How to Start, Grow, Measure & Monetize a Blog

This is your first and only warning that this how-to will be both EPIC in length and in detail. Over the course of the past 12 months, I have been able to start, grow, measure, and monetize this very blog. A post like this would have saved me a lot of time and frustration. So today I am going to detail the entire process of creating a blog to ultimately flipping on the monetization switch. I am going to write the post that I wish I had when I launched Gen Y Finance Guy.

This comprehensive guide will also act as a standing resource that I can point people too who reach out for my help, and there have been a lot of you doing that lately. As you all know I am all about sharing and full transparency, but I am also very much about scalability. Frankly, the growing number of request is becoming a bit much for me to keep up with, thus this guide.

Scalability is the ability of a system, network, or process to handle a growing amount of work in a capable manner or its ability to be enlarged to accommodate that growth. Wikipedia

Don’t you hate those how-to posts that never really delve into the nitty-gritty details? Or what about those guides that only give you one piece of the puzzle? My promise to you is to be as detailed, specific, and as thorough as possible. The reality is that there are actually a lot of moving pieces when it comes to creating a successful blog. Thankfully advancements in technology have made the process manageable for normal folks like you and me.

There are likely four types of people reading this guide:

1. People who want to start a blog but don’t know where to start.
2. People who figured out how to start a blog but need help with growing, measuring, and monetizing.
3. Seasoned bloggers who want to optimize their earning potential online (specifically with passive income through ads and affiliate marketing).
4. Everyone else. You have your reasons.

Disclaimer: The blueprint I am about to layout is based on my own experience and research. Also, you should know that some of the links below are affiliate links and I will earn a commission if you purchase through those links. I have used all of the products listed below and recommend them because they are helpful and are companies that I know, like, and trust. Now that we got that out of the way, shall we start?

So You Want To Be a Blogger?

It has never been easier to get a blog up and running. You should know before you get started that this blogging thing is a lot of work if you want to do it right. Getting up and going is the easy part, the hard part is keeping to a consistent writing schedule. This is why it is imperative that you choose a topic that you are passionate about, something that you could talk and write about all day long.