{"id":9316,"date":"2024-02-26T12:08:03","date_gmt":"2024-02-26T20:08:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/?p=9316"},"modified":"2026-06-03T11:27:53","modified_gmt":"2026-06-03T18:27:53","slug":"how-much-cost-blog-budget","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-much-cost-blog-budget\/","title":{"rendered":"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026? Blog Costs Guide (and Free Budget Template)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without wasting any time\u2014this is my guide answering, <strong>how much does it cost to start a blog?<\/strong> So, let&#8217;s break down the cost to run a blog in 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How much does it cost to start a blog?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Depending upon your goals and the\u00a0<em>type<\/em> of blog you want to start, your blog costs will be <strong>around $34.50 to $65.40<\/strong> to start a blog in 2026 and cover your first year of expenses (for beginners).<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you need to factor in buying a computer, phone or other hardware into your equation for how much it&#8217;ll cost to start a blog\u2014then that can add anywhere from $200 to $2,600 in one-time purchases depending upon the brand of computer (Windows vs Apple) and features (MacBook vs MacBook Pro) you decide upon. Plus, there are a lot more variables to consider when calculating all of your blog costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026? (Blog Costs Guide for Beginners)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"#cost-hobby-blogging\">Minimum Cost to Start a Hobby Blog in 2026: $34.50<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#cost-side-hustle-blogging\">Minimum Cost to Start a Side Hustle Blog in 2026: $65.40<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#cost-full-time-blogging\">Minimum Cost to Start a Full-Time Blog in 2026: $941.40<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#hardware-costs\">Hardware Costs: $0 &#8211; $2,640<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#hosting-costs\">Hosting Costs: $2.95\/mo<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#domain-costs\">Domain Name Cost: $0<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#wordpress-theme-costs\">WordPress Theme Costs: $0 &#8211; $49<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#wordpress-plugin-costs\">WordPress Plugin Costs: $0 &#8211; $217<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#email-tool-costs\">Email Marketing Tool Costs: $0 &#8211; $41\/mo and up<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#security-costs\">Security Costs: $0 &#8211; $240<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#extra-tool-costs\">Extra Blogging Tool Costs: $0 &#8211; $2,217<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#advertising-costs\">Advertising Costs: $0 &#8211; $1,000<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#content-costs\">Content Creation Costs (Outsourcing &amp; Admin): $0 &#8211; $500<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#accounting-costs\">Accounting Costs: $0 &#8211; $500<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#additional-costs\">Additional Costs You May Not Consider: $0 &#8211; $370<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"#real-final-costs\">Doing the Math: How Much Does it Really Cost to Start a Blog?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><div class='tm-click-to-tweet'><div class='tm-ctt-text'><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/share?text=How+Much+Does+it+Cost+to+Start+a+Blog+in+2026%3F+%28Blog+Budget+Template+for+Beginners%29+Free+Guide&amp;via=TheRyanRobinson&amp;related=TheRyanRobinson&amp;url=https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-much-cost-blog-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026? (Blog Budget Template for Beginners) Free Guide\">How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026? (Blog Budget Template for Beginners) Free Guide<\/a><\/div><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/share?text=How+Much+Does+it+Cost+to+Start+a+Blog+in+2026%3F+%28Blog+Budget+Template+for+Beginners%29+Free+Guide&amp;via=TheRyanRobinson&amp;related=TheRyanRobinson&amp;url=https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-much-cost-blog-budget\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"tm-ctt-btn\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"Click To Post on\">Click To Post on <i class='fa fa-twitter-x'><\/i><\/a><div class='tm-ctt-tip'><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Disclosure:<\/strong> Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links and at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission. When you purchase a product using one of my affiliate marketing links, the company compensates me, which helps keep all of my content free of charge to you. Know that I only recommend products and tools I\u2019ve personally used and stand behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">First and foremost, it&#8217;s important to note that the cost of starting (and running) a blog can actually vary widely depending upon the decisions you make on a broad range of startup costs and ongoing purchases. We&#8217;ll be focusing solely on making smart financial decisions in this blogging costs guide for beginners.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Ready to Start Your Blog?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">Check out my ultimate guide: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"How to Start a Blog (on the Side) Today\">How to Start a Blog (on the Side) Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"text-center\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"Read Now\">Read Now<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This year, there are an estimated <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-statistics\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"31.7 million\">31.7 million<\/a> bloggers in the U.S. alone\u2014and if you&#8217;re here, you&#8217;re probably wondering if now is the right time for you to learn <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"how to start a blog\">how to start a blog<\/a> and jump into the industry yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After 6+ years of growing this blog to more than 500,000 monthly readers and turning it into a full-time business for myself, here&#8217;s my honest take: Starting a blog can be incredibly fun, lucrative and immensely rewarding, but it&#8217;s also important to first understand <strong>how much does it cost to blog?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Is the upfront investment of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"starting a blog\">starting a blog<\/a> actually worth it in the end? Yes, and in this guide to understanding blogging costs for your own unique <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-goals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging goals\">blogging goals<\/a> &amp; needs, we&#8217;re going to break down (item-by-item) the exact blog costs you can expect to incur in 2026. Most importantly, I\u2019m going to show you the very minimum cost to start a blog in the leanest way possible\u2014as well as the expenses you can expect to incur once your blog is growing and you&#8217;re ready to seriously invest in turning it into a profitable blog business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here, we&#8217;re breaking down the benchmark costs to start a blog for 3 different groups:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Hobby Bloggers<\/strong> (blogging for beginners, solely for fun or as a creative outlet)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Side Hustle Bloggers<\/strong> (blogging on the side of your day job to slowly build a business)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Full-Time Bloggers<\/strong> (blogging as a full-time business)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s why\u2014if you&#8217;re just getting started and want to keep your new blog on a tight budget, you&#8217;ll have a different threshold for costs compared to someone who&#8217;s running a blog that already <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"generates a little income\">generates a little income<\/a> when it makes sense for them to upgrade into more premium expenses like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/best-web-hosting-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"faster web hosting\">faster web hosting<\/a>, better WordPress plugins or blog themes and more robust email marketing tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To get straight to the point though&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s exactly how much it&#8217;ll cost to start a blog (and run it) this year\u2014depending upon the type of blogger you want to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\">Use My 50+ Powerful <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"Free Blogging Tools\">Free Blogging Tools<\/a> Today<\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"676\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Free-Blogging-Tools-and-AI-Writing-Tools-Featured-Image-by-ryrob-1024x676.jpg\" alt=\"Free Blogging Tools and AI Writing Tools (Featured Image) by ryrob\" class=\"wp-image-27745\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Free-Blogging-Tools-and-AI-Writing-Tools-Featured-Image-by-ryrob-1024x676.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Free-Blogging-Tools-and-AI-Writing-Tools-Featured-Image-by-ryrob-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Free-Blogging-Tools-and-AI-Writing-Tools-Featured-Image-by-ryrob-768x507.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Free-Blogging-Tools-and-AI-Writing-Tools-Featured-Image-by-ryrob-1536x1015.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Free-Blogging-Tools-and-AI-Writing-Tools-Featured-Image-by-ryrob-2048x1353.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">When I first started blogging, I couldn&#8217;t afford fancy tools. That sucked. And that&#8217;s why I&#8217;ve built a stable of powerful free blogging tools ranging from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/keyword-tool\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"keyword research\">keyword research<\/a> to an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/ai-article-writer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"AI article writer\">AI article writer<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-idea-generator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blog idea generator\">blog idea generator<\/a> and more. Forever free for all to use\u2014no strings attached.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"text-center\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"Use My Free Blogging Tools Now\">Use My Free Blogging Tools Now<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">How Much it Costs to Start a Blog in 2026 (Blog Costs Summary):<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a name=\"cost-hobby-blogging\"><\/a>How Much it Costs to Start a Hobby Blog: $34.50<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a name=\"cost-side-hustle-blogging\"><\/a>How Much it Costs to Start a Side Hustle Blog: $65.40<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a name=\"cost-full-time-blogging\"><\/a>How Much it Costs to Start a Full-Time Blog: $941.40<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog This Year? Graphic by Ryan Robinson ryrob\" class=\"wp-image-22309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-768x579.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be fully transparent, I&#8217;ll be the first to tell you that these summary numbers are an over-simplification and not necessarily what <em>everyone<\/em> who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"starts a blog\">starts a blog<\/a> this year should expect to spend. To really get a sense of how much it costs to start a blog, you&#8217;ll need to dive deeper into this blog budget template and guide to managing your anticipated costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because the reality is that <em>your<\/em> best answer to the question&#8230; &#8220;how much does it cost to start a blog?&#8221; may be a little different than someone else&#8217;s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are plenty of areas where you can significantly cut costs in your <strong>blog budget<\/strong> (depending upon your goals and if you&#8217;re willing to make some sacrifices), while there are other areas that you may want to spend a little more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, we&#8217;re going to begin by thinking about what kind of blogger <em>you<\/em> want to be\u2014and the most realistic starting point you&#8217;ll be at for a blog budget right now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Want to Start Your Blog (the Right Way)?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">Check out my ultimate guide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"How to Start a Blog (on the Side)\">How to Start a Blog (on the Side)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"text-center\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"Read Now\">Read Now<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now without further delay, let&#8217;s dive in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.v5joleguhpxa\"><strong>Determine Your Blogging Purpose First (3 Types of Bloggers)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cost to run a (fun-only) personal blog will be very different than the cost to run <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"a blog you want to make money blogging from\">a blog you want to make money blogging from<\/a> and grow into a full on business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A personal blog that you set up either on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"WordPress\">WordPress<\/a> or one of the top <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/free-blogging-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"free blogging sites\">free blogging sites<\/a> will be structured completely differently (and have a different set of goals, tools, structural decisions) than a blog that&#8217;s set up to eventually generate income and be a real business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">In this guide, we&#8217;re going to walk through how much it costs to blog in the leanest way possible\u2014and all the way up to what a serious business blog costs to run once it&#8217;s grown a bit.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are You a Hobby Blogger?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first category is the personal or hobby blog. This is the type of blogger that has little to no interest in ever monetizing their blog\u2014they just want a creative outlet to share about their life, practice their craft or keep family up-to-date on local happenings. Hobby bloggers are usually on a tight budget, want low upfront costs and skip on any paid <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging tools\">blogging tools<\/a> that can accelerate growth. We\u2019re calling this group the <strong>hobby blogger<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are You a Side Hustle Blogger?