Have you ever just sit there, staring at your screen, wondering if blogging is even still a thing in 2025?
I did that. A lot. Like, more times than I care to admit.
It’s weird, right? Everyone’s talking about AI this and SEO that and how everything’s already written and there’s no point anymore. I mean… every time I opened Google, it felt like a robot wrote the whole damn internet. Perfect sentences, zero heart, and somehow still ranking at the top. Meanwhile, I’m over here eating toast and stressing about whether starting a blog with no money even makes sense anymore.
Spoiler: it kinda does.
But I didn’t believe that at first. I thought I needed this big launch plan, a domain name that sounds like a startup, and obviously… money. Turns out, you don’t need any of that to begin. Not a dollar. Not even a solid idea, honestly. You just need this stupid itch that won’t shut up. That voice that keeps saying, “You should write that down.” So I did.
On a free site. With a free theme. And zero expectations.
It wasn’t cute. I didn’t know what I was doing. I accidentally deleted my first post. Wrote a second one that had three typos in the title. But… I started. With no money. Just a bunch of secondhand doubts and half-baked ideas that somehow felt real.
So yeah—if you’re sitting there thinking, “Is it even worth starting a blog in 2025?” —honestly, I don’t know what’s worth it anymore. But if you can’t stop thinking about writing something, then screw the rest. You don’t need fancy. You just need to begin.
I’ll show you how I did it. No fluff. No guru garbage. Just a zero-cost, kinda awkward blueprint that somehow worked.
3. Section 1: Why Blogging Still Works in 2025
Okay, so… look, I get it. Everyone keeps yelling that blogging is dead. Like it’s some ancient thing your uncle did in 2008 when he had thoughts about politics and a slow internet connection. But I swear, I’m telling you — blogging still works. Even in 2025. Especially if you’ve got no money. Maybe because you’ve got no money.
I mean, I started mine with a cracked screen laptop, a busted charger I had to wrap in tape every five minutes, and zero clue what the hell I was doing. Just vibes. I didn’t even know if “is blogging still profitable in 2025” was a dumb question or a real one. Turns out, a lot of people are still asking it. And yeah, it kinda shocked me too — like, did you know 77% of internet users still read blogs? I read that stat and was like, huh… so it’s not just my mom refreshing my site.
I stumbled across Matt Giaro’s stuff one night when I couldn’t sleep — he talks a lot about how long-form blogging and email lists are still powerful. Not trendy, not flashy, but they work. Because they build trust. You write something that hits people right, they subscribe, you talk to them in emails, and boom — you’ve got a tiny digital village that listens when you talk. That’s wild.
Also — and this part kinda blew my mind — roughly 30% of bloggers start making money within 6 months. Not millions, okay, let’s not be delusional. But enough to pay for ramen or your domain or like, half your Spotify subscription. And yeah, some take way longer. That’s the deal. But if you’re consistent and not afraid to sound dumb sometimes (hi, it’s me), it can turn into something. Even if your blog’s ugly at first. Even if you don’t know what the hell SEO is.
The best part? It costs nothing to start. Literally zero dollars. Just some patience, maybe a little caffeine, and a willingness to sound like an idiot on the internet for a while. Which, let’s be honest, most of us are already doing anyway.
So yeah, blogging isn’t dead. It’s just quieter now. And maybe that’s a good thing.
4. Section 2: Choosing a Free Blogging Platform
Okay, so—look. If you’re like me, and you’ve got exactly zero bucks and way too many ideas spinning around at 3 a.m., trying to figure out where to start your blog without spending a damn dime can feel… dumbly complicated. Like, there are so many “best free blog platforms” articles out there, but they all kinda sound like they were written by robots with a marketing degree. (No offense if you’re a robot reading this. Or a marketer.)
Anyway. I’ve tried most of them. Not all, because I do have a life (sort of), but enough to know what’s annoying and what’s just annoying enough to live with for free.
