RESOURCES
I thought it would be helpful to create a resource page to help you along your Blogging Journey. I’ll add to it as I discover new ways to make the old new again. I reference this page quite often so I recommend bookmarking it so these resources are easy to find even when you are not on this site.
Full Disclosure: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links, and add no additional cost to you, sometimes I will earn a finder fee if you decide to make a purchase, but please ensure you make the purchase choice to suit your needs. I have years of experience with these companies and recommend them because they are helpful and useful, not because of the small commissions I make if you decide to buy something. These commissions, however, small give me the time to provide a free and useful Start Blogging website for you.
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BLOG HOSTING SOLUTIONS
Here are a couple of my favorite blog hosting solutions. I have always been frugal and these sites offer exceptional value for money. But don’t take my word for it, sign-up and even if you don’t like them or it’s too hard to figure out then you can request a refund using their anytime money-back guarantee. This way you only pay for the time you use. Pro Tip: Sign-up for the longest duration because you get deeper discounts and even if you don’t want to continue later you can still get some money back.
iPage.com: This site is hosted on iPage and the setup and support for WordPress were super easy with their 1-click as automatic WordPress installation and excellent 24/7 customer service. No waiting for support tickets. There are people available for real-time chats any time of the day.
Bluehost.com: Again another well supported shared hosting solution. I have been using Bluehost for over 10 years and that because my uptime has always been great and there support has been exceptional, even when transferring from another domain hosting.
DigitalOcean.com: As my websites grow I started to look for a flexible VPS solution and found this company to be cheap and reliable. Although Virtual Private Server (VPS) requires a steep learning curve the 1-click WordPress install takes a lot of hassles away. And once configured and tuned to your needs all future updates can be done within WordPress, which is kinda’ neat. Use this link and you’ll get $10 free VPS hosting which is equivalent to a couple of months on their low tier servers.
DOMAIN NAME REGISTRATION
Godaddy – Popular worldwide domain registration company. Secure your domain today.
FREE BLOG HOSTING SOLUTIONS
WordPress.com: If free is your thing then turn to WordPress.com first, and there is a great collaboration with the open source WordPress.org and you’ll know and bugs or security patches will be installed instantly. But you should read this post on Free Blog Hosting first.
Blogger.com: This site has the power of Google behind them, but that doesn’t mean it’s forever. Google tend to dump non-performing products and if they haven’t found a way to make money yet then it could be on the chopping block.
FREE WEBSITE TOOLS
uptimerobot.com: This free site keeps track of your website and lets you know via email if they are performing slowly or are down. It’s a must have for your website toolkit.
Mobile Friendly Test: With Google’s recent update it’s best to check and make sure your website is mobile-friendly or risk being penalized in your search rankings. If it fails then check out the responsive templates in the Blog Templates section below.
BLOG TEMPLATES
Themify.me: I use to spend a lot of time looking for free blog templates or themes and generally it’s been hit or miss until I found Themify.me. These guys produce A1 quality responsive blog templates and have a club membership were you can use as many as you like within your membership term. This site is using there multi-purpose ‘Landing‘ template. It’s super easy to use and can be many things. Here is what I wrote about Professional WordPress Themes
WRITING TOOLS
Grammarly: Sometimes you just need someone watching over you while you write and rather than rely on the default Word Processor or Internet Browser spelling and grammar checkers, this one actually works. The basic installation is free, and it works well in WordPress.
SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLS
PostPlanner: If you’ve used Hootsuite, then PostPlanner will come easy to you. Get an extra boost with your Social Media Planning and find and share what’s currently going viral on the Internet.
KEYWORD RESEARCH
LongTailPro: This is a tool I use every day to improve the quality of my writing and to make it more targeted to what people are searching for. You can get a free 10-day trial which is plenty enough to see the full power of this software. He is a write-up showing your how to grow your organic traffic.
Google Adwords: The default keyword research tool, but it’s hard to really get solid keyword leads with this software, without spending a considerable amount of time.
EMAIL MARKETING
AWeber: You might already know this, but AWeber is my go to email marketing provider. Their interface is simple to use and they provide a lot of technical support if you are just starting out. Best of all AWeber has autoresponders which allow me to provide the 7-Day Blog Jumpstart Course on an automated loop. They also have a free trial, so check it out.
MailChimp: I started using this product and was convinced this was a great starting tool, but without autoresponders like AWeber the free version is pretty much useless for the beginner. I may go back to them someday, it’s just not right for me now.
WEBMASTER TOOLS
Google: You should always submit your new website to Google Webmaster tools to maximise your chances of being included in search results. These tools will also inform you of any problems with your website or even if it’s down for a period of time.
Bing: You might also submit your blog to the Bing search engine and they can tell you a little more
