Here is a list of some of my favorite blogging tools and resources, with everything ranging from hosting, design, affiliate programs, eBooks, and more!
This post has been a long time coming! I first decided that I wanted to put it together probably four months ago, but since then, it’s just been a matter of sitting down to put everything together. This is a post that I’m also going to make a permanent page on the blog, too, and I’ll be updating it from time to time if/when I have something new to add or change.
But for now, for all of my fellow blogging friends out there (both new and experienced!), here is a list of my favorite blogging tools and resources. Maybe you’ll find that you agree with me on some?!
Recommended Hosting and Maintenance
WPSiteCare – I’ve been using WPSiteCare for years, pretty much since Ryan first started up the company. I started out on one of their maintenance plans, so they took care of backups, WordPress updates, and other support/behind the scenes stuff that comes with blogging (and is totally foreign to me!). Now I also use WPSiteCare for maintenance and hosting my blog, and I couldn’t be happier with them. One of the BIGGEST things that continues to impress me is their incredible support; anytime I have a question or issue, I can usually expect an email back within a half hour. Seriously.
They also help with site customizations, performance optimization, SEO help, and more. To get a quote, you can CHECK IT OUT HERE!
Bussinesse – For those of you who might want or need a little more assistance when it comes to the legal stuff behind blogging, Bussinesse should be your go to. Danielle (one of the co-founders) is a wealth of knowledge, and they offer a ton of various products and support for not only bloggers, but social influencers, PR reps, and more.
Products range from campaign contracts, independent contractor agreements, legal kits, disclaimers, sweepstakes rules…the list goes on! CHECK IT OUT HERE!
MailChimp – When it comes to sending out email newsletters, campaigns, and more, MailChimp is a great option. I’ve been using MailChimp for my daily newsletter for a few years now, and it did just recently get a full overhaul. ARE YOU SIGNED UP?
MailChimp has a variety of different pricing options (I currently pay $15/month but will likely need to upgrade soon due to the number of subscribers I have) but they also have a FREE option for those with less than 2,000 subscribers. So for someone who may just be starting out, it’s a great way to dip your toes in and see what it’s all about. YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE!
Recommended Coaching and Design Support
Feast Design Co. – If/when you make the decision to take your blog to the next level (i.e., upgrade from a free site to a paid site with a unique theme, etc.) then Feast Design Co. is wonderful. Their themes are geared towards food blogs, and even though I’m not solely a food blog, STSL runs on the Foodie Pro theme. They’ve recently launched a couple of newer themes, both Cravings Pro and Seasoned Pro, which are awesome. On top of that, their support has always been fabulous.
Make Me{dia} Over – I honestly cannot say enough great things about Katy and Make Me{dia} Over. I’ve been working with her on and off since the beginning of the year, and she has offered me support in SO many areas. She’s helped me learn a bit more about SEO and Google Analytics, and other behind the scenes stuff. She’s also helped me overhaul my Meal Planning page, updated my Recipe Index, and not only that, but she also taught me how to do everything so that I can implement it myself. Using her assistance, I was able to then overhaul my Pregnancy & Babies page AND my Workouts page.
That’s one of the things I truly love about Katy; she’s not out to take your money. She works with you and your budget, with a goal of you eventually not needing her anymore so you can learn things on your own!
SPECIAL DEAL FOR STSL READERS: Use the code sweettooth to get 20% off a written website analysis (CLICK HERE!) or 20% off her blog business ecourse (CLICK HERE!). *I’ve utilized both, and can attest to the fact that they are incredibly helpful!
Hay Hay Life – Christine was recommended to me (by Katy, actually!) for some blog design work I had in mind, and I couldn’t have been happier. Christine is who helped design the images that are displayed on the right hand side of my blog, and she also worked with me to come up with a few different templates I could use for when I’m creating images for my recipes for Pinterest, etc.
