I created this page as a simple blogging reference guide with blog and website recommendations.

Listed are some of the blogging tools I use and think are great.

Also included in this guide are favorite books, podcasts, and more for both online business and creative inspiration. I think you’ll find this guide helpful and easy to reference.

*Updated 12/20/24.

Blogging recommendations

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Blog and Website Recommendations

Web host:

If you are just getting started blogging and want to spend as little as possible to begin, Bluehost is a good option. You can register your domain name and sign up for web hosting for around $3.95/month. Includes WordPress.org  One-click installation straight from Bluehost.

If you have been blogging for a while and are looking for superior website speed, customer service, and security, I highly suggest Rocket web hosting. I recently switched and cannot say enough good things about them. Fast, secure, affordable, and helpful.

Website theme:

I use the Kadence theme. It’s fast, and the basic version is free.

Blogging & SEO courses:

Beginner blogging course: Kickstart Your Blog.

SEO course: Google has made ranking really difficult as of their late 2023 algorithm change, so I cannot recommend any SEO courses for Google anymore.

Pinterest Course: Pinterest is a great source of blog traffic. The course I recommend is Pinteresting Strategies.

Free entrepreneur planner:

This free planner printable will help organize all your blog and business ideas!

Blog marketing:

I mainly use Pinterest to market my blog since Google SEO appears to be dead. 

I also drive traffic via my newsletter.

And I’m working on growing my Instagram, Facebook, and X accounts. 

Pinterest marketing tool:

Tailwind– This app will help you spread your pins far and wide by pinning for you at automated set times throughout the day.

It’s a helpful supplement to manual pinning.

I’ve stopped using this because my Pinterest account is huge, but it’s still great for those with smaller Pinterest accounts.

Instagram and Facebook marketing tool: 

Linktree.

Email list:

I like ConvertKit because I can offer multiple free opt-ins to collect emails. They have many helpful marketing features like sequences, plus sponsorship programs and in-newsletter ads available, both of which are good income generators for bloggers with large numbers of subscribers.

Graphic Design

Canva.com Create your logo, Pinterest pins, and other images. The basic version is free and includes a selection of free stock photos, vectors, etc. Canva is perfect for blogging. I use the pro version.

For paid graphics, I like Creative Fabrica.  

I also just got an iPad, and the Procreate app, and use Photoshop. Mostly for my Etsy shop though, rather than my blog.

Stock photos:

I use stock photos from Canva Premium or Creative Fabrica. 

More website recommendations:

Plugins:

I try to keep it minimal but some notable plugins I enjoy include:

Writing tools:

Inspirational books for business:

Books for creativity:

Inspiring Business-Related Podcasts:

Monetizing your blog:

My favorite ways to monetize blogging include:

  • Ads. Mediavine has a new program for bloggers with at least 10k sessions a month. Their regular program is for 50k sessions a month or more. 
  • Sell or market your own products. 
  • Affiliate marketing. 
  • Sponsored newsletters is something I’m currently looking into.

Every website is different, these are just my preferred ways of making money blogging.

Concluding thoughts:

I hope you enjoy these blog and website recommendations! They do tend to evolve with time. I just love talking blog. Start your blog here if you’re ready!

You may also enjoy: 

How to Write Your First Blog Post in 9 Steps- Including a Snack Break!

The Weirdest Thing about Selling Printables on Etsy (That No One Ever Talks About)

How to Start Journaling for Beginners {With Free PDF Printable Journal Prompts}

25 Journal Prompts for Personal Development With Free PDF Printable

15 Inspirational Art Journal Pages

Blog Recommendations
Blog Recommendations