Are you passionate about writing? Do you love reading books? Then you can write articles for online blogs too!
You can earn a handsome amount through blogging. In this article, I am sharing my experience of earning $500 per month by blogging. So if you are also planning to do the same then follow these steps carefully.
First of all, you need to be very clear about why exactly you’re starting a website on photography. There are basically two different kinds of websites.
One is by professional photographers and the other is by people who just take pictures for fun.
Regardless of whether you’re a pro or an amateur photographer, having your own photography site is essential.
10 Steps to Start a Money-Making Photography Blog
1. What type of Photography Blog would you like to Start?
If you want to be really successful and make good money in photography blogging you must focus on a niche. You must either be passionate about that niche or have sufficient experience in that subject. You must also check whether people have an interest in the subject.
Make sure your target market isn’t too narrow. If so, then you won’t have a bigger audience following your blog. Here are some popular types of photography sites:
- Film photography
- Food photography
- Travel photography
- Fashion photography
- Maternity photography
- Lifestyle photography
- Aerial photography
- Wildlife photography
- Event Photography
- Wedding photography
- Sports photography
2. Finding the Right Domain Name for your Photography Website
Before choosing a domain name for your photography blog, spend as much effort as possible thinking about the topic.
First things first: Your website’s URL should be related to the content of your photography blog. You should consider using an a.com address unless your site has a regional focus.
Secondly, you should take into consideration the price of the website. Don’t be worried about it, we’ll cover it here. Typically, the fee per year is around $70. However, if you decide to purchase your own site, you can get a good deal through GoDaddy.com. They also provide excellent service and they’re easy to work with.
You’ll be able to register a free domain name if you use Bluehost.
You can choose any domain name here for free.
2. Set up Hosting & Install WordPress on Your Photography Blog
Go to Bluehost.com/wpinstall. Read through their detailed instructions for setting up WordPress.
3. Find a Proper Photography Theme
Now you can move on to the fun stuff like finding a good theme. There is plenty of free themes available in WordPress.
Download the theme as directed. Login to the WordPress site you just created. Go to Theme – Options – Add New. Upload the zip file. You’ll then be able to create a fully functioning photography website.
4. Design your Photography Blog/Website
If you are beginning your site with little money, I would not suggest you not consider thinking much or investing initially. But if you wish to have an attractive logo and a bit of customization of the template, I would recommend going to Fiver.
You will discover plenty of graphic artists according to your budget who can do the work. Simply take a peek at the testimonials and samples of the designer you select.
5. Essential Plugins for Photography Website
Below we’ve mentioned our recommended 10 essential plugins.
- Akismet
- Google Analytics
- Yoast SEO
- Sumo me
- Better Click to Tweet
- W3 Total Cache
- Geo Mashup
- Contact Form
6. Create Pages for Your Photography Blog
The first step in creating your own website is to create a home page. Your homepage should contain links to your social media accounts, contact forms, and any other important pages on your site. Once you’ve done this, you can begin building out your site with additional pages.
Another important page for a photography website is the landing page. We highly recommend using a page builder to create your home page.
7. Start Blogging
Content is the King. Try to publish 3 blog posts per day until you reach 100 blogs posted. However, it is no longer mandatory. Never ever publish blog posts for the sake of posting them. Ultimately, it is the quality and not the quantity that matters.
Choose your topic and then just do it. You will discover what works best for you. Be honest with yourself while writing your posts.
Some examples of content:
- Camera/equipment reviews
- Each photo tells its own story.
- Photography tutorials
- Photographers you admire
8. Upload Pictures for Your Photography Blog
Remember that visuals play an important role in blog posts. Readers want to see high-resolution photos.
Remember these things when you’re trying to upload photos for your photography blog:
- Don’t upload your original images to your blog. Instead, upload them as JPEGs (the most common image file type).
- Don’t ever lose track of your original file. Always edit after saving the file.
- Make sure to resize images so that they‘ll fit the page.
- Use photo editing software to resize photos. Check the photos fit comfortably on the page. Some options for photo-editing programs are GIMP, Pixlr, etc.
9. How to Make Money with Photography Blog
If you want to earn some extra cash, you can sell your own photos online. Or, if you’re interested in making some extra income, you could write a review for a camera or photography gear company.
- Adsense
Once you’ve written some content, apply for Google AdSense. If approved, Google will place ads on your site. You could earn up to $5 per day from Google AdSense alone.
- Sell Ad Space
Websites such as BuySellsAdsoffer advertising services for webmasters who want to earn some extra cash from their sites. You can reach out to these companies directly.
There are lots of other options for making money online besides blogging. Some include writing ebooks, creating a membership site, selling products, affiliate marketing, etc.
Photography Sites you can get inspiration from:
- PhotoFocus ( http://photofocus.com/)
- Joe McNally ( http://portfolio.joemcnally.com/ )
- Sprouting Photographer ( http://www.sproutingphotographer.com/ )
- Shutterstock Blog ( https://www.shutterstock.com/ )
- Jasmine Star ( jasminestarblog.com )
10. Where to get Traffic to your Photography Blog
Focus on attracting organic traffic through search engines by writing high-quality content. Use Google keywords to find trending topics that people are looking for.
Write quality content. If your posts attract interest from Google, then people will visit your photography site.
You shouldn’t forget to set up social media accounts for your blog and promote them there.
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