How To Start a Design Blog and Craft Inspiring Aesthetics Online

If you're passionate about design and want to turn it into a side income or even a full-time business, starting a design blog is the way to go.

Did you know that successful design bloggers earn tens of thousands of dollars every month just by writing about their experiences?

So, what's holding you back from doing the same?

In this post, I'll show you how to build a design blog that connects with readers and brings in revenue.

If you're ready to become a design blogging authority, let's dive in!

Design Blogging Basics

Starting a design blog can be a really fun and rewarding experience, but it's important to know what you're getting into.

Here are a few basic things to keep in mind before diving in:

What Is a Design Blog?

A design blog is a website or online platform that focuses on sharing information, ideas, and inspiration related to design. It is a space where designers, artists, and design enthusiasts can come together to learn, discuss, and explore various aspects of design.

Design blogs cover a wide range of design disciplines, including graphic design, web design, interior design, fashion design, industrial design, and more. They often feature articles, tutorials, interviews, and showcases of design projects.

Design blogs are valuable resources for both professionals and beginners in the design field. They provide a platform for designers to showcase their work, share their knowledge and expertise, and connect with others in the design community.

By following design blogs, readers can stay updated on the latest design trends, techniques, and tools. They can also find inspiration for their own design projects and learn from the experiences and insights of experts in the field.

Overall, design blogs play a crucial role in fostering creativity, promoting collaboration, and advancing the field of design. Whether you are a professional designer or simply have an interest in design, exploring design blogs can be a great way to expand your knowledge and stay inspired.

Why Should You Start a Design Blog?

Starting a design blog can be a great way to showcase your work, share your knowledge, and connect with others in the design community. Here are a few reasons why you should consider starting a design blog:

• Build your portfolio: A design blog allows you to showcase your work and demonstrate your skills to potential clients or employers.
• Share your expertise: By writing about design topics, you can establish yourself as an expert in your field and attract an audience who is interested in your insights.
• Network with other designers: A design blog can help you connect with other designers, collaborate on projects, and learn from each other's experiences.
• Improve your writing skills: Regularly writing blog posts can help you refine your communication skills and become a better writer.
• Stay up-to-date: Researching and writing about design trends and industry news will keep you informed and give you a competitive edge.
• Inspire others: Your design blog can serve as a source of inspiration for other designers and creatives, helping them generate new ideas and push their own boundaries.

Finding Your Design Niche

You’re probably thinking, 'I already picked a niche! Design' But for the purposes of blogging, that’s not nearly specific enough, at least in the beginning. If you want your blog to succeed, you need to niche down.

Why Choosing a Niche is Important

Choosing a design niche is important for a number of reasons.

First, it makes it easier for readers to find your content and for search engines to rank it. If your blog is too broad, it will be hard to compete with other established design bloggers and get organic traffic.

Second, having a specific niche will help you establish yourself as an expert in that area. Readers will come to trust your opinion and recommendations, and you'll be able to build a loyal following.

Finally, having a design niche will also make it easier for you to come up with content ideas. Rather than trying to cover every aspect of design, you can focus on the specific topics and recipes that your readers are most interested in.

How to Choose a Design Blog Niche

Choosing a design blog niche can be overwhelming, but with the right approach, you can find a niche that suits your interests and expertise. Here are some tips to help you choose the perfect design niche:

• Identify your passion: Start by exploring your own interests and passions. What design topics excite you the most? Consider your hobbies, personal experiences, and professional background.
• Research market demand: Look for design niches that have a high demand in the market. Check popular design blogs, forums, and social media platforms to see what topics are trending and what people are interested in.
• Consider your expertise: Assess your own skills and expertise in different design areas. Choose a niche where you can showcase your knowledge and provide valuable insights to your audience.
• Identify your target audience: Determine who your target audience is and what they are looking for. Think about the specific problems or challenges they face and how your chosen niche can offer solutions.
• Explore untapped niches: Look for design niches that are not already saturated with competition. Finding a unique angle or specialization can help your blog stand out and attract a dedicated audience.

By following these tips, you can narrow down your options and choose a design blog niche that aligns with your interests, expertise, and the needs of your target audience. Happy blogging!

