11 Steps to Create a $5K/Month Blog for Stay-at-Home Mom

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Okay, listen. Starting a blogging career from home isn’t about “trying something new while the kids nap” or filling time scrolling Pinterest.

No. It’s about making a deliberate decision to build something that grows with you, actually pays you, and gives you control over your schedule.

If you’re a stay-at-home mom who’s tired of “work-from-home” ideas that either don’t pay or don’t fit your life, blogging is one of the few paths that can actually work for you without asking you to sacrifice your family time, sanity, or the occasional nap.

Let’s be honest: most people have this completely wrong. Some people online show blogging as a fun little side project, a hobby, or something you “dabble in.” That’s why so many blogs crash and burn. When you treat blogging casually, your results will be casual.

You will experience sporadic traffic and inconsistent income, and let’s not even discuss the burnout. However, when you approach blogging as a career, with structure, intention, and strategy, you will see it behave like a business you own, control, and can grow.

Table of Contents

Who This Guide Is Actually For

If you’ve ever felt lost in a sea of blogging advice, you’re not alone. I get it. You don’t want vague encouragement like, “Just keep going, girl!” or recycled “tips” that assume you have unlimited time, energy, or brain space.

You want clarity. You want:

to know the blogging steps that actually matter
to learn which tools are worth your money and time
to understand which skills you should focus on first
a real path that actually fits your life

This guide is that path. It’s for you, sitting with the baby on your hip, juggling laundry, wondering if this blogging thing can really work. Spoiler: it can. And yes, it’s everything you’ve been looking for.

What a Blogging Career Really Is (and What It Isn’t)

Alright, let’s get real for a minute. Before you even think about picking a niche, getting a hosting, writing a post, or buying a fancy theme, you need to understand what you’re actually building.

Most people fail at blogging not because it doesn’t work, but because they misunderstand what it requires.

A blogging career is not content creation just for the fun of it. It’s not journaling online. It’s not posting whenever inspiration strikes and crossing your fingers.

A blogging career is intentional. It’s the creation of a digital business built on strategy, consistency, and long-term impact.

Once you see it this way, your mindset shifts immediately. You stop asking, “What should I post today?” and start asking, “What content will matter, bring the right audience, and support my goals months from now?”

That mindset shift is huge, and it’s the foundation of every successful blog.

Blogging Is About Building Digital Assets

Think of a digital asset like this: it’s something that keeps giving back long after the initial work is done. Real estate works that way. You buy a house, fix it up, and rent it out. Blogging is similar, except your “property” is your content.

When you publish a thoughtfully crafted blog post, that post can:

continue to attract readers months or years later
generate income from multiple streams
contribute to building your audience and influence
act as a resource that keeps giving value over time

The beauty of it is that you don’t need to be there every time someone finds it. Every morning, I wake up to see that people are saving my posts on Pinterest, following me, loving it, and reading my posts. That’s why blogging is perfect for stay-at-home moms.

The effort you put in today compounds over time. A single blog post isn’t just a post. It’s an asset that keeps working for you while you’re folding laundry, cooking dinner, or taking a nap.

Blogging Works When You Rely on Systems, Not Only Your Talent

Here’s a myth-buster: you do not need to be naturally gifted at writing or storytelling like me to succeed. Take it from a five-time novelist and a bestseller. Seriously. Talent is great and makes your work easy, but it’s the systems that make a blog thrive.

A good blogging system is basically your roadmap. It includes:

deciding what topics to focus on
structuring your content in a way that makes sense to your readers
publishing consistently enough to build momentum
planning monetization in a thoughtful way instead of randomly.

Relying only on your talent will be like spinning a wheel and hoping it lands on success. Sometimes it will, many times it won’t. But when you rely on the systems you have put in place, success will become predictable, repeatable, and scalable.

And let’s be honest. Systems are lifesavers when you’re juggling motherhood, housework, and the occasional toddler meltdown at 2 PM.

Blogging Isn’t Passive at the Start

Let’s drop the “blogging equals passive income immediately” myth. In the beginning, let’s just say a year of learning how blogging really works, ways to make money, and putting the right structure in place, then your blog will become passive.

But if you are only learning from every free blog post you see on Pinterest, or you are too lazy to learn from people who are currently where you want to be, you won’t experience the passive part of blogging.

Blogging becomes easier and more passive when you have learned proper SEO and written your blog using proper keyword searches, set up your blog the right way, set up Pinterest and created pins the right way, sped up your website to top speed, then yes, over time, you will begin to do less work.

But in the beginning, it’s a lot of upfront work and monetary investment.

Don’t allow anyone to fool you into thinking you will blog and be successful for free. I thought that too, but it was a big lie.

I have made enough mistakes and redone things so many times to understand that blogging, like every business out there, requires upfront costs and lots of work in the beginning.

In the beginning, you will:

learn new skills (writing, planning, organization)
publish content that may take months to show results
build authority and credibility slowly
experiment, tweak, and adjust along the way

This is normal. Think of it as trading short-term effort for long-term freedom. When you understand this from the start, you won’t feel like you’re failing when your traffic is stagnant. You’re simply building the foundation.

Blogging Is Not About Chasing Trends

Now let’s talk about a trap that almost every new blogger falls into: chasing trends as their entire content strategy. It’s easy to jump from one shiny topic to another or try to ride the wave of something “hot.” That can work too. But here’s the truth: trends may give you a quick spike of attention, but they rarely build sustainable success. You must have more evergreen topics and only a few trends here and there to keep your traffic flowing during seasons when trends take over.

A real blogging career focuses on:

evergreen topics that people will need for years
solving consistent problems for a real audience
building content that stays relevant long-term

By focusing on what lasts, you stop spinning your wheels. You create a blog that grows steadily instead of spiking and fading. That’s how a blog becomes a digital asset that pays off for the long haul.

