How to Start a Sports Blog and Make Money [2021 Edition]

Do you want to start a sports blog and make money?

Well, it's much easier than you think.

If you are passionate about sports, starting a blog can be helpful and beneficial in many ways.

According to a report, the global sports market reached a value of nearly $380.5 billion in 2020 . And you will be surprised to see how many ways sports bloggers are making money out of their blogs.

The best thing about starting a sports blog is that it doesn't require you any coding skills, courses, or hiring a developer.

You can create a sports blog in just 20 minutes.

But, being passionate about sports or something is not enough. You need to have a proper plan or roadmap, and most importantly execute them accordingly.

So, in this article, I will show you how to create a sports blog (step by step) and make money out of it.

Everything in this article is very well-explained and may seem like a long post.

In case of any time, you face any issue or don't understand what to do next, or don't have enough time to build a sports blog, you can reach us via the contact form.

For a limited time, we are offering a FREE blog setup. This includes:

* We have helped over 350+ people for creating their websites.

How to Start a Sports Blog in 12 Steps

1. Choose a Sports Niche

Before you start creating a sports blog, you must take some time and think about what type of topics you want to cover on your blog.

When I started my first blog back in 2015 , I didn't think about choosing any specific topic that I will cover. I basically wanted to create a news-type website similar to Gizmodo, TheNextWeb, HuffPost, etc.

Similar way, I created three more blogs in different categories that are generating a good amount of money now.

The point here to say is that choosing a specific topic from a broad area always works better and also easier, especially if you are new to blogging .

As you are starting a sports blog, here are my top 7 topic ideas for you:

There's no limitation on what you can write on your blog. If you have another better idea, go ahead.

But make sure, the topic you choose has enough audience and you can write continuously for months and years.

2. Decide on Your Blog Name

Once you figure out what your blog topic will be, you need to think of a domain name for creating a sports blog.

Here are the 9 tips on choosing a great domain name for your sports blog:

a) Get a .Com domain name - The .Com domain is the most popular domain name on the internet. Nearly 50% of all global websites are registered with the .com domain exten sion.

The difference between .com and .net domain extension

b) Keep it short - c) Make sure it's easy to pronounce and type - d) Don't repeat any letter -

• Food Panda.com - a food delivery service
• Sporting News.com - a sports blog
• Sec Sports .com, - a sports blog

h) Avoid trademark infringement -

Just think about "Google". It doesn't have any real meaning, but the most popular website in the world.

Editor's note:

After coming up with a domain name, register it immediately. Because on average 150,000 domains are registered every day.

So, if you don't register your domain, someone will else do it.

3. Choose a Blogging Platform

Once you figured out your domain name, the next step is to choose a blogging platform.

Blogger

Here's why I recommend WordPress:

There are so many reasons to use WordPress for creating a sports blog. All of my sites are built with WordPress.

4. Purchase a Domain and Hosting

You have learned how to choose a great domain name and a blogging platform for creating a sports blog, now, it's time to register the domain and purchase web hosting.

In a nutshell, a domain is a website's address on the internet that people type in the browser to visit a website. For example, Google.com.

And web hosting is a place where websites are installed and stored online.

Without web hosting, you can't build a website.

A domain costs around $14 for a year and web hosting plans start from $9 per month.

Now, if I calculate, that's around $120 for a year and $360 for 3 years.

That's too much for those who are just getting started.

Fortunately, web hosting companies like HostPapa offer a FREE domain name registration with their hosting plan, and their price starts at just $3.95 per month.

HostPapa company was founded in 2006 and now powers over 500,000 websites worldwide.

Some of the key features of HostPapa:

HostPapa offers different types of hosting solutions such as shared , VPS , Cloud hosting , , etc. managed WordPress

Ready to start a sports blog? Let's get started!

7. Install a Sports Theme

Next, you need to install a theme for your sports blog.

There are both paid and free themes available. However, as a beginner, it would be a great idea to use a free theme.

Here are the steps to follow.

