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Website tools

Web host:

Go to Bluehost to register your domain name and sign up for web hosting for around $3.95/month. Includes WordPress.org  One-click installation straight from Bluehost. 

Website theme:

The Divi Theme by Elegant Themes- I suggest Divi over any free themes because of Divi’s superior customization abilities. With Divi, you can create a truly high-end, professional-looking blog.

Blogging courses:

Haven’t started your blog yet? Great news- You can grab my beginner blogging course for free below! (While it’s still free!!)

Paid beginner blogging course: Kickstart Your Blog. I thought it was excellent.

Affiliate marketing course: Affiliate Marketing for Bloggers. Affordable and helpful.

Pinterest Course: Pinterest Ninja This course will give you a solid understanding of how to best use Pinterest for marketing your blog.

SEO course: Adventures in SEO– Not necessarily for very beginner bloggers, but for bloggers who feel more established and are ready to seriously increase blog traffic via Google and Pinterest. This course will show you how to do keyword research for both Google and Pinterest effectively so you can rank on the 1st page of search results.

Blog marketing:

In addition to trying to rank for the first page of Google for my keywords, I use Pinterest to market my blog. I love Pinterest, and using it to market and research is tons of fun. Pinterest can drive massive traffic to your blog once you know the magic ways, LOL, (because Pinterest can be a lot to figure out!)

Pinterest marketing tool:

Tailwind- This app ($15/mo) will help you spread your pins far and wide by pinning for you at automated set times throughout the day.

It’s a great supplement to manual pinning, because sometimes there’s just no time to pin!

Email list:

I like ConvertKit because I can offer multiple free opt-ins to collect emails- an essential feature that Mailchimp and other free email collection services lack.

More info: MailChimp vs ConvertKit- Why I Switched From MailChimp to ConvertKit.

**Update: I no longer recommend MailChimp at all, even for beginners. Read more:

MailChimp For Bloggers: What No One Ever Tells You About MailChimp and Censorship.

Graphic Design

Canva- Create your logo, Pinterest pins, and other images. The basic version is free and includes a selection of free stock photos, vectors, etc.

Paid stock photos:

No free photos can compare to professional blogging photos from Haute Stock. A worthy investment.

More blogging recommendations

Writing tools:

• Spell checker: Grammarly- Basic version is free and awesome.
• Word finder: Thesaurus.com- A valuable tool.

 E-commerce tools:

• Amazon Basics Portable Photo Studio/lightbox- Easy set-up, works great. A good value for the money.
• Nikon D3200 Digital Camera- A professional, user-friendly, quality DSLR camera.

Books for business:

• Get Rich Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield Thomas.
• The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris.
• You Are a Badass at Making Money by Jen Sincero.
• She Means Business by Carrie Green.

Books for creativity:

• The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert.
• The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron.
• Juicy Pens, Thirsty Paper by Susan Ariel Rainbow Kennedy, (SARK).
• Make Your Creative Dreams Real by SARK.
• Real Magic by Dr. Wayne Dyer.

Podcasts:

• My Wife Quit Her Job
• Addicted 2 Success
• How I Built This
• Tim Ferris
• The Psychic Teachers

I hope you enjoy these blog and website recommendations! And please leave your comments below, I’d love to hear them!

You may also like: 

• How to Write Your First Blog Post in 9 Steps- Including a Snack Break!
• 10 Things You’ll Love About Blogging Life.
•  Start a Business as a Stay-at-Home Mom: Time Management Tips
• 5 Ways to Unblock Your Mind and Shake Up Your Energy.

• 5 Ways to Unblock Your Mind and Shake Up Your Energy.