Need help starting a blog? Find step-by-step instructions here. I created this Bloggers Toolkit to easily list the tools and resources that I find valuable and useful as a full-time blogger. These resources helped grow my blog quickly and I only recommend the tools I have used or currently use. Have fun looking around and feel free to shoot me an email if you would like more insight on the below recommendations! Go here to see all my blogging posts with tips to help you grow your blog!
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Disclaimer: This page may contain affiliate links or sponsored posts. All opinions are always 100% mine and I don’t partner with any product or company that I don’t use and love. Please see our Full Disclosure for more information.
Web Hosting
What is Web Hosting you ask? If you are totally new to the Internet and the blogging world, you might be wondering WHY you need web hosting. Well, basically your web host is the company that will make your website LIVE and viewable on the Internet. You should pick a web host that has a good reputation (I’m talking website speed, no downtime issues, doesn’t increase your rates, etc). Picking a good Webhost is crucial because if you go through what I went through (I switched web hosts after 12 months of blogging because my site wasn’t loading images), you’ll quickly realize that without a good host, you have no blog!
That’s why I recommend these next few hosts (whom all have a good reputation and range from beginner to advance web hosting needs).
SiteGround
Many new bloggers choose SiteGroung as a host for their blog because they have great service and VERY affordable rates. When you are just starting your blog, you are probably trying to save as much money as possible with your investment in the beginning and SiteGround helps you do that!
Not only does Site Ground have the best hosting rates, but they will help you with setting up your blog, creating a secure (https) for your site at no additional charge, and they are just a phone call or Live chat away if you need assistance with anything.
–>>Try SiteGround for just $3.95 a month!
–>>Start a Blog in Less than 5 Minutes by following these 6 Easy Steps!????
- Go to SiteGround to get started. You will need to pick a domain name – you should pick something that describes your blog – many bloggers use their personal name as well. SiteGround will let you know if the domain is available. Be sure to read my post I Changed My Blog Name and This Happened for more blogging advice on choosing a name and the pros and cons if you are thinking about changing your blog name.
- Choose to Get Started with Web Hosting and you’ll see the below packages…
- Choose a package (most new bloggers start with the StartUp plan) and select Get Plan.
- Enter your domain name. SiteGround will let you know if the domain is available. If you purchased a domain previously (like on GoDaddy) you can also enter it here.
- Choose additional services. This is optional but I chose to have my domain as private and pay for the extra privacy fee. Check the box if you would like your domain information (your name, address, etc) to be private if someone searches who the domain belongs to.
- Enter your payment information and the Pay Now button to complete your domain and web hosting purchase.
- BAM – you have a website!????
Install WordPress Next
Now that you have a domain and hosting, you need to install WordPress.
Once WordPress is installed, you can start writing and sharing valuable content! Have fun getting to know the basics of using WordPress. WordPress is very user-friendly and you can search for topics in their Support Forum if you are stuck.
Other Web Hosts to check out:
Webfaction
I started my little blog with Bluehost but then discovered that I needed a different hosting plan, so with the advice of my tech support, I switched to WebFaction. I’m extremely happy with WebFaction’s hosting, although I’m paying more for an upgraded plan from Bluehost. I highly recommend WebFaction if you plan to have tons of pictures on your blog since they offer $10/month with 100GB SSD storage, 1GB RAM, 1TB bandwidth. Read I Changed My Blog Name and This Happened
WP Engine
I’ve heard really great things about WP Engine and although their services are a bit more than what I need at this time, I definitely keep them as a resource for my future needs as my blog grows. See How To Get 2 Months of Hosting Free!
Blog Themes
StudioPress
StudioPress offers personalized themes for your blog. WordPress offers a variety of themes or you can buy a theme to differentiate your blog. I use a Genesis theme from a third party (Modern Blogger Pro, which is a Pretty Darn Cute Design) and highly recommend going with a Genesis theme! Check out the awesome themes at SudioPress to create a blog that stands out! Read I Changed My Blog Name and This Happened
Mailing List Providers
Mailchimp
MailChimp is great when you are just starting out and want to send a regular newsletter to your subscribers. I started this blog using the free MailChimp option but wanted to grow quickly and heard great things about ConverKit so I switched about 12 months after starting this blog.
ConvertKit
ConvertKit helped me grow my subscribers with an increase of 310% in 3-months. ConvertKit is designed for bloggers and very user-friendly (it only took me a couple hours to set up an email course and several landing pages for opt-ins!). If you are willing to spend a little money to rapidly grow your blogging business, I highly recommend using ConvertKit. See How To Get Your First 30 Days For Free at ConvertKit!
Tech Support
Codeable
Need technical assistance and don’t know anyone technical? Codeable is an affordable technical support option and their technicians can help with WordPress support, hosting support and much more! How it works: Submit your problem on their website and several techs will introduce themselves and their rate. You pick which tech you want to work with and they set you up in a private chat room to collaborate. Customer service is great! I had an issue 30 days after a completed project and they fixed it free of charge! Save $10 when you go through my link!
Social Media Scheduling Providers
Buffer
Buffer makes it easy to schedule posts to all of your social media accounts. I use Buffer to schedule my Facebook, Google+ and Twitter posts in advance so I can put social media posting on auto-pilot. They also can remind you when to post on Instagram.
