Blogging Tools and Resources I Use to Make Money with My Blog

Hello blogging friends! Today I want to share with you all the blogging tools and resources I use that have helped me create a money-making blog!

There are SO many options out there when it comes to tools for different aspects of blogging, and sometimes it can be hard to choose. 

So I’m going to tell you not only WHAT I use for each different piece of blogging, but WHY I use it as well. Hopefully this can help you if you are trying to streamline your workflow setup. 

I have also included prices of each paid item on this list. However, most of the stuff on this list is completely free to use, which makes them perfect blogging tools for new bloggers!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. I only recommend products that I personally would use or do currently use. Please read full disclosure for more information. 

Blogging tool #1: I use WordPress for my website platform

If you are a blogger who wants to make money, then WordPress is the best website platform you can use. WordPress is designed with bloggers in mind, and is the most popular choice among bloggers. 

Why is that? 

Well, there are a number of reasons that WordPress is my top pick and the top pick of so many other bloggers. 

First of all, with WordPress, you own the content. You are paying for the hosting and building out the site yourself, which means you own the content you are creating. This isn’t the case with every other website platform.

Secondly, making money as a blogger has a lot of moving parts. With platforms like Squarespace or Wix, your options are limited. There are very few plugins or add-ons you can install. WordPress, on the other hand, seems to have an unlimited amount of options for customizing your site and its features to be exactly what you want. Have an issue? There’s likely a WordPress plugin to help with that. 

Sites like Squarespace are fine if you just want a simple blog that you might post to occasionally and need very few features. But with a blog whose purpose is to make money, you will likely find yourself needing features that Squarespace or similar platforms can’t provide. 

The third reason that WordPress is my top pick is because of SEO. SEO is CRUCIAL for bloggers, and other sites just can’t compete to WordPress’s SEO capabilities. Not only are there plug-ins like Yoast SEO that basically guide you through SEO for your site and for posts, but WordPress also has more flexibility with fields you can edit and changes you can make to improve the SEO. 

For these reasons and many more, WordPress is my #1 recommendation for bloggers who want to make money. There might be a day where Squarespace or Wix can compete with WordPress, but for now, WordPress wins with flying colors. 

Blogging tool #2: I use Bluehost for my website hosting

For any website, you need some sort of hosting. This is essentially you paying for a place to store your website. Consider it the storage locker of websites. 

There are a ton of hosting options out there, but they definitely are not all the same. 

I have used Bluehost from Day 1, and would honestly never use anything else. 

The integration between Bluehost and WordPress are seamless, and the amount of issues I’ve had with Bluehost is pretty much non-existent. Any issues I have had have been user-error (whoops), and the customer service and ease of correcting any issues has been outstanding. 

Bluehost’s pricing is also amazing compared to a lot of other hosting plans. 

If you are looking for a hosting plan, you can get Bluehost for less than $3/month by using this link ↓

Sign up for Bluehost for less than $3/month here!!

Blogging tool #3: I use the Isla Theme by Code & Coconut for my site theme

I am *picky* when it comes to my site design. In my first couple of years of blogging, I changed my theme so much because I couldn’t find one that I loved 100%. 

Then I found Code & Coconut’s Isla theme, and I have been in love for years now. 

Code and Coconut has so many amazing themes, and they are super easy to install and set up with your site. 

If you want a beautiful WordPress theme that is perfect for users of every tech-level and can work with any type of blog, you will not regret checking out Code & Coconut. 

Blogging tool #4: I use Pinterest to drive traffic to my blog

If you are a blogger wanting to drive traffic to your site, Pinterest is going to be your best friend. I know it’s my best friend. 

Roughly 90% of my web traffic comes from Pinterest. So if you’re sleeping on Pinterest, you’re missing out. 

Many people don’t think of Pinterest or other platforms as blogging tools, but they definitely are!

Pinterest can be hard to get the hang of, but I’m here to help. Want me to walk you through my whole Pinterest process, including how to set up and optimize your account, how to create pins, and my strategy that has led me to start making money with my blog while getting consistent traffic? 