We’ve written extensively about niche research for bloggers, but you should look for these qualities in your final choice:

• A mix of big and small competitors. If the niche doesn’t have big sites, there isn’t much money to be made. If there aren’t small sites, you won’t be able to compete.
• Income potential. A healthy mix of affiliate offers, display ads, and original products will allow you to diversify your income.
• Keywords and link-building opportunities. You’ll do more extensive keyword research later, so right now you’re just looking for content gaps. Are there keywords you could realistically rank for and get traffic early?

Popular Design Blog Niches

A popular design blog niche is a specific area of focus within the broader design industry that attracts a large audience. These niches cater to people who are passionate about design and are looking for inspiration, tips, and resources.

One popular design blog niche is interior design. This niche focuses on the art and science of enhancing the interior of a space to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment. Subniches in interior design include:

• Home decor: Tips and ideas for decorating different rooms in a house, including furniture, accessories, and color schemes.
• Small space design: Creative solutions for optimizing the functionality and style of small living areas.
• Green design: Sustainable and eco-friendly design ideas that promote energy efficiency and environmental responsibility.
• Kitchen design: Inspiration and advice on designing functional and stylish kitchens, including layout, appliances, and materials.

Another popular design blog niche is graphic design. This niche focuses on visual communication and the creation of artwork, typography, and images for various media. Subniches in graphic design include:

• Logo design: Tips and tutorials for designing unique and memorable logos for businesses and brands.
• Web design: Insights and resources for creating visually appealing and user-friendly websites.
• Print design: Ideas and techniques for designing printed materials such as brochures, flyers, and posters.
• Typography: Exploring different fonts, typefaces, and their effective use in design projects.

Additionally, fashion design is a popular niche that focuses on the creation and presentation of clothing and accessories. Subniches in fashion design include:

• Haute couture: Showcasing high-end, customized fashion pieces created by renowned designers.
• Streetwear: Exploring urban fashion trends and styles, often influenced by youth culture and music.
• Sustainable fashion: Highlighting ethical and eco-friendly clothing brands and practices in the fashion industry.
• Accessory design: Featuring unique and stylish accessories, such as handbags, shoes, and jewelry.

These are just a few examples of popular design blog niches. Each niche offers a unique perspective and provides valuable content for design enthusiasts looking to stay informed and inspired.

Planning Out Your Design Blog

So you've picked a niche for your blog, that's amazing! But don't forget,'failing to plan is planning to fail.'

Before you run off and start posting, let's take a moment to plan out your business strategy.

Set Your Blog Goals

Setting goals for your Design blog is essential to its success. It gives you direction and helps you stay focused on what matters most.

When setting your goals, it's important to consider your audience, your niche, and what you realistically hope to achieve.

This can include things like increasing your readership, building your email list, or monetizing your blog.

By setting clear and achievable goals for your design blog, you'll be able to create content that resonates with your audience, establish yourself as an authority in your niche, and achieve the success you're looking for.

Define Your Target Audience

In order to start a successful design blog, it is essential to define your target audience. This will help you create content that resonates with your readers and attracts the right audience to your blog.

Here are a few steps to define your target audience:

1. Identify the main demographics: Determine the age, gender, location, and other relevant demographics of your target audience. This will give you a clear picture of who you are creating content for.

2. Understand their interests and needs: Research the interests, needs, and pain points of your target audience. This will help you create content that addresses their specific needs and provides value.

3. Look for common characteristics: Identify common characteristics among your target audience, such as their profession, hobbies, or lifestyle. This will help you create content that appeals to their specific interests.

4. Analyze your competitors: Study the blogs and websites that target a similar audience. Look at the type of content they create, the design elements they use, and their overall approach. This will help you understand what works in your niche and how you can differentiate yourself.

5. Create audience personas: Develop fictional characters that represent your target audience. Give them names, images, and detailed descriptions. This will help you visualize your audience and tailor your content to their specific needs.

By defining your target audience, you will be able to create content that resonates with them and build a dedicated following for your design blog.

Do Your Keyword Research

Keyword research is an important aspect of creating content for your Food blog. It helps you understand the phrases and questions people use to search for information on the topic you're writing about. That way, you can use those phrases and questions to optimize your content for search engines.

