's much easier to create a lifestyle blog. But when you start a new blog, you are likely to make many mistakes that could cost you dearly in the long run.

So it's helpful to have a checklist for starting a new lifestyle blog. Here is a simple 5-point checklist that will help you launch your lifestyle blog the right way.

1. Find your niche: Although the lifestyle industry is profitable, you can't just write anything. It is important to identify a "specific niche" in order to dominate and be profitable in the long term. Analyze your competitors to find their best performing content.
2. Choose the best domain name: the domain name is what remains forever. It cannot be cancelled. So spend as much time as possible find a domain name memorable, short, creative and easy to remember. You can also use free blog name generator tools like Domainr, Lean Domain Search, etc. to come up with ideas.
3. Find a good web hosting service: Your web host plays a key role in such important areas as security, website speed, performance, and more. So don't go for a cheap or free hosting service to save money. Always go for reliable brands like Bluehost, which have been in the hosting market for decades.
4. Create an editorial calendar for content: When it comes to blogging, consistency is the key to success. Nobody likes you posting content irregularly on your blog, do they? Not even Google.

When starting a new blog, create an editorial calendar to plan your blog posts, ideas, and drafts in advance. You can also use free plugins like Editorial calendar to easily manage your content.

5. Set goals for your blog: What do you want to accomplish with your blog? Do you want to build an audience? Do you want to make profit? First determine the goals of your blog. Then break them down into small achievable goals, such as;

• Get your first 100 subscribers (1 subscribers, 000 subscribers, etc.)
• Generate your first affiliate sale (10 sales, 100 sales, etc.)
• Obtain 100 visitors per day (500 visits/day, 1000 visits/day, etc.)

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FAQs on Starting a Lifestyle Blog in 2024

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about how to start a lifestyle blog and make money from home.

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Final Thoughts on Lifestyle Blogging

Don't wait for the perfect day to launch your lifestyle blog. Get started today because it only takes a few minutes to get started with WordPress if you're using a web host like Bluehost.

Once your blog is launched, analyze your competitors, target the right keywords, create engaging content, and choose a monetization strategy to succeed. Also network with other fashion or lifestyle bloggers to share ideas, help each other and achieve success together.

What do you think ? Do you have questions about creating your own lifestyle blog? If so, let us know in the comments.