On a daily basis, many individuals read internet articles about issues that interest them. Blogging companies develop blog material around certain themes that inform, educate, and amuse those who are interested in the issues covered by the blogs.
Table of Contents
Follow these ten steps to start a blogging business:
Prepare your Blogging Business
Create a legal entity for your blogging business.
Register your blog for tax purposes.
Create a Business Bank Account and a Credit Card
Create an Accounting System for Your Blogging Business
Get the Permits and Licenses You Need for Your Blogging Business
Purchase Blogging Business Insurance
Define your Blogging Company Brand
Make a website for your blogging business.
Configure your Business Phone System
Starting a company entails more than just registering it with the state. We’ve put up this basic guide to getting started with your blogging company. These stages will guarantee that your new company is well-planned, correctly registered, and legally compliant.
STEP 1: Make a business plan.
A well-thought-out strategy is vital for entrepreneur success. It will assist you in mapping out the intricacies of your organisation and uncovering some unknowns. Consider the following crucial topics:
What are the initial and continuing expenses?
Who is your intended audience?
How much money may you charge your customers?
Fortunately, we have done a lot of the legwork for you.
What are the expenses of starting a blogging business?
A blogging company may be launched with very little money. The two primary initial fees are registering a domain (which costs $15 per year) and paying for hosting (which costs $15 each month). Even while launching a blog on a free third-party platform, such as Blogger or WordPress.com, may reduce these fees, hosting on a third-party platform can make it more difficult to personalise, promote, and monetise a blog. Business owners with extra cash may wish to invest in any of the following areas:
Features that enhance their website’s design (e.g. a custom header or theme)
Content that boosts engagement (e.g. infographics)
Increased exposure advertisements (e.g. ads or sponsored posts on other sites)
Do you need assistance creating a blog? Check out our entire blogging guide!
What are the continuing costs of running a blogging business?
The continuing costs of a blogging company include domain renewal ($15 per year) and hosting ($15 per month). Blogs may incur recurring costs for content generation and advertising.
Who is the intended audience?
Blogs may be directed to anybody who has access to the internet. The manner of monetization may be tailored to the intended audience (as well as the type of content). For example, one travel blogging business that targets affluent travellers may use affiliate links to international cruise booking sites, whereas another travel blogging business that targets lower-income travellers may focus on promoting local attractions or day trip gear – both of which are less expensive than a five-star cruise.
How can a blogging company generate revenue?
A blogging company may earn money in numerous ways:
Most blogs may benefit from hosting advertisements that pay depending on pageviews or clicks.
For blogs that concentrate on a subject that readily ties to physical objects, using affiliate links that pay commissions on purchases made via the links is an excellent alternative (e.g. tech blogs or sports equipment blogs)
Selling digital items directly to followers on blogs that give a lot of helpful information may work (e.g. blogs on how to build websites)
Selling memberships to special material might also work for blogs with a lot of useful information.
Google Adsense is the most well-known advertising platform, although BuySellAds and Chikita are two of numerous additional possibilities. Advertising contracts may also be negotiated directly with advertisers. Amazon Associates is a well-known affiliate programme in which many bloggers join, but affiliate programmes are available on many ecommerce sites.
Blogs must give professional knowledge that is not commonly accessed for free online and is very beneficial in order to persuade followers to pay for unique material, either via a digital download or membership.
How much money may you charge your customers?
Blogs that offer digital items and memberships directly charge their readers, but the majority of blogs generate money via affiliate links, advertisements, and sponsored articles that merchants and marketers pay for. How much money a blog makes from these depends a lot on its audience and specialty. A blog on food, for example, would earn $0.05 every ad click, but one about education might earn $1.50 per ad click.
What is the potential profit of a blogging business?
The economic potential of a blog varies greatly based on its specialty and audience. Some blogs make a few hundred dollars per year, while others make tens of thousands of dollars (or more) every month. The most successful blogs often have built up a devoted following over time.
How can you increase the profitability of your company?
By exploring numerous monetization techniques, blogging enterprises may boost their profitability. They are not required to employ just one approach. Some blogs, for example, include affiliate links and advertisements in their postings, and they may even repackage content as downloadable ebooks.
STEP 2: Establish a legal entity
Sole proprietorship, partnership, limited liability company (LLC), and corporation are the most frequent business structure forms.
If your blogging company is sued, becoming a formal business organisation, such as an LLC or corporation, shields you from being held personally accountable.
STEP 3: File your taxes
Before you can begin for business, you must register for a number of state and federal taxes.
To register for taxes, you will need to get an EIN. It’s really simple and completely free!