Identify the keywords that are most relevant to your niche. These are your “seed keywords.”

Seed keywords are broad terms used to generate super-specific long-tail keywords.

• Graphic design
• Web design
• Logo design
• Typography
• User interface design
• User experience design
• Color theory
• Visual communication
• Illustration
• Photography

Take your seed keywords and feed them into your keyword tool of choice. I like using Ahrefs.

Add them to the report and hit search. Then, go to “Keyword Ideas” and click “Matching Terms.”

This list will contain thousands of possible terms for you to write about. I recommend targeting the lowest-volume keywords possible, no matter the traffic.

When you first start your design blog, it’ll be hard to get traffic. But you can get it by targeting keywords that other site owners ignore.

By doing your keyword research, you can improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages and attracting more traffic to your Food blog.

How to Start a Design Blog | Step-by-Step Guide

Now that you're done with the business plan, let's get to the fun part.

Here's how to start a Design blog:

Step 1. Pick a Blogging Platform

Choosing the right blogging platform is crucial for the success of your Design blog.

I strongly recommend building your blog with WordPress. It’s open-source, so your blog won't be dependent on a private company, and it’s fully customizable.

Some bloggers are intimidated by the number of features WordPress offers, but the best way to learn is just to jump in and start.

Here are some other options to consider:

• Blogger: A free platform owned by Google. Offers simple templates and easy integration with Google AdSense for monetization.
• Squarespace: A premium platform known for its design-centric approach. Offers visually appealing templates and in-depth customization options along with integrated eCommerce solutions for monetization.
• Wix: A free platform with a drag-and-drop website builder and customizable templates. Offers e-commerce options for selling products.

Consider the features, ease of use, and cost when choosing a platform that fits your needs. Each platform has its own strengths and weaknesses, so it's important to do your research before making a decision.

Step 2. Register a Domain Name

Registering a domain name gives your blog a unique online identity. When choosing a domain name for your design blog, there are a few things to keep in mind:

• Make it easy to remember
• Keep it short and sweet
• Include your main keyword
• Avoid using numbers and hyphens

Also, please don’t create an exact-match domain name, like creativedesigninspiration.com.

It’s limiting, has terrible branding potential, and just looks amateurish. You can do much better.

Instead, spend some time brainstorming design blog names that have the following:

1. A keyword related to your niche
2. A feeling, emotion, or quality you want your website to communicate
3. Three words or less

So, instead of the example used above, you could use one of these:

• DesignInspire.com
• CreativeVibe.com
• IdeaMuse.com
• InspireCraft.com
• ArtisticPassion.com

All of those are available at the time I’m writing this, and all would be easy to build a brand around (not to mention better for Search Engine Optimization or SEO).

You can also use a domain name generator tool for inspiration.

Once you have a few ideas for a domain name, you can check if they are available using a domain registrar.

Many services can help you register a domain name, but I recommend getting one from your hosting provider. (They usually include a free domain name when you buy hosting.)

When you find the perfect domain name, register it right away before someone else takes it.

Step 3. Secure Reliable Hosting

Once you’ve chosen a domain name, you have to purchase website hosting to make your design blog accessible online. (As I mentioned earlier, you can usually purchase both simultaneously.)

Website hosting is a service that allows your website to be stored on a server and accessed by Internet users.

Here are some popular website hosts for design blogs:

• WP Engine: I host all my sites with WP Engine. It's lightning quick and super easy to use. I've tried almost every shared hosting provider, and WP Engine is by far the best.
• Kinsta: A premium hosting provider known for its high performance and managed WordPress hosting solutions.
• Hostgator: A popular host that offers affordable pricing and easy WordPress integration.

After you’ve chosen and registered your domain (following the instructions from your hosting company), you’re ready to install WordPress and start building your site.

Step 4. Install WordPress

The first step to setting up your design site is to install WordPress.

Any legitimate host these days will offer automated WordPress installation with the click of a button. Follow their instructions, and reach out to their support if you get stuck.

Once you’ve installed WordPress, go to your WordPress Admin Dashboard and start customizing your site.

Step 5. Pick a Theme for Your Design Blog

When choosing a theme for your website, it's essential to consider your niche and target audience. Your theme should reflect your content's style and tone while being visually appealing and easy to navigate.