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next category of blogger, the&nbsp;side hustle blogger, definitely has the goal of building a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-niche\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"profitable blog within their niche\">profitable blog within their niche<\/a>, but they&#8217;ve got other commitments in their lives (like a full-time job, family or otherwise) that don&#8217;t <em>yet <\/em>allow them to work full-time on growing their blog today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They&#8217;re able to publish content with some frequency, and they do plan to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"make money blogging\">make money blogging<\/a> eventually, but they know <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-long-it-takes-make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"it&#8217;ll take some time to get there\">it&#8217;ll take some time to get there<\/a> while they maintain other key responsibilities. This category of blogger is willing to spend a little more money up front to get the right blog setup that&#8217;ll ensure long-term growth &amp; blogging success, but don\u2019t want to make a huge investment right away. We\u2019re calling this group the <strong>side hustle blogger<\/strong>. And if you want to avoid the mistakes I made early on in my blogging career, check out all the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/before-starting-a-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"things I wish I knew before starting a blog\">things I wish I knew before starting a blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At this stage, you may want to experiment with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/ai-blogging-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"AI blogging tools\">AI blogging tools<\/a> like my very own platform, <a href=\"https:\/\/rightblogger.com\/?via=ryrob\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">RightBlogger<\/a>, to help create more content faster, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Are You a Full-Time Blogger?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The final category is the blogger that&#8217;s all-in right now\u2014ready and willing to spend a meaningful amount of capital upfront in order to grow as quickly as possible. They have a clear idea of what they want to do with their blog and they&#8217;re comfortable with higher costs because they understand how they&#8217;ll translate into blog revenue. This category of blogger sees their blog primarily as a business. We\u2019re calling this group the <strong>full-time blogger. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, how much does it cost to start a blog?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u2019s look at the real costs to start a blog\u2014for each type of blogger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.tle8p5l9lpuy\"><a name=\"hardware-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">The Hardware Costs of Blogging: $0 &#8211; $2,640<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1280\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-11.png\" alt=\"How Much Does it Cost to Blog This Year? A Visual Breakdown with Screenshots and Examples in 2021\" class=\"wp-image-9307\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-11.png 1280w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-11-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-11-1024x614.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-11-768x461.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Typically, when you consider the question, <strong>how much does it cost to start a blog?<\/strong> you&#8217;re probably thinking first about the software side of things. The blogging platform you choose, hosting plan, blog theme design and such. But first and foremost, the hardware (computer) you choose to use for blogging is also an important aspect\u2014especially if you don&#8217;t already have one that you can use for your blogging endeavors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc4b&nbsp;<em>If you already have a computer and smartphone, you can skip the hardware costs of blogging<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While many aspiring bloggers probably already have a computer, it\u2019s still something to factor into the cost of starting a blog for some. Not only that, but consider that you may need to upgrade from your current computer if you\u2019re serious about blogging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here\u2019s a list of some of the basic (hardware) items you&#8217;ll need if you\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"starting a blog\">starting a blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.n6tj1q7brxfg\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Hardware Costs: $200<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Laptop computer (or desktop): $200<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To be a hobby blogger, you really don\u2019t need a lot of hardware. A decent laptop and a smartphone will do it. In fact, you may not even need anything beyond a computer as far as hardware costs are concerned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you don\u2019t already have a laptop, you can get one on Amazon for less than $200. You\u2019re probably going to use the laptop for more than just blogging, so it\u2019s a worthy investment to make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you don\u2019t already have a smartphone for your regular life, it isn\u2019t a necessity for blogging. It\u2019s convenient to check things out or upload content when you\u2019re on the go\u2014but you don\u2019t absolutely need to have it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead, you may want an inexpensive digital camera so you can load pictures to your blog. If you\u2019re not interested in providing your own pictures you can also use free images from stock image sites like Pexels and Pixabay\u2014or if you want to create simple designs, sign up for a free plan of <a href=\"https:\/\/canva.7eqqol.net\/OJA2Z\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Canva<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hardware Costs for a Hobby Blogger: $0 &#8211; $200<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.ui9nm7sqnxm\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side Hustle Blogger Hardware Costs: $1,400<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Upgraded computer (powerful laptop): $600 &#8211; $2,000<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Smartphone with a good camera (for photo and video): $40\/mo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Headphones: $60<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.wjdokywzcn13\"><strong>Upgraded Laptop Computer: $600 &#8211; $2,000<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the side hustle blogging level, you need a laptop that&#8217;ll give you more functionality, dependability and processing power. I&#8217;d highly recommend a laptop over a desktop because you can take it anywhere. If you\u2019re traveling or want to work at a coffee shop before heading into your day job\u2014you can take your blog with you. It\u2019s a much smarter plan for a blogger who&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-grow-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"taking their blog growth seriously\">taking their blog growth seriously<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The type of laptop you choose is up to you, but you want it to have good processing speed and a lot of storage. A bonus would be something that comes with video and photo editing software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The biggest question is whether you want to get <a href=\"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/en-us\/windows\/windows-laptops\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">a Windows laptop<\/a> or spring for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/mac\/compare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">a more premium MacBook<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"391\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-Pricing-Breakdown-of-Hardware-Laptops.png\" alt=\"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog? Pricing Breakdown of Hardware Laptops\" class=\"wp-image-9329\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-Pricing-Breakdown-of-Hardware-Laptops.png 900w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-Pricing-Breakdown-of-Hardware-Laptops-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-Pricing-Breakdown-of-Hardware-Laptops-768x334.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MacBooks are the most popular choice for bloggers (including me), but Windows-based laptops are getting much better and can be a viable option today. Most of the time, this decision comes down to preference. Those that are used to one or the other generally want to stick with what they\u2019ve been using. A MacBook will cost more money, but tends to be much more powerful and will last for the better part of a decade\u2014making it an overall better laptop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Depending on the make and model of the laptop you choose, you can expect to pay anywhere from $600 to $2,000 dollars for a fast computer that&#8217;ll last years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.oq9gzwn4ceho\"><strong>Smartphone with a good camera: $40\/mo<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A smartphone is extremely useful for bloggers today, making it an essential factor in your <em>how much does it cost to start a blog<\/em> equation. It keeps you connected to the digital world even when you\u2019re away from home. You can receive emails on the go and quickly share relevant content to your blog\u2019s social accounts when you\u2019re out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Collecting photos or video material for your blog is easy with a smartphone. You may not always have a camera with you, but you probably take your cell phone wherever you go. Get a smartphone that takes excellent photos and videos for content purposes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another reason to have a smartphone, is that you can use it to see how <a href=\"https:\/\/search.google.com\/test\/mobile-friendly\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">mobile-friendly<\/a> your blog is. This is useful because, as of Q4 2024, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.statista.com\/statistics\/277125\/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">almost 63% of users<\/a> only used smartphones to connect to the web.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a non-prepaid cell phone plan you should expect to pay around <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nerdwallet.com\/blog\/utilities\/cheap-cell-phone-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">$40 a month<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.339mtk4jj0ll\"><strong>Headphones: $60<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A good pair of headphones is essential for those early mornings or late-night coffee shop work sessions. They\u2019re also helpful if you live with other people and need to focus while working on your blog around others on a regular basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can get a decent pair of headphones <a href=\"https:\/\/www.techradar.com\/news\/best-business-headphones-and-earphones\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">for around $60<\/a> or spend up to $400 for the highest quality Bose ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hardware Costs for Side Hustle Blogger: $0 &#8211; $1,400<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.r9fdq3g9gslt\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger Hardware Costs: $2,640<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Fast, reliable and top of the line laptop (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/macbook-pro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">MacBook Pro<\/a>): $1,300 to $2,600<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Smartphone with high data plan: $90\/mo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Bose noise-canceling headphones: $300<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>High quality microphone: $150<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>MacBook Pro Laptop: $2,100<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a full-time blogger, your hardware costs will be somewhat similar to that of a side hustle blogger, but with one big exception\u2014you&#8217;re going to be using your computer A LOT.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, it&#8217;s worth investing a little more up front today into the best possible laptop you can get your hands on: a MacBook Pro. This computer is built to last you the better part of a decade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My recommendation is to get your hands on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/macbook-pro\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">the 13-inch MacBook Pro<\/a> with the maximum processing speeds and memory\u2014maxing out these two features will guarantee you&#8217;re getting the fastest possible laptop that can handle multi-tasking different applications at the same time, lots of browser tabs being open at once and that everything happens at lightning speed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.vxd6y2beesz3\"><strong>Smartphone: $90\/mo<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A full-time blogger can also expect a higher-tier phone plan to unlock more data and a newer phone. You can expect to pay around $80 to $100 for that combination. It always helps to shop around, because there may be a different plan that offers you what you want at a better price\u2014with a new iPhone, of course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.fuwx4nqa8ufq\"><strong>Headphones: $300<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Your headphones don\u2019t necessarily need to be more expensive as a full-time blogger, but you may want noise cancellation headphones like the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bose.com\/en_us\/products\/headphones\/over_ear_headphones\/quietcomfort-35-wireless-ii.html#v=qc35_ii_black\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Bose QuietComfort 35 Wireless Bluetooth<\/a> if you plan on working out of coffee shops, at a noisy co-working space or from a home office where pets and kids are running around. These headphones usually cost around $250 to $350 depending upon where you find the best discounts online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.blalb2vgxoyy\"><strong>Microphone: $150<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For full-time bloggers, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-to-start-a-podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"starting a podcast\">starting a podcast<\/a> of your own (or at least recording some limited videos for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-vs-youtube\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"a YouTube channel alongside your blog\">a YouTube channel alongside your blog<\/a>) should be on your radar for soon accompanying your written blog content. A good <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/best-cheap-podcast-microphones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"cheap podcasting microphone\">cheap podcasting microphone<\/a> is a smart addition alongside reliable <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/best-podcast-hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"podcast hosting\">podcast hosting<\/a>, and most of them will run you between $100 and $200 on Amazon, though there are plenty of less expensive options too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hardware Costs for a Full-Time Blogger: $0 &#8211; $2,640<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.9hkayxxc8b82\"><a name=\"hosting-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hosting Costs (WordPress with Bluehost): $2.95\/mo&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The next thing to consider when it comes to how much it costs to start a blog\u2014is your blogging platform and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/best-web-hosting-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"web hosting plan\">web hosting plan<\/a> you&#8217;re on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While there are <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/free-blogging-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"free (no hosting required) blogging sites\">free (no hosting required) blogging sites<\/a> that you can use to test the waters into writing as a hobby blogger with zero to very low total costs, I can&#8217;t recommend enough that new bloggers and beginners use the combination of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"WordPress\">WordPress<\/a> with a <a href=\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1376228\/11352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Bluehost<\/a> hosting plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wix and Weebly are popular choices for free blogging platforms, but they\u2019re pretty limited and you don\u2019t actually own the rights to your blog. Even if you\u2019re choosing a hobby blog, I still suggest paying the low cost of a hosting service to have total freedom with your content. Plus, if you ever want to get more serious about blogging and growing your site, you won\u2019t have to go through the hassle of moving your site later on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Moving forward, we&#8217;ll be breaking down the costs of blogging using the combination of WordPress (as your content management system) and a Bluehost hosting plan.