Not very often do you find a dad that is looking to start a blog of their own as moms seem to be the perfect candidate for the job.
Being a blogger myself (obviously), I think otherwise.
Women are wanting to join the Infantry and be all Miss Independent, which has changed a lot of the way the world actually works.
Parenting has changed as a result form this so called new world and I also think that dads have a huge impact on their children’s lives these days and have actually inherited the motherly gene that once was heavily favored by moms.
As a result, more and more dads are filling the work from home space and blogging has gone from a way of expressing yourself to making a full-time income for some.
Being that this is also my full-time gig and one of the dads that have gone down the non-traditional route, I would like to share this little “secret” of how to start a dad blog that you can of course rant on and on about how parenting is so awesome but I also want to show you how that blabbing can be turned into cash.
So for those of you who are interested and are looking to make something out of the internet, this post is for you.
Here’s a brief overview on what we will be discussing today.
- What is a blog
- Building your foundation
- Niching Down
- Necessary tools
- Monetizing your blog
- Your blogging schedule
- Getting Started
- Final Thoughts
What is a Blog?
Back to what I mentioned at the beginning of this post, a blog is really nothing more than a piece of online real estate that you can use to share thoughts, ideas, and everything in between.
The word blog actually comes from the word weblog just so you know how everything was started.
In the world of making money online, things are slightly different as there are some technical stuff that is required if you plan on making that money.
So of course you will be sharing something you are already interested in (parenting), but I want to show you how things are done in a way that you will actually find success.
But before we get into the fun stuff, there are several things you need to understand before you find yourself scratching your head later on down the road.
First, blogging for money is something that takes time.
I don’t mean a week or two but rather months or even over a year for some people.
If you are into quick money, then blogging is not for you.
If you can put in the work now even without making a penny, the end reward is beyond worth it, so please don’t let this part discourage you.
Secondly, blogging takes work.
Don’t think that by posting an article on how to change a baby’s diaper will make you millions of dollars tomorrow.
Lastly, your overall site works as one.
Just because you did 10 blog posts in a row does not mean you will get ranked in Google to start getting traffic.
Google looks for related posts to your chosen niche but they most especially want to know you’re a real site that publishes on a CONSISTENT basis.
Don’t be one of those bloggers that posts 10 days straight and then goes MIA for two weeks.
Get on a blogging schedule and stick with it.
If you can only do 3 posts a week then so be it.
Just don’t do what said not to do.
I’ll cover more on your blogging schedule later in this post but let’s get into setting up your blog so you can get started asap.
Your Foundation
Sure we want to vent and let out some frustration or share a passion of yours through our blog posts but you need to do this in a way that will work for you as well as the people you plan on catering to.
Doing something like a parenting blog is one of the best routes to take as you can be as narrow as you need to be or broad to almost step into any lane and still have it work.
With a blog, you usually want to narrow things down to a very specific niche.
The dad/parent topic is probably the only one that can cover anything and everything but I still don’t want to confuse you.
As a soon to be online businessman, you still want to narrow things down so that you don’t get overwhelmed.
In the beginning you will most likely think that you can do it all.
I want to talk about parenting, sports, and dogs.
That is the perfect recipe for a failed blog so I want to save you from shooting yourself in the foot by telling you that going that route is not the best idea.
If you are going to do a dad blog then do it.
If you are going to do a dog blog then stick to Bingo and articles related to him.
Let me just cover more on that with another point so you don’t get confused
Niching Down
This is probably the most complicated part of this whole blogging process and something that took me ages to grasp.
When you start your blog, you will most likely think on something like parenting, which is perfectly fine.
As a beginner though, you always want to focus on something very specific if parenting is not really what you are interested in.
Something along the lines of baby strollers, car seats, or even tips for dads will do.
Remember that each of these niches can still expand into different topics but by focusing on something specific will allow you to find success at a faster rate.
Find your niche, focus on building out your blog with related content and I can promise you that the money will follow.
Necessary Tools
There are some key components of a blog and I want to show you what you absolutely need.
Everything else that you might have come across in the past or have heard about from other bloggers are nothing but extras, so I’m not going to focus on them for now.
The main thing of course is going to be your actual website.
You want to go with something that you will be proud of and that is why I always recommend you go with something you can brand.
For my dad blog, I went with the domain www.askdads.com and although it has the name dads in it, I actually focus on a lot of different things that aren’t even related to dads.
