Blogging is something most us in the digital industry have dabbled in at some point. Maybe you’re blogging on your own personal site (mine is 365brides.com – in case you were curious), maybe you blog for your business, for article marketing – or perhaps just as a hobby. Whichever one of these applies to you – there are some great tools out there you should be using and applying to your website – and your blogging efforts.
For those blogging as part of an online campaign (as part of your link building and SEO) your blogging is probably methodical, planned and recorded down to the very last guest post. For you – these tools will be invaluable (trust me). For those who blog for pleasure – or as a personal side-project, these tools will still have a lot to offer you.
1. Google Adsense – An ad program run by Google themselves.
2. Google adwords – Another Google tool – many bloggers use it to promote their blogs.
3. My Blog Guest – Interested in guest blogging for other sites? This is the place to find people who are actively looking for people like you.
4. BlogDesk – A great little blog-editing tool.
5. Blog Poll – A tool for putting polls on your blog, to encourage engagement.
6. WordPress – Considering setting up a new blog? This is a great hosting tool with loads of great paid and free themes.
7. Tiny URL – A basic link shortening tool, which is always handy.
8. Pro Blogger Job Board – Want to start making money from blogging? This site is updated with new jobs regularly.
9. YouTube – Video is a great way of adding interesting content to your blog. YouTube is where you can host the videos.
10. Buffer – If you have Social Media accounts linked to your blog, this is a great way to schedule posts and updates.
11. Mint – Another website analytics tools, if Google isn’t your thing – this might be.
12. CopyScape – When accepting guest blog posts from other blogger, this ensures you’re not using duplicate content.
13. PayPal – When you start making money online with your blog – PayPal will be your best friend.
14. Flickr – If you can’t afford stock images, have a look through the creative commons section of Flickr.
15. Photo Bucket – Great image hosting website.
16. Mail Chimp – Build professional looking newsletters to your followers and subscribers.
17. Buzz Stream – I don’t know how I ever lived without this tool. Awesome software for organising your outreach process for guest blogging and recording links.
18. Trello – Got more than one blog on the go? Need to organise your tasks? This website is a miracle worker.
19. Drop Box – It’s good to back everything up, good for everyone – not just bloggers!
20. Gravatar – Links up your profile and images all over the web – so people know when a post has been written by you.
21. Hootsuite – Another tool for those of you who link up your social media accounts with your blog. Lets you manage your accounts together.
22. Smashing Magazine – Always updating with posts about great WordPress themes.
23. Evernote – Lets you save things for later – but all organised and nice. Great for saving articles and blogs you want to network with at a later date. I know people who swear by this tool.
24. Blogger Link Up – Another great tool for bloggers who want to network and start guest posting. Also great for article marketing people. You get a news letter 3 x a week with ads from people seeking guest posts.
25. Akismet – Protects your blog against spam. Simple but good.
And that’s it! Feel free to add more suggestions in the comments – I’m well aware there could be at least 50 more! Looking forward to hearing suggestions…!
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