Stories of Sandeept

Experiences of a common man!

Tag: WordPress

Symbolic Image of Monetizing Website

Monetizing Websites in Nepal: Resolving the Hurdles in 2025

By

On June 3, 2025

In Blogging, How To, technology

Problems with WordPress Blogs

From the time I began blogging, many people advised me,

“You should be monetizing it.”

I avoided the thought for long because I wanted to enjoy writing as a hobby, not as a job. Also, the Blogging 101 Camp at WordPress inspired me not to place ads on my site. But as I said previously, WordPress itself showed ads and didn’t give authors anything in return unless they upgraded.

“That’s hypocritical,” I thought,

So, I looked for ways to monetize my blog site. It led me to:

WordAds

WordAds is program within WordPress which pays owners for the advertisements their website displays. But here a catch: sites ending with the domain wordpress.com are excluded. As long as my web address was storiesofsandeept.wordpress.com, WordPress would not give me anything. And as I said, upgrading is neither easy nor cheap.

The knowledge that I could not run WordAds made me try:

AdSense

A program from Google, AdSense works for any website that conform to their terms and conditions. So, I added storiesofsandeept.wordpress.com on AdSense hoping it would be accepted. But it didn’t. Turns out, you don’t own domains under wordpress.com like mine—WordPress does. That’s why AdSense cannot authorize your ownership, and you can’t monetize.

This is also what led me to:

Buying a .com domain and hosting it elsewhere

Paying for a .com domain meant that I owned the site and could run it the way I liked. At least that’s what I initially thought.

Like I said before, I went back to WordPress for its familiar environment and ease of use. I also hoped I could use WordAds. I could but I needed Stripe. And Stripe didn’t work in Nepal!

Of course, there are workarounds, but if you legally want to use Stripe in Nepal, it’s not possible at all. Lack of Stripe means that Nepali content creators lose a lot of opportunities to earn not only from WordPress, but also from Medium or publishing on Vocal Media.

And yet, our leaders talk about earning lakhs online — ahem!

Turning back to AdSense

AdSense was the last resort for my hopes of monetizing. The best thing was it didn’t need Stripe. But it’s not easy to meet its terms and conditions.

Regular Publishing

One of the criteria AdSense has set is regular publishing. The more recent the better. But you must have:

Meaningful Content

It’s not enough to publish. It should be meaningful, and you can’t include sensitive content. I was confident I would be accepted for monetization, but came another hindrance.

Language

There is only a handful languages you can monetize with AdSense. And it does not include Nepali. Oblivious to this fact, I had been writing mostly in Nepali since last two years, and even before I bought the domain, I had published a 5500+ word short story in its entirety. Sidebars showing the most recent posts and comments also featured Nepali.

Changing the Page Layout

  • Original Homepage
  • Image showing desktop view of a website
    New Homepage-Desktop View

It was the only option left. I modified Homepage for one-click access to other pages, removed sidebars on pages other than the Blog page and posts. Then when I applied for AdSense:

I finally got approved!

But challenges still remain. I haven’t written in Nepali for some time, and I am feeling a bit restricted. Earning from AdSense is not easy. Too much ads, readers get distracted. Too little ads, lower clicks and thus, lower revenue. For now, I am looking to optimize ads such that I can earn something without spoiling reader experience.

Final Thoughts

Monetizing from Nepal takes extra steps, but it’s possible. If you’re starting out, I hope this post helps you avoid a few of the headaches I went through.

Image showing desktop view of a website

How I Built My Website

Sticky post

By

On May 27, 2025

In How To, Blogging, technology

On the morning of May 10, 2025, as I was looking at the stats of my popular posts on my wordpress.com blog site, a thought struck me. Why didn’t I monetize my writing? After all, I had commenced blogging in 2015. I would have been able to keep a side income.

For the last ten years, I had opposed earning through ads. But WordPress had other ideas. It was showing ads to readers, and I had no control over them. Nor could I earn anything. I had to gain control. I had tried linking my blog to AdSense previously, but it had not worked. Weighing a few options, I decided that a .com website would be more lucrative. But I needed a host.

1. Choosing the Hosting Platform

I looked for hosting options. Because I was comfortable with the WordPress ecosystem, it was the basic requirement for my hosting site. Moreover, it offered flexibility, ownership, and a wide ecosystem of themes and plugins, which allowed me to customize the experience without getting too deep into complex coding.

Hosting a website on WordPress itself was the first alternative, but to upgrade from storiesofsandeept.wordpress.com to storiesofsandeept.com, I had to pay €96 for the first year. There were also costs involved. So, it would be too expensive in the long run.

