How to Start a Food Blog and Make Money Step-by-Step Guide

So you want to learn how to start a food blog and make money doing it? While youll have to put in some work between starting your blog and making money from your blog, the actual process of creating your food blog is pretty straightforward, even if youre not a techie person.In our  How to Start a Food Blog and Make Money guide, were to provide you with actionable tasks to help you create an effective and profitable food blog. These include how to†¦Get your basic website setupChoose the right WordPress food blogging theme or WordPress recipe pluginShowcase beautiful images and videos of your foodGrow your following on social media (social media is a great traffic-generator for food blogs)Monetize your food blog in a few different ways Step 1: Pick your food nicheFood blogging is a saturated industry, so if you want to create a prosperous food blog you will need to pick a niche to specialize in. The niche you opt for will probably depend on the type of food you have a passion fo r cooking. Here are some niche examples for you to consider†¦Vegetarian or vegan foodFood on a budgetAll things bakingHealthy meals for familiesGluten, carb or sugar-free dishesDIY Food recipesFood for petsPre-workout snacksOnce you have decided on your niche, and have some recipes ready to share, you are ready to create your food blog.Step 2: Purchase WordPress hosting and install WordPressThe free, open-source WordPress software is the easiest and most popular way to build a website food blog included. When it comes to how to start a food blog and make money  in the easiest way possible, the self-hosted WordPress software is your best bet.In order to run the WordPress software, though, youll need to purchase your own web hosting. For beginners, we recommend SiteGround because they:Give you a wizard that automatically installs WordPress for you.Let you purchase your domain name through the same interface.Tools to setup redirects and install free SSL certificateDedicated tea m provides personalized chat supportSG Optimizer to keep your website healthyOnce you sign up for hosting and install WordPress  (see this post if you need more help), youre ready to actually build your food blog.Step 3: Decide if you want a food blog theme or recipe pluginIf you are creating a website for a specific purpose, such as a food blog, then selecting a built-for-purpose theme may be the best option. However, there are also a number of effective WordPress recipe plugins that will enable you to display your recipes on your site in a suitable food blog format:Food blog theme   super easy to get started with, but can be a little more restrictive because all of the functionality is already built-in.Food plugins + generic theme   a bit more complicated to get set up because you have to put together different parts, but can offer a little more flexibility because its more of an open sandbox and you can pick any theme you like.Let’s take a look at these two optionsPr e-built food blogging themesThere is a wide assortment of built-for-purpose food blogging themes that come with an array of built-in ‘food blogging’ features and functionality. These can include†¦Recipe Builder display recipes and ingredients in easy to view layouts.Advanced Search Function enable visitors to search by recipes and ingredients.Reviews and Ratings visitors can review and rate recipes once they have tried them out.Gallery and Video Support upload beautiful visuals and instructive videos to engage with your audience.User registration and login functionality create a community around your blog by creating a members-only section.For example, the Veggie theme can help you quickly get started with your food blog. And you can also find a variety of food blog themes at ThemeForest.WordPress recipe plugins that can make any theme a food blog WP Ultimate Recipe Author(s): Bootstrapped VenturesCurrent Version: 3.12.7Last Updated: June 26, 2019wp-ultimat e-recipe.zip 90%Ratings 313,214Downloads WP 3.5+Requires If you do decide to opt for a generic blogging theme, then you can easily add recipe builder functionality using a WordPress plugin. For example,  WP Ultimate Recipe is a free WordPress plugin that will enable you to add multiple recipes to any post or page on your site.With WP Ultimate Recipe, you can display ingredients, add photos to any step of the recipe, and let visitors adjust the ingredient quantities for more or  fewer servings. Recipe metadata is also optimized, helping your recipes to rank in Google Recipe Search.A pro version of this plugin is also available which offers advanced features includingNutritional information for each recipeMeal planner with shopping listUsers-generated ratings and reviewsUser-submitted recipesBoth the free and premium plugins are great options if you are looking to quickly turn your site into a professional and stylish food blog.Step 4: Display beautiful images and videos of y our food Photo Gallery by 10Web Mobile-Friendly Image Gallery Author(s): Orbit Fox by ThemeIsle Author(s): ThemeisleCurrent Version: 2.8.10Last Updated: September 13, 2019themeisle-companion.zip 94%Ratings 4,283,244Downloads WP 4.7+Requires When discussing how to start a food blog and make money, the importance of social media cannot be underestimated. Pinterest and Instagram are the obvious social media platforms for food blogs to target, as their image-heavy approach is a perfect fit with beautiful foodie images. Here are a couple of ways to use social media to grow your following and reach a wider audience†¦Add social media share buttons  to encourage your visitors to share your recipes on their social media channels.Enable Pinterest Rich Pins to display your recipe details directly on your Pins and increase the number of repins you receive.Embed an interactive and attention-grabbing Instagram feed on your food blog to increase your Instagram following.For mor e info on how to use social media effectively, check out our article on Social Media Strategy.Step 6: Monetize your food blogOnce you have set up a successful food blog and grown your following, there are numerous ways to monetize your site. Let’s take a look at some of the best money-making schemes†¦Affiliate marketing join up with affiliate programs, then recommend cooking products, recipe books, and other cooking paraphernalia on your blog. Each time one of your visitors buys a product, youll receive a commission.Create your own cookbook this could be an eBook or in physical form. Sell it on your website or on a larger marketplace like Amazon.Accept sponsored posts or  advertising on your site charge for people to advertise on your website or post on your blog.There are, of course, numerous other ways to make money through a blog, but the recommendations above can be particularly beneficial for a food blog.Final thoughts on how to start a food blog and make money So now that you know how to start a food blog and make money, it’s time to get started. As you can see, creating a food blog is hard work and takes time. However, the financial rewards can make it well worth the effort.Have you got any top tips on how to start a food blog and make money? Please share your thoughts in the comments below How to start a #food blog and make money with #WordPress. #tutorial