ELENA PETERS | MIDLIFE BLOGGER

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Do you want to fuel your passion and share it with the world?

Are you looking to start a side hustle to help you pay down some bills?

Do you want to create a business that will reward you with passive income 24/7? 

Anyway you slice it, a blog can do all that for you. 

I get you!

I did everything right. I went to university, got a job, got married, had children. That’s what society tells us to do. So that’s what I did. But after many promotions and wage increases, I was still living paycheck to paycheck, struggling to spend quality time with my children and feeling more empty then ever.

I knew there had to be a better way, an easier way. Life shouldn’t be so hard, I thought. And where the hell was the fulfillment I was supposed to feel for following the rules? I wanted more than the pat on the back, I wanted to feel…abundant.

I literally stumbled into blogging when I was invited by a friend to write a few articles for her. When I seen the response my posts were receiving, I thought, “Why can’t I start a blog?”. So I did. I didn’t plan it or take a course. I bought a domain name and started writing. That’s it. And it was incredible! I felt something I hadn’t felt in years…passion.

It was a few years later that I finally realized that I could also make money with my blog. That was a truly, holy sh*t moment! You mean I can do what I love and get paid to do it? I am all in baby!

The benefits are awesomesauce!

Blogging has allowed me to quit my full-time job and work from home…in my pajamas. And I do that more often than I care to admit. But hey! I am the boss and I decide on my dress code.

Also, if you are a regular reader, then you know that in the past my mom was very ill and I had to take care of her. Sadly, she is no longer with us but I am so glad that I was able to spend that last year with her.

No other job on the planet would have kept paying me a salary while not putting in the hours. That is the beauty of being your own boss and creating a passive income.

Since starting my first self-hosted blog with WordPress in 2014,

• I have had over 6 million pageviews on my blogs.
• I consistently make close to $5,000 monthly. (See one of my income reports here.)
• I was able to utter those magic words, “Take this job and shove it.”
• I can work from anywhere in the world or
• …not at all when I’m just not feeling worky!

I have flexibility. I have choices. I have…freedom.

You can create the life you want, spend time with the people that matter to you and have the freedom and flexibility to work when and where you want to.

The best part: even though I am my own boss, I am never alone. I have blogging friends in almost every country and they are my biggest supporters, cheerleaders and teachers. I have a tribe!

I absolutely love blogging and I know you will too! Today, I am inviting you to follow in my footsteps!

Don’t be scared!

I have been where you are right now. You want to start a blog but you don’t want to make a huge financial commitment till you are sure blogging is right for you. I can appreciate that.

But I bet that you spend money everyday without a second thought. What if you forego one latte a month? Could you do that? I bet you could. And what if that small investment changed your life? I bet you would be willing to give up 2 lattes for that, am I right? That is all it cost to start a blog today.

Absolutely anyone can start a successful blog. And with the low introductory price of $2.95/month that I have exclusively negotiated for my readers from Bluehost, you can easily make that money back quickly and then some.

Plus, you will get a free domain name! How awesome is that? I’m not sure how long this special will last so be sure to take advantage of it when you can.

Bluehost has drastically upgraded their products and services in the last few years and they stand behind their brand with a 30 day money back guarantee. Their 24/7 customer service is always there for you too. I highly recommend any beginner blogger to start their blog using their hosting services.

Now, I know what you are thinking. “Why can’t I just start a blog on Blogger or the free WordPress platform?” Well, let me tell you that I have done both. Blogger was a total nightmare to use and the free WordPress platform, though great for hobby bloggers, is very limited in features unless you upgrade to their very top package. Which ends up costing more than double of going self-hosted!

Also, there are strict and limiting rules regarding making money on any free platform. If you are starting a blog with the intention of making money, with advertisements, affiliate links, sponsored posts or services, you need to be totally unrestricted so that you can maximize your earning potential.

Plus, a self-hosted blog gives you a professional image and shows that you are serious about blogging.

Bluehost allows you the chance to grow your business while keeping your start up costs low.

If you are currently on the free WordPress platform and are considering a move to self-hosted, check out my easy to follow guide here on how to do that all by yourself. I did it and so can you.

But remember, the longer you wait to transfer, the more you have to lose in terms of traffic and money. Do it as soon as you become committed to making money with your blog.

Still not convinced? Here are a few more reasons to choose Bluehost as your hosting provider:

• Easy to navigate with on screen step by step instruction if needed.
• Automatic WordPress installation.
• Chat and technical support available 24 hours a day.
• Affordable monthly plans starting at $2.95/month.
• FREE domain name.
• FREE SSL certificate.

 

 Are you ready to change your life and start a money making blog? I bet you are! Here we go…

You will need to click on over to Bluehost to start this process. Remember if you have any trouble with the process at any time, click the chat button on Bluehost or contact their technical support. They are super helpful and were able to help me immediately whenever I had problems or questions. Don’t be afraid to contact them.

Click on any image to start setting up your blog.

 

1. Select your plan

I suggest that you choose the basic plan for several reasons:

• If this is your first blog, you want to keep your costs low.
• You can upgrade at anytime quickly and efficiently.
• A long term plan means that you won’t run the risk of your site going down if your forget to renew your month to month payment or your credit card expires.

2. Choose your domain name.

This is probably the thing that will take you the longest to do and will probably give you the most stress. Here is a few tips to help you make your selection:

• Try to have your niche in your domain name if possible. (great for SEO)
• Do not have any symbols such as dashes in your name.
• Numbers can be confusing. Is it “1” or “one”?
• Don’t use words that can be spelled multiple ways.
• Make sure the domain name you want is available on all social media platforms before you start.
• Ask friends, family and other bloggers for input.

3. Fill out your information.

 4. Hosting Period and Extras.

Select the term for your hosting package.

Confirm or uncheck the suggested upgrades for your package.

I do recommend the Domain Privacy. It is worth the $.99/month to have your private information protected. I registered a domain once and forgot to check it. I started to get mail and phone calls like crazy! Took me awhile to figure out why but once I did and called Bluehost and they had it added to my package for me in seconds.

5. Enter payment information.

6. Choose a password.

7. Read and agree to Terms of Service.

8. Well done! Log in!

9. Choose a theme.

You will be prompted to choose a theme. Don’t make a big fuss about it, just choose one. You can change it anytime you want. You are not locked into the theme you choose right now.

10. You are ready to start building your blog.

11. Choose to go it alone or get help.

11. Start writing posts and building pages.

*If you have come to this post from the tutorial about how to transfer your WordPress dot com site to self-hosted, go back to complete the steps on that post now. Once you have successfully transferred your posts and pages, come back here to complete step #13 below.

13. When you are ready to go live, launch your blog.

 

 

You are a freaking super star! You are now officially a blogger with your very own special place on the internet.

Additional tips

• If you are a brand new blogger, I suggest you use a free WordPress theme till you get familiar with using the platform. Only then will you be able to make an informed decision about purchasing a theme. The key to the right choice is knowing what you need, want and require from your blog’s functionality. Remember that less is always more.
• Check out my post, 5 Reason’s I Didn’t Read Your Blog. Almost all of the reasons I list, plus the over 300 comments from readers, are design related annoyances that can be avoided.
• Create a few test posts with images and experiment with the layout of your blog.
• Check out other blogger’s designs for inspiration.
• Create your social media profiles using your new domain name.
• Join blogging groups on Facebook for support and information.
• Keep reading and learning about blogging.
• Check out my resources page for a complete list of the tools and plug ins that I use to support my business.

Congratulations! I am so proud of you for taking the first step to creating  your own online business. 

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