Then I looked for other hosts like Bluehost and Hostinger. The latter seemed affordable, but limits set by the Nepal Rashtra Bank (NRB) did not let me complete the payment. Feeling a bit furious, I searched hosts from Nepal. I compared a few options like Babal Host, Himalaya Host, and Prabhu Host, and finally settled with the WordPress Pro package of Babal Host, which cost around Rs. 13,600 for the first three years and one website with .com domain was free for a year. So, right now this WordPress site is hosted on a StableHost server provided by Babal Host.

  • WordPress Pro by Babal Host
  • WordPress Management at Stable Server

2. The Idea and Vision

My idea of blogging has always been to publish my experiences, stories, poems, and reviews in a single platform. I have made social and political commentaries, published stories and poems I have wanted to tell, and shared my emotions and vulnerabilities. I promise to keep up with these core ideas.

3. Theme and Design Choices

I have been using the Lovecraft theme by Anders Norén from the beginning of my blogging journey because of its simple design and smooth loading on mobile devices. I have continued with the same theme for the new site as well.

At first, I went with the original look the theme offered. Some of my friends suggested that the blogs were less navigable and a separate homepage would be better. Moreover, the presence of Nepali language made the website ineligible for the Google AdSense program. How did I get over it? I will share it next week.

The homepage and other pages were constructed using the WordPress Block Editor. The blog page has the theme’s default appearance. I played around with the Group and Stack blocks to fix layout issues, including an early problem where there was too much space between the title and the body content. Switching from “Group” to “Stack” helped streamline the layout and eliminate awkward spacing.

The homepage is more navigable, and you can land into page of your choice with a single click. I also removed a loading GIF that was slowing the page down and optimized the “Subscribe” box to make it more readable and intuitive. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working to shape Stories of Sandeept into more than just a blog. It’s becoming a full-fledged website—with curated pages for reflection, storytelling, and thoughtful engagement.

  • Original Homepage
  • Image showing desktop view of a website
    New Homepage-Desktop View
  • Image showing desktop view of a website
    New Homepage-Mobile View
  • New Blogpage (Similar to old homepage)

4. Content Strategy and Weekly Schedule

To ensure consistency and variety, I decided on a weekly content calendar:

  • Monday: Site Updates and Opinion Pieces
  • Tuesday: How-Tos and Tips
  • Wednesday: Constitution Study
  • Thursday: Fiction and Poetry
  • Friday: Book, Movie, or Music Reviews

This structure allows readers to know what to expect and also gives me a rhythm for creating diverse content.

5. Search and Subscribe

The search function was added using the native WordPress <!-- wp:search /--> block. For subscription, I’m still experimenting with plugins and custom forms. The idea is to have a simple, effective way for interested readers to get notified whenever something new goes live. For now, you can subscribe with your email, but may have to confirm the subscription from your inbox.

6. Ads and Analytics

As part of the monetization and sustainability plan, I’ve implemented Google AdSense. To meet their criteria:

  • I ensured all pages had substantial original content in English.
  • The Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy were drafted and published.
  • I used URL inspection via Google Search Console to make sure the pages were crawled and indexed correctly.

I will be sharing details about my experience with setting up AdSense next week.

7. Security and User Monitoring

Given recent suspicious login attempts (some even originating from Canada and the US), I installed WP Armour and similar plugins to enhance login protection and user verification. It seems to be developed by a Nepali developer, which felt like a nice local touch.

8. Language and Audience

Most pages are in English, although some categories and tags still carry Nepali labels, reflecting the site’s bilingual roots. I’m keeping an eye on how this mix influences indexing and readability, especially in AdSense and search visibility.

9. Final Thoughts

Setting up this website wasn’t just about technical know-how. In fact, I have very little knowledge of HTML I studied in my school fifteen years ago and unused since. Finding the right balance between form and function, between aesthetics and purpose was the right thing to do. ChatGPT has become a wonderful companion during this journey. From comparing hosting options to formatting blocks, I have used it to improve my website.

As I continue to write, design, and connect with readers, I hope Stories of Sandeept evolves into a meaningful platform for thoughtful voices.

Feel free to explore, read, and share your thoughts. And if you haven’t subscribed yet—do give that button a click!