Then you will love my Pinterest for Bloggers course that will be out in less than a month! If you want to get notified as soon as it launches so this can be the year your life & business changes for good, sign up below! ↓

Having Pinterest set up to drive traffic to your blog is not as hard as it sounds. For every blog post you have, you will create pins that you publish to Pinterest. Those pins will link back to your blog post, bringing you traffic! 

My blog would be nothing without Pinterest, and I truly mean that. 

Blogging tool #5: I use Canva to create all of my blog & marketing graphics

Canva is my go-to for anything visual that I have to make. Pinterest pins, marketing graphics, presentations, logos, social media posts, and so much more are just a few of the ways I use Canva for my business. 

I use the paid plan ($12.99/month) and think it is so worth it, but they also have a free plan that still has a ton of amazing features and can still create beautiful graphics. 

I highly recommend trying out Canva and getting used to making graphics with it, because it’ll make your life so much easier as a blogger!

Blogging tool #6: I use Pexels for stock images

Stock images come in really handy as a blogger, whether it’s creating graphics for blog posts or Pinterest pins. But to look professional, you need high quality images that look nice and get the attention of your potential audience. 

Pexels has, in my opinion, the best library for stock images out there. I have tried other sites and have found that the options are limited. 

Pexels, on the other hand, seems like an endless library. 

AND, it’s completely free! 

Pexels is actually a part of Canva, so you can also access Pexels images from the Canva editor, which is fantastic! 

Liking this post? You might like this blog post too ↓
3 Things You Should Focus on as a New Blogger

Blogging tool #7: I use Google Docs to write my blog posts

There are bloggers out there who type up their blog posts directly into the WordPress editor, but I am not organized enough for that! There are too many times where I’ve tried that and ended up actually publishing the post before I was done with it, or before it had been proofread. 

Google Docs is my choice for writing blog posts for a number of reasons. 

First of all, it gives me a place to write (and re-write) my blog posts before posting them on my site. And Google Docs is super easy to use and has a lot of features. 

Secondly, I can access Google docs from anywhere, which is important as someone in a creative role. The amount of times I’ve been waiting in line and had a blog post idea or been away from home and needed to finish up a post has made it crucial that I have a digital notebook of sorts that I can use anywhere. I have the Google Docs app on my phone so anytime an idea strikes, I can easily type it up. 

My process is usually to create a new doc for each blog post, type it all up and proofread, make edits, etc. and then copy and paste everything into the WordPress editor when I’m ready to publish. 

This has worked great for me!

Blogging tool #8: I use ChatGPT to help me come up with optimized blog post titles and content ideas 

I am the first to admit that I am skeptical of AI most of the time, and I DEFINITELY don’t think that you should use AI for every aspect of your blog. 

As a blogger, I pride myself on my content being original, authentic, unique, and from my own mind and experience. 

People value authenticity and using AI to write all of your blog posts or create all of the content for your blog is not going to invite a very dedicated audience, because your personality can be lost in the mix. 

However, I have found AI to be helpful in certain scenarios when used as a TOOL. Let me show you what I mean. 

Say I have written a blog post about planting tomatoes in a raised garden bed. (This is just a completely random example). 

If I am trying to figure out the best title for this blog post, I might turn to ChatGPT to help me narrow some things down. ↓ 

Then ChatGPT will come back with a suggestion (or a few), and these are usually great. If I don’t love them, I will ask for more options and it will come back with more. 

Another way I’ll use ChatGPT is to come up with content ideas if I’m struggling creatively. Reminder, I will not let it write any content for me, just help me with ideas. Like this ↓

Then if I like any of the ideas, I can write up a blog post on them. This is so helpful when I feel stuck creatively. Sometimes it even sparks some ideas for other content that ChatGPT didn’t suggest. 

ChatGPT can be a super helpful blogging tool if you use it correctly. But reminder- don’t let it replace you. Just let it assist you. 

Blogging tool #9: For content planning and productivity, I use Notion

It took me a while to get on board with Notion, but now that I’m using it consistently, I love it and find it really helpful. 