Why Blogging Works So Well for Stay-at-Home Moms

We all know that stay-at-home mom life is unpredictable. One minute, the house is quiet; the next, it’s chaos. That’s why blogging isn’t just “flexible work”. It’s structured flexibility, which makes it not only doable but actually sustainable. Let’s break it down.

You Control When and How You Work

As a blogger, you won’t have a boss looking over your shoulder, and there will be no set clock punching. You decide when and how you work.

If you want to write for 20 minutes while the baby naps? Go ahead. Do you have a quiet evening? This is perfect for editing a post. Even small chunks of time that you consistently use can lead to meaningful progress.

One blog post written in little pieces over several days can outrun weeks of hourly labor at a traditional job. And the best part? If life throws a curveball and you need a day off, your blog doesn’t care. It keeps existing. Your content doesn’t vanish. Your effort doesn’t disappear. That freedom is priceless.

Your Blog Grows With You, Not Against You

The more you do with your blog, the more you earn, not just in the hours you work, but in real impact. Unlike a lot of “work-from-home” gigs where your income is tied directly to the hours you work, blogging rewards smart, consistent effort.

As your blog grows, a few amazing things happen:

Traffic increases naturally as your posts get found and shared naturally
Monetization improves, meaning one affiliate link or product can now earn more than before
Efficiency improves because you get faster and sharper with every post and process
Confidence increases because you start seeing results and realizing you can actually do this

The same effort you put in today produces better and bigger results over time. That growth curve is what makes blogging as a career so worth committing to. It doesn’t just work with your life; it works for you.

You Own the Platform

Here’s the secret that makes blogging truly powerful. When you run your own website, you own it all.

Your content
Your traffic
Your email list
Your monetization strategy

You’re not dependent on a single social platform, algorithm, or someone else’s rules. Instagram crashes? Pinterest changes? No problem, you’re still in control. This ownership creates stability, security, and long-term potential that most other work-from-home options simply don’t offer.

Think of it like planting a tree in your own backyard instead of borrowing a plot in someone else’s yard. The shade, fruit, and beauty are all yours. You decide how big it grows, when it gets watered, and what it produces.

Flexibility As A Stay-At-Home Mom

As a stay-at-home mom, your time isn’t always predictable. Some weeks are smooth, some weeks feel like a tornado of kids, laundry, and life. Blogging lets you work in seasons, and you can adjust it based on your reality.

Some weeks you’ll write three posts. Some weeks, one. Some weeks, you’ll just tweak an old post while the baby naps. And here’s the best part: the work you do now keeps working even when you can’t. That compounding effect is what makes blogging a mom-friendly career.

Being Effective Beats Being Busy

Here’s a hard truth: writing constantly without direction isn’t productive. Posting without a strategy isn’t progress.

Growth comes from aligning your effort with your results. That’s what turns blogging into a system instead of a guessing game. You don’t need perfect tech skills, writing, or a massive following. You just need:

The willingness to learn the basics
consistency
making decisions based on logic and results.

Skills Are Your Secret Weapon

Blogging is a skill-based career. You need skills to turn your blog into a career, and without them, you might be broke for a long time. It’s true!

Each post you write the right way improves your writing, SEO, and planning skills
Each decision sharpens your judgment
Each month gives you insight into your audience

You won’t be starting from nothing. You’ll be starting with the ability to learn, improve, and grow.

Are you still feeling unsure or overwhelmed? That’s fine. Every successful blogger started exactly here.

How Blogging Actually Puts Money in Your Pocket

First, let’s get one thing straight. Blogging doesn’t print money magically. There is no fairy dust or mysterious overnight checks. But it does make money, and once you understand how, you can make smart decisions from the very start. Think of it like setting up a system that works for you even when you’re busy being a mom.

Money flows through a few main channels. Let’s break them down so you can see what’s realistic and what actually works.

Affiliate Marketing: Your First Money-Maker

If you’ve ever bought something because a friend recommended it, congratulations, you understand affiliate marketing. Basically, you recommend a product or service, and if someone buys through your link, you earn a commission.

Here’s why affiliate marketing is often the first place bloggers make money:

No product creation required. You don’t need to invent something from scratch. All you need is to recommend what works.
Commissions can be recurring. Some programs pay monthly or per subscription, so one recommendation can keep earning you money monthly.
It fits naturally into educational content. When you’re teaching, sharing resources, or giving tips, affiliates slide right in.

The best part? As your blog traffic grows, your affiliate income grows too. It’s scalable. Your one thoughtful recommendation can turn into repeated earnings over time.

Sister Tip!

Only recommend things you actually use and love. Your audience trusts you, and authenticity converts far better than random “buy this” links.

Disclaimer! Hey, friend! Quick heads-up:  I’m a mama, DIYer, lifestyle author, and novelist sharing personal tips, cultural practices, and what’s worked for me over the years. Some links on this site are affiliate links, including Amazon Associate links. That means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products I truly use, love, or believe will add value to your life. Please remember: I’m not a doctor or licensed herbalist. Always do your own research and consult a qualified healthcare provider before trying anything new.

Display Advertising: Letting Your Blog Work While You Sleep

Once your blog starts pulling consistent traffic, display ads can provide a reliable monthly income. Think of them as little helpers quietly generating revenue while your posts do the work.

Ads work best on evergreen content. Those are posts that continue to attract readers for months and years. A single post can keep earning money long after it’s published, making display ads a nice long-term supplement.

Now, don’t stress about ads in the early stages. When your traffic is small, they don’t pay much, and it won’t be worth it to distract your few viewers. But as your audience grows, they become a stable foundation for passive income.