🧩 The Shortlist (from someone who’s rage-quit half of these)
- WordPress.com – Not to be confused with the self-hosted version. This one’s like… training wheels. But bulky ones. It works. It’s solid. But god, the ads. And the limits. You want to add a custom theme? Too bad, buddy, pay up.
- Wix – Honestly? It’s like drag-and-drop heaven until it isn’t. Sometimes it just… breaks stuff. Or maybe I broke stuff. Either way, it’s flashy, but kinda like wearing glitter to a funeral.
- Medium – The cleanest, calmest place to write. If your dream blog is just beautiful text and minimal setup? You’ll love this. But also: no branding, no tweaking, no “my blog, my vibe.” Just their thing.
- Substack – Not just newsletters anymore. It’s for blogging too now. And I like it. It’s simple. But… people expect you to email them stuff. Which still weirds me out. But hey, it’s free and actually kind of fun once you stop overthinking.
⚖️ Let’s Do a Quick Messy Table (because neat tables are for liars)
| Platform | Why I Liked It | What Made Me Scream |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com | Feels “official”, lots of themes | Everything’s paywalled eventually |
| Wix | Easy to design cool stuff | Glitchy & slow sometimes |
| Medium | Super distraction-free | Feels like writing for them, not me |
| Substack | Built-in readers, simple | Wait… I have to send emails? |
So yeah. When people ask me the classic “best free blogging platform 2025” or “is Wix better than WordPress?” kind of stuff, I’m like: What’s your tolerance for ads, limits, and disappointment?
Because they all have baggage. Free is never totally free. It’s like borrowing someone’s apartment—sure, it’s a place to stay, but you can’t paint the walls or blast music at 2 a.m.
That said—if you’re broke and just wanna start somewhere without overthinking it? Pick one, post something, and fix the rest later. I spent so long waffling between platforms I could’ve written a whole damn blog series.
Also, one weird thing: if you type “how to start blog on Medium free” into Google, you’ll get so many results that act like Medium is some mysterious tech. It’s literally just: sign up, click “write,” and go. Done.
Anyway, that’s my totally biased, undercaffeinated take on free blog platforms. Hope it saved you at least one YouTube tutorial spiral.
If not… well. At least now you know what not to expect.
5. Section 3: Step‑by‑Step Setup (Zero Cost)
Okay. So. You wanna start a blog and you’ve got, like… zero dollars. Literally nothing. Not even five bucks for coffee, let alone hosting. Cool. Same here when I started. I googled “how to start a blog in 15 minutes free” so many times it felt like my keyboard knew what I was gonna type before I did.
Anyway, I figured it out. Kinda. Messed up a bunch, restarted three times, picked awful blog names (one was “caffeinatedwhispers” — no I don’t wanna talk about it), and yeah… it took me a few late nights and a lot of staring at blank screens to get something that looked like a blog.
But here’s the thing: it is possible. Like, for real. No money. No coding. Just time, stubbornness, and a half-functioning Wi-Fi signal.
So, here’s how I’d do it now — with fewer regrets.
1. Figure out what the hell you wanna blog about (aka your “niche”)
Don’t overthink this. I mean, people do, and then they never actually start. You don’t need a grand vision. You just need something you can write about without crying. Could be personal stories, study tips, video game rants, weird facts about lizards. Whatever. Just make sure it doesn’t feel like homework.
Also: name it something semi-rememberable. Something you won’t hate in a month. Like, not “blog9349.wordpress.com.” I wish someone told me that before I committed to my awkward first blog URL.
2. Pick a free platform
If you’re broke (like I was), go with:
- WordPress.com – not .org, that’s the paid one. .com is free-ish. You’ll have a weird subdomain but you’re not here to impress yet.
- Wix – kinda flashy, easy drag-and-drop stuff.
- Blogger – old-school but still kicks. Super simple.
Just… don’t fall into a trap of “free trial” sites that make you enter a card. If it asks for payment upfront, run.
I went with WordPress.com ‘cause it looked “professional” and I felt smart just using it. That illusion lasted until I tried to change fonts and nearly threw my laptop.