Do remember that I have a team of writers working with me on that site so just stick with the narrow niche until you start making money.
Training, support, and some coaching is what I think most bloggers are lacking.
You can find a lot of free information online but knowing the basics is a great way to get you stumped and ultimately quitting.
Support is a big deal as you need somewhat of a co-worker/partner(s) to keep you on track.
There is nothing worse than trying to figure out how to create a header just to find out that it was a simple click away.
Although simple and easy to understand, the technical aspect of a blog can easily overwhelm you.
The biggest thing you could possibly need as a blogger is the right mindset.
Just like it goes with any business, the same thing applies to a blog.
With these simple tools alone, you will very much be equipped to start that dad blog and make money online.
Monetization
Everything will be pointless if you don’t know how to make money, right?
Well this part of this post is going to show you the different ways you can make money as I’m sure you are curious about this.
The first way is the obvious one and that is through advertising.
You see ads all over this site and I make money from them.
There is Google Adsense that will pay you when someone clicks on an ad on your site but there are also sites like Monumetric and Mediavine that actually pay per view.
Both networks work but it’s all on a matter of what you are going to implement as your means of making money.
I have sites that don’t use ads at all and that is simply because I have a goal of making money through affiliate marketing.
This is the most common way for bloggers to make money and this is responsible for 80% of my income.
Become a partner with sites like Amazon, feature products on your site, and make money if someone makes a purchase after clicking on one of your links.
This is the absolute best way for anyone to make money online and my #1 recommended business for anyone who is looking to get out of the rat race.
You have probably made some blogger money by doing research (probably like how you did before landing on this post) and then taking some type of action on a product they had on their site.
By simply clicking on a link and getting lost in cyberspace, you contributed to the efforts of a fellow blogger.
Make sense?
All this is simple but without some type of structure, you will not make it.
Your Blogging Routine
With all the tools in place and your new knowledge of making money with your blog, I want to leave you with somewhat of a schedule and plan that will keep you on track.
Without this, most people will quit and end up becoming another statistic of failed bloggers.
Treat your blog as the real business it is as that is how you will succeed online.
Treat it like a business and treat it like a job because it is going to be the one to pay the bills, right?
I went from blogging on the dining table of my mom’s house to a full on office.
Get the necessary tools and change your mindset on what a blog is and you will be good to go.
For me, I actually have a blogging schedule that I try to stick to as life will always take over leaving me without a blog post for days.
Being that you are a dad, the kids will definitely get in the way so find a way to manage your time.
I get up at 4 in the morning to get my work done before everyone wakes up or I won’t get anything done.
Once they get up, I try to do a little here and there but we eventually find ourselves at the mall or doing something that isn’t work related.
I can’t stress enough about how consistency is key, so keep moving forward and do not let your site sit without any content for more than a week.
Getting Started
There are so many necessary parts to blogging and it can get confusing and heavy on your wallet if you don’t know where to go.
One company focuses strictly on building websites, one only does hosting, and some even only sell domains.
Back in the day you had no choice.
You literally had to get each of your site’s components from different providers.
I got my domain name from Godaddy and had it hosted with Hostgator.
And did you think any of these companies showed me how to make money with my blog?
Of course not.
I had to learn that somewhere else too.
So after all these years of growing and evolving, the same site that taught me how to make money with a blog has now incorporated getting your actual domain directly on the site.
They already had hosting but you had to go elsewhere to get your domains, which wasn’t a big deal but just wasn’t as convenient as they have it now.
This same company is called the Wealthy Affiliate.
On top of all the tools and needs for a blog, there is a community of online entrepreneurs that will help you along the way.
Not to mention their live chat feature and endless amounts of training on anything and everything related to making money online.
So if you want the complete package, you definitely want to get with those guys.
You can always do one piece at a time as that will always work but I definitely recommend WA.
Of course you will have to pay but they do offer a free trial that allows you to gain access to the site to see what they have to offer.
They also offer two free websites but it does come with their Site Rubix extension.
Conclusion
Start your dad blog.
I run this site, my dad blog, and have created other sites on various niches that are all passions that I have.
Whatever you do, do not listen to anyone who tells you that you can not make money online.
I have been working from home for the past 4 years and guess how I made all that money?
Through my blogs!
You can and will do the same so please get started and don’t look back.
I hope this post has showed you how you can start your very own dad blog, so do go out there and take some action.
Thanks for reading and good luck!