When it comes to running a blog, there are thousands of blogging tools you can buy. But most of them aren’t worth the money. These are the blogging tools you won’t regret buying.
When it comes to starting a blog, most people want to know how to do it for free. Whether it is a personal blog or a small business blog, the biggest concern is usually money. But if you aren’t willing to pay a bit up front, your blog won’t be as successful. However, there are dozens of services and blogging tools out there that aren’t good quality.
Today, I’m sharing the blogging tools that I KNOW are worth paying for. If you’re just starting your blog, take this advice and you’ll instantly be ahead of the game.
A Simple Site Name
It’s too late for my site DailyMayo.com, but what you really want when you are naming your site is something simple and related to the theme you will be writing about. No one knows Daily Mayo is about books until I tell them.
I’ve also seen site names that are too cutesy or crazy-long. If you name your site something like “the1derfulpantz,” even if you make wonderful pants, visitors will either a), not remember your site or b), not trust your site.
When possible, choose a .com ending. Other domain endings are just not as well respected in the United States.
WordPress.org
I don’t know a single person who hasn’t fallen in love with WordPress after a few weeks of using it. There are so many amazing and beautiful themes you can get that require minimal coding to make pretty. This is invaluable for people who don’t know much about coding. I rarely have to visit my FTP files and access files when using WordPress.
If you want a site that looks professional for little monetary and time investment, WordPress is the way to go. If you start with the best, you won’t have to deal with the headache of transferring later, like I had to do with SchoolingaMonkey.com.
Remember, it is WordPress.org you want, not WordPress.com
A Responsive Theme
If you have WordPress, it is easy to find a responsive theme. I use Genesis framework with StudioPress themes for all my sites, and you cannot go wrong with Genesis. There are a lot of theme options out there for WordPress, but the use of child themes that Genesis has means that it is very unlikely that your site will be ruined when WordPress updates. That peace of mind is worth almost any price, but luckily, Genesis is also affordable.
I use the basic StudioPress themes because I love how flexible, responsive, and fast-loading they are, but many other web designers create themes for Genesis as well, some even for free!
Proper Hosting
There are a bunch of hosting platforms out there, but the three hosting platforms I hear recommended the most are:
If you start out with the right host, you won’t have to go through the nightmare that is host switching like I’ve had to do. And it is a HUGE pain.
SEO Training
Once you start a blog, will visitors just start pouring in?
Nope.
It takes work to get your website seen. I’ve tried a lot of blogging tools and training tools, but many of them haven’t been worth the money. The SEO training tools that have provided value, however, have enabled me to become much more successful at what I do. If you pay for any SEO training, make it these:
Start off on the right foot with these blogging tools and you won’t regret it at all!
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