3. Pick a free theme and don’t stress
There are so many themes and most of them are… fine. Seriously. You’re not designing a luxury website. You’re making a blog so people can read your stuff, not judge your color palette.
The first time, I spent 2 hours switching between themes. I thought it mattered. It doesn’t. Just pick something clean, simple, and readable. You can mess with it later once you hate it (which you will, I promise).
“Best free blog themes 2025”? That’s a search I typed last night again while procrastinating writing this. Go with one of those classic layouts — header, sidebar, posts. Done.
4. Customize it just enough to not look like a template
Add a profile pic. Doesn’t even have to be your face — mine was a blurry Polaroid of coffee at first.
Write a 2-line bio. Link your socials (if you want). Change the background color if white hurts your soul.
But don’t get stuck here. You can waste weeks “designing” and never post a thing. I did. I regret it. I spent more time picking fonts than writing.
5. Write your damn first post
This is where people freeze. “What should I write about?” “Is it good enough?” “What if nobody reads it?” All legit questions. All of them irrelevant right now.
Your first post is just… proof. That you did it. That you’re starting. It could be a diary entry, a rant about exams, a recipe with no measurements (me), or just “Hi. This is my blog. Idk what I’m doing.”
Post it. Hit publish. Close your laptop and go outside or cry into a pillow or whatever. But post it. That’s when your blog exists.
I found Ryan Robinson’s steps helpful too — he breaks it down like: niche → domain → platform → customize → write → promote. Except I skipped the domain thing (zero budget, remember?). But his guide made me feel less alone in the chaos.
So yeah. That’s how you set up a free blog step by step. It’s messy. Feels awkward. You’ll probably hate your first few posts. But guess what? That’s the magic. No one starts perfect. Most don’t start at all.
You just did.
Now go write something weird and wonderful. Or not. But do it anyway.
6. Section 4: Content Strategy for New Blogs
Okay, so — content strategy. God, that sounds… big, right? Like something a marketing bro with a whiteboard and too many acronyms would say. But if you’re just starting a blog with no money — and I mean no money like “I’m eating oats for dinner again” kind of broke — then figuring out what the heck to post and why it matters… yeah, that’s kinda everything.
Anyway. When I started, I thought I had to post every day. Like, pump out 500-word posts with listicles and SEO-pleasing headers and all that. Spoiler: none of those posts rank. They’re floating somewhere in Google’s basement. Zero traffic. Not even bots cared.
Then I stumbled on this thing — long-form content. I know, I know, sounds boring. But it’s not. Long just means… detailed. Not long-winded or trying too hard, but solving a problem, properly. Like, if someone’s typing “how to start a blog with no money in 2025,” they probably don’t want your three-step summary. They want the actual steps. The free tools. The gotchas. The weird hacks. The honest bits. That’s what long-form is.
And it works. Like… it actually works. Google eats it up if it’s not garbage.
But also — listen — don’t write “content” just because you’re supposed to. That’s what everyone’s doing. I did that too. Big mistake. My first ten posts? I don’t even remember what they were about. Probably something like “Top 5 Blogging Tips” or “SEO for Beginners.” 😵💫 Generic junk. Wrote them with zero passion. Just wanted to rank. Didn’t happen. You can’t out-blog the internet like that.
Now here’s the real bit that nobody told me early enough: use long-tail keywords. The weirdly specific ones. The ones that sound like questions from someone crying at 2AM. Stuff like “how to start a blog on my phone without money” or “free email list tools for a personal blog in 2025.” I swear, those odd phrases? Gold. Low competition. High intent. Searchers actually want help.
There’s something called the Keyword Golden Ratio — some dude on Reddit explained it better than I ever could. But the basic idea? You find keywords that have like… almost no competition, but still get searched. You search the exact phrase in quotes on Google, divide that number by the keyword’s search volume. If it’s less than 0.25, bingo. Google loves it. I mean, it’s not magic, but it’s close.
Anyway — once I stopped writing stuff like “Blogging Tips That Will Blow Your Mind!” (ew) and started writing real answers to real stuff people typed in, things changed. Not instantly, but slowly. Google noticed. People started showing up. One guy emailed me just to say thanks. That felt better than any affiliate click, tbh.
