I was 17 years old when I first started a blog for free. At that time, I was in high school and not having enough money to start a professional blog. After checking online tutorials, I started my first blog on Blogger.com
If you’re looking for the same solution, this blog post is just for you.
Here, I have shared a detailed step-by-step guide to start a blog for free and make money.
Trust me, this blog post will be going to be a one-stop solution for all people who wants to start a blog for free online.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s dive right in and start our journey below.
- Free Blogging Platforms
- Blogging on Quora
- Quora’s advantages and disadvantages
- How to create a blog quora
- Blogging on Medium
- Medium’s advantages and disadvantages
- Blogging on WordPress
- WordPress’s Advantages and Disadvantages
- Blogging on Blogger
- Blogger’s Merits and Demerits
- Blogging on Wix
- Wix’s Merit and Demerits
- Make Money from Free Blog
- FAQs about Starting Free Blog and Make Money Online
- Over to YOu
Free Blogging Platforms
A blogging platform is simply a pre-made website, installing which you can quickly write, edit, and publish blog posts online. Whether it’s free or paid, selecting the blogging platform is the first step to creating a free blog online.
For your convenience, below, I have covered more than one free blogging platform in detail. You can select any one of them as per your choice.
Blogging on Quora
When it comes to free blogging, you can also use the social platforms available online. Quora is one of them.
With over 300 million people using Quora, it’s a goldmine for bloggers who want to start a blog for free.
As on October 2022, Quora ranked 59th globally based on traffic stats provided by the SeMrush.
This will help your blog to get discovered quickly without doing anything besides writing.
Furthermore, with effect from 2018, Quora also allows you to monetize your content and make money.
This can be done with the help of the Quora Partner Program and Quora Space Program.
Quora’s advantages and disadvantages
Wondering? Why you should start a blog on Quora? No problem, the below list of significance will answer your question.
Merits
- Being a popular website, getting visibility for your blog is easier
- No limitation on adding blog posts and commenting.
- Quora users are very diversified and targeted. It is very easy to convert your users into leads.
- In-built traffic of Quora can provide free traffic to your blog.
- Being a high-authoritative website, it will give a great boost to your blog’s SEO
- No need to worry to install and design the blog
Demerits
- Customization is not possible beyond one limit
- No way to schedule posts
- Design differential is not possible. Your blog will look like a Quora only.
- Can’t have the Custom Domain for your blog
- Strict BNBR (Be Nice and Be Respectful) policy.
Now, if you choose Quora as your blogging platform, please refer to the below step-by-step instruction to make a quora blog. These steps are very simple. And, within a few clicks, your Quora blog will get ready.
How to create a blog quora
- First of all, create an account in Quora if you already don’t have one.
- Log in to your account
- Click on the top button, next to the notification to visit the ‘Space’. Next, create on ‘Create a Space’ button to create a new space.
- Write the Name and Description of your blog and hit on the ‘Create’ button to create a Quora blog.
That’s it. This will create a blog on Quora. In the next step, it will ask you to import ‘Contacts’ to gain followers. You can skip this step as of now. This is because there is no logic in sharing the blog without proper configuration.
Once created, please follow the below steps to configure your Quora blog. This involves Coloring, Branding, and Marketing your blog online.
Blogging on Medium
Medium is another best platform to start a blog for free and make money.
It was launched in August 2021 and currently has more than 100 million readers.
At Medium, you can self-publish your stories, grow your audience and make money from it.
It also allows you to import blog post stories from a given URL. Needless to say, a canonical tag will be used here to prevent duplicate content issues.
Monetization will begin with applying to the Medium Partner Program and once you’re in the program, you can earn money either from Reading Time or Referred Membership.
Obviously, like Quora, Medium is also available for free to use. You don’t need to invest even a single dollar to start publishing on Medium.
It should be your obvious choice if you want to start a blog on a Social Networking site but don’t like Quora.
Medium’s advantages and disadvantages
Below I have listed the advantages and disadvantages of using Medium for blogs.
Merits
- You can target a bigger audience for free.
- A well-optimized platform for Search Engines including Google.
- An in-built community can provide you with free traffic to your blog post.
- No need to worry to install and design the blog
Demerits
- Customization is not possible beyond one limit
- If you want to reach a larger audience, you need to promote content on other platforms as well.
- Design differential is not possible. Your blog will look like other blogs only.
- You can’t have the Custom Domain for your blog
- No control over the content. A medium can shut down anytime without information.
Loved the Medium? Want to start your first blog on Medium? If yes, you may follow the below steps to start a blog on Medium.
