So you want to start a soccer blog but don’t know where to begin?
With football becoming the most popular sport in the world, starting a football blog seems to be a hot topic these days.
Soccer blogs are gaining popularity because they can be a good way of making a living online as well.
But I know from my experience that it can all be a little confusing. The good news is that you’re in the right place where you will learn the right approach to start and run a successful soccer blog.
Whether you love soccer and that is why you want to start a soccer blog or you simply want to start any blog, understanding the steps to create your new blog and how to monetize it will make everything easier.
So, without much ado, let’s dive into the details.
Table of Contents
How to Launch a Football Blog [Step by Step Guide]
Here are the steps you must follow in order to start a soccer blog like a pro.
Step 1: Buying a Domain Name and Web Hosting
The first and foremost step to launching a football blog is to register a suitable domain name and purchase a web hosting package.
The domain name is your blog address. In layman’s language, it is the URL that you type in the web browser to open any site on the Internet.
And web hosting is the storage space for your website files.
For doing so, you can look for any reliable web hosting provider, here I will go with Bluehost.
Bluehost is officially recommended by WordPress.org and trusted by millions of users worldwide.
My blog BloggingBeats (that you’re reading) has also been hosted on Bluehost for the last 3 years and I’m fully satisfied with their performance.
The best part? You’ll get a free domain name including .com for 12 months with all Bluehost plans.
Some more reasons to consider Bluehost Web Hosting
- 1-Click WordPress Installation
- Free SSL (HTTPS) Certificate
- Free Custom Email Accounts
- Free Content Delivery Network
- Drag-and-Drop WordPress Website Builder
- cPanel
- Free WordPress Website Transfer
- 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee
- 24/7 Expert Support
Ready to get started with Bluehost?
Visit this link to go on the Bluehost official website.
Click on the “Host Your Site” button and choose a plan that fits best your needs and budget.
The Basic plan is highly recommended for beginners that will cost you just $2.95/mo bringing the total cost to only $35.40 for 12 months.
Next, you need to set up your desired domain name.
Finally, create your account, choose a package, and finish your purchase using a credit card or PayPal account.
So, this is how you can subscribe to the Bluehost hosting services.
Step 2: Installing WordPress
The next step is to choose a blogging platform.
Without giving any second thought, go with WordPress — The world’s most popular content management system.
You would be amazed to know that WordPress powers 43.3% of all websites on the internet.
Now let’s see how you can install WordPress CMS on your Bluehost account.
On a successful purchase, you will be asked to set up your account. Hit the “Create Account” to get going.
Enter your domain name and a strong password to create your account.
Once your account is ready to go, click go to login.
Simply input the domain name and password you created above.
Then name your website and add a tagline as you wish. WordPress will take that information and will show it on your blog.
Toggle on the blog and online store options.
Next, you will be asked to pick a theme, you can skip this as we will be talking more about WordPress themes in the next step.
WordPress will be installed automatically and you will be shown your Bluehost dashboard.
Click on “Log into WordPress” and you will be navigated to your WordPress dashboard which will look like this;
Here, the first thing you need to do is change your password.
Go to Users, hit the edit option under your name, scroll down a bit, under the new password option, click Generate Password, enter any password you want, come down and update it.
Awesome, now you can log in to your website anytime by visiting your domain name/wp-admin. For example bloggingbeats.com/wp-admin.
Step 3: Pick an SEO Friendly Theme
Now we are going to change your website theme that will give a professional look to your website.
A website theme is not only responsible for the look of the website but also an important factor for website speed which is further crucial for website rankings.
So, one should choose a theme carefully.
Head over to the Appearance section from the left side panel of your dashboard and you will be displayed all the default WordPress themes your site is wearing.
You can activate any of them with one click. But here, we will add a new theme that’s called GeneratePress.
GeneratePress is the #1 theme for WordPress websites. It is a lightweight theme that focuses on speed, usability, & accessibility.
On top of that, it is highly customizable. Anyone including novice users can customize it as per their needs with ease.
So, click on the Add New option at the top of the page and search for GeneratePress.
Install it and click Activate to actually use it on your website.
Step 4: Install Plugins
Plugins are one of the aspects that makes WordPress the #1 platform for blogging.
