How To Start a Finance Blog in 11 Easy Steps - Authority Hacker (2024)

Starting a finance blog can be a rewarding and fulfilling project.

Not only can you help others with your finance knowledge, but you can also turn that knowledge into an impressive revenue stream.

If you want to learn how to start your own finance blog, you’re in the right place.

We’ve guided over 14,000 students in building profitable blogs – and many have been in the finance niche.

We’ve also earned some pretty hefty affiliate commissions in our 10+ years of blogging – check out a small fraction of the payouts we’ve received.

To help you find similar success, we’ve put together this step-by-step guide on how to build a finance blog.

Why Start a Finance Blog

There are several reasons why you might want to start a finance blog.

First, you can make money from your finance blogthrough various tactics, including promoting financial tools and services, selling online courses, and providing consulting or coaching services.

While your earning potential depends on your sub-niche, our affiliate marketing statisticsshow that the average finance website brings in $9,296 per month.This earning potential is high compared to most other niches, primarily due to the substantial value of financial products and the popularity of financial content.

Starting a finance blog also allows you to establish yourself as an authorityin the space, which can lead to career advancement and public speaking opportunities.

Finally, you can build a community around your blog, connect with like-minded people, and inspire othersto make better financial decisions.

Examples of Successful Finance Blogs

Before you start your finance blog, look into established sites to learn what works.

Here are three finance blogs that have built a loyal audience and high income with unique financial content:

The Humble Penny

Established in 2016, The Humble Penny is a personal finance blog that helps people save money and achieve financial freedom through financial planning, debt-paying strategies, and investing.

Visit the site

She Buys It

She Buys It helps women make passive income through real estate investing with guides, online courses, and a podcast.

Visit the site

Tax Queen

Tax Queen offers services and resources to simplify digital nomad tax prep and planning.

Visit the site

How to Start a Finance Blog in 10 Steps

Excited about starting your finance blog? Here’s our tried-and-tested guide to get you started.

1 Narrow Down Your Finance Niche

Narrowing down your finance niche is crucial for success. It allows you to tailor your content to a specific audience, making attracting and building a loyal following easier.

Think about it: if you were looking for advice on paying off debt, would you prefer learning from:

• A) Someone who’s done it before and extensively covers the topic on their blog.
• B) A general finance blog that superficially touches on various personal finance topics.

You’d go with option A, right?

Being a specialist makes people trust youbecause they know you understand their needs.

So, the first step is to choose the sub-niche you want to write about. Consider what you’re passionate about and what you know best in the finance space.

Here are some popular finance niches to inspire you:

• Budgeting for Families:Budgeting tips, saving for education, and planning for major life events like buying a home.
• Personal Finance for Millennials:Unique financial challenges affecting millennials, such as student loans and homeownership.
• Finance for Entrepreneurs:Startup ideas, funding tips, and entrepreneurship guides.
• Sustainable and Ethical Investing:Environmentally friendly and socially responsible investment strategies.
• Credit Cards:Using credit cards responsibly, building a strong credit score, collecting credit card points and frequent flier miles, and reviewing credit cards.

Blogging is a long-term game; choosing a niche you’re passionate about will make work fun and keep you motivated. Plus, connecting with your audience is easier when you genuinely care about the subject.

However, if you want to make money and build an audience, the popularity of your niche is very important.

For a higher chance of success, choose a sub-niche that already has successful blogs.

Here’s a simple way to qualify your prospective niche:

First, list existing blogs for each niche you’re interested in.

You can find them on a blog aggregator like Detailedby searching for relevant keywords on Google, or by pasting a URL into the “Organic Competitors” tool on Ahrefsto get a list of similar sites.

Next, check how much traffic these blogs get. This will give you an idea of how successful they are. To find out the traffic of each blog on your list, sign up for a free trial at SE Rankingand use the “Competitive Research” tool.

If you’re unsure about which niche to pick, compare them on Google Trends. It shows you which one gets the most searches.

If you need more help, watch our video on how to pick the perfect niche:

Remember, you don’t have to decide right away. It’s okay to take a day or two to think. Just don’t let overthinking stop you from picking one and moving forward.

2 Choose a Blogging Platform

After picking a finance niche, you’ll have to select a platform to house your blog.

A blogging platform is an online tool that lets you publish, manage, and share written content without advanced technical skills.

