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This post is all about the best blogging resources for beginner bloggers.
One of these days I’ll have to write a post about my blogging journey, but for now let’s just say that I’ve been blogging off and on since December 2018.
It’s been a long and winding road since then, but now it’s safe to say that I have learned so much and come such a long way with blogging since then. Thank goodness!
I recently hit my first 7,000 session month (June 2023) and this was a huge accomplishment for me. I finally feel like I’ve found the right mix of blogging tools and resources that are helping me make progress.
Btw, I started a new Instagram to track my blogging journey if you want to follow me there.
Something that has been glaringly obvious along the way, though, is that a lot of people will try to sell you products or services that they are “sure” will help you find blogging success.
And, I’ve fallen for many of those things. Some great ones. And some not-so-great ones.
So, in this post, I am going to save you the trouble, and share with you only the resources that I actually use and recommend for beginner bloggers.
So let’s get to it!
The Best Blogging Resources For Beginner Bloggers
Free Resources I Recommend For Beginner Bloggers
Here are the best FREE resources that I recommend if you are a beginner blogger.
1. “Perfecting Blogging” YouTube Channel
The Perfecting Blogging YouTube Channel is awesome.
If you don’t know @BySophiaLee, she’s a 20-something that has had massive blogging and business success. I credit a lot of my blogging knowledge to her!
I have watched so many different youtubers try to explain blogging and, in my opinion, none of them make videos that are as useful, straightforward, and simple as hers.
This channel has videos on how to start a blog that makes money, blogging mistakes to avoid, blogging tips, blogging motivation, and so much more.
I look forward to her YouTube videos whenever they come out, as most of them have been super helpful and encouraging for me on my blogging journey.
2. Podcast: Blogging Millionaire
The Blog Millionaire Podcast is created and narrated by self-proclaimed “Blog Millionaire” Brandon Gaille.
These podcast episodes are quick (about 10 minutes long) and are usually about one blogging topic. This is good, because the episodes can sometimes be overwhelming or just boring (lol).
HOWEVER, they are so helpful and incredibly valuable. I’ve kept coming back to this podcast for years on end because it’s been so helpful for me.
On this podcast, Brandon Gaille talks about Google SEO secrets, how to increase your ad income, how to write an effective blog bio, how to double the number of posts you write, and so much more.
3. MailChimp
MailChimp is an email marketing tool. If you’ve ever wanted to set up an email list for free, I recommend using MailChimp.
The free version of MailChimp is great, but it’s limited. So once your mailing list starts to get a little bit bigger (more than a couple hundred?) you’ll probably have to either upgrade for a fee, or switch to another email marketing provider.
However, I used and really liked MailChimp for a long time, and recommend it to start off with.
Paid Resources I Recommend For Beginner Bloggers
Here are the best PAID resources that I recommend if you are a beginner blogger.
4. Bluehost
Bluehost is the host that I use for my website and what various other bloggers recommend.
The general consensus I’ve seen from experienced bloggers is that Bluehost is great for beginner bloggers and blogs that aren’t going to have too much traffic (maybe less than 25k sessions a month?).
I’ve used Bluehost since 2018 and have ALWAYS found their customer service representatives to be incredibly helpful, kind, and quick. Any issue I’ve ever had, they’ve resolved.
Bluehost’s Basic plan is just $2.95 a month, and you get a free domain name (e.g. ImperfectTaylor.com) for your first year.
5. WordPress
WordPress is the platform that I use to publish blog content. I actually signed up for WordPress through Bluehost back in the day, and I highly recommend you do this, too.
When you do this, you essentially signup for both of them at the same time, and Bluehost will walk you through it. This just keeps things organized, and makes the process far simpler.
I love WordPress. I love it so much that I want a WordPress shirt. I should look into that lol.
6. RankIQ
RankIQ is a tool that will help you identify low competition, high traffic keywords in your niche. It is super easy to use, and honestly pretty fun, too! If you don’t want to do SEO research on your own, this tool can and will do it all for you.