A plugin is basically a software add-on that you can install to enhance a platform’s capabilities.
Here are the 9 must-have WordPress plugins to take your website to the next level.
1. Rank Math SEO: The leading Search Engine Optimization plugin for WordPress.
2. WP Rocket: The #1 WordPress caching plugin to boost loading time and improve the PageSpeed score of your website.
3. Social Snap Lite: The best WordPress social media plugin to enable social share buttons on your site.
4. Table of Contents Plus: This allows you to quickly add a table of contents to any page or post across your site.
5. WPForms: The most user-friendly contact form plugin for WordPress.
6. OptinMonster: This WordPress plugin helps you turn your site visitors into email subscribers, fast.
7. MemberPress: The best WordPress membership plugin right now in the market.
8. Akismet Anti-Spam: Possibly the best way to protect your WordPress blog from spam comments.
9. Easy Affiliate Links: This is one of the best plugins to easily manage and cloak all your affiliate links.
Step 5: Create Essential Pages
Before you start posting content, it is highly recommended to create some important pages for your website so that your audience can navigate and find certain information about your blog easily.
Here are the blog’s key pages you need to create;
Homepage: This page will be created automatically and by default, the recent posts will be visible here.
This is the page that most of the users will be landing on. So, customize it the best way possible to ensure a good first impression.
Alternatively, you can also create a separate page for blog posts in WordPress to convert your blog into a business website.
About us: This is the perfect place to tell your audience who you are, what your blog is about, and how they get benefitted from it.
Contact: It’s pretty obvious to include your contact details here. Providing your professional email address is highly recommended.
Or you can integrate a contact form for users to fill in by using any WordPress plugin such as WPForms.
Apart from that, you can also create a Privacy Policy and Disclaimer page to keep everything transparent and build trust with your readers.
Step 6: Publish Content
A blog should contain interesting articles that people want to read, right? So, bring out your writing skills and start writing content for your blog.
Google Docs is the best editor you can use to write your blog posts. Alternatively, you can use WordPress editor itself or any other app you may be fond of.
Make sure to use any proofing tool such as Grammarly to avoid grammatical errors and other silly mistakes.
Nonetheless, you can also utilize AI writing software like Jasper to get rid of writer’s block and speed up the writing process.
Besides the writing part, Keyword research is the utmost important aspect you can not neglect at any cost.
Targeting the right keywords in your posts helps your website to show up in the search results which is a must to drive organic traffic to your website.
And when it comes to a keyword research tool or an SEO tool, Semrush is my all-time favorite.
Step 7: Traffic Analysis
Tracking the traffic on your site also plays an important role in your blogging success.
It helps you analyze which keywords/pages are bringing the most traffic.
You get to know the geographical locations of your visitors and the devices they use to access your website.
You can analyze what type of traffic (organic, direct, referral) your site is getting, bounce rate, and so on.
Two tools that you must use to track your website traffic are Google Search Console and Google Analytics.
As the name specifies, both the tools are developed by Google itself and perform this job efficiently.
Google Search Console is a very user-friendly tool that gives you detailed insights into the organic traffic of your website.
Here is what the GSC interface looks like;
This tool also comes in handy for indexing your site/posts in Google, tracking Core Web Vitals, and much more.
Google Analytics on other hand is a more advanced tool that you can use to track real-time traffic, traffic sources, bounce rate, the behavior of your site, and a lot more.
Here is what the GA interface looks like;
All in all, these tools help you optimize your website, content marketing, and the entire marketing strategy.
Now, you must be curious to know how to turn your efforts into profits. Here we go…
Top Ways to Monetize a Soccer Blog in 2024
Here are the proven ways to make money from your soccer blog that works in 2024 and beyond.
1. Selling Your Own Merchandise
Here are the top ways you can make money from a football blog in 2024.
If you have a popular football team then you can earn decent money by selling your team’s merchandise like jerseys, t-shirts, caps, coffee mugs, etc. on your blog.
You can tie up with any company that provides desired product on-demand to avoid any physical inventory and upfront costs.
Even if you don’t own a team, you can sell other football-related goodies that are popular among sports fans, and generate decent revenue.