There are thousands of themes available to choose from, both free and paid. These are the free themes I recommend for new bloggers:

• Carbonate - Carbonate is a simple WordPress theme designed for online businesses. It makes it easy to create a stunning niche website without all the fluff.
• GeneratePress - GeneratePress is one of the most popular WordPress themes on the market. It's lean, fast, and easy to customize. There's free and paid versions available.
• Kadence - Kadence is an extremely fast and lightweight theme, with a wide range of free customizations, although it does fall behind in updates from time to time.

You could also buy a premium theme, but free themes are fine in the beginning.

Step 6. Install Essential Plugins

A lot of people are afraid of plugins because they think more plugins will slow their site down.

However, any good plugin these days is built for speed, so you shouldn’t worry too much about it.

If you’re still worried about site speed, our Cloudflare review shows how to perfect it.

To install a new plugin, click on “Plugins” in your WordPress dashboard sidebar. Then, click on “Add New” and either upload a plugin ZIP file or search for free plugins in the WordPress Plugin Repository.

Here are a few plugins that I recommend for every new Design blog:

• Lasso Lite - The best way to insert product displays and affiliate links into your content is to use Lasso. Lasso Lite is the free version of Lasso and is great for new sites.
• Cloudflare - I recommend the paid Cloudflare plan, but even the free CDN will do wonders for your site speed.
• Imagify – Big images are the biggest thing that slows down websites, and an image optimization plugin like Imagify fixes them instantly.
• RankMath – RankMath is my favorite SEO plugin, but you could also use Yoast SEO or All-In-One SEO. SEO plugins provide guidelines rather than done-for-you solutions.

Now that you’ve installed and set up WordPress and your plugins, it’s time for some branding.

Step 7. Design Your Site

I’m not a web designer, but here are a few guidelines for beginners to create a professional-looking site:

• Use two colors: You only need two colors for your brand, a primary and an emphasis color. The emphasis color should contrast your primary color and only be used for CTA buttons. I use Coolors to quickly find a color palette that works for me.
• Use one or two fonts: You don’t want to overwhelm your audience. A tried and true technique is to use one font for your headings and one for your body text. It also helps to have one serif font and one sans serif font, so they stand apart. Fontpair is a great tool for this.
• Start with a text logo: Too many marketers get hung up on details like logos. You don’t even know what your site is going to be yet. Give your brand time to develop by starting with a simple text logo.

Don’t worry too much about your site’s design in the early stages. You can change all this stuff later when sales start coming in.

Step 8. Set Up Your Basic Blog Pages

You'll need to create a few key pages before you can start publishing awesome Design content.

The first page is your homepage, which should introduce your blog and give readers an idea of what they can expect to find on your site.

You should also create an "About" page, which provides more information about you and your blog. This is a great place to share your story and give readers a sense of your personality.

Another important page is the "Contact" page, which makes it easy for readers to get in touch with you. You can include a simple contact form or provide your email address and social media links.

You can create these pages by using your blogging platform's built-in categories or by creating custom pages that link to your posts.

By providing readers with clear navigation and easy access to your content, you'll be on your way to building a loyal following.

Step 9. Write Your First Blog Posts

Once you've set up your blog and have a clear idea of what you want to write about, it's time to start publishing your first blog posts.

Here are some tips to get you started:

1. Choose a topic you're passionate about and that your audience will find interesting. Research what's already out there and offer a fresh perspective or unique insights.
2. Plan out your post by creating an outline or mind map. This will help you stay focused and ensure that your post flows logically.
3. Write your post in a conversational tone and avoid using jargon or overly technical language. Use short paragraphs and sentences to make your post easy to read and scan.
4. Include images or other media to break up the text and make your post more visually appealing.
5. Use subheadings and bullet points to organize your content and make it easier to read.
6. Edit your post carefully for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors. Read it aloud to ensure it sounds natural and flows well.
7. Once you're happy with your post, hit the publish button! Share it on social media and other channels to get it to as many people as possible.

How to Write Great Design Blog Posts

Now that you officially have a site, it’s time to fill it with top-notch content.

