Succeeding online as a Blogger requires planning, in terms of content generation and marketing strategy. There are various blogging tools that are essential to get you started, going and finally providing you with away to your success. In this article, I look at some of the key tools you need as a professional blogger as detailed below:
Blog Hosting
If you are serious blogger and wants to make money online through blogging, then I would recommend self-hosting. Most bloggers shy away from spending so much when they are starting out; hence getting a cheap hosting is priority for them. You can get an affordable hosting from say Namecheap hosting starting @$1.98 per month. This comes with various free additional offers like:
- Domain name
- 30 mailboxes
- Website builder
- 20 GB SSD
In case you want to make a switch or you want to start a new blog, simply sign up with Namecheap here.
Jetpack
For WordPress users, Jetpack adds additional features to your blog. With Jetpack, you have:
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- Concise site stats about your traffic
- Social sharing, you can automatically publicize your posts
- You have access to free and paid search engine optimization tools
- Security & backup services: You are able to identify attacks, prevent threats, backup, restore and easily migrate your site.
- You are able to stay in touch with your audience through free email subscriptions, engage with them through advanced comments and contact forms, you can also protect your readers from spam through the use of filters
- Jetpack also offers free high-speed CDN image tools like slideshows, Carousels etc.
From the above, you can see that Jetpack can really enhance your site and put it to another level. If this is something you want to try on your blog, you can check out their services and plans here.
Convertkit
This is one of the best Email Marketing service providers for bloggers and businesses. Convertkit provides key features to help you build, engage your subscribers. Convertkit comes with the following features:
- Easy to create Auto Responders
- Automation, this saves you time and makes your time easier. For example, you can create a specific sequence for every subscriber to enter an email once they download your freebie. With automation, you can also choose which day and time to send emails.
- You have access to a number of stats: open rates, click rates, conversion rates, visitors, subscribers, % of conversion based on referrers.
- Easy on boarding for new users. If you are joining the email service provider for the first time or switching from another service, you are assured of full support from Convertkit support team.
- You can easily create Twitter cards to increase your engagements on the campaigns you choose to share on twitter.
- Convertkit gives the option to show different information to those who have already seen the landing page or form. This can be a link to another offer or freebie etc.
- You can filter your audience with ease, for example you can choose to send emails to subscribers who have joined the list in the past one month and leave out others.
Convertkit is the best tool for email marketing for bloggers.
Also Read: Over 9 Best tools to help you Manage your Social Media Networks
Hootsuite
This is a social media management tool. You can be able to manage, and monitor your social media accounts just from one central point. Hootsuite provides you with a well-equipped dashboard to efficiently measure and manage all your social media networks. With Hootsuite, you are able to:
- Track conversion as well as monitor the results of your social media campaigns from a single place
- You can schedule your tweets and messages, monitor brand mentions as well as analysis on the traffic.
Hootsuite provides a 30 day free trial which enables you to test their services and see if they are worth investing your money in.
Milotree
Building a social media following appears to be one of the daunting tasks to bloggers especially if you don’t want to spend money. Building a following base may take time if not well planned and executed. Milotree has proven to be the best tool for helping bloggers in building their social media followings.
So what is Milotree? Milotree is a smart pop-up that helps you use your blog traffic to increase your followers on your social media networks as well as your Email subscribers. Milotree has unique features that make it better than any other similar tools out there, with Milotree, you can:
- Choose multiple platforms at once
- Customize your pop-up with your best background, text and button colours
- Easily set it up on your blog, WordPress users can simply install Milotree plugin, and add their social media accounts
- Access the analytics, with this you are able to know the number of clicks you are receiving on the pop-up and this can be a determining factor especially if you are taking the 30 day free trial.
This is one tool I would recommend to those looking to increase their social media followers. You can test their services just by signing up for their free trial.
Tailwind
Just like Hootsuite; Tailwind is a scheduling tool but it is most commonly used for Pinterest, although you can also use for scheduling posts to Instagram and Facebook Pages. Manual Pinning can be a time-consuming task and at the same time tiresome, but with Tailwind, you can:
- Schedule your pins at your appropriate time
- Upload images quickly
- Measure and analyse how your pins are performing
- Grow your audience through Tailwind Tribes
With this tool, you can increase your Pinterest followers, and traffic to your blog tremendously. If you are using Pinterest to market your blog or business, then this is the tool you need to help you automate pinning tasks. Simply test out their services by signing up for their free trial.
Also Read: 5 Best Email Marketing Services for Bloggers
Canva
Having images included in your content is a key factor to increasing engagements on your posts. Canva provides image templates and different ways to format, edit and size them. You can also format or edit your own images on Canva simply by uploading them to the platform. If you are a user of Pinterest, then you know the importance of having good images to improve the engagement and click-through rates on your pins. Canva has a free plan for those who want simple features. But if you want enhanced features on your images, then you go for paid plans.
Bottom Line
The above are just but few of the tools that a professional blogger needs. Succeeding online is not just about writing, but you need platforms to create your content, market it to the desired audience while engaging the audience at the same time. Feel free to share thoughts, or some of the blogging tools you are currently using in the comments section below.
Thank you for this information. I’m new to blogging and currently use bluehost, jetpack which I absolutely love and Canva. I have your post bookmarked so I can work on getting more of these apps for my site. Thanks again.
