Anyone who tells you that blogging is free is wrong.
I am going to share with you…
The Real Cost to Blog!
Because, quite frankly, I had no idea that it could be so expensive.
But now let me qualify the statement above. If you are just blogging as a writing experience with no goal to monetize or no expectation to expand from blogging, then there shouldn’t be any cost to you.
For those of us who hope to monetize though, money has to be invested.
What makes up those costs?
Domain Name
Actually a minimal investment as a domain name is not very expensive at all.
Logo
Having a logo is optional, but you will find that most bloggers who are successful will have a logo. It helps you build your brand that you can use for your social media, business cards, blog images and so much more.
Blog Host
There are free hosts such as WordPress.com and various others, but if you want flexibility with your design and to own the content, self-hosted is key. Additionally, on the free sites, you usually cannot monetize.
Blog Design
There are many free templates available, but again, if you want flexibility, you will have to either purchase a more premium template or hire a Designer. I would suggest that you make your list of “must have’s”,”wants” and then do your homework.
Email Host
Completely optional, but it will enable you to use your name @ your domain name such as denise@denisedesigned.com. Google Mail for Businesses is a great option.
Software Programs
There are many different software programs that you may want to purchase such as:
- Photoshop for pictures
- Viral Tag to schedule your pins
- HootSuite to schedule your FB and twitters updates
- many more
Business Cards
If you plan to attend any conferences or want to advertise your site when you meet people, you will want to have business cards handy.
General Graphics
Using your own photos is always the most desirable images to include in your posts. However, there will be topics that you may not have your own images to use. In that case, you will have to pay for an image. Sites such as istockphoto.com or dreamstime.com enable you to purchase photos for alomst anything.
Blog Conferences
Attending a blog conference is not required, but if you are serious and want to build your network and your blog, a conference is helpful. You can learn great tips and tidbits of info while meeting new people and networking.
Webinars, Classes, Books, Etc
There will be so many things that you did not realize you needed to learn such as simple html coding, social media strategies and so much more.
Camera
A good camera is a must for those professional looking photos. Many people will say, content is key. Content is key to keep your readers coming back, but how professional your site and posts look is also important.
Post Content
For someone like myself that does DIY or Design posts, there are things that I will need to buy such as craft supplies and decor. Not all blogs are those in which you will have to pay any monies for content, but definitely something to consider when you decide what you are going to blog about.
Advertising
Ads can be built both on Facebook and Twitter, but are like any marketing campaign…cost money.
Promotions
Giveaways give your readers something for stopping by. While it would be ideal to have all your giveaways donated, the reality is that they are not. Giveaways can be offered with a group of bloggers so that the cost is split amongst you. The costs are then lower, but costs nonetheless.
Time
Blogging can be a full time job in itself. Just typing out a post takes maybe an hour or two. You may only post once a week. If that is the case, then you won’t spend much time at all. Most bloggers who are building their site, audience and network will blog more…anywhere from 3-5 times a week. In addition to the posts though, there is the time spent on social media. You don’t have to tackle all the mediums but you should pick a couple, at least, to focus on.
Blogging can be very rewarding, helping you achieve your goals. However, it can also cost a lot of money and time.
There are those that say, just wait until you get it up and running and then invest. There are those that invest on the front end to, perhaps, get ahead sooner rather than later. There is no right answer. Whichever you choose, you will have to invest something. But as long as you understand and recognize the potential costs, you will be much better prepared and successful.
There may be some of these that we will discuss later more in detail!
Are you saying that on WordPress.com, you do not own your own content? And you can not monetize? I thought you could. I am in the planning stages. I have not started, but this could change my whole plan. I was going to use wordpress, but if I can’t have advertisers, then maybe I do need to start right off with my own website. Hummmm…food for thought. Thanks!
On .com you can now have one advertiser that they offer. Can’t remember the program or name of it. And no…you do not own the content. If you have any violation, even unknowingly, if you they shut you down, you lose the content. I’ll shoot you an email with some good links to check out.