You won’t get really good at it until you’ve done it for a while, so it’s best to write as much as possible in the early days

Here’s how to publish better design articles from day one.

Brainstorm Ideas

Coming up with great blog post ideas based on your niche and your audience's needs can be very tough.

What I like to do is start by writing word clouds with pen and paper. It helps me quickly move from one topic to the next without thinking about it.

Once I have a good list of topics, I organize the keywords and put them into Ahrefs. Then I prioritize my content production based on what I think I have the best chance of ranking for (and what sounds like the most fun to write about).

Build a Solid Framework

Before I ever write a blog post, I build an outline using Dynalist.

I look at what competitors have published for my keyword, write down my version of the headings, and move the structure around until the flow makes sense.

Not only does this give me a solid foundation to build my article upon, but it helps me pace my article. If I’ve written 300 words under an H3 heading, I need to wrap it up and move on to the next point.

If you establish solid guidelines, your posts will practically write themselves.

Write Without Stopping

Once you have an outline of where you want your article to go, it’s time to just sit down and write.

I like to shut out any distractions and write in silence, or put on very quiet music. It’s insane how quickly you can write when you don’t have anything else to think about.

You shouldn’t even care about quality when writing your first draft. Just get your words down on paper.

Once you’re finished, step away for a bit, then come back and start editing. Correct any grammar mistakes and make sure your ideas make sense (it helps to read the content out loud).

Optimize Your Content for On-Page SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of optimizing your content to rank higher in search engine results.

Make sure you do these things when writing your design blog posts:

• Properly structure your headings. Headings are like a map that search engines like Google use to decipher what your content is about. Make sure your headings make sense (nest smaller ideas under larger ideas), and that you’ve included keywords.
• Use your target keyword naturally and often. It’s common knowledge that keyword stuffing doesn’t work anymore, but it’s still important to use your target keyword often. It will help your readers stay on track and help search engines better understand what you’re talking about.
• Add Photos and Videos. Images and videos increase the time readers spend on your page. That signals to Google that your article fits what readers are looking for. They also break up a post and allow your readers to breathe before reading the rest of the article.
• Promote the post immediately after publishing. There’s some disagreement about whether traffic is a ranking factor, but I’ve definitely had faster rankings when I got early traffic to my blog posts. And, if you have a mailing list, your subscribers want to know about your content anyway!

Use AI to Speed Things Up

At the time I'm writing this, AI still isn't able to replace a skilled, knowledgable writer.

But it's getting really close.

As AI tools continue to improve, you're going to find more and more content online that's produced without a human writer. And that content will rank in Google. There's no consolation prize for human-written content.

For the time being, here's my advice; use AI to write the first draft of your content. Then edit it thoroughly before publishing.

To get the best AI content out of the gate, I recommend Copy.AI.

Out of all the AI writing tools I've tested (which is a lot), Copy.AI produces the best, most natural content, and also has the most reasonable pricing.

Promoting Your Design Blog

Once you publish a blog post, you need to promote it.

Seriously, most design bloggers post and pray. If you use even one of these promotional methods, you’re doing more than 99% of the competition.

Make the Most of Social Media

Social media and blogging go hand-in-hand. Social media can be a game changer, especially in the design niche, where readers care about the person behind the blog.

I don’t recommend spending all day on Twitter, but comment on popular threads, respond to outreach and share helpful things.

Also, shout out when you have a new blog post! Your followers want to know when you put out new content.

Build an Email List for Design Enthusiasts

There’s a reason why email marketing is the only form of online marketing that’s barely changed in the past 15 years. It works.

It’s also challenging. Most design blogs ask readers to join their mailing lists, so give them a special reason to sign up for yours.

It could be a workout plan, equipment guide, or anything else that sets you apart from other design bloggers.

Why go through all this headache? Because anyone who signs up for your mailing list is devoted to what you have to say. These people are your congregation.

If you recommend a product to your mailing list, they’ll likely purchase it. At a bare minimum, send your new blog posts to your mailing list to pump up early traffic numbers.

Be ethical, but find things your mailing list will appreciate and sell, sell, sell!

Collaborate with Other Design Bloggers

As website owners, we tend to think of our competitors as enemies, which is a bit silly. When you think about it, they’re just like us, trying their best to hustle and make things work.