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1376228\/11352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1032\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.59.24-AM.png\" alt=\"Bluehost Hosting Expense in How Much it Costs to Start a Blog This Year\" class=\"wp-image-9308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.59.24-AM.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.59.24-AM-300x194.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.59.24-AM-1024x660.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.59.24-AM-768x495.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.59.24-AM-1536x991.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.9h7dyx36klfu\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Hosting Costs: $1.99\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"WordPress\">WordPress<\/a> is 100% free content management system (CMS) to use for managing the content on your blog, so the only thing you&#8217;ll need to pay for is a hosting platform. A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-self-hosted-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"self-hosted blog\">self-hosted blog<\/a> powered by WordPress is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/what-is-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"not to be confused with WordPress.com&#8217;s\">not to be confused with WordPress.com&#8217;s<\/a> managed service. This guide also covers some of the basics in more depth: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-much-does-web-hosting-cost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"how much does web hosting cost?\">how much does web hosting cost?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When it comes to getting your blog hosted on a budget, Bluehost is what I recommend. They also come highly recommended by the makers of WordPress themselves, and they&#8217;ve built their business around offering reliable, inexpensive hosting plans to new bloggers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a hobby blogger, you really only need to purchase <a href=\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1376228\/11352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">their Basic plan<\/a>, which gets you everything you need for $1.99\/mo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s important to note though, that Bluehost hosting is paid up front in a single payment (that secures your hosting price and a free domain name for a minimum of your first year).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want the flexibility of true month-to-month payments, but don\u2019t mind paying a little more each month to keep your blog online, check out my picks for the best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/monthly-billed-web-hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"monthly paid plans\">monthly paid plans<\/a> for bloggers that need to keep their monthly budget really low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hosting Costs for Hobby Bloggers: $1.99\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.cqzjyvwdzs2v\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side Hustle Blogger Hosting Costs: $3.95\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a side hustle blog that you&#8217;re taking seriously and hoping to grow into a source of revenue for this side business\u2014I recommend springing for Bluehost&#8217;s faster hosting plan that comes with a few more features\u2014called the Choice Plus Plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Their Choice Plus Plan comes with a lot of features beyond what you&#8217;ll get in their lowest-cost plan, including free domain privacy, automated backups and more disk space (to get your site running faster). This plan will <a href=\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1376228\/11352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">cost you $3.95\/mo<\/a>, and as with all Bluehost hosting plans, requires at least a 1 year commitment up front. That being said, the full year payment does lock you in at one of the lowest-cost hosting plans for the amount of features, value and reliability\u2014especially because you&#8217;ll be blogging for the long haul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you want to shop around a bit more though, check out the other options for high quality hosting plans that offer a true <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/monthly-billed-web-hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"month-to-month payment option\">month-to-month payment option<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hosting Costs for Side Hustle Bloggers: $3.95\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.99eabdvc8etd\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger Hosting Costs: $3.95\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In my opinion, even if you&#8217;re diving into blogging as a full-time endeavor, you don&#8217;t need a hosting plan more robust (or expensive) than Bluehost&#8217;s Choice Plus Plan until you&#8217;re attracting thousands of monthly readers to your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s only at that level of readership that it makes financial sense to upgrade to a more robust hosting plan, either with Bluehost or from one of the other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/best-web-hosting-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"best web hosting\">best web hosting<\/a> providers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So for now&#8230; stick to <a href=\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1376228\/11352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">the Choice Plus Plan from Bluehost<\/a> that&#8217;ll cost you just $3.95\/mo and you&#8217;ll be good to go for a while as you focus on more important matters (like getting readers).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Bluehost does offer what&#8217;s called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/managed-wordpress-hosting-plans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"managed WordPress hosting\">managed WordPress hosting<\/a>, for when you are ready to upgrade (read these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/bluehost-reviews\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"Bluehost reviews\">Bluehost reviews<\/a> about it when you&#8217;re ready). These plans are usually on sale for existing customers and range in cost from $19.95\/mo to $49.95\/mo which unlocks more great features for active blogs\u2014like unlimited web storage, unlimited domains <em>and<\/em> much higher levels of hands on technical support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hosting Costs for Full-Time Bloggers: $3.95\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.q1wzi8sk73bu\"><a name=\"domain-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Domain Name Cost: $0 (Free)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-choose-domain-name\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"domain name\">domain name<\/a>, your blog&#8217;s address on the Internet, is another relatively small expense that bloggers have to pay.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"559\" height=\"499\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Blog-Domain-Name-Cost-and-Explanation.png\" alt=\"How Much Does it Cost to Blog? Domain Name Cost and Explanation\" class=\"wp-image-9373\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Blog-Domain-Name-Cost-and-Explanation.png 559w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Blog-Domain-Name-Cost-and-Explanation-300x268.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 559px) 100vw, 559px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thankfully, if you choose <a href=\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1376228\/11352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Bluehost<\/a> for your hosting plan, you&#8217;ll get a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/free-domain-name\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"free domain name\">free domain name<\/a> included for the first year\u2014and it&#8217;s around $10\/year to renew it after that. So for getting your blog started, <strong>your domain name cost will be $0 if you opt for Bluehost<\/strong>. You can search for (and secure) a domain name with Bluehost right here:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"domain-tool ryrob-form border\"><h4>Check if your domain name is available:<\/h4><form id=\"domainNameForm\"><label for=\"domain-name-tool\" class=\"screen-reader-text\">Search for an available domain name:<\/label><input type=\"text\" name=\"domain\" id=\"domain-name-tool\" size=\"30\" placeholder=\"Search for available domain names...\" maxlength=\"70\"><button type=\"submit\" value=\"Search Domains\">Search Domains<\/button><\/form><div id=\"availability-result\"><\/div><\/div><script>\r\nwindow.addEventListener( \"load\", function () {\r\n  function sendData(formData) {\r\n\tvar domainCheck = formData.domain.value;\r\n\tif(domainCheck.indexOf(\".\") == -1){\r\n\t\tdomainCheck = formData.domain.value+\".com\";\r\n\t}\r\n\tdomainCheck = domainCheck.replace(\/[^0-9a-zA-Z.]\/g, \"\");\r\n\tconsole.log(domainCheck);\r\n\t\r\n\tfetch(\"https:\/\/api.ryrob.com\/api\/domain?domain=\"+domainCheck, {\r\n\t\tmethod: \"GET\",\r\n\t\tcredentials: \"include\"\r\n\t})\r\n\t.then(response => response.json())\r\n\t.then(response => {\r\n\t\tvar available = response.original.available;\r\n\t\tvar domain = response.original.domain;\r\n\t\t\r\n\t\tif(available){\r\n\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"availability-result\").innerHTML = \"<div><i class=\\\"fa fa-check\\\" style=\\\"margin-right: 0.5em;\\\"><\/i><strong>\"+domain+\"<\/strong> is available!<\/div><a href=\\\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1349320\/11352?mmpid=ryrob&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bluehost.com%2Fweb-hosting%2Fsignup%3Fcpanel_plan%3Dbuilder_plus%26term%3Dcpanel%3Abuilder_plus-12%26domain%3D\"+domain+\"\\\" class=\\\"button ryrob-button\\\" target=\\\"_blank\\\" rel=\\\"nofollow sponsored\\\">Get Domain Now<\/a>\";\r\n\t\t}else{\r\n\t\t\tvar recommendations = response.recommendations;\r\n\t\t\tvar domainList = [];\r\n\t\t\tfor(var i = 0; i < recommendations.length; i++){\r\n\t\t\t\tdomainList.push(recommendations[i].domain);\r\n\t\t\t}\r\n\t\t\tvar recommendationsHtml = \"<p>Sorry, \"+domain+\" is not available.<p><p>Here are some alternatives that may be available: \"+domainList.join(\", \")+\"<\/p>\";\r\n\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"availability-result\").innerHTML = recommendationsHtml;\r\n\t\t}\r\n\t})\r\n\t.catch(error => {\r\n\t\tconsole.error(\"Error:\", error);\r\n\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"availability-result\").innerHTML = \"<p>Error checking domain availability. Please try again.<\/p>\";\r\n\t});\r\n  }\r\n \r\n  const form = document.getElementById( \"domainNameForm\" );\r\n\r\n  var lastMove = 0;\r\n  form.addEventListener( \"submit\", function ( event ) {\r\n    event.preventDefault();\r\n    if(Date.now() - lastMove > 600) {\r\n\r\n    \tsendData(form.elements);\r\n\t\tlastMove = Date.now();\r\n\t}\r\n  } );\r\n} );\r\n<\/script>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you don\u2019t want to use Bluehost for your hosting and domain name\u2014or if you want to switch later\u2014here are some other options:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tkqlhce.com\/click-8261689-11067151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">GoDaddy: $10.00 &#8211; $20.00<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">GoDaddy\u2019s pricing varies a bit based on the domain name you&#8217;re considering purchasing (popular names tend to go for more), so it\u2019s difficult to estimate exactly what it will cost to get a domain name on GoDaddy. For most <em>.com<\/em> extensions, you can usually expect to pay between $10.00 and $20.00 per year. Again though, these may just be introductory prices and they vary greatly depending on a number of factors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shareasale.com\/r.cfm?b=518802&amp;u=1175500&amp;m=46483&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><strong>NameCheap: $9.00<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">NameCheap is another solid option to evaluate for picking up an inexpensive domain name, but like with GoDaddy, their pricing varies quite a bit based on a number of factors. You can expect to pay around $9 for most <em>.com<\/em> domain names for your first year of registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/domains.google\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><strong>GoogleDomains: $12.00<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Google Domains charges a consistent $12.00 registration fee for <em>.com<\/em> domain names. Of course, some names are deemed premium and do cost more from any domain registrar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Domain Name Cost for All Bloggers: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.fiat6p9d9ocq\"><a name=\"wordpress-theme-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">WordPress Theme Blog Costs: $0 &#8211; $49&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Picking a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/best-wordpress-themes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"WordPress theme for your blog\">WordPress theme for your blog<\/a> is an extremely important step in the process of building your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While you can change your theme in the future, it does take some reconstructing your website in order to do so\u2014which is why I highly suggest picking a great theme from the start, so you don\u2019t have the hassle of multiple theme changes in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.6ujycw2qv402\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger WordPress Theme Costs: $0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are quite literally thousands of free WordPress themes available today, but if you\u2019re looking for a free theme that\u2019s easy to use, ultra fast and offers beautiful design layouts, my #1 recommendation is the <a href=\"https:\/\/be.elementor.com\/visit\/?bta=6152&amp;brand=elementor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Hello Theme<\/a> from the team behind Elementor.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"742\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.28.39-AM.png\" alt=\"The Cost to Start a Blog (and Blog Budget) WordPress Theme Costs\" class=\"wp-image-9299\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.28.39-AM.png 742w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.28.39-AM-300x243.