Digital Products and Services: Your Money-Making Superpowers

Once people start to trust you and look to you for advice, you can create and sell things online that help them and make money at the same time. These are called digital products and services, and they’re awesome because:

You set the price yourself
You can sell again and again without making more stuff each time

Here’s what that can look like:

Ebooks: Think of a small, easy-to-read book you would write to teach something you know. People pay for it because it saves them time and gives them answers.
Courses: Like a mini-class online. You show people, step by step, how to do something you’re good at.
Templates: Ready-made forms, checklists, or designs that people can just use. It’s helpful, and they love buying them because it saves them a ton of time.
Consulting or Services: You help someone personally, one-on-one, with your advice or skills. It’s like giving VIP help for a price.

Basically, these are ways to turn what you know into something people will happily pay for, without needing to ship anything or leave your house.

The magic here is that your audience is already engaged. They trust you. They’re willing to pay for solutions you’ve already been helping them with for free.

One well-placed digital product can earn more than dozens of affiliate sales, and it feels amazing to see your knowledge turn into profit.

Step-by-Step: How to Start a Blogging Career From Home

Starting a blogging career can feel like trying to fold a fitted sheet for the first time. It’s confusing, overwhelming, and you’re pretty sure there’s a secret trick you’re missing.

There are so many buttons to click and tools to learn, but once you break it down into “mom-sized” steps, it’s not just manageable, it’s actually fun.

This section is your roadmap. We’ll use the exact tools and “cheat codes” that save you time so you can build a business while the kids are actually napping.

Step 1: Choose Your Niche

Before you spend a dime on hosting, a domain name, or writing a single sentence, you need to know who you’re talking to. A niche is just a fancy word for your blog’s “home base.”

It’s the intersection of what you know, what people are searching for, and, most importantly, what can actually make you money.

Think of it this way: If you try to talk to everyone, you end up talking to no one. You want to be the “go-to” person for a specific group of people.

Ask yourself these three questions:

Who is my “Ideal Reader”? e.g., “First-time moms who want to save money” or “Busy parents looking for 15-minute healthy meals.”
What “Pain Point” am I solving? What is keeping your reader up at night that you have the answer to?
Can I write 50 posts about this? If you get bored after five ideas, it’s a hobby, not a niche!

Step 2: Set Up Your Website

Your website is your home base. You need reliable hosting and a platform that lets you publish easily. If you are a serious blogger trying to monetize, you have to treat this like a business investment. Without a fast, reliable site, your content won’t rank, and your ads won’t make money. Here’s how to start:

Get A Website Hosting: Where Your Blogging Career Lives

Okay, let’s talk about Hosting.

Imagine you just built a beautiful playhouse for your kids (that’s your blog). You’ve got the walls up, and it looks amazing, but right now, it’s just sitting in your garage where nobody can see it.

Hosting is like the plot of land you rent to put that house on. Without that land, your house has nowhere to stay, and your kids’ friends can’t come over to play.

If you want to be a serious blogger and make actual money, you must have a good “Landlord” (a hosting provider). If you pick a bad one, your “land” might have power outages, or the “road” to get there might be so bumpy that people give up and go home.

There are two big names I trust in the “Digital Landlord” world, and they are Bluehost and SiteGround. Here’s the scoop on both!

1. Bluehost (The “Welcome Home” Choice)

Bluehost is like that super-friendly neighbor who helps you move in. They are officially recommended by WordPress, which is a massive deal. It’s like a “seal of approval” from the experts who built the internet.

Why Moms Love It: Bluehost is incredibly budget-friendly. When you’re just starting and don’t want to spend all the grocery money on a new investment, Bluehost is the safest bet.

The Big Perk: They give you a Free Domain Name (that’s your website address) for the first year. That’s like the landlord giving you a free mailbox and address!

Easy Mode: They have a “Guided Setup” that walks you through everything like a teacher. It’s perfect if you’re still learning the techy stuff.

Watch this video to learn how to set up your Bluehost account.

2. SiteGround (The “Fancy Boutique” Choice)

SiteGround is for the blogger who wants the absolute best and is willing to pay just a tiny bit more for it.

Why Moms Love It: It is crazy fast. SiteGround uses Google’s “supercomputers” to make sure your site loads in a blink. A faster site equals happier readers and Google.

The Customer Service: Their support team is like a 5-star concierge. If you break something (we’ve all been there!), they are famous for fixing it fast via their live chat.

The Big Perk: Free Daily Backups. This is a lifesaver. If you accidentally delete your whole blog, they can “undo” it for free.

The Starting Price Tag Comparison (2026)

Hosting companies are also like grocery stores; they have a “First-Time Shopper” sale price and then a “Regular” price when you renew. Here is exactly what you’ll pay at the register today:

Feature	Bluehost	SiteGround
Intro Price	$4.99 / month (1yr)	$3.99 / month (1yr)
Renewal Price	~$11.99 / month	~$17.99 / month
Free Domain?	YES (Saves you $17.99)	NO (You pay $17.99)
Backups	Extra on cheap plans	FREE every day
Total Start Cost	$59.88	$65.87

Quick Tip From A Friend!

If you use my Bluehost links, you’ll actually snag a special discount, starting at $1.99 instead of starting at $4.99! Every little bit of grocery money saved helps, right?

Also, if you really want to be a savvy shopper, the best ‘gold-star deal” is to grab the 36-month plan with Bluehost or the 24-month plan with SiteGround. Not only does this lock in that low ‘new shopper’ price for a long time, but it actually gives you a secret SEO boost!

Google loves to see blogs that are ‘locked in’ for a few years. It shows them you’re a serious business owner who is sticking around for a long time. It’s a win for your wallet and a win for your rankings!

Why the Price Difference?

Think of it like shopping for a new stroller.

Bluehost is the “Great Value” Choice ($59.88 for the year): Even though the monthly price is $1 higher than SiteGround, Bluehost is actually cheaper to get started. Why? Because they pay for your domain name (that $17.99 fee) for you! It’s one bill, one time, and you are online. It’s perfect if you want the absolute lowest “out of pocket” cost today.