This is the #1 blogging tool I use and recommend for EVERYONE. My traffic has dramatically increased thanks to this tool.
When you purchase RankIQ, you also get access to the Facebook group with all the other RankIQ users where you can ask questions and network with other people in the same boat as you.
Side note: this tool was created by the guy who does the Blog Millionaire Podcast that I talked about above.
Click here for my full RankIQ review and see why I love it so much.
7. BySophiaLee Blogging Course (“Perfecting Blogging”)
This blogging course is great if you are interested in learning the fundamentals of blogging. It was created by the same person I referenced above for her YouTube videos, @BySophiaLee.
This course contains information like how to choose your niche, brand yourself, organize your website, and how to plan your content, amongst many other things.
It will also teach you all about how to write a blog post and how to do keyword research. Though, I did think the information about keyword research was sparse in this course, which is another reason why I recommend RankIQ.
I believe this blogging course AND using RankIQ is a big part of the reason why I’m finally starting to get some traction with blogging.
8. BySophiaLee Pinterest Course (“Perfecting Pinterest”)
This Pinterest course was great. I had no idea how to use Pinterest but this course really helped me understand exactly what to do. And since using the tactics from it, I get a couple hundred clicks from Pinterest to my website each month.
This Pinterest course will teach you exactly how to do SEO for Pinterest, how to create eye-catching pins, how to create and use Pinterest boards, how often to post on Pinterest, and much more.
@BySophiaLee also offers a bundle discount if you buy both her blogging course AND her Pinterest course at the same time!
9. Keywords Everywhere
If you take @BySophiaLee’s blogging course, you will note that she recommends a paid web application called Keywords Everywhere.
This tool is awesome, but only if you know how to use it. But once you learn, either in Sophia’s course or on your own, you will find it to be very helpful.
I use it to determine if certain keywords have low competition (it allows you to see the domain authority of other blogs), and to see similar keywords that users also search for so that I can add them in throughout my blog posts as well.
I personally have the Bronze plan that costs $12 per year.
10. Canva
Canva is what I use to find all of my stock photo images for my blog posts. There is a free version of Canva that has stock images available, but you have access to many more with the paid version.
I use Canva to design my Instagram content, too!
11. 17th Avenue Designs
17th Avenue Designs is where I got my theme for my website. My theme has lasted me over 4 years now, and has been highly customizable.
I remember it being pretty simple to install, but if you need help, they offer to do it for you for a fee.
I currently use their “Charlotte” theme.
12. Elementor
Elementor is something that I use in conjunction with my WordPress editor to help me design blog pages and blog posts in a more pretty way haha.
There are certain things I don’t know how to code, and Elementor lets you design webpages really simply, without needing any web design or coding experience.
It is called Elementor because it provides you with a list of “elements” to choose from – like a text box, a picture, a carousel of images, and all sorts of other things that you can literally drag and drop into your blog posts and blog pages.
It’s a really nice and easy-to-use design tool!
13. Flodesk
I now use Flodesk for my email marketing. I used MailChimp in the past, and then upgraded to Flodesk when I realized that you could set up sequences to have people sign up for your email list and then send them freebies.
I love Flodesk, but it’s definitely quite pricey. In hindsight, I wish I would’ve stuck with Mailchimp a little longer!
Here’s a code to get 50% off your first year of Flodesk!
14. Shopify
If you want to start monetizing your blog (for ex. sell digital products or provide coaching sessions) I recommend Shopify. Shopify allows you to set up a store, and easily display all of your offerings.
It’s very simple to use and I wish I started using it sooner! To see an example, you can view my Shopify store here.
Final Thoughts On The Best Blogging Resources
I hope you find this list helpful. These are the best blogging resources that I have come across in my blogging journey! Good luck!
This blog post was all about the best blogging resources for beginners.
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