We all have the same goal as bloggers- to help others and monetize our talents, right? But with so many different products out there, it can be hard to decide what’s worth buying and what isn’t.
So today I’m sharing an EXTENSIVE list of all of the blogging resources and blog software that I use and recommend as a blogging business owner. Grab a cup of coffee because I was as thorough as possible for you guys and didn’t leave anything out!
This page contains affiliate links, which means I will receive a commission if you buy one of these products, at no additional cost to you. More importantly, I only list things that I've loved or used in the past and genuinely recommend.
Each of the tools and resources here have my stamp of approval. You can read more in my Disclaimer.
SETTING UP YOUR BLOG
HOSTING & DOMAINS
Bluehost: I've used Bluehost since Day 1 and still use them to this day. I recommend using shared hosting to begin with (which is what I did) and then upgrading to VPS hosting as you grow (which is what I use for some of my sites now).
PLATFORMS
Here is my step-by-step tutorial on how to setup your blog with Wordpress.org and Bluehost.
SITE ASSISTANCE
Squarespace Tech Support (If you’re signed in, they also have a live chat support)
Upwork (This is where I found all of my freelancers!)
FAVORITE COURSES & PRODUCTS
BLOGGING
Blogging to Win: An online course to help you with the stages of setting up your blog and using modern strategies to create the platform for a profitable blogging business.
Blogging Business Club: An online club for ambitious women who want to spend less time wondering what they should be doing next and more time growing a profitable blogging business.
Blogging to Win Workbook: Want to create your blog business plan and organize your strategies?
Pinterest Pin Templates: Love Pinterest but hate having to design or create the pins? Grab these 9 Pinterest templates and simply edit the colors, logo, etc. No fancy software required.
Pinterest Presence: Learn how to master Pinterest to drive traffic back to your website and increase growth and profitability with this self-paced online course.
Pinteresting Strategies: Learn exactly how Carly Campbell went from 0-200,000 pageviews/month by pinning manually in this ebook.
Become a Pinterest VA Today: Looking to make money helping other bloggers run their Pinterest accounts? This course will show you exactly how to become a Pinterest Virtual Assistant!
EMAIL MARKETING
ConvertKit Essentials: How to use the ConvertKit platform to grow your list and impress your email subscribers.
RUNNING YOUR SITE
SPEED
Ewww Image Optimizer Wordpress plugin to compress your images
W3 Total Cache Wordpress plugin to increase site performance
Upgrade your hosting plan or switch from a shared hosting plan to a Virtual Private Server (VPS) plan. Bluehost offers these VPS prices, which I have personally used before.
ANTI-SPAM
Akismet plugin for free cloud-based and anti-spam plugins
BACKUP YOUR SITE
BackWPup plugin (For Wordpress- can be used with Dropbox, which is also free.)
STORAGE SPACE FOR FILES, PHOTOS, ETC.
External Hard Drive (This is my fav!)
WRITING
KEYWORD RESEARCH
WRITING TOOLS
*Note: Yes, I’m incredibly old-fashioned and I use notebooks and legal pads to write the majority of my outlines for videos and blog posts. With a young kiddo at home, I try to limit how much he sees me sit in front of a computer. Writing this way helps with that goal.
LINK SHORTENERS
DESIGN AND PHOTOGRAPHY
CAMERAS
iPhone
Canon T5i w/Kit Lens (**I am still currently using this, as of May 2019)
STOCK PHOTOS
Pixabay
Creative Market
Canva
WORDPRESS FRAMEWORK
WEBSITE DESIGN/TEMPLATES
Point (Wordpress)
Five (Squarespace)
Station Seven (Both Squarespace and Wordpress designs!): You can see my full review on the Acadia design here!
Bluechic (Wordpress only)
StudioPress by WPEngine (Wordpress only)
LOGOS
Fiverr
GRAPHIC DESIGNS (DIY)
GRAPHIC DESIGNS (FOR PURCHASE)
Creative Market
Creative Market also offers freebies each week. Here are the free items you can pick up this week!
COLOR INSPIRATION
Get Colors from Image (Just upload an image and it’ll tell you the exact HEX codes. Life saver!)
VIDEO & FILMING
CAMERAS
iPhone
Canon T5i w/Kit Lens (**I am still currently using this, as of May 2019)
VIDEO HOSTING
Vimeo Pro (Great for hosting videos you’d like to keep private or more exclusive, like the content we use in our membership club, the Blogging Business Club.)
MICROPHONES
MUSIC
YouTube Library
Epidemic Sound (**This is where I currently get my music, as of May 2019)
SCREEN RECORDERS
Quicktime
RUNNING A BLOGGING BUSINESS
AFFILIATE PROGRAMS
Read AFFILIATE MARKETING: BEST PROGRAMS FOR BLOGGERS here
AD NETWORKS
Read THE BEST AD NETWORKS FOR BLOGGERS: EVEN FOR NEWBIES! here
WHERE TO SELL YOUR PRODUCTS
Teachable (electronic products like courses, workbooks, ebooks, etc. I’ve been using them for 4+ years and still love them!)
Amazon KDP Select Program (ebooks)
Gumroad (ebooks and downloads)
RECEIVING PAYMENTS
LANDING PAGES
LEGAL ASSISTANCE
Rachel Brenke (contract templates for bloggers and businesses)
ACCOUNTING
Excel spreadsheet or Google Sheets
QuickBooks (Get 50% off the Self-Employed software, which is what I use, by using my link here)
Freshbooks (for freelance work if you're invoicing people, etc.)
NETWORKING & COACHING
CUSTOMER SERVICE
WEBCAMS
WEBINAR SOFTWARE
YouTube Live
EMAIL MARKETING SOFTWARE
ConvertKit
POPUP SOFTWARE
SOCIAL MEDIA SCHEDULERS
Post Planner
Later
GIVEAWAYS
SURVEYS
Want to watch the video version of this blog post?
WANT MY SECRETS FOR A PROFITABLE BLOG?
Join my FREE BLOGGING COURSE! It comes with a totally awesome 29-page workbook that'll help you build a mastermind plan, keep track of your goals, and more.
