Are Blogging Courses Worth the Price?
If the only experience you have with blogging is reading other’s blogs it may be a little daunting when you want to start your own blog. Does that sound like you? It’s true especially if you categorize yourself as not being very technical.
If you use a computer, even just your cellphone or a table you should take a deep breath and relax because there are plenty of courses out there that WILL walk you step by step through setting up your own blog.
But you may wonder if they are worth it. And how do you find the right blogging course for your needs?
How Much Does it Cost to Start a Blog?
Depending upon your reasons for starting a blog your startup costs can go from zero to several hundred. If your blogging dreams at all include earning some money there will and should costs involved.
- Blog Domain Name
- Blog Hosting
- Mailing List Provider (maybe)
- Blog Theme
- Continuing Education
Depending on where you are going with your blog it can add up.
What are You Looking for in a Blogging Course?
It really helps if you have an idea of what you are looking for in your blogging course. Are you a beginning blogger? Do you have no clue where to start? You want to look for a course that will walk. you through step by step and make an effort to explain all those little details to you.
Do you already have a blog but need to take it to the next level? Don’t pick up a beginning blogging course (unless you know it offers something you would like to learn) and instead look for a course on that specific topic you need to know more about.
Once you’ve made your choice read what is offered in detail. Don’t make assumptions and if you have questions make sure you can ask them. Read reviews. I also recommend you find a course with a money back guarantee just in case you spent your hard earned money on a course that doesn’t deliver what you need. Hopefully this won’t happen but just in case.
What Makes a Blogging Course Worth the Price
So if you’ve started looking around at blogging courses you would like to take you may have had a little sticker shock. Yes some blogging courses prices can be quite a bit of money. What makes them worth so much? Since I have never had the money to purchase one of the blogging courses reading the $1000’s I can’t comment on them. I have taken advantage of some of the free offers these bloggers share to get a better feel for what they offer. I still haven’t pulled the trigger on a course that much though and probably will not ever take that big of a plunge (never say never right?)..
But if your blogging is something you plan on doing to earn some money, and/or turn into a business then learning how to do it correctly is worth some money. It’s an investment in your future. Gone are the days when you can get everything online for free. Information that is. So keep that in mind.
I have been blogging for many years but still have plenty to learn. There are several blogging courses that I’ve purchased, wanted to purchase, and many I’ve passed on. I weigh the benefits, the cost, and even get family input. Can the family or the business afford it? If we can afford it do we expect a monetary return or an improvement in some way?
So now ask yourself the questions? What can you afford? What can you not afford? Do you plan to do the work to make it worth your efforts? This is important. If you don’t have the time or drive to do the work this will be a waste of your money.
In this post I’ll go through some of the things a blogger buys course for, showcase a free option, and a paid item.
Blogging Courses for Beginners
First of all if you are at all squeamish about getting your blog up and running then yes they are worth it! Especially if you mean for your blog to do more than inform your extended family of your goings ons.
It is so nice to have someone hold your hand and walk you through those tech details. Eons ago when I first started my website/blog there were precious few blogging courses out there when I started so I had a trial by fire. In fact I don’t remember a single beginning blogging course. There was one lady online who had a free, and very good course, on improving the SEO (Search Engine Optimization. But don’t worry if you still don’t know what that means. If you’re on the path to start a blog you will soon learn all about that.)
And as far as WordPress it was not that well known back then. I would list the platforms I started on but some of them would make you go huh? So just know I’ve done it all including accidentally deleting my site. Learn from this. Get some help LOL!
When you go to choose your beginning blogging course you will find that there are a lot of them out there. But since you’re on my blog I’m going to tell you about my favorite beginning blog courses. Paid and Free option are interestingly enough offered by the same person.
The Blog Plan
Free: The Blog Plan by Suzi Whitford is a FREE step by step course for discovering the best type of blog for you and helping you think of a name and how you will make a success of your blog. The best part is this course includes a free printable for growing your blog in 12 months. Many people have used just this plan and really grown their blogs.
