How to Start a Health Blog (The Right Way)

Want to learn how to start a health blog the right way for profitability? Here’s a step-by-step guide to get started blogging in wellness!

Hi there! I’m Chantal – a mom of two and the owner of this health blog. 🙂

I’m also a certified personal trainer and nutrition coach. Thanks for being here!

Have you ever wondered how to start a health blog?

If you’ve been here before, you’ve probably noticed that blogging is one of my favorite things. I LOVE writing fitness blog posts.

Running a health blog lets me enjoy writing but still stay accountable for moving my body!

Starting a health blog has been one of the best things I’ve ever done, seriously!

I love to write, and I love to connect with others who have similar interests to my own. Running a wellness blog allows me to combine the things I love! But aside from that, blogging is great because:

• It allows me to earn money from home. I’ve earned close to $1,000 per month blogging so far!
• It gives me purpose. I set blogging goals regularly and it makes me feel like I’m moving forward.
• It allows me to set my own schedule and own a business (yes, this is a business!).
• Writing health-related blog posts gives me something more to do as a mom. Right now I’m a stay-at-home mom and running a blog makes me feel like I’m doing something more important than just housework!
• It gives me complete freedom. I write about what I want when I want to! I may not be one of the top fitness blogs but I love it!
• You don’t have to have a big, fancy degree or any special experience to start a blog.
• This particular blog helps me stay accountable and connect with others on my weight-loss journey.

I totally believe that there’s room for anyone and everyone in the blogging world.

You don’t have to be a top health blogger to make money or have fun. Although I may not ever be one of the best fitness bloggers, it’s okay because I love it.

I also love telling people about blogging because I think anyone can do it! Plus, if you use it for accountability, it can be a huge tool for your weight loss.

If you’re a foodie or health nut, it can allow you to pursue your passions and make money doing it!

Seriously, anyone can learn how to start a health blog!

(The best blogs start this way)

In this post, I’d like to help those of you who want to start a health, food, or fitness blog. If you have the goal of starting what will become one of the top health blogs, you can start here!

This tutorial is meant to take the guesswork out of the technical aspect.

I remember just how confused I was when I started my own blog for the first time, and it’s not so bad if you have some guidance.

What are the best health websites? That doesn’t even matter because it’s all a matter of opinion!

By now I’ve had several blogs and learned how to grow and make money online – from time to time you’ll see info on that here on this blog. I’ll help you find the right things to share with readers.

This particular post is for people who are hoping to start a health blog soon or are ready to get started now – so let’s get the wheels turning!

But first, let’s talk a little bit about the things you should do before you start your wellness blog. I know it can be really exciting to get going once you’ve decided to start, but here are a few things I wish I’d considered before I started my own blog:

Things To Consider Before You Start Your Own Health Blog

Choose Your Niche

Determine the main topic or theme of your blog. The realm of health blogs is vast. With so much competition, I strongly suggest “niching down” into a more specific sub-niche of wellness. (Mine is fitness specifically for homemakers and moms.) Selecting a specific niche will help you target a specific audience and establish yourself as an authority in that area.

Define Your Target Audience

If you want to run your wellness blog like a business, take it a step further and consider your ideal reader. Understand who your ideal readers are by researching their interests, demographics, and preferences. This knowledge will guide your content creation and help you tailor your blog to their needs.

Hint: For most bloggers, THEY are the ideal reader. For example, I write for stay-at-home moms because I am one. This makes me an authentic and relatable authority.

Conduct Market Research

I love doing this and I do it continuously, even after 9 years of blogging. Analyze other blogs in your niche to see what topics they cover, how they engage with their audience, and what sets them apart. This research will give you insights into the competition and help you identify opportunities to differentiate your blog.

Choose A Blogging Platform

Decide which platform you want to use for your blog. I highly recommend WordPress, but popular options include Siteground, Blogger, and Medium. Consider factors such as customization options, ease of use, and scalability when making your decision.