Taxes on Small Businesses
Depending on the business form you choose, you may have multiple choices for how your company is taxed. Some LLCs, for example, may benefit from being taxed as a S company (S corp).
These guides will teach you more about small company taxes:
Taxes on LLCs
LLC vs. sole proprietorship
Corporation vs. LLC
S Corp vs. LLC
How to Form a S Corporation
S Corporation vs. C Corporation
There may be state taxes that apply to your company. In our state sales tax guides, you may learn more about state sales taxes and franchise taxes.
STEP 4: Establish a company bank account and credit card
Personal asset protection requires the use of distinct business banking and credit accounts.
When you combine your personal and business accounts, your personal assets (your house, vehicle, and other possessions) are at danger if your company is sued. This is known as penetrating your company veil in business law.
Furthermore, understanding how to develop corporate credit may help you get credit cards and other financing in your company’s name (rather than your own), lower interest rates, larger lines of credit, and other benefits.
Establish a business bank account.
Opening a business bank account is not only required when asking for business financing, but it also:
Separates your personal assets from the assets of your firm, which is required for personal asset protection.
It simplifies bookkeeping and tax reporting.
Create a net 30 account.
Net 30 accounts are used to develop and grow company credit while also increasing cash flow. Businesses use a net 30 account to purchase items and refund the whole debt within a 30-day period.
Many net 30 credit suppliers submit information to the main business credit agencies (Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business, and Equifax Business Credit). This is how firms establish business credit in order to get approved for credit cards and other lines of credit.
Apply for a business credit card.
Obtaining a business credit card benefits you in the following ways:
Put all of your company’s costs in one location to separate personal and business spending.
Build your company’s credit history, which will be important for raising funds in the future.
STEP 5: Establish business accounting
Recording your numerous costs and sources of revenue is crucial to assessing your company’s financial status. Keeping precise and thorough accounting also makes yearly tax filing much easier.
STEP 6: Obtain all required permissions and licences
Failure to get appropriate permissions and licences may result in significant penalties or possibly the closure of your firm.
Requirements for State and Local Business Licensing
Certain state licences and licences may be required to run a blog. Visit the SBA’s reference to state licences and permits to learn more about licencing requirements in your state.
Furthermore, local licencing or regulatory restrictions may apply. For additional information on local licences and permissions, please visit:
Check with the clerk’s office in your town, city, or county.
Contact one of the local organisations mentioned in the US Small Business Associations database of local business resources for help.
Other Rules and Regulations
The FTC regulates several aspects of blog operations. BlogHer has published an explanation of these restrictions.
STEP 7: Obtain commercial insurance.
Insurance, like licences and permits, is required for your company to operate safely and legally. In the case of a covered loss, business insurance protects your company’s financial well-being.
There are several sorts of insurance plans designed for various types of companies with varying risks. If you are unaware about the hazards that your company may encounter, start with General Liability Insurance. This is the most popular coverage required by small companies, so it’s a good place to start for yours.
Workers’ Compensation Insurance is another important insurance product that many companies need. If your company will have workers, your state may require you to purchase Workers’ Compensation insurance.
STEP 8: Establish your brand
Your company’s brand is what it stands for, as well as how the public perceives it. A strong brand will help your company stand out from the crowd.
How to Promote and Market Your Blog
A blogging company may be marketed via both paid and free techniques, such as sponsored articles and adverts. Guest blogging, in which a company owner produces a blog post that is published on another site with a link back to the owner’s blog, is one of the most successful means of promoting blogs without spending anything.
Blogging entrepreneurs often have social media profiles in addition to their blogs. Engaging people on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and other channels may help boost traffic.
How to Keep Customers Returning
By constantly providing high-quality material, a blogging company may build a dedicated audience. It is critical to consistently produce content that consumers find very instructive, helpful, or amusing. Infrequent or inconsistent publishing might have a detrimental impact on traffic.
STEP 9: Create your company’s website.
After you’ve defined your brand and designed your logo, the next step is to build a website for your company.
While developing a website is an important step, some may be concerned that it is out of their grasp due to a lack of website-building skills. While this was a fair concern in 2015, online technology has made significant advances in recent years, making the lives of small company owners considerably easier.
The following are the primary reasons why you should not put off developing your website:
Every genuine company has a website, period. When it comes to bringing your company online, it doesn’t matter what size or sector it is.
Social media accounts, such as Facebook pages or LinkedIn company profiles, are not a substitute for your own business website.
STEP 10: Install your company phone system.
Getting a phone for your company is one of the finest methods to keep your personal and professional lives distinct and private. That isn’t the only advantage; it also helps you automate your company, provides it legitimacy, and makes it simpler for prospective clients to identify and contact you.