You are welcomed Shana!
These are some great resources as I should be looking to schedule some of my social media posts. Thanks for sharing!
Hi, thanks for dropping by.
Thank you so much Friend. Being a new Blogger, It is very helpful article for me. I hope you will share such informational blogs in the future.
Hi, I appreciate your feedback.
Very nice post John, wishing to get more of these..
Hi Albert, I appreciate your visit and feedback.
I really need all of them because all of these are really important to grow my blog.Thank’s John for sharing all these.Your blog is really informative and i am always learning new tips and tricks from your site.
Hi, thanks for your feedback. You are welcomed.
Thank you for the great information
Welcome.
This is an excellent round up of blogging tools!
Thank you for sharing 😀
– Nyxie
Welcome.
Thank you! Some of these I was aware of but definitely received some new tips from your article! Always appreciate when I can learn from more experienced bloggers how to grow, improve, and succeed!
Hi, thanks for visiting and for the positive feedback!
Thank you for introducing me to all these new tools. A few I have heard of but most I haven’t. Looking into them now!
Sarah | getupgetaway.com
Thanks for the feedback Sarah!
Welcome.
Glad to learn that this was a great post!
There are some fabulous tools on this list, some I am familiar with, others I really need to utilise. I’ve been using Canva for a while now and not sure how I managed without it! I really need to take a look at Tailwind. Thank you for sharing xxx
Hi Ashley, thanks very much for visiting and commenting on this post.
As a blogger myself, there are so many great tips to follow here. I am gonna be bookmarking this to make sure i follow all your suggestions.
Thanks for the feedback.
These are some wonderful tips! I’ve been already using a few of them and would love to dig out more about Milotree!
Thanks for visiting.
Great tips. I tried Convertkit and didnt like very much. I use Aphi to schedule posts on Instagram
Thanks for your feedback.
love these tips! every single one of them is important. Thanks so much for sharing
Most welcomed.
Great list here. I’ve heard a lot about Jetpack…definitely something I need to look further into. Thanks!
Welcome.
Some great tips and resources that all bloggers need to read. I use almost everything except Convertkit. I need to read more about this.
Your feedback well taken, thanks.
Great tips for any blogger, thanks for sharing
Welcome.
These tips are so helpful for new bloggers. We wish this was around when we first started.
Glad to learn that.
Amazing and spot on. Every blogger should be on this list for a successful blog anyday anytime. I use a few here already and i am glad about it.
Thanks for visiting.
Tailwind is such a big help for me it is so easy to use and so useful when it comes to my Pinterest.
Hi Preet, thanks for your feedback.
I’ve been using Canva for a year now and it has been so useful for me. The templates are really cool and it has so much to offer even if you are not on a premium account.
Glad to learn that.
I can vouch for most of these. they are excellent blogging tools
Thanks.
Thanks for sharing these lovely tips. It would be super useful for upcoming bloggers.
Thanks for visiting.
Out of all these I use tailwind the most. It had boosted my Pinterest traffic tremendously! xo, Suzanne
Hi Suzanne, thanks for your feedback.
I have used ConvertKit in the past, and it’s an easy interface to familiarize yourself with, and produces a great product in the end, as well!
Hi, thanks for the positive feedback on ConvertKit.
I like that there are ways to filter your audience. I think that would be very helpful!
How do you feel about Jetpack slowing down your website? I am using it but I am considering taking it off, see if it makes a difference in my site speed.
I use Jetpack, but I do not experience that problem. Have you tried improving performance. Please go to Jetpack settings, then enable site accelerator.
This is so helpful for me as I have just started my website and still plenty of things not knowing. I am quite interested in canva and I like learn how to deal with all my photos in the blog.
Thanks for your feedback.
Thank you for this amazing article and it’s really a great help especially to those starting their blog site. I’ve agree on everything you’ve cited here and your on point I may say.
Thanks.
I see a few on this list that I’ve never heard of. I’ll have to check them out.
Thanks for the feedback.
This tips are super helpful! Thank you for sharing!
Welcome.
I would like to suggest Trello for organizing workflows and affiliate programs!
Hi, will check it out. Thanks for dropping by.
Lots in there I’ve never heard of, thankfully a few I have and indeed use, so all is not lost! #Globalblogging
Hi, thanks for visiting.
Some great tips here. I also think Canva is so useful! #globalblogging
Yes, I too use Canva for all my images, it is a useful tool for bloggers.
Canva has been such a great tool for me. I have upgraded and it’s been worth every penny. I sent out my media kits snail mail and I can’t even keep up with all the offers I have gotten from that. My media kit thru canva was so perfect.
Hi, glad to learn how canva is helping you succeed in your online business. I too use it especially for images. Thanks for visiting.
Never heard of milotree. I was looking into tailwind recently. Thanks for the introduction to new tools.
Hi Latha, thanks for visiting. Milotree is a good tool to use to grow followers. You can always try it for free for 30 days and see if it worth having it as a blogger.
I wasnt aware of milotree, thanks for the info.
Hi, thanks for reading! Milotree is a useful tool to help you grow your followers. They have a free trial to help you test out the service before deciding if it is something worth investing in as a blogger.