One of the things I love about blogging is writing and communicating with my readers. I quickly learned, however, that blogging requires many other tools besides a laptop and a message. These are my top ten favorite blogging resources that make my blogging life run smoothly and efficiently.
For those of you who are looking to start a blog, or blog as a business, click on the links below. I hope they help you as much as they have helped me. If you have questions about any of these services, shoot me an email at settingmyintention {at} gmail.com!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a small commission if you choose to make a purchase. Thank you for supporting the blog in this way!
My Top Ten Favorite Blogging Resources
1. Bluehost
I’ve been on Bluehost since I started blogging in 2015 and I have never been anything but pleased. I would highly recommend starting on Bluehost with a self-hosted WordPress site if you’re interested in eventually turning your blog into a business. I have a free eBook that walks you step by step through setting up a WordPress site on Bluehost in my VIP Library for subscribers.
2. Elite Blog Academy
This is THE blogging program that has really helped me to focus my time and energy as a new blogger. It is the first and only comprehensive blogging course that I purchased. It has walked me step by step through thinking about branding, organizing, writing, and ways to earn income from my blog.
It’s a costly program, but if you don’t have the money now – sign up to be on her email list (by clicking the image or link above) because you will learn a ton just from her FREE content. The course is only sold once a year, so you’re best bet is to sign up for the wait list to get notified for her free webinars and trainings. You can sign up HERE and get the The Secret Blueprint for Blogging Success as an immediate download.
Building a Framework: The Ultimate Blogging Handbook and Course
If you are a brand new blogger, or just in the “considering” stage, this is the blog course for you. It is affordable and geared towards new bloggers. It is also available year round – which is awesome!
There is technical guidance in the form of videos along with content that covers: getting your blog set up, creating amazing content, growing your blog traffic and social media presence, to earning money on your blog. It is a great alternative to pricier blog courses.
There are two options: an eBook or a full program that includes the eBook – all under $100. She has a FREE 10 Day Blogging Quickstart email course to help you start your blog the right way.
3. Picmonkey and Canva
These two websites help us non-designers create great looking long, vertical images (also known as “pinnable” images) to our posts. Canva is supposed to be great to make templates that you can use repeatedly, but I haven’t done that yet. I find PicMonkey a lot easier to use. This might be because I started out with PicMonkey. There is a free version of PicMonkey but I think the annual cost of the program (roughly $40 if you pay for the year in full) is well worth the money. The free version has ads on it that slows the program down significantly.
4. ConvertKit
One thing you will hear repeatedly as a blogger is that you must build an email list – the sooner the better! When I started out I signed up with MailChimp because it’s free if you have under 2,000 subscribers. The frustrating thing about it though is that there is no automation process under the free program (for sending out a free printable or worksheets when people sign up) and there is also no support available! I recently switched to ConvertKit and I’m “convert”ed (okay bad joke). The customer service has been great, it’s been easy to switch over, and I’ve been able to start automating freebies and email sequences. You can get to know ConvertKit through a free book here.
If you’re looking for a more affordable option as a beginner blogger, check out Mailerlite. They have a program that is free up to the first 1,000 subscribers.
5. Creative Market
This has been one of my favorite discoveries. Every week I receive an email with several different freebies I can download for one week. There is usually a free font, graphic element, template, or even a website theme. You can choose to download one or all of them! Creative Market also has beautiful fonts and logos that you can buy and personalize. Many times they have font and graphic bundles that are a great deal!
For other free fonts – check out Google Fonts which are all free to use. The Hungry JPeg also provides one freebie a week.
6. Free Stock Photos
The ones I tend to use are: Pixabay, Unsplash, and Pexels. If you’re looking for feminine stock photos, check out IvoryMix , A Prettier Web, and Haute Chocolate for free packs when you sign up for their email lists.
Another option that isn’t free, but very affordable, is DepositPhotos through AppSumo. You get 100 stock photos for $39 and they never expire. These seem to sell out every year, so check it out!
7. BluChic Landing Page Templates
If you aren’t highly technical but have a product that you’d like to sell, these easy to use landing pages will make it easy peasy! There’s only a one time payment and you can use them over and over again. Includes lead magnet opt-in page, tripwire offer page, thank you page, sales page, offer expired page, webinar registration page and live webinar page. All you have to do is add in your own copy, your photos, and change the colors and fonts.
8. Pretty Chic Theme by Pretty Darn Cute Design
I changed my theme recently when I bought the Genesis Framework. I used a free WordPress theme for over a year and half. It was great when I was just starting out. However, as I grew to know what I wanted to change when I had money to spend on my blog, one of them was to buy a new theme with the Genesis Framework. The Genesis Framework provides a solid foundation that themes are built from. It is responsive right out of the box (says my techy husband who knows more about this).
9. Boardbooster
This is my current Pinterest scheduling program. Pinterest is by far my biggest referral source and so I want to make sure that my posts are being pinned on a daily basis. However, I don’t have the time to be pinning throughout the day so I’ve set up Boardbooster to pin my best pins to my personal and group boards throughout the week automatically.
Tailwind is also another pinning program that is extremely popular with bloggers. I just started using them and LOVE the Tailwind Tribe features. If you want to join my Tailwind Tribe on Simplifying Life and Minimalism, feel free to click the link.
10. Goals with Grace Course
This course by Victoria Osborn is awesome. If you’ve struggled with taking the time to write down goals and a mission statement, this is the course for you. Blogging adds a whole lot of tasks and opportunities that can take one’s time and energy away from the really important priorities.
If I felt disorganized before blogging, I felt even more stretched after I started blogging. Going through Victoria’s course has helped me write out my priorities and weigh opportunities against those priorities. If you haven’t written out your goals, definitely check this out. Her program has several different price points for all budgets. For the eBook only, click HERE. For the full course (the best deal with audio, video, and extra helpful worksheets), click HERE.
Those are my top ten blogging resources. I’d love to hear your top resources as a blogger! Let me know in the comments below!
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