Thanks Denise…I appreciate having a heads up before I get to far. I will be looking for those links.
Some great points! I am just starting to monetize and had no idea all of the work, time, investments that it requires. It can be a bit overwhelming, and I’m having to take a step back and really think about what I want to achieve and how to do it. When I first started blogging, I thought it was just about content and that if I produce good content, I could monetize eventually. It’s definitely so much more work than that!
Amen! Time seems to be my most expensive right now.
Blessings,
Angie
H.O.P.E. Home School Consulting
I just started a blog in January with WordPress.org, Bluehost, a domain name and a purchased theme. I haven’t tried to monetize yet other than putting a link to my own Tupperware site on my homepage. I do want to venture into that arena. However, I want to learn the ropes a bit before jumping onto that bandwagon. Thanks for sharing your post. It was extremely helpful and insightful.
Great tips, I totally agree self hosted is so much easier and better if building a business with your blog. I think sometimes we don’t think about the smaller costs when explaining i the cost this is a great breakdown Thank you for it.
Hi Denise,
I found your blog through the 100 Day Better Blog Challenge. This post is something I wish I could have found before I started my blog in January. I knew there would be a minimal initial expense to get it set up, but I was unprepared for the amount of time I would spend tinkering with the way it looks and writing posts for it. I knew it would be a lot of work, but I underestimated just how much! You’ve provided tips here that I didn’t even consider like getting an email host and logo; thanks for the honest explanation and advice!
Time is definitely my biggest expense right now. I can’t even believe the amount of time I spend…and so little of it is actually writing 🙁
I learned the hard way about a lot of this. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything! As a SAHM my site gives me my thing to do… I am still learning and appreciate your ideas!
In some ways, I wish I had read something like this before starting down my own blogging road. However, I am also glad I never did, as I may have talked myself out of it, and what a blessing blogging has been for my family. Happy to find your little corner of the web today thanks to #bb100
I love this post, because it’s what’s real. No matter what, you have to have money to make money. I think it’s well known, and blogging is no exception. Once you start monetizing, you will want to monetize more. Unless you know how to get readers or have some incredibly supportive people on my side, you will have to hire SEO people, PR people, etc. The costs go up greatly!
When I started, I started with my custom blog, my own domain name, own email addy, etc. I would recommend that if you are wanting to be serious that you do the same.
Thanks for this post! I am sharing. Also, thanks for linking up with us for this blog challenge1
This list is totally why I am just not digging in that deep with all the fancy blogging stuff! I can’t afford to pay someone a couple hundred dollars to make me a template! It’s crazy how much it can cost. Visiting from BYB.
Thanks for posting! It does cost a lot of money to blog…and a ton of time. I enjoy doing it -but, there is really no guarantee I will ever make up all the time spent or money for that matter! Again, at least I am having fun!
Great post! I am new to blogging and you don’t realize how quickly everything can add up. Stopping by from the BYB challenge.
Cheers,
Lisa
Yep, I had spent quite a but a dough already and hubs told me I needed to advertise and I got so upset that I’d have o spend more money, but it’s a key. WP is particularly stringent on the no monetizing when using their free blog; I will say it was nice going to self hosted since you get a lot of support that you otherwise wouldn’t receive. Great tips!
Decorating. Blog tips. Sounds like some good stuff here! Will be reading more! #BYB100
This is a great post, very informative! I was actually grappling with business cards, wondering if something so un-techy would work for spreading the word on my blog, I will definitely get some! Did you start on a wordpress, blogger, etc platform and then move to your own site, and if so, how was it to make the move? Was it challenging to get your audience over to the new address (I own my domain name, so I imagine if I moved it at least the address would stay the same). Thanks in advance for any advice!
Thank you for this great information! I just looked at HootSuite, and it’s fabulous! I really appreciate you taking the time to put this list together. #BB100
Thanks! I will consider your ideas.