SiteGround is the “Luxury Brand” Choice ($65.87 for the year): The hosting bill looks tiny ($47.88), but once you add that $17.99 domain registration, you end up spending about $6 more total than you would at Bluehost. However, for that extra $6, you get peace of mind. You get the faster speeds and the free daily backups included. On Bluehost’s cheapest plan, you’d have to pay extra for those safety features.

Your Choices

Go with Bluehost if you want the simplest, “all-in-one” price. You pay about $60, and you don’t have to think about it again for a year.
Go with SiteGround if you have an extra $6 in the budget and want the security of knowing your site is backed up every single day for free.

What I think

If you’re just starting and want to save money while you learn, Bluehost is your best friend. It’s simple, it’s cheap, and it gets the job done well.

But, if you’ve already got a little bit of traffic or you’re 100% sure you’re going to turn this into a big business right away, go with SiteGround. It’s an investment in your speed and sanity!

Whatever you do, don’t skip this step. You can’t have a blog without a home!

Select your domain name:

This is your blog’s “forever address,” so you want to get it right! Keep it short, memorable, and relevant to your niche. The goal is for people to be able to type it in easily and instantly trust that you have the answers they need.

A quick savvy-shopper tip: Remember that your domain usually costs $17.99, but if you go with Bluehost, they’ll give it to you for free for the first year. Also, remember to lock your domain in for 36 months (3 years) if you can afford it. Not only does it save you money in the long run, but Google actually loves it when you register for a long time.

It shows them you’re a serious business owner who is here to stay, which can help your SEO!

Read Related Posts Here:

How to Plan for Your Future as a Stay-at-Home Mom

How to Prepare to Be a Stay-at-Home Mom

30 Best Careers for Stay-at-Home Moms (Flexible, Remote & Skill-Based)

Step 3: Build a Brand, Not Just a Blog

Bloggers who make a full-time income move past the “hobby” mindset. A hobbyist just picks a name and starts typing; a CEO builds a brand.

Branding is the “vibe” and the “voice” of your business. It’s what makes a reader land on your page and instantly feel like, “This person knows what they’re talking about, and I trust them.”

Without a cohesive brand, you’re just another random site on the internet. With one, you are a professional authority.

The Building Blocks of Your Brand:

A Professional Logo: Your logo is your “digital handshake.” It doesn’t need to be complex, but it needs to be clean. It should look just as good on a tiny mobile phone screen as it does on a desktop.
The Power of Color (Color Palette): Colors trigger emotions. Do you want to feel calm and trustworthy (blue/green), or energetic and bold (red/purple)? Pick 2–3 main colors and stick to them everywhere, like your site, your Pinterest pins, and your emails. Consistency is what creates recognition.
Typography (Your Fonts): This isn’t just about looking pretty; it’s about readability. As a career blogger, you need a “Header font” that has personality and a “Body font” that is incredibly easy to read on a phone. If your font is too “loopy” or small, people will leave.
Your Brand Voice: How do you talk to your readers? Are you the “funny best friend,” the “expert teacher,” the “encouraging mentor,” or are you all of them, depending on your mood, like me? Decide on your tone and keep it consistent across every post and caption.

Step 4. Design Your Site Professionally:

Once your hosting is set up, your site needs to look like a legitimate business, not a messy hobby. But let’s be real: web design can be a total nightmare for anyone who isn’t a “techie.” If looking at a WordPress dashboard makes you want to pull your hair out, you have two smart ways to skip the technical headache:

The “Outsource the Tech” Option (Fiverr): You don’t need to spend weeks watching YouTube tutorials on how to build a header or fix a broken layout. You can hire a professional developer on Fiverr to do the heavy lifting for you. For a small investment, they can handle the technical installation, theme customization, and all those “under-the-hood” settings that usually drive non-techies crazy. This lets you step into the role of CEO while they handle the engineering. I have been using Fiverr for years, and it is my go-to place for everything I can’t do myself.

Or… If you want to avoid the entire “techie” world of hosting, servers, and WordPress plugins altogether, ShinePages is your secret weapon.

Building a professional website can feel overwhelming, especially if you’re not tech-savvy. That’s where ShinePages comes in. ShinePages is an all-in-one platform for female solopreneurs, bloggers, course creators, and service providers that replaces multiple tools you would normally need:

Website builders like Wix, GoDaddy, and WordPress
Funnel builders like ClickFunnels, Leadpages, and SamCart
Course and community platforms like Kajabi, Teachable, and Podia
Link-in-bio sites like Stanstore, Linktree, and Beacons AI
Landing page platforms like Leadpages, Flodesk, and Mailchimp
Email marketing like Mailchimp, Kit, and Flodesk
Appointment bookings like Calendly and Acuity
Digital selling platforms like Stanstore and Beacons AI
Checkout platforms like SamCart or ThriveCart
Blog platforms like WordPress

What this means is that ShinePages gives you a beautiful, feminine, easy-to-build, and easy-to-manage platform for your entire blog and business in one place. You can create your site, launch landing pages, sell products or courses, manage email lists, and even schedule appointments, all from a single dashboard.

I’ve personally built a website using ShinePages myself. The drag-and-drop system is straightforward enough that anyone, even if you’re not tech-savvy, can create a professional-looking site and start blogging immediately.

They offer a 14-day free trial, so you can test the platform and start building your blog before committing. Paid plans start at $39/month for the Launch plan and go up to $139/month for the Scale Pro plan. Don’t just take my word for it. Check ShinePages out for yourself.

When your blog looks intentional instead of thrown together, readers take your content more seriously, and that matters when you’re building a career, not just a site.

Step 5: Site Speed and Performance: The Invisible Advantage

If you want to turn your blog from a “fun hobby” into a business, you have to fix your site speed first.