Christine was incredibly helpful and also very patient (there were many times I just didn’t have the time to get back to her right away), but I never, ever felt rushed. She continued to remind me that I was the client and she worked for me, so there was never any pressure on anything. Her main goal was to ensure that we finished with a result I loved…and I did!
Recommended Ad Networks and Affiliate Programs
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- AdThrive – I just recently switched to AdThrive as my ad network and so far, I’m very happy with the results. The support has also been amazing, which is huge for me. I’ll plan on updating this as I continue to work with them!
- rewardStyle (affiliate program)
- Amazon Associates (affiliate program)
- ShopStyle (affiliate program)
Recommended Blogging Networks
Each of the below networks offer a number of ways to work with and connect with brands. I have been offered opportunities through each of them at various times throughout my blogging, and they’re all easy to navigate and worth in. I’d recommend all of them, and each link below allows you to sign up if you’re not already a member!
- FitFluential
- TapInfluence
- Find Your Influence
- CleverGirls
- The Motherhood
- Influence Central
- Pollinate
- SocialFabric
Recommended Blogging Tools
CoSchedule – You can see my full review on how I use CoSchedule HERE!
This is a great tool to use for scheduling out both your blog posts and social media content, and depending on the package you use, there are some incredible features (like creating templates for your social content!).
Canva – This is a tool that I just recently started using more for the various images that I create for my posts and recipes. I still have more to learn, but a few things I love about Canva are the fact that there are more font options and you can save the collages that you use as templates so you can simply re-use them each time you have a new collage to create. They also just have quite a few more design options, which I’ve found are very reader-friendly and seem to do well on Pinterest, etc.
PicMonkey – PicMonkey is the first tool that I began using for creating and editing images. I definitely still use it here and there, but I’ve become so accustomed to being able to have templates saved in Canva that I find myself gravitating more towards there. PicMonkey is still great for editing and has some various collage designs that I do like better than Canva.
![picmonkey[2]](https://www.sweettoothsweetlife.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/picmonkey2.jpg "picmonkey[2]")
Tailwind – This is a Pinterest scheduling tool that I really need to give myself time to learn more, but when I actually DO get into it, it’s AWESOME. The tool does so much! It allows you to schedule pins to various boards, at various times. It provides analytics for your own site (and what people are pinning from it). It even gives you customized days and times based on your profile for when your content will be published from your queue.
Recommended eBooks and Courses
eCourse: From 0 to 60k Blog – Erica’s eCourse is LOADED with a ton of amazing content, tips, and tricks for blogging.
It starts with the basics like setting up a WordPress blog, and dives into everything from SEO, editorial calendars, stepping it up on social media, monetizing your blog, and more. To check out the course, SIGN UP HERE!
eBook: Make Your Old Content New Again – This is an eBook from Katy that has been incredibly helpful for me in going through some of my older content (hello, 6+ years of blogging!) and trying to make it new again. For anyone who’s been blogging for more than a couple of years, I’m sure you likely know what I’m talking about…those archives can really grow large, but going and finding the good stuff hiding in there and making it new again is great!
eCourse: Make Your Blog Your Business – Another amazing eBook from Katy. It’s an on-demand, self-paced video course broken into seven video lessons that provides simple and effective tips that can help you make more money from your blog (no matter what the size may be!).
The Food Entrepreneur Summit – Talk about an incredibly valuable course! Seriously. The summit was originally started to run just for 7 days, but it has since been made available so anyone can purchase and access the classes at ANY time. The summit consists of 20 masterclasses released over seven days, and each video masterclass has a specific focus to teach you about a certain topic in the food business, whether you have a digital or physical product or you are a blogger.
I would highly, HIGHLY recommend this for both novice and experienced bloggers – there is a TON of great information!! To experience the incredible masterclasses, SIGN UP HERE!
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Anything else you’d like to see mentioned? Let me know! ;)
*Disclosure: This post does contain some affiliate links.
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