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If you are an animal lover then you may have considered starting a blog about dogs and cats.

Today, people are getting their news from social media or blogs rather than from traditional media outlets.

That is why blogging about dogs and cats can be a great way to not only share your passion for pets with others but also make money doing what you love.

But it’s also important that you find the right niche so that your articles will be seen by people who love animals as much as you do. 

In order to do this, you need to know how to choose a topic that is relevant and also allows you to monetize your website.

Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with fresh ideas for the content on your blog, so I have included some tips on finding ideas as well as some tips on how to write great content.

The key here is not only being original but also being consistent.

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Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will make a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

What does it mean to be a blogger?

A blogger is someone who writes about their life or interests on a website for other people to read.

Sometimes bloggers use their blogs to share content relevant to a specific topic, like how-to articles or product reviews.

Other times, blogs are written for the blogger’s own enjoyment.

No matter what type of blog you decide to create, it is important that you understand how blogging works in terms of traffic and monetization.

Lucky for you, this post will cover how to find content ideas for your blog, search engine optimization (SEO), monetizing your site, and more.

Questions You Should Ask Yourself Before You Start Blogging About Dogs and Other Animals

Before you create a blog and start writing about animals, there are some things you should be aware of.

Here are some questions to think about before you get started:

• What does your blog aim to do?

• Would you like to help people solve a problem or find a solution?

• Or do you want to entertain people by writing about your interests and hobbies?

• Who are your competitors?

• Will this be a hobby or a full-time business?

Think about this for a minute, because it is important to understand why you are starting your blog.

Knowing this will help you know what type of content is already out there.

You also need to decide what sets you apart from all the other blogs about dogs, cats, and related topics.

Once you have a thorough understanding of how blogging works with regard to traffic and monetization, then it’s time to come up with a topic.

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How to Choose the Right Topic and Niche

It is important that you are passionate about the topic that you choose for your blog.

If you are just starting out, it can be hard to find a topic that will interest both you and your target audience.

That is why I recommend choosing a niche where you have some prior experience or knowledge.

What I mean by this is that it is OK if you don’t know everything about the topic that you end up choosing, but you should go into it with a sense of “I can figure this out.”

For example, I used to have a 9-5 but wanted to start working remotely.

I wanted to be able to work from anywhere, but I was not an online worker yet.

When I decided to start my own blog, I knew that I wanted to write about remote work and digital nomadism because it is something that has always interested me.

Over time, as I learned more about this subject, my passion for location independence grew even stronger and I became an expert in the field!

And this can be the same for you as well, as long as you are willing to learn more about the topic that you choose.

Even if you are an expert in your field, it is important to look at the competition and see what others are writing about so that you can either avoid those topics or offer a fresh perspective on them.

How to Choose a Blogging Platform

The next step towards starting your own blog is choosing a platform.

When I started, I knew that I wanted to do a WordPress website because it is so flexible and allows you to really customize your site.

There are also thousands of free WordPress themes, as well as many different plugins that can help enhance your blog post.

It is important, however, that you choose a blogging platform that has the functionality you need for your blog.

If you are just starting out, I recommend using a platform like WordPress to create your website.

WordPress will make it easy to manage your site, create a blog post, or even add a page.

There are other options out there for blogging platforms, such as Tumblr, SquareSpace, and Blogger.

But I personally think that WordPress is the most flexible and user-friendly, which is why it’s best for beginners.

Choosing the Right Hosting for Your Website

After you have chosen a platform, the next step is to choose a host for your website.

A hosting service allows you to upload content to a web server so that the information can be accessed by anyone via the internet.

There are many different kinds of hosting services such as free hosting and dedicated servers, but I recommend choosing something like WordPress hosting or shared hosting service.

These types of services are affordable and allow you to start blogging without having to worry about spending too much money too soon.

Here are several hosting companies that I would highly recommend:

For beginners: Bluehost

I loved using Bluehost when I started out.

They offer a free domain when you sign up, and the main advantage here is that WordPress installs automatically on all their domains.

What this means is that you can start your blog in five minutes or less!

They are also very affordable, with a shared hosting service starting at only $3.95 per month!

An added benefit is that they offer 24/7 customer support, which proved very valuable when I was first getting started.

For experienced bloggers: WPEngine

If you are already familiar with how WordPress works and want to do more advanced stuff with your website, then WPEngine is an excellent hosting service for you.

With WPEngine, you can install unlimited plugins and themes on your website.

WordPress hosting starts at only $22.50 per month, which is still very affordable if you are making money blogging!

Purchasing a Domain Name

Once you have made the decision on what platform and hosting to use, you need to purchase your domain name.

A domain is the web address for your blog.

For example, our domain name is theoffbeatlife.com

I purchased my domain through Bluehost for about $12.99 per year.

However, if you decide to go with a different hosting company than Bluehost then it likely will not include your free domain.

The other thing you need to get started is your blog theme.

A theme is a layout and design for your blog, which will include the colors and logos that appear on every page.

Choosing a Website Theme

You need to choose a theme that you like and that fits in with what you want to do.