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 742px) 100vw, 742px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This free Hello Theme was created to be fully compatible with the <a href=\"https:\/\/be.elementor.com\/visit\/?bta=6152&amp;brand=elementor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Elementor Page Builder<\/a>, which also starts fee and will extend your functionality significantly\u2014giving you a ton of visual editing and creation features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Cost for a Hobby Blogger WordPress Theme: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.6livr4vo4big\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side Hustle &amp; Full-Time Blogger WordPress Theme Costs: $60<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As either a side hustle or full-time blogger, you&#8217;re out to grow your blog into a source of revenue. You&#8217;re taking your blog very seriously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And if you don&#8217;t come from a background in web development, you&#8217;ll find it extremely beneficial to use a premium theme and visual page builder like <a href=\"https:\/\/be.elementor.com\/visit\/?bta=6152&amp;brand=elementor\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Elementor<\/a> on top of their free WordPress theme. Premium page builders like Elementor offer a lot more customization options and the freedom to tweak the design of your blog exactly however you want.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While Elementor does technically start out as free, the personal plan of Elementor&#8217;s PRO Page Builder unlocks all of the features you&#8217;ll want as a serious blogger (for $60.00\/year):<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elementor-Pro-Plan.png\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"608\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elementor-Pro-Plan-1024x608.png\" alt=\"Elementor Pro Plan\" class=\"wp-image-27392\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elementor-Pro-Plan-1024x608.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elementor-Pro-Plan-300x178.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elementor-Pro-Plan-768x456.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elementor-Pro-Plan-1536x912.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/Elementor-Pro-Plan-2048x1215.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pairing their free Hello Theme with the Elementor PRO Page Builder is the way to go\u2014and it&#8217;ll keep your cost to start a blog nice and low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Eventually over time, it might pay off to start investing in a fully custom-built theme that can suit your very specific needs, but I&#8217;ve been blogging for 10+ years here and have only switched premium themes once\u2014so fear not. As an added bonus, when I decided to launch a new side food blog over at <a href=\"https:\/\/vegantable.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">VeganTable<\/a>, I already had extra licenses for my favorite WordPress theme to use, so those shared costs are helpful as your network of websites grows in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Cost for a Side Hustle &amp; Full-Time Blogger WordPress Theme: $60.00<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.lx4z3vw2a7qe\"><a name=\"wordpress-plugin-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">WordPress Plugin Blog Costs: $0 &#8211; $217&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re not already familiar with <a href=\"https:\/\/smartwp.com\/best-wordpress-plugins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">WordPress plugins<\/a>, a plugin is a small piece of software that adds new functionality to your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"403\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/WordPress-Plugins-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Start-Blogging.jpg\" alt=\"WordPress Plugins How Much it Costs to Start Blogging\" class=\"wp-image-9375\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/WordPress-Plugins-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Start-Blogging.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/WordPress-Plugins-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Start-Blogging-300x134.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/WordPress-Plugins-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Start-Blogging-768x344.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plugins are really useful for WordPress-powered blogs and can allow you to do a truly unlimited number of things with your site. There are tens of thousands of free and premium plugins available in the WordPress ecosystem (like Crocoblock&#8217;s blogging <a href=\"https:\/\/crocoblock.com\/plugins\/jetblog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">plugin for Elementor<\/a>), but a few rise above the rest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;ll want to start by first installing all of the top plugins I recommend in my guide about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"how to start a blog\">how to start a blog<\/a>. After those top ten, consider these.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.r2rdfawloxfh\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger WordPress Plugin Costs: $0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A hobby blogger shouldn\u2019t have to worry about purchasing a premium plugin. There are lot of useful ones that are totally free. Here are some that you may find helpful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/instagram-feed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Instagram Feed<\/a><\/strong>: Instagram Feed lets you display your Instagram feed directly embedded into your website.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/google-analytics-for-wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Google Analytics for WordPress<\/a><\/strong>: You may not yet be monetizing your website, but it\u2019s still smart to install Google Analytics or a more premium analytics tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/usefathom.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Fathom<\/a> to develop an understanding of who your readers are and how they discover your content. It\u2019s good information to collect if you ever do want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"start monetizing your blog\">start monetizing your blog<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/envira-gallery-lite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Envira Gallery Lite<\/a><\/strong>: You can create galleries directly in WordPress and within Elementor, but Envira Gallery Lite gives you even more options.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hobby Blogger WordPress Plugin Costs: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.jv0dmk2mek8\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side-Hustle Blogger WordPress Plugin Costs: $217&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Side hustle bloggers will want to move beyond just free plugins and opt for utilizing at least a small handful of the best premium plugins to aid in everything from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-write-blog-post\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"writing great blog content\">writing great blog content<\/a>, to making sure you&#8217;re hitting the right <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"SEO best practices\">SEO best practices<\/a>, making your content easily shareable and more. Here are the top premium plugins you&#8217;ll want:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordpress-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Yoast SEO &#8211; $99\/year<\/a><\/strong>: Yoast SEO has a very robust free version of their plugin that helps you create SEO-friendly content (to rank higher on search engines). The free version offers free keyword optimization, readability checks, communication with Google indexing and a lot more. The premium version of their plugin includes internal linking suggestions, content insights, focus keyword experts and more to consider upgrading for. The premium version costs $99 a year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/woocommerce.com\/?aff=25682&amp;cid=2512943\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">WooCommerce &#8211; $0<\/a><\/strong>: WooCommerce is a powerful eCommerce add-on plugin (and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/ecommerce-website-builders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"eCommerce website builder\">eCommerce website builder<\/a>) for bloggers interested in using their site to sell their own products. The best part is, it starts out completely free to use and only costs you something once you want to unlock advanced features (or you&#8217;re processing a high volume of transactions).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shareasale.com\/r.cfm?b=837827&amp;u=1175500&amp;m=64312&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">WP Forms &#8211; $49\/year<\/a><\/strong>: WP Forms is an extremely helpful premium plugin for bloggers that want to include any kind of form on their site (if you don&#8217;t have a WordPress theme that allows for the easy insertion of forms already). Their form tools are extremely dynamic and start at $49\/year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/shareasale.com\/r.cfm?b=1075949&amp;u=1175500&amp;m=74778&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">WP Rocket &#8211; $59\/year<\/a><\/strong>: WP Rocket is the fastest caching plugin for WordPress that keeps your website running extremely quickly, even when you have a lot of traffic.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/WP-Rocket-Pricing.png\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"436\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/WP-Rocket-Pricing-1024x436.png\" alt=\"WP Rocket Pricing\" class=\"wp-image-27398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/WP-Rocket-Pricing-1024x436.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/WP-Rocket-Pricing-300x128.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/WP-Rocket-Pricing-768x327.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/WP-Rocket-Pricing-1536x654.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/WP-Rocket-Pricing-2048x872.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Side Hustle Blogger WordPress Plugin Costs: $2<\/strong>07<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.yyjbj3j1q65b\"><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger WordPress Plugin Costs: $217<\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Full-time bloggers should maximize all of the best premium <a href=\"https:\/\/smartwp.com\/best-wordpress-plugins\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">WordPress plugins<\/a> as well as other key plugins that add smart functionality to your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition to the plugins listed above, you may want to consider these more advanced ones (depending upon the type of blog you&#8217;re building and the ways in which you&#8217;ll be monetizing your content). For that reason though, I&#8217;m not adding any of the below plugins into your equation for figuring our how much does it cost to start a blog. If one of these resonates with you though, then add it in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/jetpackcrm.com\/pricing\/\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">Jetpack CRM &#8211; $132\/year<\/a><\/strong>: Jetpack CRM (previously known as Zero BS CRM), is a customer relationship management WordPress plugin that gives you insights into who your customers are. This is an extremely helpful plugin for eCommerce-focused blogs that are selling products directly from their sites. The plugin is free, but you can <a href=\"https:\/\/jetpackcrm.com\/extensions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">add extensions at a premium cost<\/a>. Jetpack CRM has also recently joined the team at Automattic, the company behind WordPress, so you can expect more great integrations.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.livechat.com\/pricing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">LiveChat &#8211; $240\/year<\/a><\/strong>: LiveChat gives you the ability to immediately chat with visitors on your website. If you sell products directly on your blog, then this is a great plugin to add into your mix\u2014that way you can answer important questions from your potential customers on the go. LiveChat ranges in price from $20\/mo to $59\/mo (or more) depending upon features.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/wpml.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">WPML &#8211; $39\/year<\/a><\/strong>: If you\u2019re interested in reaching readers in regions of the world where English isn&#8217;t as common, then the WordPress Multilingual Plugin is what you\u2019re looking for. It ranges in price from $39 to $199. The lowest version can translate posts, pages, tags, WordPress menus and more\u2014so you&#8217;ll be good to go with that.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since many of these plugins are optional depending on your unique needs, I\u2019m leaving the plugin costs at the same level as for side hustle bloggers: <strong>$207<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.d7a2gf80017c\"><a name=\"email-tool-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Email Marketing Tool Costs: $0 &#8211; $41\/mo (and up)&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/email-marketing-bloggers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"Email marketing\">Email marketing<\/a> is the lifeblood of just about every profitable blog. And your blog&#8217;s true worth is in <em>the quality<\/em> of your email list.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1403\" height=\"565\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog-Income-Report-October-2019-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-ConvertKit.png\" alt=\"Email Marketing Tools in How Much it Costs to Start a Blog This Year\" class=\"wp-image-9132\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog-Income-Report-October-2019-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-ConvertKit.png 1403w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog-Income-Report-October-2019-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-ConvertKit-300x121.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog-Income-Report-October-2019-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-ConvertKit-768x309.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Blog-Income-Report-October-2019-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-ConvertKit-1024x412.png 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1403px) 100vw, 1403px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Why? Your email marketing software is a way for you to communicate directly with blog readers who&#8217;ve expressed an interest in what you do and signed up to get more of your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They&#8217;re your first stop for figuring out how to monetize your blog and will be an unlimited source of new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-post-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blog post ideas\">blog post ideas<\/a> to write about too.&nbsp;That\u2019s why you should start building an email list as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.8izrdzwsgcvr\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Email Marketing Tool Costs: $0&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A hobby blogger likely isn&#8217;t very interested in creating an email list\u2014but it\u2019s still not a bad idea to start one with the goal of building relationships with your readers and making your blog a more meaningful destination. Plus, if you\u2019re a hobby blogger with an interest in monetizing your blog <em>in the future<\/em>, there\u2019s no time like the present to start an email list.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"826\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.03-PM.png\" alt=\"Mailchimp Email Marketing Tools for Bloggers to Consider in Their Budgets\" class=\"wp-image-9314\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.03-PM.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.03-PM-300x155.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.03-PM-1024x529.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.03-PM-768x396.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.03-PM-1536x793.