Top Blogging Tools to Grow Your Online Business

This post contains affiliate links to many of the blogging tools I’m sharing. That means I may make a small commission on items purchased through links in this post at no extra cost to you! Affiliate Disclaimer

Blogging doesn’t have to be hard, but for some reason, it feels like it is when you first start or are lost. I know many of you want blogging to be a business, but aren’t sure what you need to get going. Well in this post I want to share some of the blogging tools I use (and I seriously use them).

How I Got Started

I started blogging in 2014, WOW! Let me take that in for a minute… OK. With that, I have changed so much. I started out with a small little cheap tablet with a keyboard for when I was with my 2 kids and wanted to type a little here and there. Otherwise, I used my desktop.

I had no direction at all. I basically used it as a diary and shared whatever was going on at the time. It was my version of a “lifestyle blog”. My two kids started homeschooling during this time and I was fairly content with how things were going. I wasn’t really making money on my blog though. I didn’t really have much direction and there weren’t really great resources for blogging at the time. Minus… you should use WordPress!

So, that’s what I did. I used Bluehost and WordPress and started a mediocre if best, blog. I did the bare minimum (free theme, etc) Again, no real direction, I thought I would do crafting blog posts mainly…

Switching to Handmade

Feeling a bit bored and uninspired, I switched gears and became a maker. Selling items on Etsy and at Sage Hen Serendipity (which is no longer a storefront), I was insanely busy! I suddenly had 3, then 4 then 5 kids, and a crafting business. I was trying to keep up with everything and running on empty.

My blog was an afterthought. Something I did when I “had time”, and to be honest, I didn’t really have time. I was just slapping in blog posts here and there, then I was going back to fix things from rushing to just get the post done. Ugh! It was a nightmare!

Back to Basics

Fast forward to a pandemic and EVERYTHING changed. My husband and I had a serious talk about what I wanted to do and what I thought I would actually keep up with. I had five kids now (three of them under 5 years old mind you). My two oldest were doing virtual learning, and I was getting ready to start homeschooling two my of younger ones in the fall. Now when I say “serious talk”, it was really a “You seem tired and not happy” talk. My husband has always been one of great support for me, but because the point of this endeavor was for me to find something that I loved to do and could do while being present with my family, once I started feeling flustered and unable to keep up. My husband thought it was time to re-evaluate what I was doing.

He was right. I was annoyed I couldn’t keep up. The mom guilt was 10-fold and I was just done. So… Back to writing. Honestly, I had really missed it. I missed sharing my passion for being creative with you all. Sharing the food secrets my dad taught me, the things I’ve learned being with all my kids, and the crafts that I’ve grown to love even more.

I was using WIX for a while, but for sharing cooking tips and recipes on my blog, it’s not the greatest. So back to Bluehost and WordPress, I went. But this time with direction and much better insught.

Now I’m back to loving what I do and am now able to actually share even more with you than ever before!

So today, I wanted to share with you all my blogging tools. These are the tools I use to help me with my blog (and the business side of it as well). Hopefully, it will help you too! Both that starting and those growing.

“The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.”

-H. Jackson Brown Jr.

The Tools

Bluehost

When you’re first starting out in blogging, it’s hard to justify spending tons of money for a site. Especially if you have no following whatsoever. I know many people have opinions on Bluehost and not many are good. For me, it has been fine. Especially when I first started. customer service has always been fine, and it’s affordable!

Bluehost is the hosting I recommend to most first-time bloggers! They make things super easy to set up and are always there to walk you through something if you need help! And they offer a free domain name with their service so you don’t have to buy the domain separately!

Their service is $2.95/month and that includes a free domain name, free site builders, a 1-step install for WordPress, and 24/7 support.

*Helpful tip! If a pop-up extra savings window comes up during your Bluehost application, click the extra savings! I was able to get 1/2 off my already cheap hosting.

Click here to get Bluehost hosting! (That link gets you a free domain name when you sign up for hosting!)