Hint: If you want this to become a business, use WordPress. 🙂

Select A Domain Name

We will talk about this more in-depth in a minute, but you will need to choose a unique and memorable domain name for your blog. Ideally, it should reflect your blog’s topic (or just be your name) and be easy to spell and remember. Check the availability of the domain and register it with a reliable domain registrar. Again, more on this in a bit.

Personal Note: Honestly, I wish I had just chosen my full name as my domain name. Sometimes I get the urge to write about more than just fitness!

Set Up Web Hosting

I will walk you through this in a minute, so don’t freak out. You will need a reliable web hosting provider to “host” your blog (it just means the data and files need to be stored somewhere). Look for providers that offer good uptime, fast loading speeds, and excellent customer support. Compare pricing plans and features to select the best option for your needs.

I have used Siteground for 7 years now and have zero complaints.

Create A Content Strategy

Plan your blog’s content strategy in advance. Decide on the types of content you’ll publish, such as articles, tutorials, videos, or podcasts. If you’re an organized type, develop an editorial calendar to organize your content creation and ensure a consistent posting schedule.

(I’m so not the organized type. I write whenever inspiration strikes. But I’m a writer, so that happens more than you’d think!)

Develop Your Branding

Create a unique brand identity for your blog. Design a logo, choose a color scheme, and select fonts that align with your blog’s theme and target audience. Consistent branding will help establish recognition and build trust with your readers. I use Canva for literally all of this.

Set Up Essential Pages

Once you have your blog, you’ll want to create important pages such as an “About Me” page, a “Contact” page, and a “Privacy Policy” page. These pages provide essential information about you, how to reach you, and the privacy practices of your blog. Don’t worry – there are a TON of tutorials on this – but you can always look at other blogs for inspiration.

Install Essential Plugins

If you’re using a platform like WordPress, install essential plugins to enhance the functionality and security of your blog. (These are like apps that can allow you to do special things.) Examples of useful plugins include SEO plugins, security plugins, caching plugins, and social sharing plugins.

Familiarize Yourself With SEO

Learn the basics of search engine optimization (SEO). Understand how to optimize your content for search engines, including keyword research, on-page optimization, and link building. This knowledge will help improve your blog’s visibility in search engine rankings. Here’s an article I wrote about SEO for personal trainers, but the knowledge is applicable even if you aren’t one.

Develop A Promotion Strategy

Determine how you’ll promote your blog and attract visitors. Consider leveraging social media platforms, email marketing, guest blogging, and networking with other bloggers in your niche. Building an audience takes time and effort, so be prepared to invest in promotion.

Personally, I think that Pinterest, Instagram, and Google are all that you need to do well. Here’s an article about how I use Pinterest for my blog.

Create A Social Media Presence

If you want to get brand deals and partnerships, you’ll need to set up social media profiles for your blog on platforms that align with your target audience. (It’s also good for traffic.) Share your content, engage with your followers, and leverage social media to drive traffic to your blog and hopefully gain the attention of some great brands.

Plan Monetization Strategies

If you plan to monetize your blog, research and decide on suitable methods such as display advertising, sponsored posts, affiliate marketing, or creating and selling your products or services. Understand the guidelines and legal requirements associated with each monetization method.

Here’s a pretty in-depth guide I wrote on how to make money blogging.

Create High-Quality Content

Before officially launching your blog, prepare several high-quality, well-researched, and engaging blog posts. This initial content will help you launch with substance and provide a good user experience to your early readers.

I know that’s a lot, but blogging really is a huge undertaking and you should probably understand that.

If you’re still set on it, you can find my blog startup checklist here. Once you’re done with this tutorial on how to start a health blog, you’ll want to use it to kick-start your launch. 🙂

Remember that building a successful blog takes time and consistent effort. Stay dedicated, continue learning, and adapt your strategies based on your audience’s feedback and evolving trends in your niche.

Now onto the tutorial!