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The good news is, you can use <a href=\"https:\/\/mailchimp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Mailchimp<\/a>&#8216;s Forever Free Plan with a limited feature set up to unlock their email service with up to 2,000 subscribers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since your blog isn\u2019t meant to be a serious business if it&#8217;s just a hobby, you may never cross that 2,000 subscriber mark, so Mailchimp would be perfect for your needs. That means you\u2019ll be able to maintain an email list for free indefinitely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Either way, even if you do self-identify as a side hustle or full-time blogger, there&#8217;s a good argument to be made for starting with a free tool like Mailchimp in order to keep your costs low in the very early days\u2014before ramping up to invest in a paid tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/convertkit-vs-aweber-vs-mailchimp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"ConvertKit or AWeber\">ConvertKit or AWeber<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Cost for Hobby Blogger Email Marketing Tools: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.5yje3e7gpmf1\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side-Hustle and Full-Time Blogger Email Marketing Tool Costs: $0 &#8211; $41\/mo (and up)<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My advice for both serious side hustle bloggers&nbsp;<em>and<\/em> full-time bloggers is the same when it comes to email marketing tools: <a data-wpil=\"url\" href=\"https:\/\/partners.convertkit.com\/v6p7gmuyxlup\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">ConvertKit<\/a> all the way (but not right at first).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"885\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.33-PM.png\" alt=\"ConvertKit Landing Page Screenshot How Much Does it Cost to Blog\" class=\"wp-image-9301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.33-PM.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.33-PM-300x166.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.33-PM-1024x566.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.33-PM-768x425.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.33-PM-1536x850.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-7.26.33-PM-350x195.png 350w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You&#8217;re probably familiar with Mailchimp, AWeber and ConvertKit as the top three big email marketing choices for bloggers. This is a quick version of my opinion on these three tools and why ConvertKit ultimately wins, but if you want a deep dive, check out my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/convertkit-vs-aweber-vs-mailchimp\/#comments\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"more in-depth comparison\">more in-depth comparison<\/a> of them all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Unless you\u2019re starting your blog with an existing list of email subscribers\u2014I suggest sticking with the free version Mailchimp to start collecting subscribers and getting to know them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re not actively working to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"making money with your blog\">making money with your blog<\/a> right from the very beginning, you can\u2019t really justify the expense of a more powerful (paid) email marketing tool like ConvertKit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Once you do start crossing into 1,000+ subscriber mark, then I&#8217;d recommend upgrading to ConvertKit. It offers the most functionality, includes the ability to deliver automated emails (which can be used to sell your products on autopilot) and so much more. But by time you get to 1,000+ subscribers, you should be monetizing your blog to the extent that more than pays for this tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cost of using ConvertKit rises with your number of email subscribers\u2014but the starting price (for 1,000-2,000 subscribers) is $41\/mo (paid annually).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Cost for Side Hustle and Full-Time Blogger Email Marketing Tools: $0 &#8211; $41\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.76ytvlj40zxy\"><a name=\"security-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Security Costs: $0 &#8211; $240\/year&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">WordPress.-powered blogs don&#8217;t come with robust (built-in) security like you might expect from a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/best-website-builders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"website builder\">website builder<\/a> like Wix or WordPress.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, the hosting company you choose to power your blog <em>should<\/em> provide an extra layer of defense. That&#8217;s why I recommend <a href=\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1376228\/11352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Bluehost<\/a> (they include site lock security).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-8.png\" alt=\"Security Costs to Consider in Starting a Blog Screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-9296\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-8.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-8-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-8-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-8-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-8-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As your blog grows (and generates revenue) though, <a href=\"https:\/\/nordvpn.com\/what-is-a-vpn\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">security becomes increasingly important<\/a>\u2014as your site can be targeted by hackers seeking to exploit your earnings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.c4kyigocna95\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Security Costs: $0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Thankfully, if you\u2019ve chosen Bluehost to host your blog, you have their baseline built-in security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a hobby blog, your risks for additional threats are extremely low\u2014and what comes with Bluehost is all the security you&#8217;ll need for now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Security Costs for a Hobby Blogger: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.eaw33d139whw\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side Hustle Blogger Security Costs: $149\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we&#8217;ve already covered, if you&#8217;re hosting your blog through a reputable company like <a href=\"https:\/\/bluehost.sjv.io\/c\/317592\/1376228\/11352\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Bluehost<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/click.dreamhost.com\/aff_c?offer_id=9&amp;aff_id=1003\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Dreamhost<\/a>, then you&#8217;ve already got a baseline level of security monitoring in place. But for additional security, installing an easy-to-use security plugin like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wordfence.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Wordfence<\/a> is a great starting point (and will stay on your blog budget).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"670\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.53-PM.png\" alt=\"Wordfence Security for WordPress Homepage Screenshot\" class=\"wp-image-9306\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.53-PM.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.53-PM-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.53-PM-1024x429.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.53-PM-768x322.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.53-PM-1536x643.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Wordfence starts out at $149\/year for installing their advanced security features on one blog. You can usually get a promotional 10-20% discount if you sign up for multiple years too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With this security plugin, you&#8217;ll add many safety features like:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Leaked password protection<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Live traffic monitoring<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Two-factor authentication<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>File repair<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Country blocking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Advanced manual blocking<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Endpoint firewall<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Malware scanner<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Security Costs for a Side Hustle Blogger: $149\/year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.2wpenxgbffy9\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger Security Costs: $240\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.19-PM.png\" alt=\"Cloudflare Security Costs to Blogging\" class=\"wp-image-9309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.19-PM.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.19-PM-300x120.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.19-PM-1024x410.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.19-PM-768x307.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-8.30.19-PM-1536x614.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For the highest-level security on your blog, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cloudflare.com\/integrations\/wordpress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Cloudflare<\/a> is the best possible choice (and it&#8217;s what I use here to secure my blog).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cloudflare ranges in price from totally free to $200+ per month depending upon the size of your website, how many visitors you&#8217;re getting, number of pages they&#8217;re protecting and such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re a full-time blogger, you&#8217;ll probably want either their Pro or Business Plan. The Pro Plan is recommended for, \u201cProfessional websites, blogs and portfolios requiring basic security and performance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pro Plan includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enhanced security with Web Application Firewall (WAF)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enhanced performance with image and mobile optimization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>HTTP\/2 prioritization<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>More control with advanced features<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This plan is a good starting point and costs: $20\/mo<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Business Plan is for, websites and businesses requiring advanced security, performance, and prioritized support. Here are some quick specs on this product:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>24\/7\/365 support<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Custom SSL Certificates<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>CNAME Setup<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Custom WAF rules<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Up to 100K image resizing request<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This plan is worth upgrading to once you have a sizable amount of readers and costs $200\/mo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Security Costs for a Full-Time Blogger: $240\/year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.42uevcdqj7j1\"><a name=\"extra-tool-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Extra Blogging Tool Costs: $0 &#8211; $2,217\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s a list of the best <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"extra tools and plugins\">extra tools and plugins<\/a> that I&#8217;ve personally found useful in growing my blog over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re trying to answer, how much does it cost to start a blog? for yourself, then don&#8217;t forget about these essential add-ons that&#8217;ll help you drive more traffic &amp; earn more over the months to come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Extra Tool Costs: $0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For your hobby blog, I highly recommend using&nbsp;<em>only<\/em> free tools and plugins. Start here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/analytics.google.com\/analytics\/web\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Google Analytics &#8211; Free<\/a><\/strong>: Since 2005, Google Analytics has been a (free) web analytics service built and offered by Google that allows blog owners to track and report on their <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/drive-traffic-website\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"website traffic\">website traffic<\/a>. Today, it&#8217;s just one of the many blogging tools offered inside the overall Google Marketing Platform brand, designed for marketers and advertisers to reach more readers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twinword.com\/ideas\/?afid=twiaf-866362e2d531\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><strong>Twinword Ideas &#8211; Free<\/strong><\/a>: This free blogging tool from the team at Twinword, gathers keyword data directly from Google and other top search engines, making it more accurate than most other free <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/keyword-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"keyword research\">keyword research<\/a> tools out there today. Leveraging this free tool will help you pick smart <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-topic-ideas\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blog topic ideas\">blog topic ideas<\/a> to write about (that people are already searching for online) and give you some insights into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-to-write-a-headline\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"writing a blog headline\">writing a blog headline<\/a> that people will actually click on.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Extra Tool Costs for Hobby Bloggers: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\"><strong>Side-Hustle Blogger Extra Tool Costs: $128.5\/year<\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the side hustle blogging level, you&#8217;ll start to pay a little bit for extra tools that add meaningful functionality to your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember at this stage, your goal is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/drive-traffic-website\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"driving more traffic\">driving more traffic<\/a> and better-monetizing your content\u2014and these kinds of tools are well worth the investment towards that pursuit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/shareasale.com\/r.cfm?b=966004&amp;u=1175500&amp;m=69975&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack=\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><strong>MonsterInsights &#8211; $99.50\/year<\/strong><\/a>: To put it simply, MonsterInsights is a dead simple Google Analytics plugin for WordPress\u2014that allows you to view your GA data directly within your WordPress dashboard. MonsterInsights allows you to easily connect your WordPress blog with your Google Analytics account (without hiring developer or writing any code yourself)\u2014a task that can sometimes be a bit more complicated than most new bloggers bargain for, depending upon which of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/best-wordpress-themes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"top WordPress themes\">top WordPress themes<\/a> you&#8217;re using. MonsterInsights starts out free, and their Plus plan unlocks all the additional features you&#8217;d ever need at $99.50\/year.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"855\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.03.36-AM.png\" alt=\"MonsterInsights Plugin for WordPress Blogs\" class=\"wp-image-9311\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.03.36-AM.