The beauty industry generates over $483 billion in revenue in the U.S. alone and 67% of beauty enthusiasts turn to influencers before making a purchase.
Not only that but, that same survey suggests that 59% of those consumers look at third-party reviews for advice on products.
Whether you want to indulge in your creative side, or you’re looking to make some passive income, the remaining content will explore how to start a beauty blog and how to make money doing it!
Are you ready to get started? Let’s go!
Now that you've decided to set your goal and aim towards how to start a beauty blog and make money doing it, you need to figure out what beauty niche you'd like your content to focus on.
It's also good to remember that an audience will always prefer content that is more focused on a specific industry or area rather than a broad, generalized platform.
If you aren't sure where to start, here are a few ideas to help you out:
Once you’ve figured out what your niche will focus on, you need to pick a domain name that matches:
Your domain name is the address that people will type into browsers to access your blog.
This is the first thing you will need to secure on your blogging journey.
If you haven’t thought of a blog name yet, you will need to brainstorm a shortlist of names that are:
• Simple
• Unique
• Relevant to your beauty niche
Once you have a few options that you really love, it’s time to buy a domain.
There are lots of different companies offering domain names online.
These companies include:
• GoDaddy
• NameCheap
If you’re looking for the best deal, browse Google to see which companies are offering discounts or promotional codes.
We’d also recommend checking if your chosen name is available on top social media platforms, and making an account with that name as soon as possible.
Add the domain to your cart, check out, and voila!
You’re one step closer to having your own beauty blog.
The next step to setting up your website is to buy web hosting.
Web hosting is a plot of internet land that you’re going to build your site on.
Like domain registrars, there are lots of web hosting companies offering different plans and deals, so it’s good to shop around.
Some of the most popular hosts are:
• BlueHost
• Hostinger
• Hostgator
• GreenGeeks
• SiteGround
Once you’ve decided on a web hosting company, getting all set up is easy:
You can start by selecting the appropriate plan on any given web host’s website.
As a new beauty blogger, this will likely be an entry-level plan.
It would be best to double-check that the plan includes an SSL certificate and unmetered bandwidth.
When you decide to start a blog, you’ll face an important choice of which blogging platform is right for you.
You may already know that there are a ton of website builders available online such as:
• Wix
• Squarespace
• Ghost
• WordPress
However, for this topic, our recommendation for a successful blog will be WordPress.
WordPress not only makes website building simple, it also offers a variety of free and premium “themes”, “plugins”, and “widgets” that make it user-friendly for beginners and pros alike.
Let’s also keep in mind that WordPress.com is the blogging platform and WordPress.org is the downloadable software.
Most beginner bloggers will likely prefer the blogging platform over the software due to user-friendliness.
With that said, here’s how to sign up for WordPress.com:
You will then be prompted to sign up with your email address.
After signing up, you’ll have the option to create your WordPress domain name. If you have one already, you will be able to transfer it as well:
Pick your WordPress plan if you aren’t choosing a free domain name:
Tell WordPress what your goals are:
Pick your category:
After you pick your category niche, you’ll be prompted to complete and customize your website.
Congrats! You now officially have a website!
WordPress themes are downloadable style and layout templates for your site, and there are thousands of them to choose from!
Start browsing your options:
Click “appearance” and then “themes” on your WordPress dashboard:
Here you’ll see a variety of themes, some are free and others come at a premium price.
Every theme suits a different purpose. Some are geared more towards blogging, while others are better suited for small businesses or eCommerce.
You’ll also notice that some themes are created especially for a beauty or fashion blog.
There are a lot of different sections for you to play around with, but the most important one to start with is “site identity”.
Here you can change your site name and tagline and add a logo.
No worries if you don’t have a professional-looking logo ready to upload - we’ll show you how in the next step!
It turns out you don’t have to be a top graphic designer to create an amazing logo for your site.
You can make one yourself with tons of free tools like Free Logo Design or Canva.
It may look similar to this:
These tools offer logo templates that are already the right size, you just have to edit them with your chosen design.
There are loads of fonts, stock symbols, and shapes to choose from. Play around and create a design that represents your blog.