2. Selling Ad Space
This is another easy way to monetize your football blog but for this first, you will have to establish a reader base.
Once you have that, you can approach sports businesses to advertise their products on your site in return for some money.
3. Sponsorship Packages
If you own a football team, you can also create a dedicated page where you can highlight past partnerships (if any) and show current sponsorship opportunities.
This way related businesses can get in touch with you, and you can secure extra income for yourself and your team.
4. Advertising Programs
Like Ad space, you can also take advantage of advertisement programs such as Google AdSense.
In this method, random ads will be displayed to your site visitors and you will be paid on the basis of impressions and clicks on the ads.
If you face any challenges with Google AdSense, we would recommend checking out Google AdSense alternatives to monetize your site.
5. Affiliate Marketing
This is my personal favorite method to make money blogging.
All you have to do is find some trusted products in your niche, join their affiliate programs, and start promoting those products on your site.
You can also consider promoting products like health supplements, fitness apps, or even books.
For each successful referral, you can earn huge commissions.
Observe a quick look at one of our most recent affiliate earnings, which stands at $3500, coming from just one affiliate network.
It’s quite impressive, don’t you agree?
Some of the best soccer affiliate programs to earn money from your football blog are:
- Soccerloco
- Soccer.com
- Soccer Garage
- Soccer Box
- Fanatics
6. Membership Program
You can start a membership program that gives your subscribers exclusive access to some of your content.
It can be match replays, statistics, player interviews, or anything else that is worth some extra bucks.
You can easily enable this feature on your WordPress website by using a membership plugin such as MemberPress, OptinMonster, etc.
7. Sponsored Posts
This is another simple yet effective way to earn money from your sports blog.
In this method, a business approaches you to review their product and write an honest review in the form of a blog post on your blog in exchange for a certain amount.
8. Donations
Last but not the least, you can accept donations on your website to monetize your sports blog.
Again, you can take advantage of the WordPress donation plugins like WPForms to set up a donation page/form on your website without any hassles.
Then you can include the donation page link in the blog’s primary menu, sidebar, footer, or even at the end of every blog post and ask your readers to consider donating if they find your content helpful.
FAQs About Starting a Football Blog
Here are the most frequently asked questions about how to create a football blog you may find helpful.
Yes, like every other profitable blogging niche, there are several ways you can monetize a sports blog such as selling your own merchandise, advertisements, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, donations, etc.
To start a sports blog, first, you need to find your niche, for example, Soccer.
Next, you need to buy a domain name and sign up for a blogging platform (self-hosted WordPress is the most recommended).
Then choose a theme and customize it accordingly. Finally, start publishing your blog’s content.
Starting your niche blog around football is the best way to become a football blogger. Alternatively, you can utilize social media or do guest posting to share your knowledge of Soccer.
To become a writer for a soccer blog, you will require a sound knowledge of football along with great copywriting skills to create something that is engaging, enjoyable, and ever-lasting.
That said, you can take advantage of ai copywriting tools if you’re not an avid writer.
Selling your merch & goodies, Ad Space, Sponsorship Packages, Advertising Programs such as Google Adsense, Affiliate Programs, Membership programs, Donations, and Sponsored Posts or Product Reviews, are some of the best ways to make money from a football blog.
Also Read:
- How to Start a Travel Blog and Make Money From It in 2024
- How to Start a Food Blog and Make Money Online in 2024
- Top 16 Blogging Mistakes To Avoid in 2024 (For Amateur Bloggers)
- How to Start a Fashion Blog and Make Money From it in 2024
- How to Start a Micro Niche Blog and Maximize Profits in 2024
- Event Blogging: Unlocking the Potential to Make Money Online in 2024
- Benefits of Blogging: 9 Reasons You Should Have a Blog in 2024
- The Future of Blogging in 2024: Trends and Predictions
Final Thoughts on Launching A Soccer/Football Blog
Starting a soccer blog may seem a daunting task but that’s not the case!
All you need is some advice and proper guidance that help you build a profitable football-related blog.
That’s why I’ve written this post on how to start a football blog.
So, follow along with this guide to dive into the world of creating and running an awesome soccer blog.
Did you find this post useful? Still, if you have any questions about a soccer blog? Let us know in the comment section below.