Step 1, Installing a theme

To install a theme, go to Appearance > Themes > Add New.

You can also sort themes by using filters - Featured, Popular, Latest, and Feature Filter.

If you are wondering which theme to use, I would recommend using the GeneratePress theme.

The GeneratePress theme is one of the most popular and highest rated WordPress themes built for speed and usability. You can use the theme for any purpose.

Search for generatepress and activate the theme.

Step 2, Clearing the sidebar (important)

Now visit your website.

You will see a sample post and some widgets in the right sidebar.

Widgets are basically blocks of content that make it easier for WordPress users to control the design and content of their site without touching any code.

While widgets are very useful, we don't need all of them. And that's why we need to clear some of them.

To add or remove a widget, go to Appearance > Widgets > Right Sidebar and drag them to the left side.

Only keep Search and Recent Posts.

There are other sidebar areas available where you can add widgets, such as on the left sidebar, footer, header, top bar, etc.

8. Install Plugins

WordPress plugins are apps that add new features and functionality to your website. It works the same as your mobile apps or computer software.

There are over 60,000 plugins available in the WordPress plugin gallery. However, we only need a few of them that are essential.

To install a plugin, go to Plugins > Add New. Using the search bar, you can find hundreds of thousands of free plugins.

Then click on install and activate the plugin.

Here are the 8 recommended plugins for a new WordPress site:

3. Site Kit by Google (free analytics tool) - Site Kit by Google is a one-stop analytics tool that allows you to integrate Google Analytics, Google Search Console, AdSense, etc. with your website. Using the plugin, you can monitor your website's traffic stats, AdSense earning, and users' behavior.

4. Akismet Spam Protection (free) - This is the best plugin to stop spam comments on your website.

6. WP Rocket (paid) - WP Rocker is the best caching plugin for WordPress. It speeds up your website by caching your static pages, media files, and images, etc. It's a must-have plugin if you are serious about your site's speed. It costs $49.

7. Super Socializer (free) - Super Socializer is a free social share plugin for WordPress that lets you share your content on different social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.

These plugins are enough for a new WordPress website. However, if you want to install more plugins, you are free to do that.

Note - It's very important that you keep those plugins you only use. Having too many plugins can impact your website's performance.

10. Create Important Pages

Once the sports blog is created, the next step is to create and add some important pages on your website, such as About us, Contact Us, Privacy Policy.

These pages are very important and help you in many ways.

Let's say some individual is seeking help, or a company wants to advertise on your website.

But, how do they reach you?

The simplest way to reach you is via the contact us page.

Besides, pages like privacy policy, disclaimer are must-have when you are applying to Google AdSense, Amazon affiliate program, or any other affiliate marketing platforms.

You can also check that every website has these common pages.

a) Creating an About us page - An About us page shows what your website is about or what does your website serves.

To create an about us page, go to Pages > Add New and write about your website the way you have created your first blog post.

b) Creating a contact us page - For creating a contact us page, you need to install the Ninja Forms plugin that I mentioned before.

Once installed and activated, go to Ninja Forms > Dashboard.

By default, a sample contact form is already created and you can modify it.

Click on the form for further customization.

Once done, copy the short code and paste it to a page.

c) Privacy policy - To generate a privacy policy for your website, you can use an online tool such as - Termly .

d) Disclaimer - A disclaimer is a notice that protects your blog, website, or app against legal liability.

You can generate a free disclaimer using Termly.

e) Advertise - Once your website is up and running for at least a year or more, you could receive advertising opportunities that will get you some extra money.

How to Start a Sports Blog - The Verdict

Through blogging, you can share your knowledge with the world, refine your writing skills, market your business, and most importantly, you can make a lot of money.

If you passionate about sports and have enough knowledge, why not start a sports blog and make money?

Creating a blog is as simple as pie.

By reading through the article, you will learn how you can create a sports blog in just 20 minutes.

I have explained each of the steps in detail and added images to make things easier for you.

However, if you have a question in mind, or stuck in any step or you want me to build a sports blog for you, reach out to me via the contact form.