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.03.36-AM-300x160.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.03.36-AM-1024x547.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.03.36-AM-768x410.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.03.36-AM-1536x821.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/app.wordable.io\/refer?ref=ryanrobinson10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><strong>Wordable &#8211; $29\/year<\/strong><\/a>: Converting a blog post draft from a Google Doc into WordPress can be an incredible pain. That\u2019s why I love Wordable, because it&#8217;s saved me literally hundreds of hours of my life. Once you&#8217;ve signed up for <a href=\"https:\/\/app.wordable.io\/refer?ref=ryanrobinson10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Wordable&#8217;s free trial<\/a>, you&#8217;ll download their plugin and install it on your blog. Then, in literally one click, you&#8217;ll be able to instantly export Google Docs into a WordPress post or page on your blog\u2014without any formatting challenges. Wordable costs $29\/year to run on one blog.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Extra Tool Costs for Side Hustle Bloggers: $128.5\/year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger Extra Tool Costs: $290 &#8211; $2,604\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Beyond the tools in the side hustle section above (which I&#8217;d consider must-have&#8217;s in your equation of how much does it cost to start a blog?), I recommend taking these more advanced tools into account for your blog budget if you can afford the additional spend and you&#8217;re focused on serious growth in the immediate term.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Ahrefs &#8211; $1,548\/year<\/a><\/strong>: Hailing as the absolute best SEO-related tool for bloggers and online businesses alike that want to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-to-rank-higher-on-google\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"rank higher on Google\">rank higher on Google<\/a>, Ahrefs has more than earned its reputation at helping content creators nail the most important <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-seo\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"blog SEO strategies\">blog SEO strategies<\/a>\u2014with a special emphasis on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/keyword-research\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"keyword research\">keyword research<\/a> &amp; competitor analysis. Their most relevant features for bloggers, is that it quadruples as a content research and analysis juggernaut, keyword rank tracker (with historical SERP movements going as far back as when your blog began ranking for its first keyword), a competitor research tool and on-page SEO analyzer. I know, that&#8217;s a lot. The lowest plan with Ahrefs will run you a hefty $449\/year (when paid annually), but I can promise it&#8217;s well worth the cost.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/teachable.com\/?tap_a=7070-206737&amp;tap_s=81701-3a047c&amp;src=aff\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow sponsored noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Teachable &#8211; $468\/year<\/a><\/strong>: As your blogging business grows, making and selling online courses will be a natural evolution along the path to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"monetizing your blog\">monetizing your blog<\/a>. Teachable has long been one of the easiest-to-use online course delivery platforms that can not only serve content to your students\u2014but also collect payments on your behalf. Teachable starts at $39\/mo when billed annually.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/canirank.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Can I Rank? &#8211; $588\/year<\/a><\/strong>: This is by far one of the most exciting new tools I&#8217;ve started using this year. At the core of their product, it&#8217;s an AI-powered software engine that gives you actionable advice for how to improve your blog&#8217;s SEO&nbsp;rankings, get more traffic and even gather clever content ideas to pursue based on your existing content\u2014and which opportunities will provide the most potential traffic value in the months to come. Can I Rank? ranges from free to $49\/mo for plans that a full-time blogger should consider.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"869\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.19.32-AM.png\" alt=\"Can I Rank Tool for Bloggers\" class=\"wp-image-9303\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.19.32-AM.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.19.32-AM-300x163.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.19.32-AM-1024x556.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.19.32-AM-768x417.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-26-at-10.19.32-AM-1536x834.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Truth be told\u2014as your blog grows, you can spend much more than this in all the advanced <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging tools\">blogging tools<\/a> (not to mention <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-courses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging courses\">blogging courses<\/a> &amp; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-books\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging books\">blogging books<\/a>) out there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So your version of, how much does it cost to start a blog? can actually vary quite a lot depending upon the mix of tools you&#8217;re leveraging to grow your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Extra Tool Costs for Full-Time Bloggers (+ the Side Hustle Tools Above): $290 &#8211; $2,604<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.7p88megq4ql6\"><a name=\"advertising-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Advertising Costs: $0 &#8211; $1,000\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1067\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-13.png\" alt=\"Advertising Costs to Blogging Your First Year\" class=\"wp-image-9313\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-13.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-13-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-13-1024x683.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-13-768x512.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-13-1536x1024.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cost of advertising is a common one up for debate amongst bloggers that engage in digital marketing strategies to get traffic flowing in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Should you pay for advertising, or should you invest in (arguably slower) free marketing strategies for growing your blog? I&#8217;d actually argue that there&#8217;s a time for <em>both<\/em> paid and free marketing channels\u2014and it depends largely on where you&#8217;re at in your blogging journey.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, if you have a brand new blog with no means of monetizing your traffic yet, then it makes no sense to run paid ad campaigns to your content&nbsp;<em>yet<\/em>. You&#8217;ll want to get up and running enough to where your content is at least somewhat monetized before you&#8217;re spending a meaningful amount of your blog budget on ads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some of my best ways for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-grow-blog\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"growing your blog\">growing your blog<\/a> that includes both free and paid channels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.o1xrv5ost3mo\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Advertising Costs: $0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It almost goes without saying that a hobby blogger wouldn&#8217;t spend money on advertising. Without any intention of making money from their blog, it really doesn\u2019t make sense to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, you probably still want to attract some people to your blog\u2014even for the fun of interacting with people who are also interested in the same things that you are. There are a <em>ton<\/em> of free ways to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-to-find-target-audience\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"find your target audience\">find your target audience<\/a> and grow your readership, but a few pertinent ones are here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Post to Pinterest<\/strong>: Posting on Pinterest is often a lot more useful and far-reaching than other social media platforms. Use portrait-oriented images with text right on the image. These images perform the best on Pinterest because people scrolling through can see at a glance what your blog post is about. To scale your Pinterest posting, I recommend checking out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tailwindapp.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Tailwind<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use Other Social Media Platforms Too<\/strong>: Don\u2019t stop with Pinterest. Share information about your blog across the spectrum of social media. Repost your blog posts to Medium, share your newest content on Twitter, and post relevant photos on Instagram. Join a group on Facebook in your niche and share your newest blog posts with them.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ask Your Audience Questions<\/strong>: If you want to get to know what interests your audience\u2014ask them! Ask on social media, in email marketing, or right in a blog post. This gives them a chance to boost your social media posts by engagement and also gives you an insight into the kind of content they\u2019d like to see on your blog.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hobby Blogger Advertising Costs: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.uoxz7u4tcsmz\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side-Hustle Blogger Advertising Costs: $0 &#8211; $100<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like it or not, advertising your blog is an experimental task.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Right now, you won\u2019t know the most effective ways to market your blog\u2014until you try a few things first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can spend a little money on social media ads (on Facebook or Pinterest), but there are a lot of other ways to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-grow-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"grow your blog\">grow your blog<\/a> audience without having to spend much money. My advice is to cap your social media advertising costs to around $100 on the platform your audience seems to spend the most time on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here are some ways that have worked well for me in growing my blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Develop a Content Ecosystem<\/strong>: A content ecosystem means having enough relevant content on your site that you can link to internally (like this link right here to developing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/content-marketing-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"content marketing strategy\">content marketing strategy<\/a> or coming up with your own overall <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-strategy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging strategy\">blogging strategy<\/a>). I&#8217;ve linked to several relevant articles from this guide about how much does it cost to start a blog? because I&#8217;ve spent a lot of time creating my own blog content ecosystem. Doing this accomplishes two things. One, it establishes your authority on a subject. It also shows your readers that you\u2019re deeply familiar with the topic they came to your site to research. The other obvious benefit is people will spend more time on your blog rather than searching for information on someone else\u2019s site\u2014check out these <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-examples\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"successful blog examples\">successful blog examples<\/a> and you&#8217;ll see very clearly how it&#8217;s done.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"750\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-9.png\" alt=\"How to Develop a Content Ecosystem Graphic in Blogging\" class=\"wp-image-9297\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-9.png 750w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/pasted-image-0-9-300x190.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Optimize Your Blog for Google Search Rankings<\/strong>: I won\u2019t go into depth here about Search Engine Optimization, but it\u2019s an extremely important aspect of getting more readers to your blog. Do your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/keyword-research\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"keyword research\">keyword research<\/a>, pay attention to the recommendations from your Yoast plugin and use <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-seo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"smart blog SEO strategies\">smart blog SEO strategies<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reach out to People (and Brands) You Mention in Your Posts<\/strong>: You have a much greater chance of blogging success when you have a strong network. One way to grow your network is to include other bloggers in your content. If you quote someone or link to their content, reach out using my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogger-outreach\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogger outreach\">blogger outreach<\/a> email templates and let them know. They may share your article with their audience\u2014and even if they don\u2019t, you\u2019ve still made a good potential connection.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Side Hustle Blogger Advertising Costs: $0 &#8211; $100 (for Experimenting)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.g94zevqx87es\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger Advertising Costs: $0 &#8211; $1,000\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s tempting to think that at this level of full-time blogging, you should spend more money on advertising.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while a sponsored <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/guest-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"guest blogging\">guest blogging<\/a> opportunity may actually be a good opportunity to grow your audience a bit (if you land the article on a site with a large target audience that you also want to reach), that&#8217;s about the only other paid advertising experiment I&#8217;d personally recommend when you&#8217;re still early on in your blogging journey. Especially if you don&#8217;t much by way of monetized content on your blog at the moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All of this being said, I\u2019m a big believer that you can grow your blog without hemorrhaging money. Here are some more ways to build your audience that won\u2019t cost you an extra arm and a leg:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Teach Online Courses For Your Blog Readers<\/strong>: Offering free online courses will mostly cost you time, rather than money. Whether you charge for a course or offer some free online classes as an incentive for people to join your email list, it\u2019s a great opportunity to get to know your audience. It also gives you the opportunity to establish yourself as an authority in your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-niche\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blog niche\">blog niche<\/a>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Use Quora<\/strong>: This question and answer forum traverses many different topics. It\u2019s used by a diverse group of users and it gives you the potential to connect with many different kinds of people. You can find questions that people ask about a topic within your niche. Look at which questions keep coming up again and again\u2014then answer the most popular ones in a way that highlights your expertise. You can tactfully include a call-to-action that directs them to your blog for additional reading too. Here\u2019s an example of a search result for \u201cblogging\u201d on Quora. Even in this quick search you can see that people primarily want to know <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"how to start a blog\">how to start a blog<\/a>, how to promote it and are wondering <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-much-bloggers-make\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"how much bloggers can make\">how much bloggers can make<\/a>. If my blog didn\u2019t already cover those topics, this would confirm to me the importance of writing about it now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1600\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.24.38-PM.png\" alt=\"Quora as a Traffic Source to Grow Your Blog and Interact with Readers\" class=\"wp-image-9305\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.24.38-PM.png 1600w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.24.38-PM-300x190.