- Sign-up for a Medium account first. If already registered, log in to your account.
- Once logged in, go to Stories to start publishing articles on it. You can click on ‘Import a story’ to import stories from other locations using a URL.
Publishing on Medium is as simple as posting on Facebook. All you need to do is fill in the required input fields and hit on the ‘Publish’ button on the top right side of the screen.
Yes, this is actually not a blog but simply posting articles on Medium. What if, you want to start a dedicated blog on Medium? In such a case, you need to enroll for a paid subscription of $5 per month.
In a medium, a self-hosted blog is called a Publication. You need to subscribe to its paid subscription to create a Publication on Medium. And, once created you can read and publish as many articles as you want.
Don’t worry, there is no major difference between the Free and Paid version. In both cases, you can publish your content on Medium.
The only difference between them is- You can’t create a Publication using your free Medium account.
Blogging on WordPress
WordPress should be your first choice if you don’t want to start a blog on Social Networking platforms.
But, when it comes to WordPress, you should remember one thing- There are two types of WordPress available online.
WordPress.Org is a free open-source blogging platform. You need to download and install it on your server to create a blog.
However, you can create a free account on WordPress.com and have access to a hosted version of WordPress.
We will discuss WordPress.com here.
Like others, on WordPress.com, you can create an account and start the blog for free.
WordPress’s Advantages and Disadvantages
There is no doubt in the fact that WordPress is the first choice of the blogger when it comes to starting a blog online. However, every coin has two sides. Below, I have highlighted some of the major advantages and disadvantages of using WordPress for creating a blog online.
Merits
- Unlike Social platforms, your site will actually look like a blog on WordPress.
- It includes many user-friendly advanced options and features on it.
- A large active community to help you out with any problems related to WordPress.
- If you decide to advance your blogging career, WordPress can customize it accordingly
- Easily migrate to WordPress.Org when you’re ready for a professional blog online.
Demerits
- Require basic technical knowledge to configure and start a free blog on WordPress
- Being a popular platform, WordPress is very vulnerable to security problems.
- Customization beyond one level is not possible in the case of free WordPress.
- Default WordPress is not SEO friendly. You need to configure it entirely for better performance and results.
- Need to upgrade to paid version for a custom domain and install plugins.
- No custom domain is available
If you’re looking for a long-term career in Blogging, WordPress should be your first choice. This is because WordPress support all kind of advanced customization and can easily migrate to WordPress.Org whenever you are ready to launch a professional blog online.
So, What are we waiting for? Let’s learn below how to start a blog on WordPress.com for free.
- Register and log in on WordPress.Com
- Choose a domain name.
- Choose a plan type
- Next, a few screens will appear asking you basic questions like Type of Blog, Category, Name, Tagline, etc.
That’s it. It will create your free blog on WordPress.Com. Next, you will be redirected to the admin dashboard where you can configure and publish your first blog online.
Blogging on Blogger
This is my favorite platform to start a blog online. I started my first blog on this platform.
Started in 1999 and acquired by Google in 2003, Blogger.Com is the oldest blogging platform available online.
Unlike others, bloggers will allow you to add a custom domain to it.
All you need to do is- Go to the Publishing option available under the Setting page. Next, click on the ‘Setup a 3rd party URL for your blog‘ button.
Here, it is also important to note that Blogger is only meant for publishing blog posts online. You can’t build an online store using Blogger.
However, this can be done using WordPress. WordPress can allow you to build any type of website online
Blogger’s Merits and Demerits
Here is a quick comparison table of the advantages and disadvantages of blogger.com
Merits
- Completely free to use
- Can add a custom domain to it
- Quora users are very diversified and targeted. It is very easy to convert your users into leads.
- Been 20 years old, it is the most popular platform to build a free blog online
- Unlimited storage available
Demerits
- Advanced customization and a unique look are not possible with a blogger
- Doesn’t have drag and drop facility
- You do not own the blog. Bloggers can shut down at any point in time without asking you.
- You can have up to 100 blogs or websites per account.
- A limited number of themes and plugins are available.
100 blogs or websites are enough for anyone. Isn’t it?
I think Blogger will be the best choice if you want a simple blogging site online. Unlike others, a blogger can’t be used for creating a website other than a blog.
I have already written a detailed article on creating a blog on Blogger.com for free. You can refer to the same for step-by-step instructions to create a free blog on Blogger.Com
Blogging on Wix
If you’re looking for a free website builder other than the popular one (mentioned above), your search should end here at Wix.
Wix is a great alternative to Quora, WordPress, Blogger, and Medium platforms.
