Web Hosting
Before you can begin to crank out content and earn money, you have to have a place for all of that content. Which is where a self-hosted website comes in. Sure, you don’t need a host to create a website. Check out my blog post about the benefits of having a self-hosted website, here.
Bluehost
I began using Bluehost in 2016 when I began my blogging journey with this website. Since then I have built several websites that are hosted by Bluehost. At $2.75/month for the most basic plan, you won’t be breaking the bank with Bluehost.
Not only are they affordable, but they are fast, dependable, and their customer service is always helpful and responsive. I honestly can’y think of a time that I’ve contacted Bluehost customer service, when they have been unable to help me solve what ever problem I was facing.
WordPress Themes
As you begin to work on the look and feel of your website, you’re going to want to have full creative freedom to make it look and work how you want. That’s where a good WordPress theme comes in. I used to use the free ones that you can access through WordPress, but once I began using premium themes there was no going back.
In my time blogging I have either worked with or interacted with themes from the following creators, and highly recommend them. Currently I am using the Amelia James theme from 17th Avenue, and absolutely love it!
- 17th Avenue
- The thoroughness of the documentation, instructions, and tutorials that come with these themes makes the process of setting them up a breeze, even for someone new to blogging.
Software
Canva
I’ve been using Canva for quite a few years now. It’s a great program for creating graphics for your blog, Pinterest Pins, printables, and so much more. Canva has a huge stock of templates to help get your creative juices flowing. In addition to hundreds photos and graphics you can use to create what ever you need.
Between blogging and college projects, this program is worth the annual cost of $119 per year. Which is only about $9.90 a month. You can use Canva for free as well, there are just a ton of Pro features that you will not have access to. Canva offers a 30 day free trial of Pro, so definitely give it a whirl before locking in!
Convert Kit
This email marketing platform is simple, straight forward and free to use for up to 1,000 email subscribers. The cool thing about Convert Kit is that once you’ve outgrown their free plan and are scaling beyond 1,000 email subscribers, you can essentially “choose your price” for your upgraded plan.
You just need to tell them how many subscribers you are working with/aiming to have and the monthly cost will be calculated according to what you submit. This is great because you don’t have to pay more than what you are going to use.
Grab your affiliate link by clicking on "Get HTML Code" –>” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>program
that began as a place that you could schedule Pinterest pins to re-pin in order to gain traffic to your Pinterest account and website. They still do this, but with a lot of other new features as well. in addition to Pinterest, you can also automate posts to your Facebook page and Instagram.A newer feature they have rolled out is their AI assistants. Their “ghost writer” feature comes in handy big time when you’ve encountered a writers blog and just need a little nudge in the right direction. I was skeptical about using AI in blogging when it first started to become really popular and accessible, but now I’ve come to appreciate how helpful it can be!
Blogging Education
Blogging Her Way
Dale is the owner of Blogging Her Way, a blog that focuses on blogging as well as a couple of various lifestyle-type topics. She has scaled her way to success in blogging and has created a few courses and other helpful digital resources for her readers to utilizes so that they can find their own path to blogging success.
- Get Paid to Pin
- Amazon Affiliate Affluence
- Niche Selection Secrets
- 30 Days to Blogging Success
- Blogging Boot Camp
Her Paper Route
Chelsea is undoubtedly an authority in the realm of blogging. She made her name on the internet through blog flipping, and continues to scale her success by working with CEOs and bloggers alike. Helping them grow their business though the techniques that she has found success with in her own business. Below, I’ve listed a few of her free courses that I’ve completed and recommend.