There are several free blogging platforms you can choose from, including social blogging platforms like Medium or Blogger.

However, using them comes with some downsides:

• Making money is harder on these platforms.
• You have very little control over your blog’s design and functionality.
• They have strict rules about what you can post.

Launching your own website is the best option if you want to maintain control over your content and monetize your blog.

Building a website comes with serious advantages over other blogging platforms:

• You have full control over your blog’s design, content, and money-making strategies.
• Compared to other platforms, it’s easier to make money with affiliate products, display ads, and other methods.
• You can drive more visitors to your blog by using search engine optimization (SEO).
• You can attract people to your site by growing an audience on social media.
• No one can shut down your website or delete your content.
• You can protect your traffic from algorithm changes, foster a closer relationship with readers, and efficiently promote products by building an email list.
• Having a website builds credibility, which is essential for success in the finance niche.
• You’re building an asset that you can own and sell. We’ve sold multiple blogs for 6-figures– this wouldn’t have been possible if we had used a social blogging platform.

The best platform for setting up a website is WordPress — namely, the self-hosted WordPress.org(not WordPress.com).

It’s free, easy to use, and supports thousands of themes and plugins, allowing you to fully customize your website.

WordPress is the best, but it’s not the only option. You can browse our list of the best blogging platformsto look into WordPress alternatives.

Once you set up WordPress or another blogging platform, you can start building your site’s identity by choosing a domain name.

3 Choose Your Domain Name

The third step of your blogging journey is to pick a domain name.

A domain name is the unique address of your website. It includes your website name and a domain name extension like .com.

First impressions matter; your domain name is the first thing people see and the foundation of your brand. It also impacts how easily people remember, find, and share your website.

Here are a few tips to help you come up with suitable domain names:

• Ensure it reflects your niche.For example, if you focus on budgeting for college students, dormdime.com would be a good option.
• Think about how serious your niche is.For the example above, a fun name works. Conversely, a blog about financial counseling for bankruptcy calls for a serious and credible name (e.g., expertdebtcounsel.com).
• Pick a .com domain.It’s more trusted and familiar than other options.
• Keep it simple.Choose a short name with simple spelling so it’s easy to remember and search for. Aim for a maximum of three words.
• Ensure it’s not trademarked.Check if anyone owns the name with this trademark search tool.

If you need help finding memorable domain names that aren’t taken, use an AI domain generator tool like Brandsnap.

If the .com extension of the domain name you want isn’t available, browse our list of .com alternativesto find a replacement.

After picking a name, you need to buy it — this is easy and inexpensive. Domain names usually cost around $10 per year on Namecheap.

4 Buy Web Hosting

Once you’ve purchased your domain, it’s time to choose a web hosting platform.

Web hosting is a service that provides the necessary infrastructure to store your website and make it available on the Internet.

One of the most popular web hosting services is Bluehostdue to its low cost. However, SiteGroundprovides more value for only ~$1 extra. We find it’s a better alternative.

Here’s how you can secure your web hosting account in a few simple steps:

Step 1: Go to SiteGround’s WordPress hosting page.

Step 2:Choose the cheapest option — the StartUp plan. It has all the core features a new blog needs.

Step 3:Tick “I already have a Domain” and type in your domain name. If you didn’t get one from Namecheap, select “Register a New Domain.”

Step 4:Fill in the required account information.

Step 5:Add payment info and choose the subscription duration. You’ll likely get the best deal with a 12-month subscription.

Step 6:You don’t need extra services for a new blog — skip them.

Step 7:If you purchased your domain on Namecheap or another registrar, you have to change the DNS settings so it points to SiteGround. The customer support team at SiteGround can guide you through this process if you need help.

That’s it. Now that you’ve purchased web hosting, you officially own a little piece of the Internet.

5 Choose a Theme for Your Finance Blog

The next step is to choose a theme for your finance blog.

A WordPress theme is the blueprint of your blog’s layout and design. Match your theme to your niche to create a website that attracts the right audience.

For example, if your finance niche is investment strategies, you might lean towards a professional and clean design, while a warmer, more welcoming theme could be better if you’re a personal finance blogger.

It’s smart to pick a free theme with an option to upgrade. Free themes are good enough initially, but they have several limitations that pose challenges as finance blogs grow.

