Changes i made to monetize my blog

I can truly say that this blog is dead in terms of earning revenue , i have been using this blog to pour down whatever my heart desired but i never took time out to monetize it .
Well i think now is the time
When one is an artist and a blog is a playground then we rarely think about monetizing it . but i think i will give it a try.
I realize that i have all the necessary ingredients already available on this blog i just need to make a few changes .
So starting this month i will try to update you with a monthly income report of this blog and i will also share with you the steps that i took along the way .
The changes i made and i found useful

So to begin with right now i will not be sharing the income report that will be posted by the end of the month

blogmonetization

Below are few of the changes that i made.

Changes i made to monetize this blog.

1- I upgraded my hosting SERVICE

My current hosting provider is Hostmonster. I have been using their services since last 12 years . During that time the biggest mistake i made was to shift host once when i felt the need of up gradation . But now i am back to hostmonster again and this is where i am staying with this blog.

2-Uplifted the blog theme

I have been using Fabric Child Theme running on Genesis frame work . The theme stayed there for the whole time while i stopped posting on this blog. Now once i decided to run this experiment of monetizing this blog my first thought was to change the theme .

I needed an eCommerce platform so i looked around and decided on Bazar theme bought via theme forest. I love how i can easily integrate the ability to sell and while doing that have a clean look of the website that is responsive as well.

2- Added Adsense ads

I have tried using Adsense in the past but not with much luck. But now again i have added a few of them in the side bar .

3- Added a storefront for Graphics

With Bazar theme it was easy to add the store front to the blog , now the home page opens to some content from the store and some from the blog.

4- Social Editorial Calendar planned.

Ok i am not that much of an expert but i took some time out to lay down a social editorial calendar . I have found a few tools useful to make it practical . And i hope to make it work for me.

5- Re-linked and Organized

This one single task is such a big one and believe me i am still working on it . I re categorized the posts . Used a few plugins that helped me get this worked out smoothly  . And then changed the header links entirely.

6- Exported my Etsy shop

I am Done with Etsy!
yes i do not plan to work more towards my etsy Aifactory shop ,
i do not plan to update the shop at etsy with new contents. So i exported all the listings from from Etsy , took a while to figure out how to but phew , its done!

If you are interested in how to start a blog you can read about it in my previous post .

Do you have any experience working towards monetization of a blog? any ideas and suggestions? don’t forget to leave a comment if you do have any suggestions for me.

How to start a Blog

12 Years ago i was looking for ways to improve my graphic skills and i was looking high and low over the internet trying to find some tutorials. Coming out masters in Fine Arts (Majors in paintings) with no knowledge of ANY graphic related software i was fascinated to put the paint brushes down .

I was clueless but thanks to my habit of reading lots , i digged deeper into the Adobe illustrator help section. And started drawing !.

Not long after that i wondered if there are more people looking for tutorials on graphics out there trying to learn. So i started creating tutorials by creating screenshots and thus my blog was born.

I believe that every person is expert in a field one way or another and i believe that world must know that knowledge.

Now 12 years fast forward i would like to share the knowledge of how you can start a blog for yourself too. If you ever wondered how to start a blog and the whole process seems daunting for you then this post is for you.

I will take you step by step over next series of posts showing you how to start a blog of your own , share your knowledge and ideas. Best of all I will step by step show you all the technical parts around that.

And if you are a graphic designer or illustration artist like me then you must be looking for ways to start sharing your works or showcase your portfolio or simply get some clients through your blog .

I will walk you through some of the simple steps to start off your work portfolio blog that is self hosted , and works on a wordpress engine.

Setting up your own blog / portfolio is so easy and quick ! . You can start right away and once you are finished following these simple instructions you will find your blog up and running in no time.

Starting to blog a step by step Guide

All you have to do is to follow these simple 3 steps. Lets do it!

Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links that i share are affiliate links , I receive a fraction of money if you purchase something from these links. I recommend these because i have myself used them and believe in the validity of them. I have been using most of these since last 12 years .

Steps to Start a Blog

1- Domain name and Hosting
2-Wordpress installation
3-Dressing it up.

Step 1

Domain name and hosting.

1First and foremost we need to have a name for a our blog (Domain Name) , which is nearly the most fun filled part of the whole process . Here is how to accomplish this step.

I recommend to make a list before you google the name for your blog .Make a list of the names that you have in mind , this can either include your own name OR a name which you have picked for your business. After you have a possible list , mark out the best of best which you hope to get . Or you can try Bust a Name service It allows you to type in some key words you want to use in your domain name and suggests available combinations. Just spend some time trying around you might find the perfect name for your blog.

Now that you have found the perfect name you would want to register at ASAP. Next head on over to BlueHost Or Go-Daddy

I recommend both of these service providers as i have used them for over 12 years now and never thought of looking another way. Below is step by step showing hostmonster screen shots but the setup is pretty much the same with both of these hosting providers.

Setting up hosting with HOSTMONSTER

1) You will be presented with the button to SIGN UP NOW . click on that . Dont worry even if you don’t plan to sign up right now you can just go ahead and check the domain availability in the next coming step.

But through this link you will be getting Free domain with the hosting .

OR

if you decide to go with Bluehost

1) Navigate to This link You’ll be re-directed to Bluehost through my affiliate link and you may get a few additional perks for signing up through my code. (Thank you for your support!) Click the big green “Get Started Now” button.

You will be presenting with a screen with some options. You can go ahead and choose starter this will be just enough for now.

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Click on Select and you will be presented with a screen where you can choose to either just Purchase a Domain Name OR get a free domain name with a hosting account.

domainname

2) Make your choice ! .

TIP:  If you choose to pay for multiple months that will save you a bit of cash as well.

NEXT type in the domain name you wish to have and click Next.

You will see a form and possibly a congratulation message if your preferred domain name is available. Choose the best possible price package for yourself and all the other details requested and hit submit.

This is it ! you have a domain name and if you chose for hosting you a have a free domain name and paid hosting 🙂

STEP 2

WordPress installation

For a blogging platform i will recommend a wordpress installation . And with Hostmosnter the option is so easy with just a few clicks .

Now that you have signed up login to your Cpanel with your login details.

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Click on the On-Click installs button under Mojo Maketplace panel.

you will be presented with a new window that is the account of Mojo MarketPlace , look for the icon of WordPress click it.

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After you click WordPress you will be prompted with next page in the browser Hit Install.

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Select the domain you would like to install to

and just check the following boxes to start the installation

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Thats it ! you are done!

you should receive an email once you installation is complete . This email should contain the login details to  your blog.

You are now a proud owner of a self hosted blog ready to publish some works or start posting.

STEP 3

Dress it up

There are great themes that can be really quickly downloaded and uploaded to wordpress with a few clicks and your blog will be as pretty as a dude or a lady.

My personal favorite place to purchase some themes is Theme Forest.My Current theme is Bazar theme . Just because i am an illustration artist and i dont know much of coding part i prefer to purchase the theme and just set up the site in a few minutes .

I will share with you in a next coming post how to download , and then upload a theme.

And thasts how easy it is to start a blog! . At this point you are all ready to start publishing through your blog . I would recommend that you take some time out and install a few supportive plugins that will make your life whole lot easier during the process

Like get a Editorial , decide what you will post about  , How often you will post and once you are ready start posting .

If you ever have any questions about the technical side of setting up a blog or having some troubles or concerns or questions, please ask away in the comments, and we’ll try to help as best we can. No go out there and rock the blogging world!!

OR take the plunge and go right ahead explore the possibilities.


Capture How to start a Blog