Think of it this way: You can have the most beautiful shop in the world, but if the front door is stuck and takes five minutes to open, everyone will walk away. If your site is slow, Google will hide your posts, your ads won’t make a penny, and readers will leave before they even see the post you spent hours and days writing.

Without speed, your blog is basically invisible.

I checked mine, and it was a total snail. It had a speed score of 40%. I tried all those other “famous” plugins that claim to help, but they were like those toys that break five minutes after you take them out of the box. They promised the world and did absolutely nothing.

Then I found Seraphinite Accelerator, and oh my goodness… It’s like a magic wand for your website!

Why Seraphinite is the “Cool Mom” of Plugins:

From Snail to Rocket: I installed it, set it up, and my site went from a 40% to a 99% instantly. I’m not kidding. It was faster than my kids running when they hear the words “fish pie.” I got the yearly plan, and my website speed has been awesome since, all thanks to Seraphinite Accelerator.
No Computer Genius Needed: You don’t have to understand all that “techy” talk. It does 80% of the work by itself. It’s basically “set it and forget it,” so you can get back to actually writing or napping.
The Best Part? It’s Free to Try! They have a free plan that lets you test it out for your first few pageviews (about 5,000 a month!). It’s like getting a free sample at Costco, but for your blog.
It Actually Works: While the other guys are just “pretending” to clean up your site, Seraphinite is like a professional cleaning crew that comes in and scrubs every single corner until it shines. With it, I don’t need a caching plugin anymore. It takes care of all of that for me.

Seriously, don’t waste your time with the “popular” helpers that will just leave you frustrated after downloading plugin after plugin. If you want your blog to be the fastest one on the block, you need this.

Speed equals Money.

Career bloggers know that fast sites get more traffic and more sales. This isn’t just nice to have. It’s one of, if not the most important, investments you’ll make for your blog.

Check out this video here and see the magic Seraphinite Accelerator does to slow sites.

Step 6: Keyword Research: How People Actually Find Your Blog

Let’s talk about the “Secret Sauce” of blogging: SEO and Keyword Research. If hosting is your “land” and site speed is your “front door,” then SEO is the Giant Neon Sign that tells everyone in the world exactly where you are and why they should visit.

What is SEO and Keyword Research?

Imagine you want to write a recipe for “Chocolate Chip Cookies.”

Keyword Research is finding out that most moms aren’t just typing “Chocolate Chip Cookies” into Google. That’s bold, and the competition will be too high for a newbie like you, no offence. They are typing “chocolate chip cookies for toddlers.” Or something more specific. SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is just a fancy way of saying “Make Google fall in love with you.” If Google loves you, it puts your blog on the First Page.

Why You MUST Prioritize This to Make Money:

If you want to monetize your blog, and I mean make that sweet, sweet ad and affiliate money, you need thousands of people to see your site.

No SEO equals no traffic. No traffic equals no money. It doesn’t matter how pretty your blog is, if you aren’t using the right keywords or setting your blog properly for SEO, you’re basically shouting into a void. You’ll work for free, and it will hurt. I was there for months, and girl, you’re too busy for that!

Why RankIQ is the “Cheat Code” for Busy Moms

When I decided to take my blog seriously, I tried those “professional” SEO tools. Honestly? They are like trying to fly a space shuttle when you just want to drive to Target. They are confusing, expensive, and will make your head spin.

RankIQ is different. It was built by a blogger for bloggers. It’s like having a professional SEO expert sitting next to you, doing all the hard work while you fold laundry.

Why it’s better than the rest:

The Hand-Picked Library: You don’t have to “find” keywords. They have a massive library for every niche (Mommy blogs, DIY, Food, etc.) of keywords that are easy to rank for. You just pick one and go!
The AI Writing Assistant: This is the magic part. It tells you exactly which words to put in your post and how long it should be. It even grades your post from F to A++. It’s like a teacher giving you the answers to the test before you take it!
90-Second Titles: It helps you write titles that people want to click on.
It’s FAST: You can do your SEO research in 5 minutes instead of 5 hours.

RankIQ Price (A.K.A. The “Investment”)

RankIQ is a paid tool, but compared to the $130+/month “pro” tools, it’s a steal for what it does for your traffic.

Blogger Plan: ~$49 / month (The most popular. You get 16 reports).
Pro- Plan: 99/month ( You get 36 reports)

Mom-to-Mom Advice: If you are serious about making money, this is the one tool that actually pays for itself because it brings in the traffic that creates the money. It’s not a “cost”, it’s your business’s marketing department.

You can write the best content in the world, but if no one is searching for it, it won’t get traction. Keyword research is what connects your writing to real demand.

SEO Education: Learning What Actually Works

Tools like RankIQ are awesome and needed, but understanding how and why things work, and how to write your post that Google will love, makes everything more effective. SEO is one of those areas where bad advice can slow you down for years.

So, if SEO feels like a scary math monster to you, you need Debbie Gartner in your life. She’s like the “cool teacher” who explains things so simply you’ll wonder why you ever felt stressed!

I grabbed her Easy On-Page SEO and Easy Backlinks for SEO courses, and let me tell you… I devoured them! I was on cloud nine for three days straight. My rich husband, who hates the word “poor”, didn’t hear a single word from me for 72 hours that wasn’t about “keywords” or “blog structure.” I was just so excited to finally get it!

These SEO courses were my first blogging investment in blogging courses. It was the best money I’ve ever spent. She doesn’t just give you “tips”; she gives you the whole map. She teaches you:

How to write your posts so people and Google love them.
How to structure your blog the right way from the start.
Exactly what to do after you hit that “Publish” button.
Build backlinks naturally
And many more, I can’t list all here.

Honestly, the courses are so good you’ll want to send her a tip when you’re done! You’ll feel so grateful that she actually took the time to share her secrets with us.

