The Ultimate Guide to Essential Blogging Tools and Resources for Beginners

Image: blogging guide credit by: web5abhijitblog.com

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It has to be noted that many new bloggers used to contemplate over time-saving strategies and enhancement of their blog management abilities. Such questions as which blogging tools and resources are most effective to use, as well as which free resources and tools can assist in improving the blog belong to this category. But even if you’re currently blogging, you may still receive this kind of inquiries.

The word Blogging encompasses different elements, thus, bloggers use several tools and resources: blogging platforms, domain, and hosting services; blogging and keyword research tools; blog graphic design; newsletter services; analytics and many others.

It is helpful for those who have newly developed the blog and for those who have initiated blogging already. Below, I have been presenting the list of tools and resources that you need to know for the betterment and management of your blogging:
 
 
 Most of these tools and resources I have personally tried on my works and several have that been highly recommended by some experienced professional writers.
 
 These lists will expand with new writing resourcing that I’ve found, which you should also look into; of course, such resourcings will save you oodles of hours.

1: A blogging website

On this platform, we write blogs . There are differences in the names and functions of different blogging firms’ platforms. The above two shows that most people use more than one platform at a time, but I seldom use more than three. Two are for a side blog, and one is for my primary site.
 
 
 Every day, millions produce blog material, using the most incredible blogging platform called WordPress. WordPress provides a free site at wordpress . org, but a self hosted WordPress blog on wordpress. In this case, the org will afford you the greatest freedom.

Blogger is a good and free blogging site that has sufficient ability to allow for frequent blogging and profitability. The new important headline is that Google is the owner of Blogger these days.
 
 

Tumblr is a microblogging site the people can use to share anything from funny animations such as memes, interesting gifs, or just some casual photographs of their lives. Many people are even using Tumblr as their second blog platform, which is the platform where they blog when their primary official blog server is down.
 

2: Website and blog domain names

A domain name therefore refers to the name or the identifier of a website or web address. Similarly, users type in keywords on their browsers so as to look for websites whether through the shortcuts. Domain name is one of the prerequisites of the management of a website and thus it is a necessity. A domain-seller firm is created, if you have to purchase a domain.

Go Daddy: I bought my own domain under the name web5abhijitblog.com, from GoDaddy. In my understanding, their graphical user interface is quite friendly so as to easily hook up with a hosting website. The do not charge any other fees and their prices are relatively low. From my side I have experienced them as having a good number of well-mannered and helpful customer relations personnel. Worth to also state that GoDaddy owns this business.

Domain.com:  Previously, I used Domain. It is from com that my clients buy domains. One thing that I learned about them is that they offer their services at a fairly decent price for the kind of service they offer. They easily avoided gimmicks such as any hidden charges. Although Domain. com is not the cheapest by far: however, many other domain name dealers say that they offer much lower prices, but they may have hidden costs.

3: Services for Hosting

And to start a self-hosted blog, you must have a host. All the data and media assets of your whole blog are kept in hosting storage. While out there is an array of company offering hosting services, the two most popular among professional bloggers are the following.

BlueHost: This is a hosting provider which WordPress itself recommend. Bluehost is yet again an old and recognized hosting company. They possess a lot of popularity with the cheap hosting services they offer. WordPress users boast that the Bluehost server hosts a significant number of WordPress websites.

Siteground: Out of them all, he avers that Bluehost is the most reliable and secure web hosting service. They offer a number of plans and offers to suit their customers. SiteGround offers three tiers of hosting that are highly affordable but your site will be hosted on an incredibly stable server. The service providers that they have in their customer support department are obliging.

4: Themes and Designs for Blogs

Surprisingly, the first thing that defines the inner you and wins attention in the blog or website world outside is the packaging. Enhance your blog's appearance with:Add more value in your blog by:

• Themeforest: Platform to purchase various blog templates potentially for use on multiple blogging platforms.
• Tesla Themes: Priced right, stylish WordPress themes with first-rate, ongoing post-transaction customer services.
• MyThemeShop: Offers high-quality themes and plugins to improve WordPress functionality.

5: Resources for Managing Teams, Organizing, and Being Productive

Improve productivity and streamline your blogging process with:

• Co-Schedule: Tool for SEO-friendly headlines and content scheduling.
• Grammarly: Chrome plugin for proofreading and grammar checking.
• Evernote: Note-taking tool for drafting blog posts and organizing ideas.
• Hiver: Chrome extension for team communication and task management.
• Google Analytics: Monitor blog performance and traffic insights.
• Google AdWords (Keyword Planner) and Serpstat: Tools for keyword research and SEO analysis.
• Clockspot: Online time tracking tool for managing blogging tasks efficiently.

6: Cloud Storage Resources

Securely store and backup blog data with:

• Google Drive: Convenient storage for backup files, articles, and scripts.
• Dropbox: Host scripts and store data securely.
• OpenDrive: User-friendly cloud storage platform for notes, files, and backups.

7: Resources for Managing Social Media Sites

Centrally manage social media accounts and posts with:

• Tailwind: Tool for scheduling and analyzing Pinterest and Instagram posts.
• BoardBooster: Enhance Pinterest presence with pin organization and optimization.
• HootSuite: Schedule and manage posts across multiple social networks from one dashboard.

8: Graphic Design Tools

Create visually appealing blog post designs using:

• Canva: Web-based graphic design tool for creating images and banners.
• Design Wizard: Affordable tool for graphic creation with a vast template library.
• PicMonkey: Create stunning designs and edit photos for blog articles.
• Creative Market: Source for fonts, graphics, and creative resources for blog design.

9: Where to Find Royalty-Free Stock Images

Access high-quality, royalty-free stock photos from:

• Shutterstock: Premium stock photo source for distinctive blog visuals.
• Pexels: Source for high-quality, free stock images for personal and commercial use.

10: Email Marketing Tools and Services

Grow your email list and manage campaigns with:

• MailChimp: Popular email marketing platform with free plan for up to 2000 subscribers.
• MailerLite: Automation-focused email marketing service with a generous free plan.
• ConvertKit: Advanced email marketing solution for list growth and automation.
• SpecificFeeds: RSS feed management tool with email subscription features.

11: Solutions for Online Payments

Receive online payments securely with:

• Payoneer: Payment gateway for bloggers and freelancers with a global reach.
• Payza: Alternative payment platform for eCommerce and automated payments.

These essential tools and resources can significantly enhance your blogging experience. Feel free to explore and share other helpful tools in the comments!

Happy Blogging!