I’m going to make it work for you by giving a short review of each blogging tool and why you should use them. These are tools I have used (at least some of them ) and have proven to be helpful in my blogging journey. You need to keep reading this post and see why I recommend each blogging tool and what it can do for your business. Most are available at no cost while some will require you to pay a monthly or annual subscription.
SEO Tools
Ahrefs
In the SEO world, Ahrefs is one of the most mentioned tools that can help you optimize your website. Well, this tool deserves all the attention owing to its effectiveness and a safe haven for beginners and experienced bloggers. It helps with site audits, keyword tracking, content ranking, and backlinking tools.
SEOPress
SEOPress is a WordPress plugin that’s available for a free and paid version. The best part is that the free version works just fine. You can manage your meta descriptions, posts, and pages effectively. Also, SEOPress checks the quality of your content and whether it’s suitable for your readers.
Uber suggest
Uber suggests is a Keyword tool by Neil Patel. It helps with keyword search, overall site audit, single page audit, and suggests the most used keywords in your industry. Ubersuggest is easy to use even for bloggers using keyword software for the first time. When creating a content strategy ensure UberSuggest is part of the plan.
Google Search Console
I’m a web developer and I know Google Search Console is a must-have blogging tool. I use it on all my client’s websites and my own blogs. Again, Google Search Console or GSC helps you to monitor the performance of your site and troubleshoot any problems associated with search results. GSC tools give reports on trendy keywords, search results that drive traffic to your site and performs an action such as:
- Requests Google to crawl and re-index your site.
- Troubleshoot any security issue on your website.
- Confirm that Google crawl your site
- Notify you how often your site appears on Google
- You see sites that link to your website.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is another free tool from Google. The best thing about Google Analytics is that it can be used by any user -whether you are a beginner or experienced. You search the latest keywords, measure the success of social media campaigns, get data on website performance, and see the visitors on your page (their location and the most visited page on your website ). Also, you can track your competitors’ performance and integrate third-party platforms like Google ads and Facebook ads.
The only disadvantage of Google Analytics is that it cannot go beyond basic SEO needs. However, it’s the best freemium available for beginners and business owners on a tight budget.
Yoast SEO
If you blog on WordPress then you must have heard about Yoast. Yoast is a WordPress plugin that helps you optimize posts for search engines. It will show the readability score of your articles, suggest keywords, and help you with SEO-friendly meta descriptions. It’s the most preferred WordPress plugin and available for free. The free plan is enough to get you started but the premium version has special features such as synonyms to your keywords.
Hosting Service
Bluehost
Blue host is another blogging tool that bloggers insist on. It offers instant WordPress installation, free domain, and a money-back guarantee. Again, Bluehost has the best customer service and therefore the best option for new bloggers. Here is a guide I did recently on how to start a blog using Bluehost.
Godaddy (where to buy domain names)
GoDaddy is the place to buy great domains to kickstart your blog with creative ideas. Buying a domain is super easy -there is a search tool and an idea generator to help you with a perfect name for your blog. Godaddy is also a hosting company apart from its popular domains.
Kinsta (for managed WordPress Hosting)
There are several hosting companies that offer managed WordPress hosting but Kinsta hosting stands out. Unlike other services, Kinsta offers its services on Google cloud on a unique Cpanel that suits particular user needs. Kinsta gives you the freedom to work with a CDN (content delivery network ) of your choice and uses let’s encrypt a system that enables you to install SSL certificates and protect your site. For an in-depth review about Kinsta hosting read here.
Email Service Providers
MailChimp
You have probably heard about Mailchimp as the leading email marketing software. Mailchimp provides a generous freemium which allows sending 10,000 emails to 2000 subscribers a month. The fact that Mailchimp has been in business for 18 years means you can set up successful campaigns.
MailChimp has a drag and drops editor that helps design landing pages, newsletters, and opt-in forms. Also, Mailchimp is the best for email automation, presentation, and A/B testing.
What sets Mailchimp apart is its seamless integration with Google Analytics which provides reports and the performance of each email campaign.