Once you’re done, download it with a transparent background and as a compressed file.
You can then upload this logo in the “site identity” section on WordPress.
Here are a few tips for designing a killer logo:
• Consider your colors
• Use empty space to keep your logo design clean
• Be literal with your logo
• Be authoritative with your logo
• Understand visual and brand salience
With the appearance of your site starting to take shape, it’s time to take advantage of WordPress’s handy plugins.
Plugins save you the time of having to code your website yourself. You simply plug in these pre-made features to help your site look, feel, and perform at a professional level.
To explore WordPress’s plugin catalog, head to the plugins section on your dashboard and click “add new.”
As you’ll see, there’s a plugin for pretty much everything! However, downloading too many plugins will slow down your site.
Pagespeed is vital for a user-friendly site as 90% of browsers will abandon a webpage if it takes up to 5 seconds to load.
We recommend starting off with the following plugins:
Elementor is a site-building plugin that makes web design easy. It allows you to build every page on your site using a drag and drop tool, offering a huge range of features to add to every page.
Editing your website and designing pages can be overwhelming, Elementor allows you to watch as your website comes to life.
The plugin itself is free, but you can opt to upgrade to Elementor Pro if you’d like to use its premium features.
In the free version, you gain access to hundreds of widgets and page templates.
It also ensures that your website has a responsive design that looks good on every device. This is important when you consider that 55.7% of website traffic comes from a mobile device.
SEO is vital if you want your blog posts to appear in Google and Bing search results. This plugin makes search engine optimization easy, so you don’t have to become an SEO expert overnight.
Once activated, this plugin guides you through creating Google-friendly meta descriptions, slugs, and image tags for every page and post.
In fact, Yoast has been proven to work and has been WordPress’s number 1 SEO plugin for over a decade!
Social media is a huge part of the beauty industry, and it is probably where you will be building a huge chunk of your blog’s audience.
This plugin allows you to integrate your blog with a ton of different social media platforms.
You’ll be able to add social media buttons to each of your posts and images, allowing readers to share your content or follow you easily.
One of the most popular ways for beauty bloggers to make money is through affiliate marketing.
We’ll explain more about how to get started with various affiliate programs later, but for now, we’d recommend having this plugin.
Affiliate links can look long and unsightly. This plugin converts them into a short and simple slug.
It also offers a variety of other useful features, including tracking when someone clicked on your link.
Once you start posting content to your blog, you’ll begin to notice annoying comments from bots.
These are annoying for both you and your readers.
This plugin automatically removes comments that look like spam, placing them in a trash can that gets emptied on a regular basis.
Email lists are crucial for audience-building and monetization.
This free plugin allows you to make an email subscription form that can be added to your site.
You can then use Mailchimp to send out email communications and manage your list of email subscribers.
With all of these handy plugins downloaded, activated, and ready to go - you’re ready to start creating some high-quality content.
Every website needs internal link pages filled with awesome content. Once you’ve chosen your WordPress theme, you can begin to create your homepage, your “about me'' page, your “contact me” page, and any other landing page you feel you need for your website.
Here we will cover a few important pages you should create as soon as possible:
Every homepage should tell the visitor exactly what the website is, what they can find there, and why they should stay and have a look around.
You can begin editing your homepage by clicking on the “pages” section on your WordPress dashboard and looking for the homepage.
Get as expressive as you like, but we’d recommend making sure your homepage includes:
• A clear introductory
• A display of your most recent posts
• A call to action that encourages visitors to read more or follow you on social media
• A form where readers can subscribe to your mailing list.
Your “about” page should include a photo of yourself, along with a couple of paragraphs about you, your life, and your blog.
You may first want to decide if you will use the first or third person when referring to yourself or your brand.
With that said, here are a few tips for a great "About Me" page:
• Don't use fluff
• Include high-quality images
• Use your own voice or the voice of your brand
• It's okay to add bits of your personality
• Be honest, and avoid spelling or grammar errors
Your “Contact” page just needs to include an email address, phone number, or any other social media buttons that people can use to contact you on, in addition to a contact form.
