Whatever your reason forstarting a blog, youre faced with an overwhelming number of options to do it.
You dont want to go the cheap route and wind up with an amateur-looking blog.
And you dont want to waste money on something you could get for free or do yourself.
Enough small talk.Here are some waysto earn extra cash, without all of the social stuff.
1.GoDaddy
The Penny Hoarder special rate: $0.99 for your first domain (12 months).
2.HostGator
Introductory rate is $5.95/month, paid for a three-year term ($214.20).
3.Bluehost
Introductory rate is $3.49/month, paid for a three-year term ($125.64).
6.X Theme
This theme comes with four entirely different, yet totally customizable Stacks.
Each one is easy to manipulate for a completely unique design.
I also foundthese simple themes from Paul Jarvis.
Theyre all simple to use and focused on content.
And they come at a good price:
7.Ponder
FREE!
A theme that showcases your words andonlythose on the front page.
8.Contents
$39 as of this writing, but looks like itll increase to $49 soon.
A visually appealing blog for writers.
9.Nada
$39 as of this writing, but looks like itll increase to $49 soon.
A theme with no features easy to use and fast to load.
10.Photos
$39 as of this writing, but looks like itll increase to $49 soon.
These are my favorite free WordPress plugins:
Get a calendar view of your publishing schedule.
13.Bottom of Every PostandTop of Every Post
Use one of these to add text to each post.
Choose tested plugins that will give you the most benefit and use them sparingly.
Free Graphic Design Tools
Customize your blog to showcase your personality or personal brand.
Use a custom header, buttons and logos.
If you want to create your own, use a free photo-editing site.
Create and download your images for free, or add premium elements for $1 per download.
15.PicMonkey
Touch up photos or create a design from scratch with this free tool.
For more options, upgrade toPicMonkey Royalefor $4.99 a month.
16.99DesignsorCrowdspring
Outsource the design through these online marketplaces to find quality, affordable designers.
On each site, designers will offer ideas, and you choose your favorite.
Here are some places to find free high-quality photos:
17.
Note the specific license of photos you choose, and attribute accordingly.
MorgueFile
Browse the archivesfor unique, high-quality free photos.
25.Soovle
Use this keyword tool to find the most-searched words and phrases.
Include those in your headlines and content to help more readers find your blog.
26.Hemingway
This free editor helps you clear your writing of complicated, meandering sentences.
Readers will appreciate your more concise posts!
Free and Easy Ways to Promote Your Blog
Whew!
You have a blog.
Now you need readers.Building a website is challenging, but promotion is a never-ending feat.
Thankfully, it doesnt have to cost any money just time.
28.Hootsuite
Save time by writing and scheduling social media posts all at once.
Hootsuite lets you schedule posts for Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and more.
you’ve got the option to also read these platforms feeds all in one place.
29.Buffer
Also for social media management, but limited compared to Hootsuite.
I love Buffer for its cleaner interface and integration with other apps.
Its great for sharing interesting posts and resources.
30.Google Docs, et.
Networking and guest blogging is your strongest promotional tool as a new blogger.
Your Turn: What tools do you use to save money on your blog?
Disclosure: A toast to savings!
Thanks for allowing us to place affiliate links in this post.
Dana Sitar (@danasitar) is a staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.
Shes written for Huffington Post, Entrepreneur.com, Writers Digest and more.
Probably not as good as youd like.
It always seems like an uphill battle to build (and keep) a decent amount in savings.
But what if your car breaks down, or you have a sudden medical bill?
Ask one of these companies to help…