Bloom
Bloom will help you with compelling opt-ins in various pages or posts on your blog. You may have opt-ins from your email marketing provider but if they are not visible enough, visitors will leave your blog without taking action. Bloom has templates to help build targeted opt-ins on your blog either for Newsletter sign-ups, on landing pages, and certain posts depending on the activity of the user.
It can show opt-ins based on the location of your visitor, the pages your visitor frequents and based on the kind of content the customer clicks.
Sumo
Formerly Sumome, Sumo is a polished email marketing tool that can bring your crazy leads and conversions. Sumo has a set of tools like a list builder, on-site analytics, social sharing, traffic growth, communication, and E-commerce.
The list builder helps you build a community easily while the onsite analytics helps with reports about your campaigns. Additionally, it’s easier to schedule automated emails and timely pop-ups on your blog. Lastly, Sumo is fully set up for E-commerce and comes with a compelling buy button. Sumo has the best tools all in one place.
GetResponse
Most bloggers will describe GetResponse as the best Newsletter builder.GetResponse provides email services just like the other providers -has autoresponders, provides analytics, offers landing pages, best for video marketing on Email. What makes it unique is its inbuilt CRM uncommon on other platforms, list automation, and spam testing. However, GetResponse is not for you if you are looking for a freemium.
WordPress Plugins and Page Builders
Revive Old Posts
It’s crucial to keep your audience glued to relevant content to boost traffic to your blog. But since you’ll need to create multiple posts, old posts tend to be neglected to lead to less engagement. However, some old posts can still be helpful to your audience, and Revive Old Posts plugin can help you repost your old content on social media. Once you install this plugin on your blog, it will automatically share your old blog posts after a couple of weeks.
This blogging tool does all that automatically unlike some scheduling tools like Hootsuite which will require manual work to perform such an action.
Gleam
Gleam allows you to manage competition, contests, and giveaways on your blog. Giveaways are one of the most effective marketing tactics and gleam ensures your campaign is compelling enough.
Gleam allows you to collect emails, crowdfund, give instant rewards to participants, and display content that’s relevant to your visitors. There are tons of templates that can help visitors see the value of your brand outside the giveaways and contests.
DIVI
Almost every blogger confesses that the Divi theme is the best decision ever. Divi website builder is a product of Elegant themes and so far has gained over 2 million downloads. It’s easy on newbie bloggers and also perfect for master bloggers who want to attract more attention to their blog.
Divi theme gives you free design elements, vectors, and other awesome features to make your site’s interface look appealing to your visitors.
Other perks you get for using Divi are free 40+ templates, galleries, forms, testimonials, and calls to action.
GeneratePress
GeneratePress is a multipurpose theme on WordPress.It’s available for free and the Pro version which gives the best results. It is compatible with most page builders like Elementor and Beaver. The pro version provides extra design features and it’s super fast. GeneratePress has hundreds of templates and can make your blog look extra appealing.
Elementor Pro
Elementor is a drag and drop page builder on WordPress that’s available in both free and paid versions. The free version of this tool works just fine. It has 100+ pre-designed templates, allows the creation of unique content, and is compatible with most WordPress themes.
Elementor is one of the few page builders that will allow you to create high-end landing pages and other pages you may need on your blog.
Collaboration and Project Management Tools
Slack
Slack is another project management tool that allows you to track your projects, manage your team, and sales. On Slack, you get speedy notifications, integration with basic work apps such as Google Drive, Trello, and Zendesk and it’s easy to make uploads. If you have a team, the web messaging feature is a great way to collaborate with your partners on various projects.
Trello
Trello has helped me and my team a lot -I upload all my projects there and use their calendar to set deadlines and reminders. Trello will ensure that you can see every task and what you need to do in a given time and no information is lost.
It’s also effective for managing your team since you can upload tasks and your expectations. New users can easily get a grip on what’s going on almost instantly. Further, the tool is available for free though there is a paid version that comes with a free trial.