Besides being upgradeable, you should look for a theme that loads quickly, is responsive and easy to customize, has positive reviews, and offers solid customer support.

Our top “freemium” recommendations are GeneratePress, Astra, and Kadence. All of them come with extensive libraries of pre-built design templates. These templates will save you loads of time!

Once you’ve chosen your theme, follow this step-by-step process to add it to your website:

Step 1: Go to your WordPress dashboard.

Step 2: Hover over “Appearance” on the left sidebar and select “Themes.”

Step 3: Click “Add New.”

Step 4: Use the search bar to find your theme and click “Activate.”

You’re done! Now, you can start customizing your website with your personal touch.

6 Decide on Design & Branding

You’re officially halfway through starting your very own blog!

In this step, you’ll define the core design elements that shape your brand and aesthetic.

Your design choices impact how visitors perceive your finance blog as much as your domain name and theme do. An appropriate color scheme and logo selection is crucial for clearly communicating what your site is about. Blues and greens are great for finance blogs to signify trust and growth.

Start by defining your blog’s color palette. Set it in stone from the start — otherwise, things will quickly get messy and uncoordinated.

And, before you ask, no, you don’t need to be a design pro to do this!

You can use a tool like Coolorsto create a harmonious color scheme effortlessly.

Creating a good logo is just as important. After all, it’s one of the first things visitors see.

Your logo communicates the identity of your finance blog; ensure it builds trust, makes your site memorable, and reflects your brand.

You can easily design a professional-looking logo using Canva. Browse their library of logo templates and choose one that fits your website.

Once you find a logo template you like, customize it with your color palette and finance blog name.

7 Create Essential Pages

Ready to create content for your website? The first step is creating the essential pages (every blog has these).

Homepage

The homepage is your website’s welcome mat. It should convey what your site is about and make it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for.

A compelling homepage encourages exploration and sets the tone for the whole site.

About Page

Share why you started your finance blog and what you want to achieve with it. Use your About page to build trust and a connection with your audience.

Adding personal stories, your background in finance, and a picture can make it more inviting and relatable.

Contact Page

The Contact page is the bridge between you and your audience. It invites inquiries, collaborations, and feedback.

Keep it simple with a contact form, email address, and links to your finance social media channels.

Privacy Policy + Terms & Conditions Pages

Legal pages like Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions are essential. They protect you and your visitors by explaining how you collect their information and how they can use your site.

You can easily generate both of these pages at PrivacyPolicies.com.

Creating new pages is super simple. Log into your WordPress dashboard, open the “Pages” menu, and click “Add New.”

8 Start Creating Content

You’ve reached the most exciting step: writing your first high-quality blog posts!

Let’s start with the basics. If you want people to read your finance content, create keyword-focused articles.

It involves choosing a query that many people are typing into search engines and writing an article about it.

If search engines like your article, they’ll show it to people searching for that query and bring traffic to your website.

However, the most popular keywords are generally the most competitive — you can’t simply pursue them and instantly get a flood of visitors. It’s extremely hard for a new website to rank well on search engines.

Use this savvy strategy for your new finance blog: target less competitive keywords that still have substantial monthly searches.

The best tool for finding these keywords is Ahrefs. Type a “seed keyword” into the Ahrefs Keyword Explorer tool to find a few keywords worth pursuing.

For example, if you’re writing about 401ks, you can enter “401k” into Ahrefs and generate the following terms:

Use this keyword research strategy for planning your first ten blog posts.

Based on the keywords above, here are some blog post ideas you can steal:

• How to Find an Old 401k in 5 Easy Steps
• Here’s What Happens to Your 401k When You Leave a Job
• How to Check Your 401k Balance: 4 Simple Methods

Once you come up with ten titles, it’s time to start writing articles. Here are some expert tips to help you craft compelling SEO-optimized blog posts:

• Define the purpose:Decide what you want readers to take away from your article and outline it before you start writing.
• Stay on topic:Aligning your content with the search intentof keywords increases your chances of ranking high in search results. Going off-topic can harm your traffic; stick to the outline you created before writing.
• Consider who will read your piece:For example, writing a post on investment strategies for beginners is very different from writing one for experts. Also, explain financial jargon and spell out acronyms at least once.
• Share personal stories and real-world examples:Storytelling and examples make your content more relatable, actionable, and unique. In the finance niche, personal anecdotes are also great for building trust.
• Link to relevant posts:To stay on topic and avoid repeating yourself, point readers to other posts on your finance blog. As a bonus, this helps with SEO.
• Link to reliable sources:Cite reputable sources when referencing statistics or data. This adds credibility to your content while improving SEO.
• Stay updated on financial trends:Ensure your posts are full of fresh and relevant information by regularly researching the latest trends and news in the financial world.
• Use images:Images keep readers engaged and help break down complex financial topics. You can create infographics and data visualization graphics with a tool like Visme.