I use Notion for everything from planning my content, taking notes for content, making to-do lists, creating courses and digital product outlines, and so much more. 

Notion is basically one big combo of a bunch of different apps. I mentioned earlier that I write my blog posts in Google Docs, but I could easily switch to Notion for this, all while using it for other things as well. 

Blogging tool #10: For email marketing, I use MailerLite (but will soon switch back to ConvertKit)

If you’ve done any email marketing, you’ll know that ConvertKit is the most suggested email marketing tool among bloggers. And I can’t say I disagree that ConvertKit is great. I actually used them myself for a while and will probably soon be switching back to them. 

However, I switched to MailerLite just because at the time, I was just starting out with blogging and ConvertKit’s free plan didn’t offer some of the features I needed. Mailer Lite’s free plan had a lot more functions, such as being able to send automated email sequences, which I wanted to have the option to do. 

ConvertKit’s plan used to be structured roughly like this (numbers might be slightly different): 

Free plan: up to 1,000 subscribers, but very basic & limited functions
$29/month plan: 1,000+ subscribers, more capabilities 
$49/month plan: 1,000+ subscribers, all the capabilities 

So to get any of the features that didn’t come with the free plan, you had to pay $29/month, which as a new blogger who wasn’t making any money yet, seemed like a lot of money. 

BUT, ConvertKit has restructured their paid plans, which is perfect for new bloggers. 

If you are a new blogger that wants additional features but doesn’t want to spend too much money per month, then I have great news! 

ConvertKit now has different paid plans for bloggers who have less than 1,000 subscribers. 

If you have 300 subscribers, then here is what your plan options are: 

This is the yearly billing, which is a STEAL compared to the monthly billing, because you essentially get 2 months for free (billed monthly is $15/month). 

$9 is a month is still not free, but is much more attainable for new bloggers, and that plan comes with all of the following features: 

You can check out all of the ConvertKit pricing plans here. 

Now that ConvertKit has some better plans, I will likely be switching back to them soon. But I am currently using MailerLite, which is also a great email marketing platform. 

Like I said, I switched to MailerLite around a year ago, and have had no issues since switching. MailerLite has a great free plan, with lots of features and functionalities, and the ability to create amazing looking forms and landing pages. 

I personally think ConvertKit’s form builder is slightly more user-friendly, but Mailer Lite’s is still very easy to navigate. 

If ConvertKit isn’t for you, then I HIGHLY recommend Mailer Lite. 

Blogging tool #11: For web analytics, I use Google Site Kit

Google’s Site Kit is a plugin for WordPress that helps you keep an eye on all of your analytics, which is extremely helpful and simple to read. 

To get Site Kit, you basically just install the plugin, and go through the directed steps to set everything up. You can get step by step instructions here.

Up until about a month ago, I had been using MonsterInsights for my web analytics. And despite the fact that MonsterInsights worked with Google Analytics to give me my data, the data it was giving me was completely different from the data Google was giving me directly. 

According to Monster Insights, my web traffic was waaaaaay lower than what it actually was. I only noticed this issue when I realized that I was getting more outbound clicks from single pins on Pinterest than what Monster Insights said I was getting on my entire website. 

So I installed Google Site Kit, and everything now runs so much smoother. 

It’s super easy to read and understand, and to view your analytics, you just have to go to your WordPress dashboard, click ‘Site Kit’, click ‘Dashboard’, and all your info is clearly displayed right there! 

It will tell you your web traffic, session information, site speed info with tips to improve, how you’re performing on organic search, and even how your ads are performing if you run Google ads on your site. 

If you want to have a money making blog, then keeping an eye on your analytics is crucial. To do this easily, Site Kit is my top recommendation. 

There you have it, all the blogging tools & resources I use for my blog. Did I miss anything? Are there any tools or resources you are curious about, or you think are missing from this list? Leave a comment below. 

Want to get blogging posts like this sent straight to your inbox? 

I’d love it if you’d share this post on Pinterest ↓