This is my series about making money with your blog in 10 steps from scratch. This post is divided into two parts, first regarding setting up your blog and second about making money off it.

Step 1: Setting up your blog. This is a fairly easy job, get a domain, install wordpress and you are done! Speaking about this, I prefer that you setup your blog in a separate .com domain, since it gives you some physiological credibility factor. Not to downgrade the blogs in blogspot and other free blog sites. The blogspot has some really fine bloggers like Kumiko, Mikes Money Making Missions and others who are making money off free blogs. But having a .com is as cheap as it can get. So, why not get one?

Step 2: Customizing and Branding. This means work for your creative side. Name your blog, something different, something catchy, create a logo, a header image, a tag line. In other words, you are creating a brand. Or you can always put your personal name up there and market your own brand! Put in some useful plugins if you are using wordpress. Initially put in some general useful plugins, as the blog grows, you will get new requirements, and hence new plugins.

Step 3: Posts and Content: I don’t have to tell you that need content to make some money, every 3rd grader knows that! So, put that thinking cap on and write those articles, anything, anything you know, want to share about. You can always use the power blogger tip if you want to! Once you have about 30 posts on your blog, proceed.

Step 4: Promotion: Have you installed the share plugins, the mybloglog widget and other promotional plugins that will allow easy sharing and viral promotion of your site? Now start moving out into the blogosphere and look for blogs that interest you and relates to your blog theme. Comment on them, join into the discussions at forums, put your blog URL where ever you can. Here is another gem of a tip: Comment on some blogs that have a nofollow off. Which means free back links and Google Love! CourtneyTuttle has a good D-List of bloggers who have nofollow turned off. Start there.

When you finish up all these steps, you have a nice little blog that is waiting to be monetized. Tomorrow I will tell you some really surefire money making tips for this blog you just created. Do leave your comments.

Updated: Part 2 of this series can be found here.