Top Blogging Resources & Tools You Can REALLY Use!
If you’re serious about blogging, having the right tools and resources for your blog can make a massive difference.
I should know – I was a blogger for over 7 years before I got serious about treating my blog like the business it already was. If I could go back and change anything about my blogging experience, it would be that I would have put money into my blog from the begin and really focused on its growth by using tools that would have helped me get serious about growing!
Below is a list of the exact tools I actually utilize to help me grow my blog, stay connected with my readers, save time [and frustration!], and engage, engage, engage!
Some of the links may be affiliate links, but I can guarantee that I have not and will not list a product on here that I do not already use myself, with awesome results. If my opinion of a product ever changes, you better believe you won’t see it on this page any longer!
BlueHost
This is one of the top self-hosted sites out there and their prices cannot be beat! I love sending people to BlueHost because they have great customer service, they’re easy to use & they’re SO affordable!
If you want to learn exactly how to start your own blog, I have a huge step-by-step guide on it RIGHT HERE!
Restored316
This is where I purchased my blog template. Before I even chose the exact template I am using now I knew that I wanted a Restored316 template. Why? They’re pretty but too feminine, they have a lot of white space (I HATE a jumbled looking blog!), and they are super easy to use. I am absolutely not tech-y at all, so getting an easy to implement and customize template that looks good was super high on my list of MUST HAVES!).
Canva
What the absolute heck did I do without Canva!?!? Canva is where I make all the graphics that you see on my blog & social media. Truth time- my husband is a graphic designer in real life and even HE is a fan of Canva. Go, use it. It will change your blogging life!
ConvertKit
ConvertKit is my email provider for my blog and I love every single thing about it. In fact, it is the #1 reason that I have experienced such significant growth in my engagement and blog audience. They have so many different features that have allowed me to grow an email list and offer awesome & valuable freebies to my readers. If you want to play with the big boys, you gotta use what they use and ConvertKit is used by some of the best bloggers for a reason. It is 100% worth my investment!
Stock Photos
I have got a huge post all about free stock photos. Read that RIGHT HERE and spend the next 30 minutes downloading as many beautiful stock photos as you can get your hands on! However, I do suggest you look into purchasing a few packages of really good stock photos so your blog doesn’t look like everyone else! My personal preference is IvoryMix. Her stuff is stunning and really gives you that stand-out appearance that all of us bloggers are going for!
Hootsuite
There are a million and one ways to schedule your social media but I will never tire of the first social media scheduler I ever used: Hootsuite. What I love is that you can connect your Twitter, Facebook & Instagram all in one place so you can work on all three in one place. Hootsuite has been around for so long because it’s so good – that’s the truth – and easy to use.
Tailwind
This is what I use for my Pinterest account…and it’s TOTALLY WORTH IT! Pinterest is such a useful tool for anyone who is growing a blog following – no matter what you blog about! Tailwind actually frees up a lot of the time that Pinterest can suck out of you (come on, you know it’s true!), so I highly recommend investing in it if for nothing other than the time it will save you while you work on growing your blog!
Share-a-Sale
I am not huge on affiliate marketing as my income strategy but there are plenty of bloggers who have had excellent success with suggesting products and making a cut off any purchases. If you are looking to begin in affiliate marketing, I suggest you sign up with Share-a-Sale, as they have the so many potential affiliate partners all in one spot!
