To validate the quoted startup capital, I’m assuming that you have access to a computer with internet connection. I’m also assuming that you know how to write well-researched articles. You should also be someone who can follow instructions.
Good. Let’s proceed.
You’ve heard that people make money blogging and you wonder how that is even possible.
Today, I am going to show you how to start a profitable niche site / blog by yourself. And you are not going to sell your kidney to get started.
Well, the process by which people make money on the internet looks something akin to this:
- Identify a need.
- Look for a solution to that need.
- Put that solution behind a “Buy Button.”
- Drive traffic to that button and cash in.
However, there are very many details that you must grasp to be able to actually make money online. I don’t want to confuse you with many unnecessary details at the moment.
If you are going to make any money online, you are going to need a solid plan. Our plan here is to make passive income from a niche site.
We are also going to spend the least amount of money possible to get off the ground (we will only buy a domain name and hosting). That s where the quoted figure comes in.
You can start a profitable professional #blog in Kenya without spending loads of cash. Click To TweetFirst things first. We need to identify our niche and build our website for it. It is important to identify a viable niche (a crowd of eager followers/prospective customers).
Once you have the site up and running, you will feel a sense of satisfaction within you, which will spur you to move to the next level.
Just stick with me and you will have your site up and running in no time.
Here are the steps you should follow to start a profitable niche site / blog in Kenya if you are utterly broke
1. Getting your domain name.
Your domain name is your address on the web. It is where your prospects will find you and consume that which you have for them.
The domain name should be memorable and relate to the subject of your site. Avoid using domain names that are hard to type e.g. those with dashes and underscores. People may forget to put the modifications and end up landing on your competitor’s site.
In this example, I am looking at a niche site that deals with carpets.
The best way for me to find a niche is by identifying a common problem that people tend to have. Providing a solution/help to such people is quite a sustainable niche.
When you think niche, you should think of someone who is looking for a solution to a problem that is depriving him of sleep. If you can solve that problem, you are in business!
Other niches are those that offer thrill seekers satisfaction. Something like gambling (Sportpesa and the likes) is a very lucrative niche. I do not encourage gambling though. In fact, I discourage it.
If you already have a niche in mind, well and good. If you don’t, then you need to conduct thorough keyword research to help you identify a profitable niche. Focus on long tail keywords; they are less competitive and more focused.
After defining your niche, coin a memorable name for it. You can use Name Mesh to find the perfect domain name for your niche site.
Go to Kenya Web Experts and purchase the name. Use the promo code HOST to get the domain name at KES 580. That is a whopping 42% discount. (You will only qualify for this discount if you buy the domain name with a hosting package).
Here are the five reasons why I recommend Kenya Web Experts
- They are simply the best local hosting company. They offer tons of storage space and bandwidth at a fraction of what it costs with other hosts
- Their servers are quite stable.
- They have responsive customer support. If you don’t get them on phone, they call back as soon as possible and you can speak to them in Swahili.
- They listen to customer recommendations. When you have a suggestion about how they can make their services better, they take it in and implement it.
- They have an Mpesa till number. When you pay for hosting and domain name, there is no service charge. Plus, you will get up to 42% discount off a .com domain of your choice through the link below. Code is HOST.
2. Getting your hosting
After buying your domain name, select the starter package. Once you select this, they will automatically generate and map for you the name servers.
Add your details as appropriate in the slots. This is the account you will be using to manage your domain name and hosting account.
Once you are through with adding the items into the cart, the system will generate for you an invoice. Check out via Lipa na Mpesa and you will be redirected to the checkout. After paying, enter the transaction code to validate payment.
They will email you all the details. These are the details you will use to access your cPanel account to set up your blog. Use the details to log into your cPanel account and start creating your blog.
3. Designing your blog
First of all, I recommend that you run your website on WordPress. It is one of the most popular content management system out there. The best part of it is that it is free (open source).
Now that you are in the control panel, follow these steps to install your blog. Make sure you choose a theme that goes with your site. There are many free themes you can choose from. However, if you have money to spend, I recommend StudioPress themes.
If you do not know how to use the control panel, you can also choose a ‘Done-for-You’ service. My website creation service uses premium StudioPress themes.
Once you have finished designing your site, you are ready to start publishing.
4. But just before you start publishing…
Do not rush to start publishing.
You need a sound content strategy. Some of the questions you should answer to address this issue include:
- How often will you be publishing?
- How long will your content be?
- What type of content will you be publishing?
- How do you intend to promote your content?
After answering these questions, create a spreadsheet for the content strategy.
Here, the keywords you generated when you were coming up with your niche site idea becomes handy. Use the keyword list to develop content ideas and use those ideas to create content for your site.
After populating your spreadsheet, get busy and start creating content. Write like you’ve never written before. Write helpful posts that people can read and recommend to others.
If you spin content, nobody will read it and the search engines will not touch your content with a 10-feet pole. That is a dangerous place to be.
After creating enough content to run for at least 13 weeks, Schedule the posts in your blog.
Promote your niche site to build links. Links help you rank better
You now have a beautiful niche site with awesome content. However, is anyone seeing your content?
Probably not.
To be noticed online, you need to market like crazy.
If you have never been on social media, now is the time to create your social media accounts.
Join as many forums as you can (of course they should be related to your site). Help people and recommend your posts if they address the problems that people face.
Write for other blogs and comment on posts.
Guest post on authority websites and magazines in your niche.
Build an email list.
Use Google and Facebook Ads if you have to.
Promote like you have never done before.
5. How do I make money now that my blog is up and running?
Beautiful question.
Your blog is now up and running, and your traffic is rising steadily. Use any of the following methods to monetize it.
Amazon affiliates is one of the most popular niche site monetization programs out there. Create excellent content, build links (promotion), and monetize the content by incorporating affiliate links in your site.
You can recommend different products in your niche. Every time someone buys through your link, Amazon will pay you a commission.
You can also offer professional service for your local market. For instance, with a domain name like the one you see in this tutorial, you can offer carpet cleaning services or even sell carpets yourself.
Do you have any question about how to start a profitable niche site?
Let’s discuss in the comments.
Wow helpful.
You are welcome Nduta. You can now move your blog to its domain without having to spend so much