Step 7: Create Content That Ranks and Bankrolls

Writing your first few posts can feel a little intimidating, but as a mom who wants to become a career blogger, you aren’t just “writing”, remember, we said you are building assets. Every post you publish should be a high-quality resource that solves a problem and leads your reader toward a solution and a sale!

Here is the blueprint for a professional, money-making blog post:

The Introduction: You have about three seconds to grab their attention. Hook your readers immediately by showing them you understand their struggle and explaining exactly how this post will help them.
The Body: Don’t give people a “wall of text.” Break your content into clear headings (H2s and H3s). This makes your post easy to skim on a phone and tells Google exactly what you’re talking about.
The Conclusion: Never just stop writing! Summarize your key points and always include a Call-to-Action (CTA). This is where you tell them to join your email list or check out a product you love.

The “Serious Blogger” Optimization Suite

To make sure your hard work actually gets seen, you need to optimize every single post using these three layers:

On-Page SEO (The “Debbie Gartner” Method): I cannot recommend Debbie’s “Easy On-Page SEO” course enough. It is the gold standard for making your posts “Google-friendly” without the tech headache. It teaches you exactly where to put your keywords so you can climb to page one.
Internal Linking: This is like leaving breadcrumbs for your readers. Link to your other related posts to keep people exploring your site longer. Google loves this!
Natural Affiliate Integration: This is how you get paid! Work your recommendations into the conversation naturally. For example, if you’re talking about starting a business, mention why you use Bluehost and Siteground
for hosting or Tailwind for Pinterest. If it’s helpful to the reader, it won’t feel like an “ad.”

When it comes to length, aim for long-form posts (1,500+ words) when you can. While clarity is more important than fluff, longer posts generally rank better and give you more “real estate” to naturally include your affiliate links.

Step 7: Promote Your Content Strategically Using Pinterest

If you are a stay-at-home mom and Pinterest feels confusing, overwhelming, or like something “other people” are good at, this step is for you. Pinterest is one of the most beginner-friendly traffic sources for blogs, but only when you understand how it actually works.

Pinterest is not social media. Pinterest is a search engine. People go there to find answers, ideas, and step-by-step help. Your job is not to entertain people. Your job is to make sure your content is easy to find.

How Pinterest Works for Blog Traffic

Pinterest shows content based on keywords and relevance, not popularity. You do not need followers to get traffic. You do not need to go viral. You need to clearly tell Pinterest what your content is about.

Pinterest decides who sees your content by looking at:

The keywords in your pin title
The keywords in your pin description
The board name and board description
Your profile name and bio
The text on your pin image
The title of your blog post
The metadata on your website

If all of these match, Pinterest understands your content and shows it to the right people.

How to Find Pinterest Keywords for Free Using Pinterest Search Bar

The best keyword research tool for Pinterest is Pinterest itself.

Go to the Pinterest search bar and start typing what your blog post is about. Pinterest will auto-suggest longer phrases. These are real searches people are making.

Click on one of the suggestions. You’ll see colored keyword bubbles appear under the search bar. These are additional keywords Pinterest associates with that topic.

Write these down.

If your post is about blogging from home, your keywords might include:

Blogging for beginners
Start a blog from home
Blogging for stay-at-home moms
How to start a blog step by step

Use the exact wording Pinterest shows you. Do not rephrase it. Pinterest prefers clarity over creativity.

I will personally suggest that you check out the Carly Pinterest course if you don’t want to take months pinning for nothing, as I did for a long time. It’s quite frustrating. Her course teaches you everything you need to know about Pinterest and how to get you great results faster.

You don’t want to spend months or years surviving on trial and error. Just get the course and learn from someone who has helped hundreds of people succeed on Pinterest.

Where to Add Keywords for Pinterest SEO

Pinterest needs to see your keywords in multiple places for it to fully understand your content.

Here is exactly where they go:

Pin Title
This should clearly match a search phrase.
Example: Starting a Blogging Career From Home for Stay-at-Home Moms

Pin Description
Write full sentences. Explain what the blog post helps with. Use 2–3 keywords naturally.

Board Name
Your board name must match the topic of the pin.
Example: Blogging for Stay-at-Home Moms

Board Description
Describe who the board is for and what kind of content is inside. Pinterest reads this.

Profile Name
Your profile name should include what you help with.
Example: [Your Name] | Blogging & Work From Home for Moms

Profile Bio
Use keywords here to explain who you help and how you help.

Pin Image Text
The words on the image matter. Use simple, bold text that matches the keyword.

Pinterest rewards consistency and clarity. When everything lines up, your pins get shown more often.

What Are Rich Pins and Why Bloggers Need Them

Rich pins pull information directly from your blog and display it on Pinterest automatically.

For bloggers, article-rich pins:

Show your blog title under the pin
Show your website name
Help Pinterest trust your content more

You can set up rich pins once, and then it works automatically for every blog post you publish. After setup, every pin from your website becomes a rich pin without extra work.

This improves your visibility and credibility on Pinterest.

How Many Pins to Create for Each Blog Post

One blog post should never have just one pin.

Each blog post should have at least 5 to 10 pins, and here’s why: people search for the same topic in different ways.

Each pin should:

Focus on one keyword or phrase
Have different text on the image
Highlight a different benefit or angle
Link to the same blog post

For example, one post about blogging from home can have pins focused on:

Beginners
Moms
Income potential
Step-by-step guidance
Flexible work

Same content. Different entry points.

How Often Should You Pin as a Beginner?

You do not need to pin all day.

A good beginner schedule:

3 to 5 pins per day
Spaced throughout the day
A mix of new pins and older content

Consistency matters more than volume. Pinterest prefers steady activity over random bursts.

If your life gets busy, batching pins once a week or once a month works perfectly.