​व्यवस्थापिका र कार्यपालिकालाई खुला पत्र

By

On January 15, 2017

In Blogging, Humans and Humanity, Nepal, Nepali

माननीय सांसदज्यूहरू, प्रधानमन्त्रीज्यू एवम् मन्त्रीज्यूहरू,

आज राष्ट्रिय भुकम्प सुरक्षा दिवसका अवसरमा यो पत्र लेख्दै छु । मलाई लाग्दैन देशका सबैभन्दा शक्तिशाली र जिम्मेवार व्यक्तित्वहरूलाई सानातिना कुराहरू सम्झाइरहनु पर्दैन तर मन मान्दैन । २०७२ वैशाखको भुकम्प पीडितका सम्बन्धमा केही कुरा गरौं भन्ने लागिरहेछ ।

हामी (यहाँहरू समेत) सबैले कुनै न कुनै रूपमा वैशाख १२, २०७२ को भुकम्पले ल्याएका समस्या भोगेकै हौँ । दुर्गममा भने मानिसहरूले अझ धेरै समस्या भोग्नु परिरहेको छ । उनीहरूले बाँस गुमाए, आफन्त गुमाए तर आश मारेनन् । हामीलाई लागेको थियो हाम्रो अभिभावक कहीँ छ, गरीब नै भए पनि हाम्रा दु:ख कम गर्न सक्ने अभिभावक ।

तर हाम्रा अभिभावक हाम्रा पीडा महसुस नै नगर्दा रहेछन् । कसरी सक्नुहोला जब यहाँहरू वातानुकुलित घर, कार्यालयमा बस्नुहुन्छ र त्यस्तै सवारीसाधनमा यात्रा गर्नुहुन्छ । हामीले हरक्षण महसुस गर्ने चिसो यहाँहरू महसुस नै गर्नुहुन्न । हाम्रा पीडा बुझ्नै सक्नुहुन्न ।

सक्षम, असक्षम; धनी गरीब जे भए पनि हामी यहाँहरूमाथी नै भर पर्नु परेको छ राजनीतिक दाउपेच र भ्रष्टाचारका कारण । केही भुकम्प पीडितसँग पैसा छ, घर बनाउन सक्छन्, बनाइरहेका पनि छ्न् । कतिले पैसा भएर पनि बनाउन सकेका छैनन् । यहाँहरूले नै भन्नुभएको थियो- “भुकम्प प्रतिरोधी घर बनाउनुपर्छ भविष्यको सुरक्षाको लागि ।” उनीहरूले माने । उनीहरूले प्राविधिकको आश गरे । कम्तिमा प्राविधिक तालिमको आश गरे । तर यहाँहरूले निराश बनाउनु भयो ।

अधिकांश पीडितसँग खान एक गाँस छैन । आर्थिक सहयोगविना घर बनाउन सम्भव छैन । एउटा पुनर्निर्माण प्राधिकरण बनाउनु भयो, प्रमुख आयुक्त कसलाई राख्ने भनेर विवाद गरिरहनुहुन्छ । यहाँहरूले भुकम्प पीडितका नाममा फोहोरी राजनीति गरिरहँदा उनीहरू चिसोले काँपिरहेका छन्, निस्सासिइरहेका छन् । यहाँहरूले नियमावली बनाइरहँदा बालक र वृद्धहरूले ज्यान गुमाइरहेका छन् ।

suntali

गिरानचौरको धुर्मुस-सुन्तली एकीकृत वस्ति । स्रोत: nepalaaja.com

यहाँहरूले राजधानी नजिकका पीडितलाई त केही गर्नुभएको छैन, दुर्गममा केही गर्नुहोला भन्ने त आश छैन । तर वचन दिनुभएको छ र त्यस्को लाज राख्नुहुन्छ भन्ने कामना गर्दछु किनभने जसले वचनको लाज राख्दैन त्यो त मान्छे नै होइन । तर केही सहयोगी मनहरूले वचन नदिएर पनि धेरै गरेका छन् । धुर्मुस-सुन्तलीले गरेका कार्यले यहाँहरू लज्जित हुनुपर्ने हो । उनीहरूको कदमले केही पीडितलाई आशाको किरण देखाएको छ, समुदाय दिएको छ अनि भविष्यको मार्ग पनि दिएको छ । धुर्मुस-सुन्तलीले गरेको कामको एक प्रतिशत मात्र पनि यहाँहरूमध्ये हरेकले गर्नुभएको भए, पीडितको जीवन कम्तिमा पाँच सय प्रतिशत राम्रो भैसक्ने थियो ।

भुकम्प पीडितले धेरै समस्या भोगिरहेका छन् । यहाँहरू शक्ति सन्तुलनमा व्यस्त हुनुहुन्छ तर केही समय निकालेर मनदेखि उनीहरूका घाउहरूमा मलम लगाउनुहोस्, आशीर्वाद लाग्नेछ । किनकि जनताको आशिर्वादविना यहाँहरू सत्ताको खेल खेल्नै सक्नुहुन्न ।

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