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Tools I Love

You can’t create a well-rounded online presence alone!

Here is a list of all my favorite resources that I use on a regular basis. So stop searching Google or Pinterest for the tools that you need. That’s just a waste of your hard earned time… Everything you need is right here!

Now, this list does contain affiliate links. That means if you click on certain links and sign up for the product or service I recommend, I will receive a small commission. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, then go ahead and type any of the resources into Google and it will take you to what you are looking for. But for those of you that click on the links below, thank you for supporting this little website of mine! 🙂


Content & Blogging

Editing

Grammarly edits your content while you write. You can use it as an app where you write all of your content in the app. Or you can add it as an extension to your internet browser. When it is used as an extension, it will automatically proofread everything you write on the internet. Whether it is a Facebook post, an email, or a blog post, it will automatically edit your work for you. And it’s FREE!

Ginger is another FREE content editing tool that will edit your work as you write. But the nice thing about Ginger is that it can be installed in Microsoft Word! So if you like to write most of your content or blog posts in Word before you transfer them over to your website, then this is a great option for you. It will automatically edit your work providing you will areas that need improvement and suggestions on how to correct them.

This tool is great to judge the level of your writing. Just copy and paste your content into this app and it will highlight sentences that are complicated to read, words or phrases that can be simplified, if you write in passive voice, and what adjectives need to be removed. At the end of the day, you want your online content to be as simple as possible. It is best to write like a 4th grader… I’m not kidding.

Keyword research

This is my all time favorite keyword research tool. Mainly because it is easy for everyone, from all levels of experience, to understand and use! With this tool, you learn what your audience is searching for. So that you know what keywords to include in your content and what questions you need to answer. It will provide you with the search volume, similar keywords, cost per click for ads and more. There is a free version available, which is all you really need. But if you want to get serious with your keywords and your content, then I would recommend the paid version.

Keyword Finder is a great tool if you want to find those long-tail keywords. This keyword research tool gives you a difficulty ranking based on SEO stats of pages that rank high in search. Plus it gives you the search volume, cost per click, and more, similar to SEMrush. However, it is best to use both of these keyword research tools to get the best keyword knowledge for your website.

Headline analyzer

Great headlines can be tricky to write. I usually write 15+ headlines before I decide on the one I will use. But before I make my decision, I run each headline through this headline analyzer to see how it performs based on their evaluation. This tool will review your headline for its emotional state, the words you use, the length, and much more. It is really great to determine if you need to improve your headline.

Graphic/image design

Canva is a great, and FREE, editing tool that can be downloaded as an app on a tablet or used as a website on your computer. They provide you with suggested templates with proper sizing for social media, email marketing, and more. Everything is completely customizable making this tool great for all brands!


Social media

Scheduling

Tailwind is great for scheduling pins and posts to be shared on Pinterest and Instagram. It suggests the best times to share a post based on your unique followers. Plus it provides you with stats to see how your account is performing with the tool. I only use it for Pinterest right now and it has provided amazing results! I set aside an hour each week to schedule over 200 pins and let Tailwind do the rest for me. (Read this blog post or this one to learn more about how Tailwind has worked wonders for me.)

Buffer is another social media scheduling tool that allows you to schedule posts for a variety of social media channels. This is great for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and even Pinterest. With the FREE version of Buffer, you can manage all of your social media accounts and schedule up to 10 posts for each of them. Buffer will also give you an analysis of the best times to post to your account to create a custom schedule for the best results.

Graphic/image design

Take a look at the Content section above to see a full description of Canva. I use this tool for my social media posts such as my Twitter and Pinterest blog images that I share on each channel.


Website development

Bluehost is a website hosting service that I currently use for my WordPress.org site. With this hosting site, you can start your own website for less than $4 a month! It is great for beginner bloggers or website owners that want to have a self-hosted site! I have been working with them for about half a year and haven’t had any problems!

If you want to take your website seriously, then you need to get a WordPress.org site. And don’t just go get a WordPress.com site! They are 2 different things. You need to get a self-hosted WordPress site so that you can have access to all of the features and perform all of the proper SEO work. Make sure that you go through a hosting service like Bluehost and then install WordPress so you don’t double pay or accidentally and end up with a WordPress.com site!

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

This is a must for every website owner. Google Analytics allows you to track the performance of your website and to better understand your audience. With this tool, you receive unlimited access to important data that can be used to improve your website. See who is visiting your website, how long they spend on your website, what pages they visit and more. If you don’t have Google Analytics set up yet, read my Google Analytics Guide to get started!

Google Search Console is another must have tool for your website. If you want to work on your website’s SEO, then you need Google Search Console. No doubt about it. With this tool, you get to tell Google that your site exists with your sitemaps and your robots.txt file. That might sound like jibberish to you, so I recommend you read my Guide to Google Search Console before you get started.

2 important ranking factors that Google takes into consideration is the speed of your website and if it is mobile friendly. This tool is FREE to use and it will tell you how your site performs on desktop and mobile devices and if it is mobile friendly or not. It only takes a matter of seconds to run the test and receive results.

If you have a WordPress website, then you need to download the Yoast SEO plugin. This plugin will allow you to edit metadata, upload a robots.txt file, generate and edit sitemaps, and much more! This is another non-negotiable tool if you want to SEO your WordPress website.

WordPress Plugins

This is a must have plugin. Read my comments in the section above to see what Yoast SEO does for your website.

The tracking code manager plugin allows you to add code to the head and other areas of your WordPress site. This might sound foreign to you. But if you want to get your website verified on Pinterest, then you need to add code to the head of your website. Same goes for Google Analytics and Search Console. Or if you want to add a Facebook Tracking Pixel! This is a must have plugin for all WordPress website owners. So make sure that you have it installed on your site.

Website monetization

Google AdSense is an advertising placement service. If you want to have ads on your website, then I would recommend AdSense. There are a lot of other platforms out there that you could use, but I personally only use AdSense so that is the only platform I am comfortable with recommending. It is easy to use from creating the ads to placing them on your website.

ShareASale is a platform that connects you with companies for affiliate marketing. This website is HUGE and offers hundreds of companies that you could partner with. This is a great option for beginners who want to dive into affiliate marketing. I’ve been using them for about half a year and have really enjoyed my experience so far.


Email Marketing

ConvertKit is an email marketing platform that provides you with automation capabilities and sequences so that you can set your email up to work for you. It is marketed toward professional bloggers but it is great for anyone who is looking for a marketing automation system that will engage and captivate your email subscribers. I highly recommend ConvertKit over another email platform out there because of its endless capabilities.


If there are any resources that are not included in my list, that doesn’t mean that I don’t like them. Most of the time it means that I’ve never heard of them! So feel free to send me an email with resource recommendations so that I can keep this list updated for you guys!