You can batch your pins with Tailwind or with Pinterest’s native scheduler. The difference is that Pinterest scheduler only allows 100 pins at a time, which isn’t much for longer days, while Tailwind allows you to schedule for an entire month.

Pinterest vs Google SEO Timelines

Google SEO takes time. It can take months before Google starts pushing a new blog post, especially on a new website.

Pinterest works differently. Pinterest usually takes:

3 to 6 months to gain traction
depending on your niche
your keywords
pin quality
and what people are actively searching for at that time.

Some pins take off sooner. Others grow slowly and bring traffic long-term. Pinterest traffic compounds over time. That means the work you do now can bring visitors months later without you doing anything new.

Why Pinterest Is Ideal for Stay-at-Home Moms

Pinterest allows you to:

work in batches
stay faceless
build traffic quietly
grow while offline

It rewards clear content, helpful information, and consistency.

For a stay-at-home mom building a blogging career from home, Pinterest is not optional. It is one of the smartest ways to drive traffic while protecting your time and energy.

Step 8: Email Marketing, Turning Your Readers Into a Community

Listen, friend, if there is one thing I want you to hear, it’s this: Start your email list today. Not tomorrow, not when you have 50 posts, today!

If you don’t, I promise you’ll look back in six months and feel so much regret. I’ve seen it happen to so many bloggers!

They get all this traffic from Pinterest or Google, and then… poof. Google changes its mind, the traffic disappears, and they have no way to talk to the people who loved their site.

Traffic is like people walking past a shop window. An email list is like having their phone number, so you can invite them back for coffee. Traffic alone doesn’t build a career. An email list builds a business. You own your list forever.

The Two Best “Mailmen” for Your Blog

Kit (The “Start for Free” Choice)

Kit (which used to be called ConvertKit) is like a cell phone plan that starts at $0 but gets more expensive as you talk more.

Short-Term (The Free Plan): This is amazing. Kit has a “Newsletter” plan that is FREE for up to 10,000 subscribers, but you will only have one sequence and visual automation.

The Catch: You can’t do fancy “automations” like a 5-day welcome sequence that sends itself. It’s perfect for just starting.

Long-Term (The Paid Plans): Once you want those “automatic” features or grow past 10,000 people, it gets pricey.

Creator Plan: Starts around $33/month for 1,000 people.
Pro Plan: You could be paying $66/month.

My Verdict: It’s best for the “I want to start for $0” phase.

Flodesk (The “Everything is Pretty” Choice)

Flodesk used to have one flat price, but they changed things up a bit to help beginners. Flodesk was my very first email provider when I used to blog for fun in 2018. It’s like a boutique shop. It’s always stylish, and you pay for the quality.

Short-Term (Lite Plan): Starts at about $19/month. Unlike Kit, there isn’t a huge free plan, so you have to start paying pretty early.

The Perk: Even the “Lite” plan lets you use those gorgeous, magazine-style templates that make you look like a pro from Day 1. You can send unlimited emails and have up to 1000 subscribers.

Long-Term (Pro/Everything Plan): This is about $25–$49/month.

The Magic: While Kit keeps getting more expensive as you grow, Flodesk stays much more affordable. Whether you have 1,000 people or 10,000 people, your price doesn’t jump nearly as high as Kit’s does.

My verdict: It’s best for the “I want my emails to look amazing, and I want a predictable bill” phase.

Comparison Between Kit and Flodesk at a Glance (2026 Prices)

Kit (Newsletter/Free)	Kit (Creator/Paid)	Flodesk (Lite/Pro)
$0 (Free!)	~$33/month	~$19/25/month
Beginners on a budget	Serious sellers/techies	Design-lovers/visual brands
Stays $0 up to 10k!	Increases fast	Stays low & steady
Simple text, high logic	Expert-level tools	Beautiful, visual, easy

Pick Kit if: You want to keep your “startup costs” at zero while you learn how to blog. You can stay on their free plan for a long time! Just know that as you get really successful, your monthly bill will grow along with you.

Pick Flodesk if: You have about $19/month to invest and you want your emails to look so beautiful that people actually enjoy opening them.

It’s a better deal long-term because you won’t get “punished” with a huge bill just because you got popular.

Use my code

(09FDJ6SIANAH) to start free AND 25% off your first year of Flodesk!

Step 9: Monetize Your Blog the Smart and Sustainable Way

Monetization works best when it happens naturally. A blog should first focus on traffic, consistency, and trust before income ever becomes the main goal.

Once readers are returning to your site and joining your email list, earning from your blog becomes a logical next step, not something you have to force.

There are a few proven ways stay-at-home moms can monetize a blog from home while keeping it ethical, simple, and sustainable.

1. Use Affiliate Marketing as a Resource, Not a Sales Tool

Affiliate marketing is basically getting a “thank you” check for referring people to the stuff you already love. It’s most effective when you’re a teacher, not a salesperson.

The Strategy: If you teach it, show them the “shortcut” tool.

Helping them build a site? Give them your favorite hosting provider link.
Teaching them how to get found on Google? Show them the keyword research tool you swear by.
Talking about emails? Send them to the email platform that makes you look like a pro.
Discussing design? Point them to the marketplaces where they can hire a tech genius for a low cost.

When you use affiliate links as part of a “how-to,” it feels helpful, not pushy. Your readers will actually thank you for showing them exactly what to click so they don’t have to guess or spend money buying the wrong thing.

Side note: If you are considering the Amazon affiliate program but the percentage is frustrating you, then you should look at Levanta.

One thing that matters more than people realize is who you partner with. Not all affiliate platforms give creators the same opportunities, rates, or visibility.

One platform I’ve been paying close attention to is Levanta.

Instead of the traditional “apply and hope for approval” affiliate model, Levanta connects creators directly with brands that are already selling on major marketplaces like Amazon and Walmart. That direct connection often means better commission rates, clearer expectations, and fewer limitations on how you promote products.

