Recommended Resources For Blogging
You might be wondering what the recommended resources for blogging to have when setting up your own blog or website are. There are so many things out there, plus other bloggers will recommend different things, and it can be a bit overwhelming.
I’ve simplified and listed all my best tools that have been tried and tested by me over the years and the reason why. I only recommend things that I use or have used and that I find really helpful.
The Best Resources For Blogging
WORDPRESS HOSTING PROVIDER
WordPress is the number 1 website for any blogger. It’s customizable and this is where you make your money. For the website to run you need a hosting provider. I recommend two providers.
- Bluehost – Great for starting and affordable. Good if you own several sites. Free domain included or buy separately from Name Cheap. This blog is hosted with Bluehost.
- Big Scoots – A managed hosted platform. Excellent customer service. Great for a fast growing website. I use this for my recipe site.
- WP Engine – Another great hosting platform for a growing site.
BEST PLUGINS FOR WORDPRESS
Deciding on which plugins to have or ditch took me years to figure out what’s relevant and what’s not.
- WP Rocket – Vastly improve the speed of your site
- Askimet – To reduce SPAM
- UpDraft – To back up your site in case the worst happens
- Monster Insights – Not necessary but I like the free Headline tool.
- Yoast – Good for SEO
- Google Site Kit – Connect your analytics and AdSense code here.
BEST THEMES FOR WORDPRESS
The theme is how your site looks, the decorative site of your site. Your theme needs to be customizable, meaning it has to look good across all devices especially mobile. I only recommend 3.
- Elementor – Good for landing pages.
- Twenty Twenty Three – WordPress has this already installed and reguarly updated.
EMAIL MARKETING TOOLS
You will need to collect subscribers to be a successful blogger. There are so many and I have tried a lot! I recommend 5 that are user friendly.
- ConvertKit – A well-known platform used by many bloggers. Free to get started but can be expensive once you pass the 1000 subscriber mark.
- AWeber – FREE to start. A great platform, less expensive than ConvertKit.
- Beehiive – FREE to start. Another great platform cheaper than ConvertKit. Easy to navigate and create. Better customization than Convertkit
- Mail Poet – Integrated in your WordPress admin section. Simple to use. FREE for up to 2000 subscribers.
- MailerLite – A light user-friendly platform with automation.
COURSE PLATFORMS
If you want to create you own course (which I recommend), here are my top 3.
- Thinkific – this platform is easy to edit, plus you can publish one course for FREE. My husband uses Thinkific for his courses and loves it.
- ThriveCart – this platform is not only a course platform but is also a funnel system and currently at a one-time-fee, (no monthly fees). So grab it while you can!
- Teachable – Another great platform and very user-friendly.
ESSENTIAL COURSES TO BUY
As a new blogger you need to learn from the best. There are only a few courses you need to take. Number 1 is essential for any one to succeed in blogging.
- Stupid Simple SEO – Excellent course, wish I’d learnt this from the start! Shows you how to write and layout of a post and the research you need to do.
- Printables By Number – Shows you how to create a professional freebie and e-books for your subscribers.
- BloggerGBT – Learn how to properly use AI tools. This a great course for serious bloggers. I truly recommend this course!
- Niche Site Academy – Not sure what subject to write about? This course teaches you how to pick your niche and whether it’s worth choosing!