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You might be excited to blog, but what about blogging expenses? How much does it really cost to start a blog? In this post, you will find out estimated blogging costs you need to start your blog. Before you do the calculation, I have to tell you blogging is still the cheapest way to invest, and make money online in the long run.

You can literally build a blogging business with a little amount.

Many bloggers like you get scared to jump into blogging just because of spending some money and finding out what to do next.

Blogging is still less expensive than other online money making models. If you do it with passion, determination, and interest then you can easily make passive income with your blog.

Tell me,

Have you ever thought of making $1000 or $5000 every month with your blog?

I assume, your answer is in no! Why? 

Because, you never thought that way! 

Speaking of my 3+ years of experience in blogging, I can tell you that blogging is more like a business these days. You got to spend money to make money! As simple as that.

And, blogging doesn’t cost any big investment. You can start with the most important purchases and then, invest in your blog with time.

Nothing is free!

Have you ever think of any business idea without spending money? Even if it’s just about selling juices at a park. You got to have some money to book a stall, food factory to prepare juices, fruits, juice cups, etc. 

Just like that, your blog is your small investment. Even if you plan to sell it someday, you’ll still make some money. A blog flipping expert talks about making money with blog flipping in this post. 

When you treat your blog like a business, you understand that it’s important to spend money on your blog to make money. When I started this blog, I was scared of investing in new tools or even digital products but as soon as I shifted my mindset towards blog as a business, it all got better.

You can’t expect to launch a blog with free resources as it doesn’t work that way. Not just you need to make blogging expenses but also dedicate focus, time and enough dedication. Now, I make sure to buy an ebook, course, and tools to educate myself with the latest tools, and strategies.

You can also check out my best recommended blogging tools.

But, the truth is, you can make a really good income with a blog. I make money with this blog. Many bloggers are making a six-figure income with their blogs. Crazy, right?

Now, it didn’t happen overnight for them but they put hours, and years into their blogs. Just like people do with their business.

This post may contain affiliate links. That means, if you click through and make a purchase using an affiliate link, I may earn a small compensation at no extra cost to you. For more, please read the full disclosure here.

3 Reasons Why You Should Avoid Free Blog Platforms

Many readers wonder about free blogging and free hosting platforms. Why would I pay for website hosting when I can start a blog on a free WordPress or other blogging platforms?

You can start a blog on a free platform, and pay nothing but your blog will be very limited. You will not be able to grow it like others do. There are so many reasons why pro bloggers don’t recommend free blog platforms. 

I’m telling this from my personal experience. I was on free wordpress.com almost 5 years ago and my best decision was to start my new blog on the paid platform.

Let’s read a few important reasons;

1. Your blog will be limited in terms of monetization. That means you’ll not be able to make significant money and grow your blog in the right direction.
2. There will be no option to buy or customize your theme. And, free themes are simply not the best and enough for an impressive blog design.
3. No use of useful plugins. 

I have a complete post on the difference between wordpress.com vs wordpress.org that you should read!

Blogging Expense: How Much Does It Really Cost To Start A Blog?

Take a look at the initial blogging cost that a blogger needs to make to launch a blog.

1- Buy a domain

In brief, a domain is the name of the website on the internet. In your case, it’s your blog name. The very first step in starting a blog is to find out the blogging niche, and then, searching the domain name availability.

I use Namecheap to buy domains. You can simply get your domain name for as less as $12 – $15 per year. With Namecheap, it’s simple and quick to renew your domain names at cheap cost. 

The very first thing you need is your domain name. Brainstorm your blog name, and find it on Namecheap.

2- Blog Hosting

The next important thing you need to start a blog is to buy the hosting. It is where your site files are stored on the internet. But, wordpress.org is where you will post your blog posts, and build your website for readers.

Installing wordpress.org is free when you get your website hosting. As you get your site hosting, you can simply install wordpress.org with one click. That’s it.

As you install it, you get a WordPress dashboard where you start building your website, add blog posts and set up other things.

What about blog hosting?

I recommend bluehost as the best website hosting company. I have been with Bluehost when I started my blog, and I’m very happy with their support.

Bluehost is fast, reliable, and comes with a wonderful support team.

The initial plan starts at $3.95/m and you also get a domain name free for one year. 