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.24.38-PM-1024x648.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.24.38-PM-768x486.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Screen-Shot-2019-10-25-at-10.24.38-PM-1536x972.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1600px) 100vw, 1600px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Be a Guest on a Podcast<\/strong>: Another great way to reach new audiences is to be interviewed on a somewhat popular podcast within your niche. You don\u2019t have to own a podcast in order to be a guest on someone else\u2019s, either (though definitely check out my guide on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-vs-podcast\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging vs podcasting\">blogging vs podcasting<\/a>). With their growing popularity, you have the opportunity to reach a lot of new people.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Personally, I recommend getting as much mileage as possible out of&nbsp;<em>free<\/em> marketing channels before diving into paid advertising tests. Once you start adding paid ads into your mix, the answer to your version of how much does it cost to start a blog? can rise pretty dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Full-Time Blogger Advertising Costs: $0 &#8211; $1000\/year (to Start Experimenting)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.1klle2lcsll\"><a name=\"content-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Content Creation Blog Costs (Outsourcing &amp; Admin): $0 &#8211; $500\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Will you be writing all of your own content or will you contract some of it out?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the beginning, it\u2019s smart to write all of your own content\u2014but if that\u2019s difficult for you, seek ways to outsource the most challenging aspects of the content creation process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For example, if writing is difficult for you, consider hiring a freelance writer who can take audio recordings of you talking through a particular topic, and let them compile a first draft of an article that you can then be an editor of.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.dfmklh9q8n3h\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Content Creation Costs: $0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re blogging simply because you enjoy the subject matter\u2014and not because you want to make money blogging, it really doesn\u2019t make sense to hire outside writers or admin help. So you can go ahead and check the \u201cfree\u201d box for this one and remove it from your equation when it comes to answering, how much does it cost to start a blog?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hobby Blogger Content Creation Costs: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.nuvb0mqaf4x0\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side-Hustle Blogger Content Creation Costs: $0 &#8211; $250\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even at this level of blogging, the majority (if not all) of the content you publish should be written entirely by you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">However, new tools like my very own <a href=\"https:\/\/rightblogger.com\/?via=ryrob\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">RightBlogger<\/a>, offer extremely cost-effective ways to create and publish great content with the power of AI. RightBlogger has a free plan to start, with paid plans from $49\/mo (annual) that unlock 90+ content research, creation, optimization, and automated publishing tools xe2x80x94 plus Site Agent for hands-off blog maintenance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It&#8217;s worth investing the extra time into finding your voice, developing your style, exploring the tone your content takes\u2014and reacting to the feedback of your earliest readers. If you start out by publishing content that&#8217;s written by others, then you&#8217;ll skip this very important stage in your development as a writer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may want to outsource some content as your blog grows, but at the very beginning\u2014I highly recommend not skipping this important developmental phase.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As you solidify your approach though, it&#8217;s safe to start implementing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/ai-content-writing-tools\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"AI writing tools\">AI writing tools<\/a> into your process. Or you can consider outsourcing either the first drafts of your articles or finding some admin help to handle formatting of your own drafts by finding talented freelance help on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/freelance-jobs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"freelance jobs sites\">freelance jobs sites<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Side Hustle Blogger Content Creation Costs: $0 &#8211; $250\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center has-text-balanced\"><strong>Create Automated SEO Blog Posts in Minutes with <a href=\"https:\/\/rightblogger.com\/?via=ryrob&amp;utm_source=ryrob&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_campaign=post\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">RightBlogger<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"496\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RightBlogger-Automated-AI-SEO-Optimized-Blog-Posts-on-Autopilot-Autoblogging-Tools-1024x496.jpg\" alt=\"RightBlogger Automated AI SEO Optimized Blog Posts on Autopilot (Autoblogging Tools)\" class=\"wp-image-28162\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RightBlogger-Automated-AI-SEO-Optimized-Blog-Posts-on-Autopilot-Autoblogging-Tools-1024x496.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RightBlogger-Automated-AI-SEO-Optimized-Blog-Posts-on-Autopilot-Autoblogging-Tools-300x145.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RightBlogger-Automated-AI-SEO-Optimized-Blog-Posts-on-Autopilot-Autoblogging-Tools-768x372.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RightBlogger-Automated-AI-SEO-Optimized-Blog-Posts-on-Autopilot-Autoblogging-Tools-1536x743.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/RightBlogger-Automated-AI-SEO-Optimized-Blog-Posts-on-Autopilot-Autoblogging-Tools-2048x991.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">Join 45,417+ bloggers, marketers, writers &amp; business owners in using RightBlogger, <em>my very own <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/rightblogger.com\/autoblogging\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">Autoblogging solution<\/a> with a built-in automated Content Schedule, and a kit of 80+ powerful tools for blogging, SEO, and marketing. You&#8217;ll create AI SEO-optimized content faster &amp; get more traffic from Google and ChatGPT today. Plus, you&#8217;ll access online courses, a community, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"text-center\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/rightblogger.com\/?via=ryrob&#038;utm_source=ryrob&#038;utm_medium=web&#038;utm_campaign=post\" data-wpel-link=\"external\" rel=\"external noopener noreferrer\">Try RightBlogger<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.2bgxdfv3mgfx\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger Content Creation Costs: $0 &#8211; $500\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even if you\u2019re all-in on growing your blog from day one, my recommendation from above still stands\u2014hold off on hiring external writers when you&#8217;re just getting started (even if your blog budget is of no concern), as it&#8217;s absolutely crucial to develop your own writing style at first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may still want to bring on some extra help with various steps of the content creation process though. If you absolutely have to hire some writing help\u2014get an editor first. They&#8217;ll be extremely helpful in shaping your style, correcting mistakes before you publish and generally teaching you a lot about writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ve always had great luck finding strong editors, writers and even admin assistants through the ProBlogger Job Board (where you can post about your job for just $70).<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"641\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ProBlogger-Job-Board-Content-Writers-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Start-a-Blog.jpg\" alt=\"ProBlogger Job Board Content Writers How Much it Costs to Start a Blog\" class=\"wp-image-9383\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ProBlogger-Job-Board-Content-Writers-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Start-a-Blog.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ProBlogger-Job-Board-Content-Writers-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Start-a-Blog-300x214.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/ProBlogger-Job-Board-Content-Writers-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Start-a-Blog-768x547.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, as you start to get the hang of your own voice, and you want to ramp up to a more ambitious content schedule, consider first hiring a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/guest-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"guest blog post\">guest blog post<\/a> writer (to help promote your content and get published on other sites).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A guest post writer can help create content that you can then pitch around to other blogs (in order to attract targeted readers and build up your <a href=\"https:\/\/moz.com\/learn\/seo\/domain-authority\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">domain authority<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you do want to hire a freelance writer for your content, think about what you want your budget to be and if the content will be worth the expense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cost of hiring a freelance writer can range widely depending on knowledge, experience and skill. It also depends on <em>what<\/em> you want them to do, but it\u2019s safe to budget for a minimum of $500\/mo in writing-related costs if you&#8217;re expecting to get 1-2 articles completed by a good writer each month, but if you want to pursue an endeavor like learning <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-to-write-an-ebook\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"how to write an eBook\">how to write an eBook<\/a> with one of your freelancers, that&#8217;ll be a higher-budget project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Full-Time Blogger Content Creation Costs: $0 &#8211; 500\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.d8hbp47j3ezg\"><a name=\"accounting-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Accounting Blog Costs: $0 &#8211; $500\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Accounting is one of those hidden fees that you may not immediately think about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s obviously not important if you\u2019re not planning on using your blog to make money, but it will be a line item in your equation of how much does it cost to start a blog? if you&#8217;re looking at your blog as a future business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.j2b9q0y5d13j\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Accounting Costs: $0<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It goes without saying that as a hobby blog, you don&#8217;t need to treat your site like a business\u2014and expenses should remain ultra low. Ultimately, you shouldn&#8217;t need to factor accounting into your question of how much does it cost to start a blog?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Hobby Blogger Accounting Costs: $0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.hm89sslfstse\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side-Hustle Blogger Accounting Costs: $120\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Paying <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/taxes-for-bloggers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"taxes on your blog income\">taxes on your blog income<\/a> (or any side hustle business for that matter) is a lot different than claiming income with your typical 9-5 job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In any sense, once you start <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"making money from your blog\">making money from your blog<\/a>, it makes sense to consider hiring an accountant to keep track of making sure you utilize your write-offs and properly track revenue (and pay taxes on it).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cost of an accountant varies widely, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics says the average hourly rate of an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bls.gov\/ooh\/business-and-financial\/accountants-and-auditors.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">accountant in the United States is $40 an hour<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My advice though? Pick up an inexpensive tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/quickbooks.intuit.com\/self-employed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer external\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">Quickbooks Self-Employed<\/a> that can link your bank accounts and credit cards to help you categorize all of your income &amp; expenses as they come in the front door. This is especially useful if you have a bank account for students or you&#8217;re in college.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1554\" height=\"1022\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Quickbooks-App-Cost-to-Start-Blogging.png\" alt=\"Quickbooks App Cost to Start Blogging\" class=\"wp-image-9381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Quickbooks-App-Cost-to-Start-Blogging.png 1554w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Quickbooks-App-Cost-to-Start-Blogging-300x197.png 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Quickbooks-App-Cost-to-Start-Blogging-1024x673.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Quickbooks-App-Cost-to-Start-Blogging-768x505.png 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Quickbooks-App-Cost-to-Start-Blogging-1536x1010.