Big Scoots

If you’re looking for something other than Bluehost, I suggest Big Scoots. I personally don’t dislike Bluehost, and for what you get for the price, I think it’s great. But I know many people are not a fan. So I wanted to make sure I gave you another option that would also be good. Especially if you don’t want to do that whole yearly promo purchase/ buy 3 years’ worth.

So you can’t/don’t want to do the $100-$300 upfront payment for the year (or 3) for Bluehost and prefer to just do the $35 a month instead, then definitely go with Big Scoots! Otherwise, I would recommend just sticking with Bluehost. They’re great and so much more affordable!

WordPress Theme Designers

Below are a couple of my favorite designers for WordPress Themes. One thing I can really suggest, if you use WordPress, pay for a theme you love. Don’t just get a free one. Trust me. I did that to start and regretted it. I have switched several times and in the end, WordPress ended up being the best for me as a food blogger. But I’m so glad I paid for a good theme.

ANMCreativeCo

Lexi is absolutely fabulous. She was super helpful in getting my site up and running and her instructions are easy to follow. Her themes are usually updated yearly making it great if you’re hoping to not have everyone with the same theme. Mine is the 2023 one. An additional package to install the theme for you is also available. But like many Etsy designers, she asks that you message her first before purchasing.

AZTheme

If you want a more affordable and simple theme design, Danny does a great job. He’s great at helping out as well and offers free installation for ALL themes. Just send a message to him after you purchase your theme!

Convertkit

I have gone back and forth with different e-mail marketing and ConvertKit has been a HUGE game changer for me! The cost varies depending on the number of subscribers you have for the Creator Account, but if you’re just starting out and really can’t afford to pay for anything, they do offer a free version that is great for when you’re first starting. It’s free for up to 1,000 subscribers, but it is limited to what you are able to do. If you want to be able to have those connected emails that go out one after the other (days or weeks separated); you do NEED to have one of the Creator Accounts.

Lightroom Filters

In case you didn’t know… Adobe Lightroom. Mobile is completely free to use (not just a 30-day/7-day trial). I bought this bundle and it has been the biggest help with improving my photos and making them cohesive not just on my blog, but on Social Media as well. It’s worth it. And honestly, this seller makes them affordable!

⇩This next one is definitely a must-have blogging tool.⇩

Canva

(Not an Affiliate)

I discovered this program 3 years ago and it is the BEST investment I have made for my business. I pay for the Pro version, but they offer a free one if you just want to try it out. The pro version offers so much that I think it’s worth the monetary investment. I can easily resize ads so I have the same ad for different formats. It also offers a Pinterest and Facebook content planner that will schedule your posts for you AND automatically post them. This was a huge game-changer for me. not only can I create the content there, but I can publish it right from Canva. It seriously saves me so much time and in the end…money. Trust me when I say it’s worth it!

Teachers and Schools get Canva Free.

Check out the Canva Pricing Page for Details on all of this

Bad Axe Enterprises

(Not an Affiliate)

Carolyn is fabulous! She offers some pretty awesome support and features that will help you sooo much with where you want to go and where you want to be (this is not an affiliate link at all, FYI).

Make sure you’re following her on Instagram too because, no joke, she seriously shares and helps everyone!

And make sure you also join her Bad Axe Bix Club! First off it is 100% free, free is great right? Essentially, this is an online club through Might Newtowrks that was created by Carolyn to join creatives & business owners so we can share insights, get answers, and grow together!

For Business Banking: Novo

(Not an Affiliate)

When you’re first starting out, you’re spending money on an LLC, possibly a TM, your blog, and whatever else you might need. But once you have a business entity, you NEED a business account (yes, even business blogs need them). Many business accounts require minimums and fees to get started. Novo is completely online and totally free to get started. Use Code: JenniferSmith10 and get $40 when you open and fund your Novo account. This is a Referral code, not an affiliate link.

That’s it for now!

Make sure you stop back because I will be updating this blog post to make sure I’m sharing the most current information on what I use for blogging tools as things change.

Comment below and let me know how any of these worked out for you or maybe you have a program you like to use! Happy Blogging!

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©Photo, Prop Styling, and Styling by Jenn Smith unless otherwise noted.

All blogging tool products and company names are trademarked™ or registered® trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.