Tailwind
Tailwind is an official Pinterest AND Instagram partner. You can easily schedule your pins and Instagram posts on auto-pilot with their Chrome, Firefox or Safari extensions. I use both Tailwind and manual pinning to support my Pinterest account. Tailwind uses smart scheduling to help you post on Instagram at the best time for engagement. Tailwind also offers great analytics so you can evaluate your pins. There are several “Mastering Tailwind” videos that show you how to use all of the features!
Manual Pinning Spreadsheet
If you decide not to use a Pinterest schedule and need help organizing all your pins to manually pin to Pinterest, try my handy Productive Pinning Blueprint. The Blueprint contains a sophisticated Google sheets document with formulas and a schedule to plan your Pinterest pins Sunday through Saturday!
–>>Get the Productive Pinning Blueprint here!
Photo Editing
PicMonkey
A picture editing software is a must-have for your blog pictures and social media pictures. I use PicMonkey to design my blog logo and edit all of my pictures. There are many features on PicMonkey that can benefit all blog niches. PicMonkey has a free version or monthly/yearly plan with upgraded features (which I recommend).
Blog Courses
Elite Blog Academy
If you want to grow your blog and turn it into a business, the Elite Blog Academy can help you get there. I took the course in the Spring of 2016 and during that time my blog had a traffic increase of 179%. I was also able to quit my day job and start blogging full time with more money coming in! The course is only available once a year (coming Feb 2017!) so sign up for the waiting list now HERE. Read The Secret to Turn Your Hobby Blog into a Money-Making Business
Building a Framework
This course is a must-have for successful bloggers. Abby includes detailed step-by-step instructions for starting a blog and tips to grow your blog in no time. Read 3 Inspirational Books Every Work at Home Mom Should Read
Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing
Michelle’s course helped grow my affiliate income while teaching strategies I never knew to implement. She is a role model for many bloggers since she posts her monthly income reports and exceeds income levels that some bloggers only dream about. Michelle’s course is self-paced and the worksheets and assignments completely changed my perspective on my affiliate income strategy.
Pinteresting Strategies by Carly Campbell
Pinteresting Strategies is the Pinterest Bible! Carly explains things about Pinterest that I’ve never known during my first 16 months of blogging. When Pinterest changed their algorithms in Feb 2017, my page views started to decrease. A Lot! So I turned to Carly’s book and holy crap, I was able to triple my traffic after implementing her strategies. I swear if I didn’t read this book, my blog would be suffering big time!
Blog Traffic eBook: How I Went From 17K to 350K+ Monthly Page Views in 9 Months
Lena from What Mommy Does explains in detail the steps she took to increase traffic to her blog. Take notes and start implementing her strategies and you will see an increase in your traffic! I didn’t know what StumbleUpon before reading this book. Her Google+ tricks and tips increased my SEO and page views.
Productive Pinning Blueprint
The Productive Pinning Blueprint is the perfect partner for the above ebook, Pinteresting Strategies. I created the blueprint so other bloggers can easily manually pin while on-the-go. Read more to learn about how the Productive Pinning Blueprint can help you.
Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers
Have you tried affiliate marketing and feel like you’re failing? Do you wonder why it looks so easy for some people to make sales…and wonder what secrets they know that you don’t? Then this course is for you! Learn from the best, Cary Campbell!
Recommended Plugins for WordPress
- Pretty Links – Use this to create your own links or for affiliate links
- Hello Bar – This will come in handy when you are ready to add a subscription option or want to get more social media followers
- Social Warfare – That awesome social sharing bar on the left side/bottom of my blog and posts!
- Pin It Button for Pinterest – Enables a Pin It button overall images that are at least 120×120
- Instagram Feed – A widget to show your IG feed on your blog sidebar
- Instagram Slider – A widget to showcase your IG feed either on your sidebar or a page/post
- Back Up Buddy – Use this to back up your data/blog
- WP Edit – Allows you to use different headings in your posts (which you need for Good SEO) and many other tools for writing posts
- Contact Form 7 – Provides a basic form for your contact page
- Yoast SEO – You need this to get tips on making each post SEO perfect (tip: you want to get a green light for each post before hitting publish)
- WordPress Editorial Calendar – I use this to plan/schedule my posts with the calendar view
If you still haven’t started a blog but don’t know where to start, go here to see how easy it is to start making money from a blog!
Grab my Blogging for Business Time Management Guide for FREE! All you have to do is subscribe HERE and I’ll send you my guide for how to manage your time and create a work-life balance while creating your blog business!
Get 10 stock images to use on your blog for FREE! All you have to do is subscribe HERE and I’ll send you 10 professional images to use for free!
Grab my essential blog post checklists!
Includes:
- Blog Post Checklist (a checklist of everything you should do before hitting publish!)
- Blog Post Sharing Checklist (a checklist of where to share your blog post once published)
- Blog Post Monetization Checklist (a checklist of items you should do to monetize your post)
Don’t forget to check out the Productive Pinning Blueprint!
–>> Go here to see the rest of my blogging tips and tutorials!
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Disclaimer: This page may contain affiliate links or sponsored posts. All opinions are always 100% mine and I don’t partner with any product or company that I don’t use and love. Please see our Full Disclosure for more information.