I chose a paid WordPress theme because I wanted it to be user-friendly with a design that is customizable that fits in with my branding.

I personally love the WPEngine WordPress themes because they have an excellent variety of designs and color schemes.

The great thing about these themes is that they are also fully customizable.

I recommend playing around with the templates and designs to find something you like before continuing because this step can take some time!

How to Set Up Your Website Content

When you have your domain name, hosting service, and WordPress theme then you can start installing plugins and writing content for your blog.

The first thing I recommend doing is installing a plugin to help you with SEO (I will explain SEO in more detail below).

There are many SEO plugins out there, but I would start with the one that is simple and easy to use.

I personally use the Yoast SEO plugin on my blog because it tells you exactly what you need to do in order for search engines like Google to find your website.

Yoast SEO will also include many other helpful tools, such as internal linking between your posts, choosing the right keywords for your content, and analyzing your website.

Other plugins that I recommend using on your website are:

• WP Super Cache – To speed up your blog page load time

• Google Analytics for WordPress – To monitor the traffic that comes to your site.

• Link Whisperer – a plugin that allows you to automatically add internal linking to your posts, which can save you a lot of time.

Now that you have installed some plugins, it is time to write your content!

How to Write Great Content Blogging about Dogs and Cats

Now that you have installed the right plugins, it is time to get started with creating your blog post.

Here are a few ways you can write great articles:

• Write about your personal experiences with your pets.

This is a great option if you already own a pet because it will help to make your content more unique and personal.

You can also share pictures of the pets in your post!

• How-to articles about dogs or cats.

For example, an article about how to train your dog could be helpful for people who are looking to purchase a new pet.

If you choose this topic then you should try to provide tips that will be useful for the reader.

• Reviews of products related to your pets

This is a great option if you purchase any products for your pets, but it can also be helpful to include reviews of pet-friendly restaurants and hotels.  

You could also write an article about the cost of owning a dog or cat throughout their lifetime.

By writing these reviews, you may be able to provide readers with some helpful information that they can use.

• Listicles about your animals

A listicle is a blog post that includes many different points, which are organized in a list format.  

This can be helpful if you want to write about “10 different tips for owning a pet” because it will keep your reader interested and engaged!

As you can see there are many different topics that you can write about when blogging about dogs and cats.

If your topic is too broad then you may have a difficult time narrowing down the focus of your blog post.

I recommend choosing a topic that is specific and narrow so you can provide your readers with more helpful information.

Growing Your Audience Blogging About Dogs and Other Pets

Perhaps the most important thing that you should do when creating a blog is to build your audience.

In order to make money blogging about dogs and cats, you will need people reading your articles so that you can create a revenue stream.

Since there are millions of blogs on the internet, it might be difficult to get discovered by readers so this is why building an audience before monetizing your blog is important!

Here are a few ways to grow your blog’s audience:

• Get backlinks from related websites.

Backlinks are links that point to your website, which is important for SEO since search engines look at backlinks as a vote of confidence in your site’s content! 

In order to get a backlink, try reaching out to a blog that you read and think provides great content.

Most bloggers will be happy to provide a link on their website because it will help their readers as well!

It may take a while to build up a large number of backlinks, but each one will help with making your blog more successful.

• Make videos for YouTube.

Youtube can bring in massive amounts of traffic to your website and it is not as hard as you think.

Just make an interesting video related to dogs or cats and upload it onto YouTube, then simply put the link or video on your website!

Not only will you gain views from your site, but also from YouTube watchers who search for related topics on the platform.

• Pinterest Marketing.

Pinterest is one of the best social media sites for blogging because people are looking at pictures all day long.

If you have an interesting photo about dogs or cats, then it will likely be pinned hundreds of times!

This will lead to your website getting more traffic and hopefully building your audience!

SEO for Pet Blogs: What is Search Engine Optimization?

Now that you have an idea for a topic and you have started blogging about dogs and other animals, it is time to learn about search engine optimization (SEO).

If you do not know already, SEO is when people can find your website when they are searching for specific words or topics.

For example, if somebody searched for “how to train a puppy,” then you would want them to be able to find your website (if that is part of your niche).

Why would somebody search for something like, “how to train a puppy?”

Well if they are having trouble with training their new pet, then this person might type that phrase into the search engine or Google.  

Additionally, if somebody was looking for tips on how to train a puppy then you want people to be able to find your website.

You are probably wondering how you can increase the chances that people will find your blog when they search for something related to your niche.  

This is where SEO comes in!

There are many tricks and tips for writing content so that search engines will rank your website higher on their list, but it is very difficult to try everything at once.

However, there are a few things that I recommend trying in the beginning:

• Use keywords when you can!

Keywords are words that people might search for when looking for information about your topic.

For example, if somebody were writing an article about how they train their dog, then they might want to use keywords such as “training a puppy” or “how to train a dog.”

• Create a blog post title with your focus keyword.

This is the most important part of your article and it is what shows up on Google’s first page when people search for your topic.

• Create some blog posts that are over 1,000 words!