Oh, and email lists. Ugh. I used to think that was for influencers and coupon moms. Nope. Turns out it’s for anyone who doesn’t want to be a slave to social media. I use MailerLite’s free plan — it’s glitchy sometimes, but hey, free is free. I just slap a box at the bottom of each post like, “Hey, if you liked this mess, subscribe so I can send more.” Doesn’t even have to be fancy.
The first time someone actually signed up? I thought it was a bot. Checked three times. It wasn’t.
So yeah. If you’re broke, starting out, and trying not to lose your mind — just write what you wish someone had told you. Make it long. Make it specific. Make it honest. Use weird keywords. Build that email list even if it feels dumb at first. Don’t worry about sounding smart. People don’t want perfect. They want real.
Anyway. That’s what worked for me. Your mileage may vary.
7. Section 5: Free Promotion & Audience Growth
Okay. So.
You’ve just hit publish on your first blog post. Took hours. Maybe even days. You’re proud. Nervous. Maybe a little hungry. You stare at the screen like — now what? Who’s gonna read this? No one even knows it exists. And yeah… that’s where I was. Like, shouting into a digital void.
The thing is, everyone talks about “growing your audience” but no one really tells you how — especially when you have, like, zero budget, no contacts, no “influencer friends,” no email list… nothing but that one little blog post and maybe two followers (hi Mom).
So here’s what I actually did. Not what I should’ve done. What I really did.
I started dropping links on Reddit. Like, quietly. Not spammy — they’ll tear you apart. I just found subreddits where people were already asking stuff I wrote about. Answered their question like a human. Then casually added, “btw, I wrote about this here if you wanna dig in.” Sometimes they clicked. Sometimes they ignored it. Once I got called a bot. Cool.
Then Twitter (or X now, whatever). Not the viral kind. I’m talking tiny threads. Just thoughts. Messy ones. I’d chop up my blog post into bite-sized “aha” lines and post them throughout the week. No graphics. Just vibes. I used hashtags that I’m still not sure worked. But it felt like something. And sometimes people liked. Or followed. Or DM’d. So… yeah.
Oh — repurposing. God. I didn’t get this for months. I wrote full blogs and just left them there. Big mistake. One day I tried turning a post into a cringy Instagram carousel. Used Canva. Took forever. Posted it. It flopped. Then two weeks later, I tried again with a shorter reel where I just read a line from my blog out loud while eating cereal. 7K views. Still confused. But apparently that’s a thing now — repurpose your posts as short-form videos. Even the janky ones. Actually, especially the janky ones.
Also — forums. Not just Reddit. There are weird little communities out there where people still hang out and talk. Like Quora. Indie Hackers. Even Pinterest. I pinned a quote from my blog once and forgot about it. Months later I got 23 visits from that pin. Like… what?
One more thing — SEO. Yeah yeah I know, it sounds like a scam. But SEO for website traffic actually works if you just stick to the basics. Use your keyword in the title. Put it in a subheading. Write like a human. Add alt text to images. That’s it. I didn’t even know what meta tags were until someone DM’d me on Instagram and said, “Hey, your blog shows up weird in search results.” Cool, thanks bro.
And email? God, I slept on email. I thought no one read newsletters anymore. Then I got one reply from a guy who said, “Hey, your post made me quit my job.” What?? I didn’t even say that. But I guess he needed to hear something, and my mess helped.
Anyway, you don’t need money. Just time. And a bit of courage to post stuff even when it feels dumb or pointless. Most of it won’t work. But some of it will. And that’s enough.
So yeah. Promote your blog for free. Just don’t expect it to be clean or perfect or viral. Expect it to be weird and awkward and surprisingly kind of fun.
8. Section 6: Monetizing Without Costs
Okay, so… making money from a blog when you have literally no budget sounds like one of those clickbait-y YouTube titles, right? “Make \$10,000/month with zero investment 😱!!” Ugh. I’ve fallen for those. More than once. And yeah, nothing happened — just hours wasted watching some dude talk about his Lambos while sipping cold brew on a beach in Bali or whatever.
