So you want to start a blog and actually make money from it. Not "maybe someday" money. Real, consistent income that shows up in your bank account every month.
Good news: it is absolutely still possible in 2026. Better news: you can start for literally zero dollars. I know because the site you are reading right now -- spunk.codes -- runs on free hosting, gets millions of page views, and generates revenue from tools, affiliates, and digital products.
This is the exact playbook. No fluff, no "buy my course" upsells. Just the steps, the tools, and the realistic timelines for what to expect.
Let's get into it.
Here is the biggest mistake new bloggers make: they pick a niche they are "passionate about" without checking if anyone actually searches for it or if advertisers spend money there.
Passion matters, sure. But you need the overlap between three things:
Here are the most profitable blog niches in 2026, ranked by average RPM (revenue per thousand page views):
| Niche | Avg RPM | Affiliate Commission | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal Finance | $40-$80 | $50-$200 per lead | High |
| AI Tools / SaaS Reviews | $30-$60 | 20-40% recurring | Medium-High |
| Health & Wellness | $25-$50 | 10-30% | High |
| Online Business / Side Hustles | $25-$45 | 30-50% | Medium |
| Software / Tech Reviews | $20-$40 | 20-50% recurring | Medium |
| Home & DIY | $15-$30 | 3-8% (Amazon) | Medium |
| Travel | $12-$25 | $10-$100 per booking | High |
| Food & Recipes | $10-$20 | 3-6% (Amazon) | Very High |
My recommendation for beginners: start in the online tools / productivity / side hustle space. Here is why -- the competition is manageable, affiliate commissions are high (software companies pay 20-50% recurring), and you can use free tools from spunk.codes as both your content topic and your monetization strategy.
Use the spunk.codes SEO Checklist to validate your niche before committing. It walks you through keyword research, competition analysis, and content planning.
Your domain is your brand. It is the first thing people see and the thing they will (hopefully) type into their browser when they want to come back.
Here are the rules that actually matter:
Where to buy your domain:
Want to see what domains are available and get ideas? Try the spunk.codes Domain Generator -- it is free and gives you instant availability checks across dozens of TLDs.
You can also check out our Domain Portfolio Manager to keep track of all your domains in one place as your blog empire grows.
This is where most guides tell you to spend $3-30/month on hosting. I am going to tell you something different: start free with GitHub Pages.
Here is why GitHub Pages is the best choice for new bloggers in 2026:
The site you are reading right now runs on GitHub Pages. So does spunk.bet, spunk.work, and every other site in our network. We serve millions of page views per month and pay exactly $0 in hosting.
Here is the quick setup:
yourusername.github.ioindex.html file (your homepage)yourusername.github.io within 60 secondsWant a custom domain? Add a CNAME file to your repo with your domain name, then update your domain's DNS to point to GitHub. The complete GitHub Pages tutorial on our blog walks you through every click.
If you want something more polished right away, use the spunk.codes Portfolio Builder to generate a complete blog template in seconds.
Let me be real with you: WordPress is still the most popular blogging platform, and for good reason. It powers over 40% of the internet. But it is not the only option anymore, and for many new bloggers, it is not the best option.
Here is an honest comparison:
My honest take: if you are just starting and want to keep costs at zero, go with GitHub Pages. Use AI tools like our AI Writing Assistant and Codebase Scaffolder to generate your blog structure. You can always migrate to WordPress later if you outgrow it.
This is where most people get stuck. They stare at a blank screen, write one post about "Welcome to my blog!", and then never publish again.
Here is a better approach. Write these 10 posts before you launch:
For each post, aim for at least 1,500 words. Google tends to rank longer content higher because it is more comprehensive. But do not pad your word count with filler. Every sentence should teach something or move the reader forward.
Use the spunk.codes Word Counter to track your word count, and the SEO Checklist to make sure each post is optimized before publishing.
Writing tip that changed everything for me: write like you are talking to a friend. Read your drafts out loud. If it sounds like a textbook, rewrite it. People do not want lectures. They want a smart friend who explains things simply.
SEO has changed a lot. Google's algorithms are smarter than ever, and the old tricks (keyword stuffing, backlink farms, exact-match domains) will get you penalized, not ranked.
Here is what actually works in 2026:
Every blog post should target a specific keyword phrase that people actually search for. Free tools for finding keywords:
The single most important SEO tip: write genuinely helpful content that answers the searcher's question better than anyone else. Google's "Helpful Content" system specifically rewards original, people-first content and penalizes content that exists just to rank.
Affiliate marketing is how most bloggers make their first dollar. You recommend products, include a special tracking link, and earn a commission when someone buys through your link.
It is that simple. And it works from day one -- you do not need a minimum traffic threshold.
| Program | Commission | Cookie Duration | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon Associates | 1-20% | 24 hours | Physical products, universal trust |
| ShareASale | Varies (5-50%) | 30-90 days | Thousands of brands across all niches |
| Impact | Varies | 30+ days | SaaS, tech, and premium brands |
| CJ Affiliate | Varies | 30+ days | Large retailers and brands |
| PartnerStack | 20-50% recurring | 90 days | SaaS and software tools |
The real money in affiliate marketing comes from recurring commissions on software. When someone signs up for a $50/month tool through your link and you earn 30% recurring, that is $15/month for as long as they stay a customer. Get 100 people signed up and that is $1,500/month in passive income.
Our complete affiliate marketing guide goes deep on strategies, and you can find top affiliate programs through our affiliate program.
Display ads are the most passive form of blog income. You put a code snippet on your site, ads appear, and you get paid for every thousand impressions (CPM) or click (CPC).
The progression for ad networks:
Realistic ad income math: A blog with 50,000 page views per month on Mediavine in the finance niche might earn $2,000-$3,000/month from ads alone. In a lower-paying niche like lifestyle, the same traffic might earn $750-$1,500.
