10+ of the Best Free Tools for Bloggers
When you first start a blog there can be a lot to learn. From content and artwork, to social media and hosting, it can be very overwhelming. But there are tons of (mostly) free tools that you can utilise when developing your blog.
Here are my favourite free tools for bloggers…
10+ of the Best Free Tools for Bloggers
WordPress
WordPress is (in my opinion) the easiest blogging and website content management system there is & they also have a comprehensive user support guide (so perfect for beginners)! Before I bought my own domain I used the free version of WordPress (this means that you’ll have a “.wordpress.com” domain name). I’ve tried other free web hosting alternatives but honestly WordPress is the best one for customising your blog in a quick and simple way.
Lyrical Host
After a few years of hosting my blog on TSO Host I decided that their servers weren’t quick enough and their customer support weren’t overly helpful when I had some security issues. That’s why I decided to switch to Lyrical Host. So far my experience of being hosted by Lyrical Host has been perfect and I fully recommend them if you want to take your blog to the next level.
If you would like to buy hosting from Lyrical Host use code “BEEMONEYSAVVY” for a 10% discount!
ShortPixel
Want to improve the speed of your blog and keep your readers happy? One of the best free tools to do this is with image optimisation. Having your page loading speed reduced means more page views, a pleasant user experience and better search ranking! ShortPixel takes care of this process for you without reducing the quality of your pictures.
Dropbox
I’ve always used Dropbox; either for backing up university work, personal projects and now for blogging! Dropbox is a free tool that lets you store all your files in one central place. They’re safely synced across all your devices meaning that you can access them anywhere! You can also share files making super easy to collaborate on projects!
Canva
Canva is a graphic-design tool website. It uses a simple drag-and-drop format and provides access to photographs, graphics, and fonts. It’s used by both new bloggers and seasoned professionals. I use Canva for all the infographics, banners and social media artwork that I produce.
Grammarly
Grammarly is one of my favourite free tools. It’s a free writing app that automatically checks your content for grammar, spelling, punctuation, word choice, and style mistakes and suggests ways for you to make your posts more clear and effective. I have the Chrome extension and check my writing before I publish it.
Twitter is easily the highest driver of traffic to my blog! If you’re new to the blogging scene I would suggest creating a branded blogging account on Twitter and encouraging friends/family to follow your account. Another great way of promoting your blog on twitter is engaging with other bloggers through #followtrains and #commentthreads, @bloggingbees tweets these regularly!
If you blog about a specific niche (e.g. money) then Instagram is great for engaging people of the same interests. Like Twitter, if you’re new to blogging i’d highly recommend opening an Instagram account dedicated to your blog! Hashtags are an important promotional tool on Instagram so make sure to include lots of related hashtags in your posts. TagBlender is good for copy and pasting a large amount of #’s. Another great (and free) tool that I use on my Instagram is Linktr.ee, link tree lets you have a single link in your bio that links to multiple blog posts, sign up pages and affiliate links.
Hootsuite
Hootsuite is a automatic social media management platform. It lets you queue social media posts in advance (perfect for busy bloggers). It currently allows you to queue 30 posts (on the free account) to Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This is great for when you’re heading off on holiday and you want to keep your blog promotion going while you’re away!
Crowdfire
The Crowdfire app lets you track your Twitter and Instagram stats; displaying your followers, unfollowers, inactive users, admirers and more in one shot. There are lots of free tools to help you manage and optimise your social media channels.
MailChimp
I use the free Mailchimp subscription to send out a monthly newsletter including new blog posts that I’ve published that month. I try to make my newsletter as topical and engaging as possible so that my readers don’t think that I’m spamming them with my website all the time.
PayPal
PayPal is easily the best way to send and receive money both locally and internationally which you’ll need to do if you want to earn money through your blog. Some affiliate programmes and sponsored advertisers will pay you through PayPal.
Of all the free tools you can have for payment, I’ve found PayPal to be the preference. You can also download PayPal business to send out invoices to brands that you work with (you do have to pay a fee unfortunately).
Pixabay
If you have a website or blog, it’s likely that you’ll need quality photos to use on your site. The cost of buying stock photos can add up, but fortunately Pixabay makes it possible to get quality photos for free.
InLinkz
InLinkz is a widget that is inserted into your blog and allows you to receive link submissions from your readers, offering you the opportunity to host link parties and blog hops. This is a really great way to generate traffic to your blog!
Buzzsumo
If you want to improve your content and delve into SEO (search engine optimisation), then you should try a free tool called BuzzSumo. Buzzsumo provides you with the top ranking content for your blogging area. Allowing you to create better content and attract new readers to your site.
More Free Tools for Bloggers
Ways to Automate Your Blogging Business
Why Get Blogged is Great for Paid Blog Opportunities
How to Make Money from Your Blog
Lucrative Ways To Optimise Your Blog Advertisements
Have I missed any amazing free tools that you use all the time for your blog? Let me know in the comments below and I’ll add it to this list!
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