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1554px) 100vw, 1554px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If your numbers are relatively low at the end of the year, you could probably get away with using an online filing tool like Turbo Tax to loop in your side blog income to your normal tax return filing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Side Hustle Blogger Accounting Costs: $10.00\/mo (Quickbooks Self-Employed)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.sa76sk6a0s76\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger Accounting Costs: $500\/year<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At this level, once your blog starts generating enough income, you&#8217;ll probably want to hire an accountant for more than just your quarterly filings and end of the year tax returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You may want them to advise you about the structure of your business, offer insights into ways you can maximize your revenue and get the most of your potential tax write-offs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A good accountant will likely run you somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 to keep on retainer and stay in touch with throughout the full year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Full-Time Blogger Account Costs: $500\/year<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.jnxae49h0yuw\"><a name=\"additional-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Additional Blog Costs You May Not Have Considered: $0 &#8211; $370\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are a few extra expenses that you may not consider when calculating your version of, how much does it cost to start a blog? You could call these hidden costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some of them you may already be spending for personal use, unrelated to your new blogging efforts. For instance, you probably already pay for the Internet at home, right? The only difference now, is that you may need a faster Internet plan in order to keep up with your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-goals\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging goals\">blogging goals<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"900\" height=\"577\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Internet-Upgrade-in-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Blog-Budget-Breakdown.jpg\" alt=\"Internet Upgrade in How Much it Costs to Blog Budget Breakdown\" class=\"wp-image-9384\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Internet-Upgrade-in-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Blog-Budget-Breakdown.jpg 900w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Internet-Upgrade-in-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Blog-Budget-Breakdown-300x192.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/Internet-Upgrade-in-How-Much-it-Costs-to-Blog-Budget-Breakdown-768x492.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.eklqijrtjzh4\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Hobby Blogger Additional Blog Costs: $0 &#8211; $40\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For one, you\u2019ll want a reliable Internet connection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even though you probably already pay for this service at home, you might want to upgrade your connection speed in order to load pages faster on your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">How much you spend on the Internet depends greatly on where you live and which plan you choose. It&#8217;s safe set this cost estimate between $40\/mo and $60\/mo as an upgrade rate\u2014although your local plans may be different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Additional Costs for (Most) Internet Providers: $0 &#8211; $40\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.lkvi0p1ly400\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Side Hustle Blogger Additional Blog Costs: $0 &#8211; $160\/mo&nbsp;<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The side hustle blogger is definitely going to want a fast Internet connection. In order to achieve maximum speeds, let&#8217;s set that cost at somewhere between $60\/mo and $80\/mo beyond what you&#8217;re already spending today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Additional costs include gas money, office supplies, extra data storage, and lots of coffee. Although it\u2019s almost impossible to calculate exactly what your expenses will be, we can guesstimate what it might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Internet speed upgrade:<\/strong> $60\/mo &#8211; $80\/mo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Office supplies:<\/strong> $20\/mo &#8211; $40\/mo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Extra data storage with Google or Dropbox:<\/strong> $10\/mo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Coffee shop drinks and snacks:<\/strong> $50\/mo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Additional Costs for Side Hustle Bloggers: $0 &#8211; $160\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.5hn5uxeomv5f\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Full-Time Blogger Additional Blog Costs: $0 &#8211; $370\/mo<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We\u2019ll quickly run through this list of potential additional costs for full-time bloggers, with some slight tweaks above the side hustle blogger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Internet speed upgrade:<\/strong> $60 &#8211; $80\/mo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More regular office supplies:<\/strong> $100\/mo &#8211; $300\/mo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More extra data storage with Google or Dropbox:<\/strong> $20\/mo<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>More coffee shop snacks (more frequent visits):<\/strong> $80\/mo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Remember that these aren&#8217;t just the&nbsp;<em>only<\/em> additional costs you can incur\u2014<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-grow-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"as your blog grows\">as your blog grows<\/a> and you get more traffic to your site, you&#8217;ll likely want to deploy and upgrade more of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blogging-tools\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blogging-related tools\">blogging-related tools<\/a> we&#8217;ve covered above (in the pursuit of better monetizing your blog).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Minimum Additional Costs for Full-Time Bloggers: $0 &#8211; $370\/mo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h.z4s8mldfe7h9\"><a name=\"real-final-costs\"><\/a><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Doing the Math: How Much Does it Really Cost to Start a Blog? (Blog Costs Summary)<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>How much does it&nbsp;cost to start a blog?<\/strong> (And keep it growing your first year).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s a good question. What it costs to start a blog actually depends greatly on what you want to get out of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Minimum First Year Cost to Start a Blog for Profit: $65.40<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can truly get started as a side hustle blogger (building your blog to become a source of income one day) for <strong>as little as $65.40 for all of your first year costs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This doesn&#8217;t take into account buying a new laptop or paying for Internet. So, if you need to budget for purchasing a basic new laptop and consider home Internet a blogging-related cost, then you&#8217;d be looking more like spending a minimum of $714.40 for your first year of blogging. That number can also rise quite a bit as you add more tools, upgraded themes or plugins and even contract-based help into your blogging efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"771\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-1024x771.jpg\" alt=\"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog This Year? Graphic by Ryan Robinson ryrob\" class=\"wp-image-22309\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-1024x771.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob-768x579.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The real variables when it comes to how much it costs to start a blog, are in the &#8220;nice-to-have&#8221; expenses like tools, upgrades to your <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-layout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"blog layout\">blog layout<\/a> and design, contractors and such.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you\u2019re interested in seeing the real-life expenses of a professional blogger (me), check out my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/income\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"monthly income reports\">monthly income reports<\/a>. Each month, I break down exactly what I spend on my blog business in full transparency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since my blog is my primary source of income at this point, I even include expenses like health insurance costs, legal fees and all of my other business expenses that detail everything it takes to keep my blog running each year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc4b<em> One thing I don\u2019t want you to feel at this point is intimidated or discouraged. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I want you to have a good idea of the <strong>real cost to start a blog<\/strong>, but I also want you to understand that you\u2019re investing in a business for yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Like any startup, you can expect to spend money today&#8230; in order to make money in the near future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span style=\"background-color: #fdf2d0;\">Remember that you personally hold the power to manage these expenses the way you see fit.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, how much does it cost to start a blog? The answer is really up to you&#8230; and if you keep your budget as lean as possible, then $65.40 should be doable for your first year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you like some of the blogging tools I use and recommend\u2014but aren\u2019t quite ready to invest in them yourself, then you don\u2019t need to yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Especially as you&#8217;re just getting your blog off the ground. Focus on the fundamentals:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-write-blog-post\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"Write great blog content\">Write great blog content<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Begin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/drive-traffic-website\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"driving traffic\">driving traffic<\/a> and experimenting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Learn from your readers and start to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/make-money-blogging\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"monetize your blog\">monetize your blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Add new features, tools and expenses (that are justified) to your blog business as it grows and starts to make an income.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">No matter which way you look at it though, <em>some <\/em>initial investment is necessary in order to get started\u2014and succeed with your blog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re looking for a little extra help, pick up my <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/blog-planner-template-printable\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"free blog planner\">free blog planner<\/a> bundle and you&#8217;ll be headed down the right path to growing your new blog soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Want to Start Your Blog (the Right Way)?<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center wp-block-paragraph\">Check out my ultimate guide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer follow\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" title=\"How to Start a Blog (on the Side)\">How to Start a Blog (on the Side)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"text-center\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-start-blog\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\" title=\"Read Now\">Read Now<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Without wasting any time\u2014this is my guide answering, how much does it cost to start a blog? So, let&#8217;s break down the cost to run a blog in 2026. How much does it cost to start a blog? Depending upon your goals and the\u00a0type of blog you want to start, your blog costs will be <\/p>\n<div><a title=\"Continue Reading\" class=\"ryrob-button read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-much-cost-blog-budget\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\" rel=\"follow\">Continue Reading<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22309,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"how much does it cost to start a blog","_yoast_wpseo_title":"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026? (Blog Costs Guide)","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"How much does it cost to start a blog? Here's a clear breakdown of blogging costs (including a blog budget template) for beginners.","_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[967,1155],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9316","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","category-hosting"],"acf":{"page_style_options":"","footer_style":"default","inject_into_head_tag":"","table_of_content":"","additional_authors":"","main_title_heading":"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026?","secondary_title_heading":"The Complete Guide to All Blog Costs (and Free Budget Template) for Beginners","post_icon":13864,"first_paragraph":"This is the ultimate guide to figuring out <strong>how much does it cost to start a blog?<\/strong> In nearly a decade of blogging, I've learned a thing or two about which blog costs are essential and what you can afford to skip on. Here's my updated and detailed guide to calculating your blogging costs in 2026 (for beginners all the way up to pros)."},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026? (Blog Costs Guide)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How much does it cost to start a blog? Here&#039;s a clear breakdown of blogging costs (including a blog budget template) for beginners.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-much-cost-blog-budget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026? (Blog Costs Guide)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"How much does it cost to start a blog? Here&#039;s a clear breakdown of blogging costs (including a blog budget template) for beginners.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/how-much-cost-blog-budget\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"RyRob.com: A Blog by Ryan Robinson | How Start &amp; Grow an Online Business\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/therealryanrobinson\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/therealryanrobinson\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-26T20:08:03+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-03T18:27:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ryrob.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/09\/How-Much-Does-it-Cost-to-Start-a-Blog-This-Year-Graphic-by-Ryan-Robinson-ryrob.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1500\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1130\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ryan Robinson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@theryanrobinson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@theryanrobinson\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ryan Robinson\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"49 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ryrob.com\\\/how-much-cost-blog-budget\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ryrob.com\\\/how-much-cost-blog-budget\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ryan Robinson\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ryrob.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/be7b7e9312cc36f39def32143464aae8\"},\"headline\":\"How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog in 2026? 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