How to Start a Beauty Blog and Make Money: Your Step-by-Step Guide

If you have an interest in fashion and beauty, then creating your own beauty blog could be a great way to turn your passion into a source of revenue. Even though beauty blogging is a saturated niche, it’s still possible to make a name for yourself. To get started, you’ll need a solid website that offers a unique spin on beauty tips and tricks. Add some hard work and persistence and you’ll be well on your way 💄💅🏻

Read on to learn our six step process that will transform you from a blogging newbie to a money-making blogging pro.

How to start a beauty blog in six steps

Let’s do it! 🙋‍♂️

1. Select a website platform 🚉

For those new to web design, choosing a website platform to create your blog can feel overwhelming. There are a lot of options out there. However, here at Themeisle we always recommend WordPress because, quite frankly, we think WordPress is by far the best platform available. Here are just a few reasons why…

• WordPress is a totally free open source content management system, making it a great choice for bloggers. (You will need to pay for hosting and a domain, but the software is free).
• It’s beginner-friendly and there is a global community of experts and users to help you if you ever get stuck on something.
• WordPress is extremely flexible, enabling you to easily customize your site and create a blog to your exact specifications.
• Unlike many of the hosted website builder platforms out there, once you have created your website with WordPress, you completely own it.

⚠️ It is important to note that when we discuss WordPress in this article we are referring to the self-hosted WordPress.org, not WordPress.com– despite the similar names, the two are different things.

2. Purchase hosting and a domain name 💻

Assuming you take our advice and choose self-hosted WordPress, then you’ll need your own hosting to power the WordPress software. Don’t worry. It’s not complicated – at all. You don’t need any special technical knowledge and many hosting providers offer WordPress either pre-installed or available via a single click.

For new beauty bloggers, we recommend choosing a host from our roundup of cheap WordPress hosting. For example, Bluehost is on that list and makes a good beginner option because it’s:

• Affordable – You’ll pay just a few bucks per month, and they’ll even give you a free domain name in your first year.
• Easy to use – They make it super easy to install WordPress and give you a custom dashboard that’s really convenient.

The only caveat to be mindful of is that after your initial contract is up for renewal, Bluehost gets more expensive. Depending on how much progress you’ve made at that point in terms of monetization, you might want to transfer over to a cheaper long-term option like Namecheap.

Domain names

Both Bluehost and Namecheap will give you a free domain name in your first year (as will many other hosts), but you’ll still need to choose which domain to use. Also, the free domain deal is limited to specific domain extensions (i.e., .com, .net, .org, etc) so it’s important to pay attention to the fine print.

Alternatively, though this would require some technical adjustments on your part, you could purchase your domain name through Cloudflare Registrar and then connect it to your hosting account at Bluehost, Namecheap, or elsewhere. Cloudflare sells domains at cost (no markup) so the upside to this strategy is maximum long-term savings.

In terms of the name itself, you’ll want something unique that reflects your style or beauty niche, and that will be immediately recognizable and memorable to your audience. Try brainstorming beauty keywords that could feature in your domain. Then feed those words into a domain name generator to come up with potential names.

After you finish buying your domain and choosing a hosting plan, you will need to install a WordPress theme that is appropriate for a beauty blog. Let’s look at that next…

3. Pick a beauty blogging theme 🎨

Your WordPress site’s theme controls how it looks.

When most hosting companies install WordPress for you, they use the default WordPress theme. However, when you start a beauty blog, installing a beauty blogging specific theme is the better way to go.

A beauty theme will ensure your website looks like a beauty blog, and has all the essential design elements that a site like this may need. You can then customize the content, images, colors, and much more to ensure your site reflects your branding.

There are a range of free and premium WordPress themes that you can select from. Ashe from WP Royal is an impressive free WordPress beauty blogging theme that you can download from the free WordPress repository. Features include…

• Full-screen slider
• Selection of page layouts
• Theme Customizer
• Promo boxes and banner ad space
• WooCommerce support

There is also a Pro version of Ashe available, giving you the option of upgrading your website’s theme in the future as your blog grows.

4. Install WordPress plugins 🔌

Whereas themes affect your blog’s looks, plugins help you extend its functionality.

When you start a beauty blog, there are a number of WordPress plugins that you should consider installing. These include:

• MetaSlider – Add beautiful images to your blog by adding sliders on pages and posts of your choice. This will help to grab the attention of your readers.
• Optin Forms – Grow your email list by displaying attractive optin forms to your posts and pages.
• Instagram Feed – Increase your Instagram followers by displaying your images from social on your beauty blog.

Beyond those beauty-specific plugins, there are also some must-have WordPress plugins that all blogs need.

5. Create your blog posts ✍️

When you start a beauty blog, there is much to consider. But producing great content should be your top priority. Let’s have a look at some top tips for creating blog articles that make an impact…

• Unique content – You need to make sure your content is unique and stands out from the crowd. Either pick a niche within the beauty industry to focus on, or add your own interesting spin on topics. Your loyal readers will be the ones who personally connect with you as an individual, so ensure your personality shines through your writing.
• Images – Stunning, high-quality images will inspire your followers, support your writing, and ensure your articles grab the attention of your audience. You can use Canva to create great-looking images.
• Videos – Creating videos of you discussing and demonstrating how to use different beauty products can be an effective way to grow your following. Start your own YouTube channel where you can upload your videos and then embed them into your blog.

It is important that you create a schedule to ensure that you regularly post a variety of content. Once published, promote your blog articles on social media and to your email list to encourage your target audience to visit your site. This will help you to create regular and loyal followers for your beauty blog.

6. Monetize your beauty blog 💰

Once you finish setting everything up, you’ll need to shift gears and start thinking about monetization. There are many methods you can use to create revenue from your blog. Let’s review a few of them…

Affiliate marketing

One of the most successful ways to make money from a beauty blog is through affiliate marketing. You can join relevant affiliate programs and then promote their products on your website. Each time you mention a product, add an affiliate link to your page or post. When your readers click through and purchase the product you will earn a percentage of the sale, which is a great way to monetize your blog.

Amazon Associates is an extremely easy to use and potentially profitable affiliate program. You can use the Amazon SiteStripe tool to add affiliate links to any products you mention on your blog. Just make sure you choose high-quality products that you can genuinely vouch for, otherwise you will quickly lose your audience.

Display ads on your site

Selling ad space on your beauty blog can be a great strategy if you are looking to generate recurring monthly revenue. However, this will only be a viable option once your site is receiving lots of traffic.

Make sure that any brand that advertises on your blog reflects your beauty niche. You want any advertisements to enhance your site, and not take away from the user experience.

Create and sell your own products

Once you build up a loyal audience that trusts your recommendations, it will be that much easier to sell products to them – especially if those products are under your brand.

If that sounds appealing, you can use a freemium ecommerce plugin like WP Full Pay, which will let you connect your site to Stripe to sell products.

In closing, there’s a lot to consider when you start a new blog. However, if you follow the steps and tips shared in this article, you will be well on your way to creating a successful and profitable blog. Good luck! 🎀🎀🎀

Any questions on how to start a beauty blog? Feel free to ask away in the comments below…