Fiverr
Running a blog is not easy and you’ll need help at some point and Fiverr is the place to be. You can buy services for as cheap as $5 from qualified freelance professionals.
Services that you can outsource on Fiverr are Graphic Design, content creation, video editing, marketing your site, and web design. Fiverr is the place to run to boost your business by outsourcing jobs to qualified people.
Media and Creativity
Canva
Canva is for bloggers who want to go extra with their creativity. It helps create designs (business cards, social media posts, and blog banners )and it’s great for video editing. You can use Canva on any device and upload graphics on social media directly from the platform.
Lumen 5
Lumen5 is an AI-powered video maker that makes videos for social media more engaging. It’s one of the easiest video-makers to use since you just need to enter your blog URL and your video will be complete in minutes. There is no manual work involved since it has thousands of stock photos and video clips that add automatically to your video.
Snappa
On their website, Snappa simply describes themselves as the best Canva alternative. It means it’s an advanced Canva version with a superior photo editor, 1000+ designed templates, and 5000+ free stock photos. Snappa is the best for high-end graphics and video editing.
Loom
Do you need to connect with clients or get to know other bloggers? Loom has emerged as one of the most affordable and simple-to-use video conferencing tools. On Loom, you can screen record, upload as many files as you wish, and can access files through links.
Teachable.com
If you are a blogger at some point you will need to create courses. Teachable is your best partner when it comes to creating and hosting your course.
There are a ton of resources on how to create a course and how to promote the same course. On teachable you manage the sales of your own course unlike some Platforms like Udemy that will sell your course among other courses at a discount.
Content Creation Tools
Headline Analyzer
Headlines are the sole reason why users click on your posts. Not to mention that you may spend hours trying different headlines in your posts. However, there are tools that can help you do that in minutes. There are popular tools like the Coschedule headline analyzer and Tweak Your Biz idea generator.
Grammarly
It’s important to proofread your posts before you publish them anywhere. Grammarly will help you fix wrong sentences, spelling errors, suggest synonyms and scan your writing for plagiarism.
It is available for free but the premium service is the best. For instance, you cannot check plagiarism on the free version of Grammarly. But the free version is a good place to start if you don’t have money to invest in a proofreading tool.
The best thing about Grammarly is that you can download a chrome extension that you can use on Google apps and other platforms like LinkedIn. Additionally, you can add it to Microsoft Word instead of uploading documents on the official page.
Google Docs
Google documents provide a service similar to Microsoft word. However, Google docs are different -you can save access to your work from multiple devices with your Gmail account.
Additionally, the writing app has a strong spell checker and accepts add ons such as Grammarly or ProwritingAid.The best part is that you can add other people you need to work with by sending them an invitation via Gmail.
Financial Management Tools
WaveApps
As a blogger, you will need to track your expenses, make financial reports, and make professional invoices. Wave apps can allow you to do all that for your business for free. Also, the wave is a cloud-based accounting software so you can work from anywhere whether you have a big team or you work alone.
The best feature of this tool is that you can scan receipts, process receipts, do payment and payroll processes in a single click.
Quickbooks
Quickbooks is accounting software that enables solopreneurs like you to manage and track finances. It can be accessed remotely and can help you perform tasks such as invoicing, producing reports, paying bills, and generating tax reports. The software allows you to try it for 30 days with no credit card details required. So, this is a risk-free offer you should try to make sure you can track your finances successfully.
PayPal
PayPal is an international money transfer service that allows you to pay for services online. Paypal is one of the most accepted payment methods and you will find it as a method of payment on most websites. Paypal is free to use and you can use it to pay bills or receive payment from your clients.
Moreover, you can add your bank account, credit/debit cards, and select your default payment whenever you use PayPal. But there has been so much talk about Paypal’s customer service, so ensure your profile is legit in case of any problem with your account.
Conclusion
These blogging tools and resources are enough for you to boost the performance of your blog. You just need to pick the tools that meet your blogging needs. Let’s carry on with this discussion in the comments. Tell me about your experience with the above tools. Alternatively, tell me about other blogging tools that have made blogging easier for you.
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