Instead of worrying about how other design bloggers will outrank you, reach out and see if you can work together.

If you build a network of small design bloggers who all promote each other’s content, you’ll stand a much better chance of competing with established design authorities.

Engaging in Design Communities

Join online communities related to your niche and engage with other members. This will help you establish yourself as an expert and build relationships with potential readers.

Monetizing Your Design Blog

Ok, so your blog is up and running, and you're gaining a following. How do you monetize a design blog?

Here are the best ways to earn a real income from your new design blog.

Affiliate Marketing

I recommend design bloggers start with affiliate marketing before any other monetization method.

I love affiliate marketing because it’s a low-effort way to monetize your website without ruining your reader’s experience.

To monetize your design blog with affiliate marketing, first, you have to identify products your audience will find helpful. Then, find the affiliate program for those products, and write thourough product reviews.

For beginners, I recommend focusing on the Amazon Associates affiliate program. The conversion rate is incredible, and you can diversify when your site is more successful.

For products that aren’t available on Amazon, just do a Google search for “[Product] affiliate program,” and you’ll find their program’s signup page.

Another way to find affiliate programs is by checking Lasso's database.

To save you some time, here are a few of the best affiliate networks for design bloggers:

1. Adobe

   

   Commission Rate: 8.33% - 85% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 30 Days

   Adobe offers a suite of design products, including Photoshop. Get 85% commission on a customer's 1st monthly payment and 8.33% per yearly subscription.

2. Minted

   

   Commission Rate: 0.8% - 8% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 120 Days

   Minted is a design marketplace that connects you with independent artists. Get 15% commission as a regular affiliate and 13% as a photography affiliate.

3. Birch Lane Professional

   

   Commission Rate: 4% Per Sale

   Cookie Duration: 60 Days

   Wayfair Professional's objective is to give business and trade customers a one-stop-shop to turn their business spaces from good to great.

Once approved for your chosen affiliate program, add your affiliate link to products and images, and you’re good to go. You’ll earn a commission if a reader clicks on your link and makes a purchase.

If you're still wondering how to earn money with affiliate marketing, check out these affiliate marketing website examples for inspiration.

Earn More Affiliate Income With Lasso

If you want to take your affiliate marketing strategy to the next level, I recommend you sign up for Lasso.

Lasso is a WordPress plugin that helps affiliate marketers manage links and create product displays that convert.

All you need to do is paste the affiliate link in your Lasso dashboard, add some interesting sales copy, and you’re ready to insert that Display into your blog posts.

Your product displays could look like this one:

Great Displays Increase Conversions!

If you ever need to change the link, you can change it once in your Lasso dashboard, which will update the link across your entire website.

Lasso will also handle your link cloaking and attributes, so your site will always be optimized and compliant.

That’s not even mentioning things like Tables, Grids, Lists, Link Alerts, and more.

If you want to monetize your design blog the easy way, sign up for Lasso today.

Display Ads

Another great way to monetize your design blog is with display ads. Display ads use cookies to advertise products your readers will love, so it’s a very individualized experience.

Display ads are also the most passive way to monetize a design blog. You turn them on, configure the settings, and wait for the money to roll in.

The drawback to display ads is that nobody likes them. It’s why so many people install ad blockers in their browsers (which stop you from making money, by the way).

Here are the best ad networks to join based on your site’s page views:

• 50,000+ Visitors per month - Mediavine
• 10,000-50,000 Visitors per month - Ezoic
• <10,000 Visitors per month - Google Adsense / waiting to grow

Digital Products

Selling digital products is the easiest way to transition from advertising other people’s products to selling your own.

That’s a great step to take because it means instead of earning 3-8% of the profit, you’re taking 100% of the profit.

The drawback to selling anything is that you’re responsible for the bulk of the work. You need to provide customer service, handle returns, and find a way to process payments and distribute products.