When you are about to pay for hosting, I would encourage you to pay for at least 12months – 36months in advance. This way, you can avail the discount and save a good amount of money. Otherwise, all companies almost charge double at the renewal time.

That is why I suggest paying at least 12 – 36 months upfront price. It’s a smart trick for saving your money in advance but if you want to first test and try your hosting company then buy the plan for at least one year.

If you pay for 12 months in advance, you pay $47.4
If you pay for 24 months in advance, you pay $94.8
If you pay for 36 months in advance, you pay $142.2

That means you can pay from $47 – $142 to get your website hosting for one to 3 years. It totally depends on your pocket budget and how much you want to pay upfront. 

Click here to get your hosting at Bluehost and also, get a free domain name for one-year.

That’s an additional saving of $15 for the domain value.

Now, the third step.

3- BLOG THEME

Did you know that a site design or theme is the first thing someone notices when they land on a website?

Recently, I asked in my Facebook group about one thing that they notice when they visit a blog.

Surprisingly, the uniform answer was blog design! 

Trust me, it’s that important.

Now, you can choose a free blog theme from WordPress and start your blog right away which is totally fine. But, I don’t usually recommend free themes to my readers.

Free themes will not allow you to customize your design. Most free themes are not SEO competitive, and can also cause mishaps. There are so many other factors like unique design, customized features, new elements, integrations and customer support that come along with premium themes.

I also shared most important reasons why bloggers must invest in premium themes.

Here are a few themes I love to recommend;

• Genesis Framework + Studiopress themes

You need a genesis framework for which a studio press theme is built. That means you need both to run a compatible website design. My site runs on the genesis framework and a customized child theme. If you want a strong SEO theme then I highly recommend using the Genesis Framework.

If you want to set up genesis framework then check out this tutorial to set up genesis framework and studiopress themes.

• Elegant Themes

If you want a complete solution for your website design requirements then I recommend Elegant themes. When you buy elegant themes, you also get DIVI theme. It’s one of the best selling and popular theme on the internet. As said, you will have to drag and drop widgets to design your site the way you want.

If you want to take a look at Elegant themes features and how to set up then check out elegant themes review and pricing details.

• Bluchic Themes

Bluchic themes have become my favorite recently! The theme designs at bluchic themes are sleek, clean and beautiful. You can simply pick your best theme design, and just install it on your site! Every theme comes with tutorials and customer support which makes it super simple to install and activate.

<<Check out stunning bluchic themes>>

• Restored 316 Themes

Another option is to buy a theme from Restored 316. They have a vast collection of theme designs in almost different categories and their themes are also cheap.

<<Check out beautiful themes here>>

Now, you get a variety of themes to choose for your blog. I have only listed the best wordpress themes above. Just pick one for your blog and start building your blog.

As simple as that.

TOTAL BLOG INVESTMENT TO START A BLOG

Here’s a quick overview of how much money do you need to start a blog. 

1- Domain name = $15

2- Hosting = $95 for 24 months (You don’t have to pay anything for coming 24 months. When you buy hosting with Bluehost, you can also get a domain name free for one year. That saves your $15)

3- Blog theme = $60 – $130

The total blog cost should be less than $200.

I’m sure it’s not too much for you to invest in your blog in the beginning months. 

WHAT ARE SOME OTHER BLOG EXPENSE?

To be honest, you can use the other free available tools to run your blog. And, when you are ready to invest a little more, you can get other tools.

Some other important areas to invest are;

• Social media scheduling tools – Tailwind for Pinterest ($15) and Hootsuite ($10)
• Email Marketing Tool –  Mailerlite, Constant Contact, and Convertkit.
• Stock images
• Blogging Courses + Ebooks
• Graphic designing tools

But, the best thing is that you don’t need to invest in all of these things when you launch your blog. You can even do it after 3 months of launching your blog. That would be fine.

That is why I have always recommended making money with a side hustle so that you can easily make an initial investment in your blog and once, it starts making money, you can easily afford blog expenses from your blog. 

READY TO START YOUR BLOG?

By now, you must be clear with all doubts and have a clear understanding of how much does it really cost to start a blog.

To get started, I have this comprehensive guide to help you create your own blog! I have used this exact process to start this blog and I’m so happy with my decision.

All you need is a small blogging cost today that will make you a huge amount of money in the future. 

Best of luck!

If you have any questions feel free to drop your comments below. I would be happy to answer them.