This is another important aspect of SEO because people are more likely to visit your blog if they see some longer articles that will answer all the questions they may have.  

Finding the Right Keywords

In order to find the right keywords, you might consider using a keyword search platform.

I am currently using KeySearch which is a tool that will allow you to find the best keywords to use when writing your blog posts.

Using Keysearch has literally changed my blogging experience.

Before using Keysearch, I would typically choose a few topics and then try to guess what keywords I should use.

I now know that this is not the best way to do things because it can be almost impossible to be found if you are not using the right keywords!

Once you have started using a search tool, you should select a word or phrase that is related to your topic and will be searched for often.  

For example, if you are writing a blog post about different types of pet food then it would probably be a good idea to search for keywords like “best dog food” or “types of cat food.”

However, before using these keywords, you will need to know how popular they are.  

If you have KeySearch then the tool will show how often people search for that keyword per month.  

For example, I searched “types of dog food” and KeySearch showed that this phrase is searched about 1900 times per month!

But the competition is 45 out of 100 which is pretty high if you are competing with other big bloggers.

For new bloggers, the lower the score (30 or less) the better since there is less competition.

That is why finding a keyword that has low score competition but a high volume search is the holy grail of blogging.

Finally, you should also use the keyword throughout the article.

This is important for SEO and will help people find your blog more easily.

Google will crawl your website to see how many times you use the keyword.

If your article sounds like it is just filled with keywords then people will not want to read it and Google might think that this article has nothing of value to offer!

This means that you should try to use the keyword as much as possible without making it sound unnatural.  

In the end, you want to provide the best possible article that will benefit your readers and drive traffic to your blog!

How to Make Money Blogging About Dogs and Cats

Making money with your blog is the ultimate goal for most bloggers.

I have been blogging for a few years now and I am finally starting to understand how to make money blogging.

It has not been an easy journey, but I am finally starting to see some success.

Here are a few things that I recommend doing for beginners and pros in order to create income:

• Create digital products.

One of the best ways to make money blogging is by creating digital products.

It can be a PDF ebook, an infographic, or even a video on how to train your dog!

You can sell these products through your website and they are great for beginner bloggers since you do not need any experience!

Read this article to help you create the right digital product for your blog.

• Affiliate Marketing.

Affiliate marketing is another way to make money blogging, and just like the previous example, it requires no experience.

Being an affiliate marketer means that you are selling someone else’s products on your own website.

You will receive a percentage of the sale when someone buys the product.

For example, if your blog is about dogs then you can sell products with the Amazon associates program.  

You can add a link to a product from Amazon and when a reader buys that item, you will receive a percentage of the sale.

This is one of my favorite ways to make money blogging because it is so easy and requires little to no experience!

You can check out this article to help you get started with affiliate marketing.

• Sell ad space on your website.

If you want to make money blogging then this is perhaps one of the best options since it is passive income.

Seriously, just opening up an account with Google Adsense and putting their code on your website can lead to them placing ads that pay you for clicks!

But I do have to warn you that this is one of the more difficult ways to make money blogging since you need a lot of traffic.  

It is still possible if you are starting out, but it might be better to use another method described above until you have grown enough traffic on your website.

• Sell coaching services.

Being a coach is lucrative because you can charge money helping people solve their problems.

There are many dog owners that would love to have a private trainer teach them how to train their dog, so this might be the perfect solution for you if you are an expert in dogs!

• Sponsored Ads on Your Blog

If you have a large site then this might be one of the best ways to make money blogging.

Sponsored ads will be displayed on your blog and you get paid to create the content and not necessarily through clicks.

However, you can negotiate with the brands you are working with to get other incentives so you can make more money.

• Email marketing.

This may not apply to everyone but you can make money by promoting other people’s products in your e-mails.

If you have a large number of subscribers then this will be more lucrative for you, but it is also difficult if you do not already have an audience.

People want to make money with their blog and there are many ways that they can go about doing this.

The best way is to create great content that people will want to read and give them what they want, which in most cases is information related to your niche.

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How Much Does it Cost to Get Started with a Blog?

It costs a lot less to start blogging about dogs and cats than you might think.

In fact, one of the best things about blogging is that there are tons of free platforms out there where you can create your website!

Typically, you will need to pay for hosting, purchase a domain name, and maybe your theme, but that is about all you need when you are just beginning.

You can always upgrade as you make more money blogging about dogs and other animals, but the initial costs are very cheap!

The only real investment is going to be time!

Now that you know what you need to do it is time to get started!

Start Blogging About Dogs and Cats: Key Takeaways

It is not impossible to make money blogging about dogs and cats, but it does require a lot of hard work.

You should not expect to get rich overnight or even within a few months since that is just not realistic.

But if you are dedicated then you should see results in the future, that is why it is very important to enjoy what you are doing!

If blogging about dogs and cats is not for you then there are plenty of other categories that might work better.  

Just make sure that whatever topic you choose, it will be one that you are passionate about!

Remember to do your research and take advantage of all the different ways that you can make money blogging so that you can start creating income by doing what you love.

So what are you waiting for?

Start your blog and get to work!

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