Blog by Number Blogging Course for Beginners
Paid: For a paid blogging course I’ll just put it out there and let you know that Blog by Number is my absolute FAVORITE blogging course! You can read my review on it here >>> Blog by Number course. This is another creation from Suzi Whitford. Suzi absolutely loves blogging and wants to help you without the overwhelm. She walks you through not only setting up your blog but making it successful. From choosing your niche, picking colors (yes!), writing great blog posts, finding blog post topics, setting up your mailing list, and even making good Pinterest Images which is a fabulous! And you if you purchase the full course (as opposed to the ebook) you’ll get some bonuses. As far as blogging courses goes Suzi’s is priced very well and over delivers. A lot of blogging courses only glaze over the surface of setting your blog up but Suzi goes above and beyond. If your goal is to have a successful blog but you need hand holding through the process you could use this one course (without having to shell out more for other courses) and be well on your way. Be sure and read my review for more details on this great blog course here >>>> My Blog By Number Blogging Course Review
INtermediate Blogger INcreasing Traffic
Once you have blog up and running you want people to come and read it. You want blog traffic. You may find yourself struggling to get enough traffic to your blog and it’s almost a never ending journey. Again finding someone who will walk you through for a price that doesn’t break the bank can take some fine tuning.
Free:
Paid: Elna Caine’s Ready Set Blog for Traffic is a road map to help you increase traffic to your blog. Elna’s strength is Pinterest and this is where she focuses to help you increase your traffic. This course includes an active Facebook group that is very helpful.
INTERMEDIATE BLOGGER – Monetizing
Once your traffic is coming in and your email list is at a point where you need to start paying for it (the blessings of a big following) it’s time to start earning from your blog. There is more than one way to make money with your blog so don’t think one size fits all.
The top four ways…
- Ads
- Affiliate Marketing
- Your Own Product or Service
- and Sponsored Posts
Earning money from your blog is a fine art and it helps to have someone walk you through the best practice methods. This is when courses start becoming more expensive. What you want to think about when choosing the best course to help you through this is when you can expect to earn back what you paid. That always helps these more expensive courses more palatable.
Paid: Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is a course many bloggers turn to for learning how to do affiliate marketing right. The author has an impressive resume and offers step by step tips to setting up your blog to earn through affiliate marketing. I just finished this course and am putting what I learned into practice. Is it worth the price? Review coming soon.
Ways to Save on These and Other Blogging Courses
What if you have some other courses that are on your “to buy” list but you just can’t afford them right now? What are some ways to help you purchase those courses?
- Get on the mailing list for the blog/person offering the course. Often they will have sales throughout the year that may make your desired course more affordable.
- Start a savings plan for the course on your radar. If you really want this course then start the process to reach your goal of owning that course.
- Be in the know of at least 2 good blogging bundle sales that happen during the year. For the past couple of years 2 companies have offered Blogging Bundles that make blogging courses affordable for the rest of us.
- The first is the Genius Blogger’s Toolkit. Put out by the Ultimate Bundle group (I’m a longtime affiliate) this bundle has helped me to get my hands on some great blogging courses I couldn’t otherwise afford (if I purchased them all indivuduially). To see what these bundles are like you can read my roundup of the 2017 bundle.
- The second is the BCStack Sale. This is another great bundle that gives you access to even more blogging ecourses. The 2018 BCStack is over but you can see the sales page for this bundle here => 2018 BCStack
- Due to popular demand (because her courses are THAT good Suzi, you know with the Blog by Number course has created a VIP All Access Pass where you can get all her courses in one bundle for a lower price. You can see all the details here >>> VIP All Access Pass
The bottom line is blogging can be fun and profitable. It is worth it to avoid some of the frustration and headaches of figuring out how to make things work. Do some research and decide how much you can afford to invest.