But let me just tell you something weird: you can actually monetize your blog without paying a single rupee or dollar for hosting or domain or whatever. I know because I tried it. Kinda by accident.
Back in 2023, I started a free blog on WordPress.com. Not the fancy .org one — the free one with the ugly URL. I was broke. Like “checking couch cushions for coins” broke. And guess what? I still made like… \$64 in the first couple months. Which sounds small, I get it, but to me? It was proof.
So how?
Affiliate marketing. I know, I know — that word sounds scammy, but hear me out. I signed up for this program (I think it was for some book tool or AI writing thing — I honestly forget) and just added a few links into my blog post about “free writing tools for students.” That was it. I didn’t know SEO. Hell, I didn’t even know what “SEO for Website” meant properly. But I posted it, shared it on Reddit and a couple FB groups, and someone clicked. Bought. Boom. \$6 commission. I almost cried. Like why did nobody tell me this could work?
The thing is… most people think you need to wait to monetize. Or have traffic. Or spend money. Or wait until the blog “looks good.” Screw that. You start with what you’ve got. Free blog? Cool. Write something honest. Useful. Add an affiliate link (just disclose it, obviously). That’s it.
Also — digital products? That’s another one. I didn’t do it till later, but a friend of mine literally made a “Free Budgeting Template for College Students” using Google Sheets. Uploaded it on Gumroad (which takes like 3 minutes), added a “pay what you want” option, and put the link on her free blog. She made \$30 in her first week. From something she was already using herself. No fees. No fancy site. Just… a helpful thing and a link.
Oh and if you’re wondering “can I get sponsors with a tiny blog?” — honestly, yeah. I emailed three small companies I genuinely liked. Two ghosted. One said yes. Paid me \$20 to mention their tool in a post. Was it a lot? No. But it was proof. Again. That this stuff isn’t just for big-time bloggers.
Look, I’m not saying you’ll be a millionaire in six months. But people do start earning in that time. Matt Giaro talks about it too — he’s all about email-first monetization and turning blogs into real businesses without burning your wallet. I kinda respect that. You don’t need to be loud or viral or super technical. You just need to show up. Share something that helps. Add a way for people to say thanks (with their clicks or coins).
Anyway, this turned into a ramble. I just wanted to say… don’t wait for “perfect.” Don’t wait till you “have money.” You can literally make a blog on a free platform, write about something real, throw in an affiliate link, offer a template or checklist you made, and get your first \$5. Maybe \$50. Just… try.
And hey, while you’re at it — learn a bit about SEO for Website stuff. Like what people actually search. What words to include. I’m still figuring it out, but even doing the bare minimum helped me show up on Google. Kinda magic.
So yeah. That’s my two rupees. Or two cents. Whatever. Just don’t let money stop you.
9. Section 7: Realistic Timeline & Expectations
Okay, so listen.
If you’re starting a blog and thinking you’ll be making rent money in, like, two weeks? Stop. Just… stop. I thought that too once. Sat there googling “how long to make money blogging” while sipping cheap instant coffee and refreshing my blog stats like they owed me something. Spoiler: they didn’t. Nothing moved. Zilch.
And yeah, you’ll hear stories — someone made \$1,000 in their first month. Good for them. I mean that. But also? That’s not most people. I didn’t earn anything at all for months. Like, not even a free product or some pity-click on an affiliate link. Just me… writing into the void, tweaking fonts like that would magically summon traffic.
Anyway, people say “blogging is a long game” and you’ll nod like yeah yeah, I get it, but do you really get it until you’re 6 months in, 37 posts deep, and questioning your life choices at 2 a.m. on a Wednesday? Probably not.
From what I’ve seen (and lived), the average blogging timeline to even smell consistent money is somewhere around 6 months for the lucky ones… and like 22 months for people who are playing the slow, steady game. That’s not me pulling numbers from the sky — it’s actually from other bloggers who tracked this stuff way better than I ever did. I lost my spreadsheet in month 2. Whoops.
