If you are new to blogging and you can’t understand where to start, then this post can be helpful for you. In short, anyone trying to do anything that requires a blog should look at this basic guide.

BLOGGING PLATFORMS

·         WordPress.com

WordPress is one of the easiest working platforms and can be used by anyone. It is recommended by most Social Media influencers and bloggers due to its simple design. Some of the feature includes a free wordpress.com sub domain, jetpack features, community support, and free themes. In the end, wordpress.com is a solid platform for every type of blogger.

Now, WordPress is available in two versions WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

If you’re new to WordPress, you might wonder, what is the difference between WordPress.org and WordPress.com.

The one major difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org is the hosting of your website.

With WordPress.org, You need to host your own blog or website. You need to download the free WordPress software and install on your own web server. This is the recommended one serious bloggers. On the other hand, WordPress.com, takes care of all of the hosting for you. You don’t need to download the software, pay for hosting, or manage a web server. The only catch here is that you get the sub-domain at WordPress.com (your blog link be like this –> yourblog.wordpress.com). Furthermore, free version of WordPress.com comes with several other limitations.

·         Medium

Launched in 2012, a little late than wordpress.com but still one of the leading platforms. Its growth has been exceptional in last few years and it has given wordpress.com quite the competition. Medium give users multiple ways to register such as with email or other social media platforms. Medium is one of the best for self help guides and entrepreneurs. It puts your message and content at the center to your users.

WEB HOSTING

·         Bluehost

Bluehost is one of the top-rated web hosting companies. It is very good for first time users. It has quite effective and low prices and comes with free domain name and website builder. If a little sceptical, they also give a 30-day money back guarantee. They have un-metered bandwidth and maximum storage varies on the plan that you choose. WordPress.com also recommends it.

·         Hostinger

Hostinger is one of the cheapest service providers. They generally have cheaper long plans than short ones. Even being one of the cheapest, they still give decent up-time. Databases and bandwidth varies on the plan you choose to have. Though, it is worth noting that some important add-ons do cost extra money. Just like Bluehost, they too offer a 30-day money back guarantee.

BLOG DESIGN/THEMES

·         StudioPress

Most of the blogs that you will come across are generally using this. Even this blog has the services of StudioPress. The main recognition of the StudioPress is because of its sleek design and highly functional themes. Genesis Framework is used in all the StudioPress templates. It also has smart design architecture and effective coding. The different businesses can be filtered and choice of themes can be selected according to the categories. It gives the blog a simple yet professional look.

·         Elegant Themes

Generally, Elegant Themes are used when the blogger requires neat and sophisticated Wordpress themes. Content can be added using built-in custom quite easily. Some of the features of this theme include typography options, frequent updates, well-written documentation and additional styling options. One unique feature of the theme is WordPress Theme Customizer that helps in customizing the blog such as portfolio posts, background, etc.

·         Genesis Framework

Like the case with StudioPress, Genesis Framework is used and recommended by most bloggers. This sort of popularity is the result of the policy of one time investment. Genesis Framework delivers a strong foundation for your blog.

·         PremiumCoding

Themes by premium coding has a number of customizable and useful features. This is due to the highly detailed documentation and clean code base. It offers premium array of plug-ins for WordPress and give thoroughly checked frequent updates.

·         Bluchic Themes

If you want your blog to be recognized as a hotspot for women, you definitely need to have a look at Bluchic Themes. These are designed for women in business and creative endeavors. One of the most used services by women entrepreneurs; these come with pretty design and strong SEO characteristics.

SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGEMENT

·         Buffer

Buffer is one of the well established social media platforms. It is generally very helpful in scheduling social media posts. Other features include publishing with queue, analytics, engagement and team features. It can be easily integrated with Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest. It also has the RSS feed that helps you to publish the posts from the blog.

·         HootSuite

HootSuite is one of the early developed social media platforms. It has all the various applications like content creation, scheduling, organization and RSS integration. It mostly is used for bulk scheduling which can be used to upload several posts at a time. It can be used with Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube and WordPress. It also has a free version which is perfect for beginners.

·         eClincher

eClincher is very developed but still easy to use social media manager. It has all the general tools and applications and also features some of its unique ones. Features like smart queues, RSS feed integration, auto posting, social inbox, and suggested content. Social engagement is one of the plus points of eClincher. It can be integrated with every leading social media platform.

EMAIL MARKETING TOOLS

·         Mailchimp

If email marketing tools had a leader, it probably would have been Mailchimp. The free plan provides you with basic email marketing features like scheduling and email creation. Its recommendation feature is one of the best which helps you with marketing by finding valuable audience insights. The designing of emails on this platform is quite easy and Mailchimp also lets you automate your emails.

·         Constant Contact

Constant contact is one of the oldest email marketing companies. It was founded in 1995. Everything about Constant Contact is mostly quite good and it has all the features of basic email marketing tool. It provides all other features including automation emails, A/B testing email subject lines, and customizable templates. They sent over 200 million emails per day, making them one of the largest.

·         ConvertKit

ConvertKit is an email marketing tool that has built itself around the idea of being a tag-based system. It uses a far more efficient way to manage subscribers and run automations. It applies tags to your subscribers based on their behaviour. ConvertKit offers an intuitive system that includes site tracking for WordPress users. It is most suitable for business owners.

OTHER BLOGGING TOOLS

·         Grammarly

Grammarly, as the name suggests is an online grammar checking platform for English language. It also helps in detecting word spellings and plagiarism. Launched in 2009, it has quickly become one of the essential products for writers and bloggers. Almost everyone uses it as it works in automated way. It automatically detects mistakes and helps in correcting them. Therefore, becoming a must have.

·         Shutterstock (For Images)

Every blogger needs a perfect image or a pattern to catch the attention of the user. So, finding that image could be an atrocious task, but not with Shutterstock. It helps in providing the desired images. Images are categorised into various categories, making them easier to find.

·         Pixabay (For Free Images)

Pixabay is another website for finding free stock photos, footage and vector graphics. The beauty of this website is that different photos can be found out due to its users sharing them. Also what makes this platform great is that all the images are royalty-free.

·         Pixistock (For Images)

Pixistock is a stock photo website which has many different and cheap plans to choose from. Most of the lady bloggers and female creators generally use this website. Membership will enable you to get hold of many beautiful images which can be used in various ways.

·         IvoryMix (For Images)

IvoryMix is one of the cheapest stock photo websites. You can get access to stock photos which match with your brand. It also provides users with some creative courses.

·         Canva

It is a graphic design website which uses the simple drag and drop format. It is easy to use and understand and can be used by beginners as well as professionals. The tools are easy to understand and can be used for online as well as offline design and graphics.

·         Dropbox

Dropbox has made the online file sharing quite easy. It is a tool to save and backup files online. Almost everyone working on web or a blogger has the contents backed up. It helps your blog to grow without limits and you don’t have to track for the information you saved previously.

PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

·         Trello

Trello is an internet based application that acts as your personal assistant. It boosts productivity by organising personal and business ones. Trello can also be used as a reminder to assignments, schedules and deadlines. Trello also has developed a Power-Up for automating tasks in Trello board.

·         LastPass

LastPass is a password manager that stores all your passwords online. The passwords and secure notes of a user are protected by one master password. It is used by adding a chrome extension on Google chrome. Basically, now you don’t have to remember every single password.

These are some of the Essential blogging tools and resources which should be used by every blogger for saving time and improving quality.

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