This is where blog income gets exciting. Digital products have near-100% profit margins and you create them once and sell them forever.
Digital products you can create and sell from your blog:
Learn the full strategy in our guide: How to Make Money Selling Digital Products in 2026.
Use the Pricing Calculator to figure out the right price point, and the Revenue Calculator to project your income based on traffic and conversion rates.
Once your blog has some traffic and authority, brands will pay you to write about their products. You do not even need huge numbers -- a blog with 5,000-10,000 monthly visitors in a specific niche can charge $200-$500 per sponsored post.
How to get sponsored post deals:
Pricing guide for sponsored posts:
| Monthly Traffic | Sponsored Post Rate |
|---|---|
| 1,000-5,000 views | $50-$200 |
| 5,000-25,000 views | $200-$750 |
| 25,000-100,000 views | $750-$2,500 |
| 100,000+ views | $2,500-$10,000+ |
If I had to start over and could only pick one monetization strategy, it would be email marketing. Your email list is the single most valuable asset your blog will ever create.
Why? Because you own it. Algorithm changes cannot take it away. Platform shutdowns cannot delete it. And email converts 3-5x better than social media for sales.
Here is how to build your email list from scratch:
Free email platforms to start with: Mailchimp (free up to 500 subscribers), MailerLite (free up to 1,000), Buttondown (free up to 100), and Substack (free, unlimited).
Build and test your email sequences with the Email Sequence Builder and write better subject lines with the AI Email Subject Line Tester.
Once you have established authority in your niche through your blog, creating an online course is one of the highest-earning moves you can make. Courses typically sell for $49-$499, and the top course creators earn six and seven figures.
The easiest path: take your best-performing blog posts, turn them into video lessons, and sell the course on platforms like:
You do not need expensive equipment. A decent USB microphone ($30-$80 on Amazon), free screen recording software (OBS Studio), and your existing knowledge are enough to get started.
Your blog is the best business card you will ever have. It demonstrates your expertise every single day, to hundreds or thousands of people. Use it to sell services.
Create professional proposals and contracts with the Proposal Builder and Contract Generator on spunk.codes. Send invoices with the best free invoice tools.
I am going to be honest with you because most "how to make money blogging" posts are not. Here is what a realistic timeline looks like for a blogger who publishes 2-3 quality posts per week:
| Timeline | Traffic | Monthly Income | Income Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Month 1-3 | 100-1,000 views | $0-$50 | A few affiliate clicks, maybe one sale |
| Month 3-6 | 1,000-5,000 views | $50-$300 | Affiliate sales, maybe AdSense |
| Month 6-12 | 5,000-25,000 views | $300-$1,500 | Affiliates + ads + first digital product |
| Month 12-18 | 25,000-75,000 views | $1,500-$5,000 | Mediavine ads + affiliates + products + email |
| Month 18-24 | 75,000-200,000 views | $5,000-$15,000 | Multiple streams all compounding |
These numbers are conservative. I have seen bloggers hit $10,000/month in 8 months in the right niche with the right strategy. I have also seen bloggers take 2+ years because they are inconsistent or pick the wrong niche.
The key variable is consistency. Publishing 2-3 posts per week, every week, for 12 months is what separates the bloggers who make it from the ones who quit.
Track your progress with the ROI Calculator and Revenue Calculator.
Here is the complete tool stack for running a profitable blog. I have listed the free option first for every category:
For the complete list of 200+ free tools, check out our Free Tools Directory.
Get our free blog starter kit with templates, SEO checklist, and content calendar. Everything you need to go from zero to published in one weekend.
Get the Free Starter KitYou can start for completely free using GitHub Pages. If you want a custom domain, that costs $10-15 per year. Total realistic cost: $0-$15/year. Premium WordPress hosting runs $3-30/month but is not needed to get started.
Most bloggers start earning within 3-6 months. Realistic timeline: $0-$100/month in months 1-6, $100-$1,000/month in months 6-12, and $1,000-$5,000/month after 12-18 months of consistent publishing. Some niches pay faster due to higher affiliate commissions.
Personal finance, AI tools/technology, health and wellness, online business, software reviews, and digital marketing. These niches have high advertiser demand and affiliate commissions between 20-50%. Pick something at the intersection of your knowledge and these profitable areas.
Yes. GitHub Pages offers completely free hosting with HTTPS, custom domains, and unlimited bandwidth. You can monetize with affiliate links, digital products, sponsored posts, and email marketing from day one. Many six-figure bloggers started on free platforms.
No. WordPress requires zero coding. Even static sites can be set up with templates and AI tools. spunk.codes offers free website builders, SEO tools, and portfolio builders that handle the technical side for you.
You can start monetizing with affiliate links from your first post. For meaningful income, aim for 30-50 high-quality posts before applying to premium ad networks. One 2,500-word optimized post beats ten 300-word posts for both SEO and income.
Absolutely. The blogging industry generates over $500 billion globally. AI-written generic content no longer ranks well, which actually helps human bloggers who share original perspectives and real expertise. Bloggers who build email lists are earning more than ever.
GitHub Pages for speed and zero cost. Hugo, Jekyll, Astro, and 11ty for static site generators. Ghost for a full CMS experience. spunk.codes itself runs on GitHub Pages and serves millions of page views for free.
You have the full roadmap now. Here is your action plan for the next 7 days:
That is it. In one week, you will have a live blog with your first posts and your first monetization in place. Everything after that is just doing more of the same, getting better, and compounding your results.
For more guides on building income online, check out:
Now go start your blog. The best time to start was a year ago. The second best time is today.
Share this guide on XJoin thousands of bloggers getting our free weekly newsletter with SEO strategies, monetization tips, and tool recommendations.
Subscribe Free