But the thing no one really tells you? It’s not about just writing. It’s about treating it like a real business. Like, I had to learn SEO for website pages the hard way. Thought I could just “be myself” and the audience would come. Nope. You need structure. Strategy. That boring stuff no one wants to post on Instagram.
And yeah, you’ll want to quit. Like… a lot. But sometimes, it’s just about showing up. Writing when no one’s watching. Publishing that weird post about your failed sourdough starter or whatever. Because the ones who make it? They’re not always the best writers. They’re just the ones who didn’t ghost their blogs.
So if you’re googling “blogging timeline for beginners” hoping someone will say “3 weeks and you’re golden”? I’m not that person. But if you’re cool with messy progress and figuring crap out as you go, then yeah, maybe—maybe—you’ll be one of the 6-monthers. Or a 22-monther like the rest of us stubborn folks.
I’ll tell you when I get there.
10. Section 8: Tools & Resources (Free)
Okay, so—this part’s for the broke bloggers, the “I-have-zero-dollars-but-wanna-make-this-work” tribe. That was me. Still kinda is, tbh.
Look, when I started my blog, I had no fancy tools. I had a secondhand laptop, WiFi that cut out every hour, and zero clue what “SEO for Website” even meant. I literally Googled “how to make a blog without money” at 2 a.m. while eating bread dipped in instant coffee. Don’t ask.
But here’s what helped me not go completely insane (or bankrupt):
Ubersuggest – Bro. Lifesaver. I still don’t understand 90% of Neil Patel’s graphs, but the free version? Pure gold. Plug in a keyword, and boom—ideas. Even if you don’t use ‘em, it feels productive. You know? Like—“Oh, I’m doing SEO now.”
Keyword Surfer – This lil’ Chrome extension shows search volume right in the Google page. No switching tabs. No dashboard nonsense. Just vibes. Like I type “free blog tools 2025” and it’s like, “yo, 880 people looked for this last month.” That’s oddly comforting.
Canva – Look. I’m not a designer. At all. I once made a logo that looked like an onion in sunglasses. But Canva makes stuff look kinda… not terrible. Plus, it’s free and has those cool templates that trick people into thinking you’re good at branding.
MailerLite (free plan) – I didn’t touch email lists until year 2 because I thought, “Who the hell would want emails from me?” Turns out—somebody did. And MailerLite’s free version didn’t yell at me or limit my creativity with dumb rules like some others. I could send stuff, mess up, try again.
Anyway. If you’re like me—figuring out SEO for Website stuff while trying to feed yourself and not cry over analytics—these tools help. A lot. They’re not magic. But they’re enough to get scrappy and stay in the game.
Use ‘em. Abuse ‘em. Just don’t wait till you feel “ready.” You’re probably never gonna feel ready. Start anyway.
11. Conclusion & Next Steps
Alright, so… we’ve made it this far, huh? You, me, and this scrappy little idea of starting a blog with no money. Wild.
Look, I’ve been exactly where you are — staring at my screen with, like, \$4 in my bank account, wondering if this blogging thing is just another internet pipe dream. I Googled “how to start a blog for free” probably 23 times before I even picked a platform. WordPress.com, Blogger, Medium — idk, it all started to blur. I thought I had to be a tech wizard. Spoiler: I wasn’t. Still not.
But I picked one anyway. Slapped together a name (which I hated three weeks later), wrote a terrible first post (deleted it, rewrote it, hated it again), and hit publish. Felt weird. Felt good. And then I shared it on like, two Facebook groups and one subreddit. That was it. That was promotion.
So yeah, you don’t need fancy stuff. Or money. Or even a niche you’re 100% sure about. Just pick a platform, write a messy post, and throw it into the void. It’s awkward. But it’s a start.
If you want, I put together this free thing — not like a “guru course” or whatever — just some stuff I wish I knew earlier. Email list’s below. Or don’t. Totally your call.
Anyway, SEO for Website? Yeah, that’ll come later. Just show up first. That’s half the battle.