What stands out is how creator-focused the platform feels. You can see brand offers clearly, track performance in one dashboard, and choose partnerships that actually make sense for your content, whether you’re blogging, posting on social media, or building long-term evergreen income streams.

It’s especially useful if you’re trying to grow sustainably instead of chasing one-off links that barely convert.

If affiliate income is part of your long-term plan, it’s worth exploring platforms that give you more control and transparency from the start.

Levanta is free to join, and even browsing the available brand partnerships can help you understand what’s possible as your content grows.

Click Here To Explore Levanta If You’re Curious

2. Create Digital Products That Build on Your Content

This is where you turn your “frequently asked questions” into a storefront. If you find yourself explaining the same thing over and over, that’s a product, mama!

The Goods: Think ebooks, printable planners, or mini-courses.
The Setup: Use a solid e-commerce platform like Shopify or just your WooCommerce plugin on your website to handle the “techie” stuff like payments and file delivery. It makes you look like a high-end brand while you’re actually just wearing leggings and drinking lukewarm coffee.

3. Add Display Ads When Traffic Is Consistent

Once your traffic is steady, you can turn on display ads. This is the ultimate win because you get paid based on how many people read your blog, not how much they buy.

It’s like finding “couch money” every single day, except the couch is your website and the money is enough to cover the grocery bill and maybe a few Target runs.

Focus on Trust Before Income

The strongest blogs aren’t built on sales pitches; they’re built on trust. Your readers will come back because they feel supported and understood. When you focus on helping first, the income follows naturally.

This isn’t a “get rich quick” scheme. It’s a “build it slow and smart” business. You’ve got this!

Step 10: Track, Analyze, and Optimize Your Blog Content

Your first blog posts will not be perfect. They’re not supposed to be. No one does anything perfectly for the first time.

Blogging isn’t about getting everything right on day one; it’s about paying attention, learning from what’s working, and improving as you go.

Think of analytics as your blog’s “secret weapon.” It turns blogging from total guesswork into a clear strategy by showing you what your readers actually respond to, not just what you think they like.

Understand Which Blog Posts Are Bringing Traffic

Analytics show you exactly which posts are getting attention and where that traffic is coming from.

Some posts will quietly perform better than others, and those posts are your biggest clues. They tell you what topics your audience craves and what you should write more of.

When you know which posts are your “superstars,” you can:

Create similar content (give the people what they want!).
Update and improve those posts to keep them fresh.
Link to them more often from your newer posts.
Use them as a magnet to grow your email list.

See Where Readers Lose Interest

Data also helps you understand how readers behave once they land on your site. You’ll be able to see how long people stay on a page and exactly where they tend to hit the “back” button.

If readers are dropping off early, it’s not a failure; it’s feedback! It might mean:

Your introduction didn’t quite “hook” them.
The post was a “wall of text” that was hard to read on a phone.
They didn’t find the answer to their question fast enough.

Small tweaks, like clearer headings or shorter paragraphs, can make a massive difference in keeping people on your site.

Improve Content and Calls to Action Over Time

Optimization doesn’t mean you have to rewrite your entire blog every month. It’s about making smart, small improvements that pay off.

You can:

Update older posts with clearer explanations or better images.
Add internal links to lead readers to more of your helpful content.
Sharpen your Calls to Action (CTAs), so readers know exactly what to do next.

Let Data Guide What You Write Next

The biggest advantage of tracking your blog is that you never have to wonder “What should I write about?” ever again.

If a certain topic gets consistent interest, turn it into a series! If a post brings in tons of traffic but zero email sign-ups, you know exactly where to focus your energy (improving that CTA). Over time, this process helps you build a blog that grows smarter, more focused, and more profitable with every single post.

Tracking, analyzing, and optimizing is what separates a hobby blog from a business that brings in a real income stream.

Step 11: Delegate and Scale Your Success

As your blog grows, time becomes your most valuable resource. To move from “solopreneur” to a true business owner, you have to learn the art of delegation. You simply can’t do it all alone. You shouldn’t have to.

One will chase a thousand, two ten thousand~ Deuteronomy 32:30.

When you have the right help, your growth doesn’t just double, it multiplies.

Your goal is to focus your energy on the highest-impact activities like content creation, big-picture strategy, and engaging with your audience. Everything else can be handled by a pro.

Get the Personal Touch Your Blog Deserves

If you reach the point where the “to-do” list is longer than the hours in your day, I’m here to help! If you need a personal, expert touch for:

Writing and SEO-optimizing your blog posts so they actually rank.
Managing Your Pinterest so that you can grow faster.
Designing Pinterest pins that stop the scroll.
Scheduling on Tailwind so your traffic grows while you sleep.

…then let’s team up! You can click the green button below to check out my services and pricing. Let me handle the heavy lifting so you can stay in your “genius zone.”

Check Out My Services & Pricing Here!

A blogging career is built on writing, strategy, and consistency, but none of that works well without the right tools and knowledge supporting you behind the scenes. Just as you must pay school fees to learn a skill or get a degree, these blogging skills and tools are vital for your growth.

These tools don’t replace your effort, but they help you get results faster, avoid unnecessary mistakes, and focus your energy where it actually produces results.

And just like that, another chat wraps up! It is always a pleasure spending time with you.

If you found this helpful, kindly share it with everyone you know. Pin it now so you can come back and digest it better next time.

If you have questions or feedback, feel free to comment here, and I promise to respond promptly to them. Be a good gal or guy.

P.S.: Do you want more posts like this? Sign up for my Empowered & Real-Life Lifestyle newsletter. Get weekly self-care gems. Relatable rants. Freebies. They remind you that you are that girl, even when your lashes won’t stick.

Till we meet in the next post.

With all my love,

Sianah.