Contact forms are easy to set up via WordPress.
If you have the Elementor plugin we mentioned above, there is already a contact form tool that you can drag and drop onto the page.
With a range of pages and your first blog post already published, your site is really starting to pop off!
But there’s one more thing you need to do to make it look as good as all of the other beauty blogs on the web.
A clear and concise main menu not only makes it easier for visitors to your site to find their way around but also makes it easier for Google’s crawlers to understand your site and rank it accordingly.
You will then see all of your pages and posts listed on the left-hand side.
Just select the ones you want to appear on the menu.
If not, just download the WPForms plugin.
The time has come to write your very first post! No need to be nervous, we’re here to make sure you smash it out of the park.
Here we will show you how to write a blog post using some pro tips:
• Have a clear understanding of your target audience
• Know what your readers want to see
• Use outlines and have an editing process
• Create keyword-rich headlines
• Write an engaging intro paragraph
• Use statistics
• Use bulleted lists
If you’re unsure where to start, it’s a good idea to brainstorm a list of potential topics and titles.
Here are a few starting new beauty blog ideas to help you begin creating content:
• Beauty tips
• Hairstyles and other hair care
• Skincare regime
• New product or other Beauty product reviews
• DIY
You can then add to this list by doing some keyword research.
Keywords are words and phrases that people are frequently typing into search engines.
You can then incorporate these into your content plan to gain more blog traffic from search engines.
Keywords in the beauty niche can be found by using free keyword research tools and typing in a topic you’re interested in blogging about.
You will then be able to see related keywords that people are searching for, how many people are searching for them, and how much competition there is for each query.
You can then use this information to add new topics to your list to boost your SEO efforts.
Here are a few tips for writing an engaging article:
• Add high-quality images
• Use headings to separate your blog content
• Optimize your headings with an H1, H2, H3, etc
• Keep it simple with short paragraphs
• Select a “featured image” for your blog post
• Use blog categories
Furthermore, if you want to make your post as SEO-friendly as possible, we’d also recommend:
• Adding alt-text
• Using internal and external links
• Targeted the right keywords
• Use keyword-rich headers
Now that your site is complete, you’re ready to start posting some of that awesome content that you brainstormed.
But you might be wondering, how do I get people to read it?
Do you have social media?
Make the most of your pre-established networks and share your posts to your personal social media profiles.
You could also include a friendly call to action that asks friends and family to share the post to their network too.
This is a great way to get the first few page views on your blog and begin spreading the word.
You could also create dedicated social media accounts for your blog where you share your new posts and find new like-minded people who will be interested in your content.
As you know, the internet is full of other beauty bloggers publishing great articles and pushing out content across social media.
Amongst those bloggers, there will be plenty of newbies like you who are in the early stages of growing their audience.
Reach out and make friends!
There’s solidarity in numbers, and the more you support other beauty bloggers by liking, sharing, and commenting on their content, the more you can expect them to return the favor.
This will help you reach new audiences that will be interested in your content. You can also form friendships with other beauty bloggers and share tips and tricks that will help each other out.
Another great way to introduce your name and blog to new audiences is to publish a post on a more successful blog.
Have a look online and compile a list of beauty blogs that may want to publish your style of content.
You can then find out if they are actively accepting guest posts. Find their contact information on their blog and reach out to pitch a guest post idea.
Once you get the go-ahead to write the article, include an author bio at the end that explains that you are a beauty blogger.
Then include a link to your site!
There are many online forums out there that have beauty sections or forums that are dedicated to beauty entirely.
You can make an account on these forums and interact on topics that interest you and are relevant to your blog.
This may mean answering people's questions about new products or pitching in with your comments, tips, and advice.
For instance, websites like Quora are full of people asking beauty-related questions.
Start answering their questions with in-depth, expert-level responses and include a link to your beauty blog.
Forums are not only a great way to raise awareness for your blog, they are also a great place to meet other bloggers.
If you’ve followed this guide closely, your website is already set up to comply with SEO content creation.
This will make it much easier for you to target common search queries with your posts and begin appearing in search results.