Feeling overwhelmed? Follow this simple rule for writing great blog posts: be as helpful as you can. You’ll easily stand out from the competition if you consistently share the information readers need.

9 Optimize Content for YMYL and EEAT

When creating finance content, you need to be aware of a concept known as YMYL, which stands for “Your Money or Your Life.”

This is a term created by Google to refer to topics that can significantly impact people’s health, financial stability, safety, or overall well-being. Finance is a YMYL topic, meaning misinformation can harm individuals, groups, or even communities.

To prevent such harm, Google prioritizes content with EEAT, or “Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness,” for YMYL topics. That’s why the content on your finance blog should be evidence-based and written or reviewed by financial experts.

By showcasing EEAT, you’ll gain the trust of users and search engines, leading to more conversions and higher rankings in search results.

To learn more about implementing EEAT, check out our detailed video guide:

10 Promote Your Finance Blog

Creating valuable finance articles is just the first step. You need strategic promotion to get eyes on your content.

Here are some clever promotional methods to amplify your finance blog’s reach:

• Find out where your audience is most active.For example, while it’s wise to promote a blog about financial consulting on LinkedIn, personal finance blogs for women will likely do better on Pinterest. Learn your audience’s preferred channels to maximize effectiveness.
• Collaborate with financial influencers and experts.Partner with influencers or experts in the finance field for guest posts, interviews, or joint webinars.
• Build an email list.Encourage visitors to subscribe to your newsletter so you can send them your latest finance content.
• Network online and in-person.Partner with finance bloggers, make connections on social media, and feature in niche-specific podcasts. Don’t overlook in-person events or workshops, though.
• Share your blog with friends and family. Word of mouth is powerful. Sharing your expertise with friends and family is one of the easiest ways to promote your blog in the early stages.

Whatever promotional tactics you use, make sure you’re providing genuinely helpful advice. Spamming links to your blog will only annoy people and alienate potential followers.

11 Monetize Your Finance Blog

It’s time to reap the rewards of your labor and start making money from your finance blog.

Here are three effective strategies for monetizing your website without hurting the reader’s experience:

Affiliate Marketing

Recommend reputable investment platforms, credit cards, and other financial products you use and love. Earn a commission for each sale by including affiliate links to third-party sellers.

Why It’s Great:You receive compensation while readers find products they need.

Get Started:Check out our comprehensive guide on how to start affiliate marketing. You can also browse through our list of the best financial affiliate programs in 2024.

Display Ads

Sign up for an ad network and seek sponsorships to show advertisem*nts on your finance blog.

Why It’s Great:Every time a visitor engages with an ad on your website, you make money. However, ensure your display ads don’t hurt your credibility and user experience.

Get Started:Join an ad network to programmatically display ads on your website. Ezoic is okay to start, but I recommend switching to Mediavine (minimum 50,000 monthly sessions) or Raptive (minimum 100,000 monthly sessions) when you meet their traffic minimums. Direct sponsorships are also an option, as they give you more control over what ads are shown and can earn more money.

Sell Your Own Products

Monetize your blog by selling digital products like finance guides, online courses, and templates.

Why It’s Great:Turn your experience and knowledge into useful products that truly help readers and earn you substantial revenue.

Get Started:Learn what your audience needs — is it a personal finance course, printable budget planner, or tax planning guide? Selling courses on Teachableor templates on your website with a plugin like WooCommercecan be great starting points.

Summing Up

We’ve covered a lot of essential steps in building a finance blog, but this is only the start.

Building a successful blog is a complex topic that I can’t possibly hope to fully cover in a single blog post.

That’s why we made a free training for new website owners. In this training, you’ll learn 7 hard-won tactics for making your new blog 83% more successful.

If you want to succeed, this is the next step.

Join the free training now.