Of course, you can build any type of website using Wix online.
With more than 220 million registered users worldwide, Wix is another best choice for creating a free blog online.
It was founded in 2006 by Israeli developers and entered an open beta phase in 2007 using a platform based on Adobe Flash.
It has all features available that are required to create any type of website online.
I’m sure you will love this free website builder Wix.
Wix’s Merit and Demerits
Like others, there are merits and demerits of using Wix for creating a blog online. Below, I have listed some major differences between them.
Merits
- SEO-optimized, Multilingual Storefront
- Completely free to use
- Have an integrated email marketing tool. This is not available with any other free platforms available online.
- Easy to use Drag & drop user interface.
- A large number of free themes to select
- Support Drop Shipping Business
- Allow secure payment options integration
Demerits
- Wix branding is mandatory on all free sites.
- The website isn’t transferable for self-hosting.
- No tracking and analytics on the Wix free plan
- Can’t change to other templates easily.
I know you are wondering. How to create a free blog on Wix? To get the answer to this question, please refer to step by step instructions given below.
- Register and log in to your Wix account
- Next, answer some questions like Name, Category, Type, Theme, etc to start the free blog
- Next, click on the ‘Go to Dashboard’ button
- You will be redirected to the backend admin of your blog
That’s it. This will create a free blog on Wix. Now, it’s time to configure your free blog through the ‘Setting’ page. Go to ‘Setting’ and configure your blog as per your requirement.
Please remember, by default your blog will remain ‘Deactivated’ on Wix. Please go to the ‘Setting’ page to activate and publish the same.
Make Money from Free Blog
Above all are the top 5 free blogging platforms to create a free blog online. Some of these platforms have their own monetization program available. But, if in case it is not available, don’t worry. Below, I have discussed the top ways to make money using free blogs online.
- Advertisements:- Here, you can make money by showing online ads on your blog. Programs like Google Adsense, Infolink, etc. are providing such kinds of services online.
- Space Selling:- Here, instead of showing online ads, you will sell space directly to the vendor. In simple words, here you will get paid for showing Sponsored banner on a dedicated space on your blog online.
- Sell Products and Services:- You can also make money by selling products and services like ebooks, templates, research papers, etc on your blog.
- Affiliate Marketing:- This is a great way to make money if you don’t own any product or service to sell online. Here, you will get paid a commission to sell on behalf of your affiliated market vendors.
- Donation:- You can also make money through donations on your blog. Needless to mention, this will be completely voluntary.
- Sponsored Posts and Reviews:- Here, you will get paid for posting sponsored posts and reviews on your blog online.
- Paid Membership:- If you own a great blog online, this will work for you. Here, you will charge users for reading your blog posts online. Of course, you need to have a huge traffic on your site to make money through a paid membership program.
Above all are various ways to create a blog for free and make money. Trust me, by now you know how to build a great blog for free online.
FAQs about Starting Free Blog and Make Money Online
For your convenience, I have mentioned the list of most frequently asked questions along with the answer below.
A. Select any of the free blogging platforms like Quora, Wix, Blogger, Linkedin, Weebly, Medium, etc to create a free blog on it.
A. Yes, you can make money from free blogs.
A. Quora, if you want to start a free blog on a Social Networking site, and Blogger, if you want to start a free blog on a free website builder.
A. Quora, Wix, Blogger, Weebly, Google Sites, WordPress, Ghost, Medium, etc are a few examples of free blogging platforms available online.
A. The only major difference between WordPress.Com and WordPress.Org is- The former is hosted on a WordPress site however the latter is required to be downloaded and installed on your own server to use it.
A. Whether it’s paid or free blog, ways to make money from a blog will remain the same. In the above paragraph, I already discussed those ways in detail.
A. If you want to start a professional blog online, a free blog is not for you. No matter, What kind of blogging platform you use, a free blog always has some limitations when it comes to building a professional blog online and making money from it.
A. No, it’s not possible. You can make money with a blogger in 12 minutes.
A. Starting a free blog is so easier that anyone can start it. So, you can use the same platform that others are using to create a free blog online. These platforms are Quora, Weebly, Ghost, WordPress, Medium, Blogger, etc.
Over to YOu
As usual, feel free to contact me if in case you need any help in starting the free blog online. I will be happy to help you.
Furthermore, please share your blog link below in the comment box. I will check the same and help you to drive traffic to it. Always remember, a blog without traffic is just like a dead body. Without traffic, your blog is of no use.
So, after creating a blog, the next step involved in building a successful blog online is driving traffic to it. I already have a detailed article written on it. You can check the same at this link.