High-potential digital products in the design blog niche:

• Design templates: Ready-made templates for websites, presentations, or social media posts that can be customized.
• Design tutorials: Step-by-step guides or videos teaching design techniques, software tips, or creative processes.
• Design resources: Curated collections of free or premium fonts, icons, stock photos, textures, or brushes.
• Design courses: Online courses covering various design topics, such as graphic design, UI/UX, or photography.
• Design tools: Web or mobile applications that assist designers in creating, editing, or organizing their work.
• Design books: E-books or digital publications exploring design theory, inspiration, or case studies.
• Design community platforms: Online platforms where designers can connect, share their work, and receive feedback.
• Design plugins: Software add-ons or extensions that enhance design software functionality.
• Design events: Virtual conferences, workshops, or design challenges that bring together industry professionals.
• Design podcasts: Audio shows discussing design trends, interviews with designers, or design-related topics.

Once you’ve created a digital product, connect a payment processor like Paypal or Stripe to your site with a plugin like Woocommerce.

Then you can use a tool like ConvertKit to automatically email the lead magnet to customers after they’ve finished checking out.

It’s a lot of work, but the extra profit is well worth it.

Consulting

Design is an amazing niche for offering consulting services. Once you have fully immersed yourself in the design world, you will have gained a wealth of valuable knowledge that you can now offer to your readers.

The best part is that your audience will tell you exactly what they need help with. As your following grows, you will undoubtedly receive inquiries from people seeking guidance on how to do certain things or requesting tutorials.

Why not offer them an hour of your time for $100? The worst that can happen is they decline, right?

If you find you’re selling a lot of consulting services, you can even create a section of your site dedicated to your services.

FAQs on Starting a Design Blog

How Much Money Do Design Bloggers Make?

The income range for design bloggers is enormous. Many bloggers make no revenue, while some design blogs make over six figures per month. It all depends on traffic and how well you present your offers.

How Can I Monetize a Design Blog?

The best way to monetize a design blog is with affiliate marketing, but you can also use display ads, sell digital downloads, or even sell coaching services.

How Do Design Bloggers Get Paid?

Most design bloggers make money through affiliate commissions and advertising fees. Both of these monetization methods pay out one or two months after the fees have been generated.

Some design bloggers also sell sponsored posts, consulting services, or their own products. In these cases, a payment processor like PayPal or Stripe is necessary.

Is Design Blogging Easy?

Nothing worth doing is truly easy, but that doesn’t mean design blogging isn’t fun.

As a design blogger, you’ll get to go places, try new things, and meet new people. And it will be part of your business! What could be cooler than that?

Is It Worth Starting A Design Blog?

It’s absolutely worth it to start a design blog. Not only can you make a living from it, but you can also build a community and control the conversation.

Once you’re an established authority, people in design-related industries will take you seriously.

Final Thoughts on Starting a Design Blog

So, that's all the advice I have for anyone wondering how to start a design blog.

Let me tell you, this industry can be tough. It takes months, even years, for some bloggers to make their first sale. You might even end up losing money in the first year. But trust me, it's totally worth it.

If you really want to be a successful design blogger, just follow the tips I've shared in this guide, be persistent, and publish the kind of content that you yourself would enjoy reading. It's gonna be hard work, no doubt about it. But hey, you've got this. You can totally do it.

And don't forget, consistency is key. Engage with your readers, and most importantly, have fun with it!

Why You Should Trust Our Design Blogging Content

You may be thinking, "that's all great, but what does Lasso know about design blogging?"

Quite a lot, actually.

Here's why you can trust our process for building a successful design blog:

We've Built Wildly Successful Blogs

Lasso is built for affiliate marketers, by affiliate marketers. We're not gurus; we've walked the walk.

Our team members have built multiple blogs from the ground up, some of them earning over seven figures in revenue.

We put that experience into every guide we write, so you can trust we're giving you a process that works.

We Talk To Design Bloggers Every Day

Lasso's WordPress plugin is installed on over 8,000 websites, including a lot of design blogs.

Our team supports those bloggers every day as they create awesome content and earn lots of money.

These communications give us a bird's-eye view of what's new in the design industry. We take that information and use it to keep these guides as up-to-date and accurate as possible.

We're Super Nerds

We've put a lot of company focus into learning everything we can about blogging, affiliate marketing, SEO, and anything to do with online entrpreneurship.

We attend conferences, collect high-level contacts, read tons of books, and distill all of that information into our content. We pass information onto you that was previously only available to industry insiders.