Note: I only recommend things that I have used and love. This post helps you set up a blog with Siteground as your host. Some of the best fitness blogs use Siteground. If you choose to make a purchase using my links, I may receive a commission. That doesn’t change your price. Read my Siteground review here. 

How To Start A Health Blog Step 1: Choose a hosting plan.

In order to have a blog with money-making potential, you need your blog to be self-hosted.

In simple terms, this just means that you own all of your own content and your site isn’t hosted by a free blog-making site.

If you make a free site that’s hosted by a free blog-making site, you run the risk of owing that company money when you start to monetize your blog.

Because of that, a lot of companies won’t work with bloggers who aren’t self-hosted.

So, you NEED to be self-hosted. In order to do this, you need a company to host your site (and all its files). I use and recommend Siteground for all types of blogs. So the first thing you’ll want to do is visit their site. 

Next, click “Sign Up,” on the home page.

You’ll then be asked to choose from three hosting packages – Start Up, Grow Big, or Go Geek. Here’s a snapshot of that page:

Do note that the prices you see on this page assume that you purchase an annual package. You get a price break for buying a year in advance. 

HOW DO I CHOOSE A HOSTING PACKAGE?

If you only plan to have one health blog or site, you can choose the Start Up plan for now. It’s the best for people just starting out and focusing on one thing.

However, if you plan to focus on your blog a lot or have more than one site, you may want to consider choosing Grow Big or Go Geek.

The Start Up plan is best for blogs getting up to 10,000 visits per month, and if you are working on your blog consistently, it’s very possible that you reach this number in just a few months.

You may even reach the Grow Big number of 25,000 monthly visits depending on how hard you are working on your blog.

(I reached 30,000+ page views in three months, so I know it’s possible!)

Just remember that you can always upgrade! If your fitness blog takes flight quickly, you might need to later down the road when the investment seems worth it.

Start A Health Blog Step 2: Choose a domain name.

Once you’ve chosen a hosting package, you’ll need to choose a domain name. This is essentially going to be your blog name or something very close to it.

Once you have it, I don’t recommend changing it, so choose carefully!

This is often free with the purchase of your first hosting package at Siteground.

Choose a domain name that fits well with the topics you’ll write about and pick something that you’ll not be embarrassed to tell people about. Since you’re starting a health, food, or fitness blog, I suggest that your name imply this in some way.

Again, your name is something that you should consider carefully.

Remember that you’ll have this name for at least a few years, if not longer! (I’m going on eight years with Ironwild Fitness!)

Typically in the blogging world, the longer you have the same website URL, the better.

It’s possible that someone will already own the domain name you want, so I recommend preparing a few ideas for this step.

I also recommend that if possible, you include keywords in your domain name.

That means that your domain name (which will be your blog name and part of your URL) tells people at least a little bit about your blog’s contents.

For example, my blog name is “Ironwild Fitness.” My domain name is ironwildfitness.com. My name suggests to readers that my site has something to do with being a fitness blog (because it is) and that’s useful in getting the right audience to my site. Get the idea?

Being relevant is important both for Google and for readers.

Note: I recommend domain privacy if you can afford it. It will just protect your personal contact information. 

Once you’ve chosen a domain name and finalized your payment, you officially own a health blog!

Congratulations!

See? Starting a health and fitness blog isn’t so hard! Next comes all of the fun stuff. Don’t worry, I’ll help you with all of that, too!

If you’re ready to get started building your site and customizing it, you’ll want to get to installing WordPress with your Siteground account.

You will rarely need to access your Siteground account now, as you’ll do almost everything in WordPress.

This is where you’ll get to do all of the fun customizations to your content and theme! (I use themes from Restored 316!)

This is exciting stuff because now you can pick your colors for branding, make a logo, and customize everything else!

It’s really up to you to decide what direction you want to go in. This goes for your logo, colors and branding, as well as the specific content you want to add. Have fun!

After that’s done, go to this post for the ultimate blog startup checklist. Get crazy with it and have fun!

Until next time,

Chantal

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