Just in case you aren’t sure where to start, here are some basic SEO practices:
• Add your target keywords to your content
• Write compelling titles, descriptions, and content
• Optimize your title tags
• Check your page loading speed
• Track your metrics with Google Analytics
• Optimize your images and visuals
• Create a YouTube channel
You can make sure that your future content is as search engine optimized as possible by creating a keyword-focused content calendar.
Once you type this target phrase into your research tool, you will also find a range of long-tail keywords, related keywords, and questions that people are also searching for.
SEO is a long-term process that takes time. But once you have numerous keyword-focused posts on your blog, you will begin seeing a reliable stream of free traffic coming to your blog.
Long gone are the days when people started a blog just to share their passion.
In 2022, the average base pay for bloggers in the US is $50,403 per year as a full-time job!
Furthermore, we’ve all heard stories about a successful beauty blogger or influencer who’s become a self-made millionaire.
Beauty blogs can be a lucrative business. You don’t even need to have reached a million followers or six-figure page views to start seeing a bit of income.
In this step, we’ll talk you through some of the most common ways beauty bloggers monetize their content.
We’ll also be paying most attention to the money-making methods that you can begin almost right away:
Google Adsense allows you to place adverts on your blog.
These ads may be text, images, or videos. Whenever someone clicks on one of the adverts, you will get paid a small amount of money.
Even if your blog is still in its early stages, it’s still a great time to get set up with Adsense. Then as you begin attracting a steady flow of traffic, you’re already in the position to monetize it.
Before we get started, we’d recommend double-checking Google’s Adsense guidelines to make sure your blog ticks all of their boxes.
Without doing this, you risk getting rejected. Rejection isn’t a big deal, it just means you will have to clean up your website before applying again.
When you’re ready, head to Google’s Adsense sign-up page and enter your blog’s URL, your name, and your address. Google typically takes around 24 hours to accept new applicants.
Once you have been accepted, log into your new Adsense account and set up an ad.
In addition to Google Ads, another great way to begin making money as a new blogger is through affiliate programs like Amazon Associates.
Affiliate marketing is when you recommend a product on your blog and provide a special link for readers to click on.
This special link is unique to you and allows the affiliate program to track whenever someone clicks on your link and subsequently buys the product.
When someone clicks on your link and buys the product, you get a cut of the profits!
Amazon Associates is a good affiliate program to join first, as it doesn’t require you to have a certain number of page views or followers.
Amazon also offers a massive range of beauty products so it will be easy for you to recommend their products to your readers.
Amazon’s program is easy to join, you simply have to make an account and provide them with a link to your blog.
You can then use your account to generate an affiliate link for Amazon products and incorporate this link into your posts.
However, you must remember to accompany affiliate links with a disclaimer.
It’s best to be transparent with your readers, so they know you will get some of the profit when they buy a product.
Sponsored posts are rife on beauty blogs and social media. Some brands will pay huge amounts of money to get a successful influencer to include their products on their feed.
However, contrary to popular belief, you don't need to have a million followers to bag a sponsorship.
Brands are always looking for micro-influencers to try their products and offer honest reviews to their audience.
A micro-influencer is someone who doesn’t necessarily have a huge following, but they do have a group of highly engaged followers who pay attention to what they have to say.
Once you start getting a steady flow of traffic to your blog, and a good level of interaction on social media - it might be time for you to land a sponsored post.
For smaller bloggers, the best way to do this is through a sponsorship network. There are lots of sponsored post networks out there, and their job is to match up influencers with brands that will sponsor their content.
However, if you have your eye on a particular brand that you think would like to sponsor you, we’d recommend:
• Interact with their posts and stories on social media. Let them know you love their products without coming across as fake or spammy.
• Reach out to brands in a polite manner and include your media kit.
Phew… You made it!
If you followed this post from the start, you’ve gone from not having a blog to knowing how to start a beauty blog.
Now, all you need to do is keep up the good work! The most successful beauty bloggers in the industry got to where they are because of hard work and consistency.
Not sure where to start? Our experts are here to help! Contact us today!