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Blogging is a wonderful way to share your expertise, passions, and insights. But creating blog articles for a successful blog involves many moving pieces—from creating content calendars to writing and editing posts, optimizing SEO, and promoting your work.
Luckily, there are many fantastic paid and free blogging tools and software on the market that can streamline this process, helping you stay organized, save time, and elevate your content.
When it comes to blogging tools, one size certainly does not fit all. For example, you’ll need different levels of sophistication for a personal blog than a professional blog for a B2B SaaS company. However, there are some features you should look out for to be sure you’re getting the best value.
What to Look for in Blogging Tools
First, consider what you’ll use your blogging tools for: do you need help with writing and editing, content planning, SEO, or all of the above? Comprehensive blogging tools like ClickUp can help with project management and planning, while a blogging platform like Yoast excels in SEO.
Ease of use is another important factor, as blogging tools should simplify your tasks, not complicate them.
The ability to manage workloads effectively is another essential feature to look for in blogging tools, and ClickUp’s workload management features can help you distribute tasks efficiently.
Lastly, your blogging tools must integrate with the blogging platform and other marketing tools you use.
Now that you know what to look for in a blogging platform, let’s explore the best blogging tools and SEO tools to rev your content engine into high gear.
1. ClickUp
ClickUp is more than just a task management tool—it’s a comprehensive platform for content creation, collaboration, and project management. If you’re looking for a way to streamline planning and writing blog posts, ClickUp has got you covered.
With the ClickUp Blog Management Template, you can efficiently structure your blog posts, collaborate with your team, and keep track of your writing process. ClickUp even has writing tools to create your blog post on the same platform. ClickUp also offers a wide range of content calendar templates that you can use to plan and schedule your blog posts ahead of time.
If you’re managing a marketing campaign, ClickUp’s marketing campaign management features are a great bet.
ClickUp Best Features:
– Seamless integration with over 1,000 apps, preventing context-switching
– Combines task, document, and project management in a central hub for all work needs
– Offers a multitude of marketing plan templates to expedite project initiation
– Automates routine tasks, boosting productivity
– Enables tailoring workload management and interfaces to individual needs
– Build a content database to keep track of important content and reuse or repurpose it in the future
ClickUp Limitations:
– New users may need some time to understand and explore the wide range of features fully
– Complete functionality may not be accessible when offline
ClickUp Pricing:
– Free Forever
– Unlimited: $5/month per user
– Business: $12/month per user
– Business Plus: $19/month per user
– Enterprise: Contact for pricing
ClickUp Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: 4.7/5 (2,000+ reviews)
– Capterra: 4.7/5 (2,000+ reviews)
2. BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a potent research and monitoring tool that gives bloggers an edge in content creation and promotion.
BuzzSumo is similar to Google Trends, but it comes loaded with more social media analytics and engagement features than that simple, free tool. Buzzsumo also differentiates itself from other blogging tools because it lets you uncover the most shared content and trending influencers in your industry, keeping your blog relevant and engaging.
Its ability to identify high-performing content and key influencers can provide you with strategic insights for developing impactful content.
BuzzSumo offers robust analytics, giving you a clear understanding of the success of your content strategy and providing the data you need to refine your blogging efforts.
BuzzSumo Best Features:
– Content discovery tool to help you find trending topics
– Influencer marketing tool to help you discover and connect with leading influencers
– Content alerts to keep you updated with the latest content in your niche
– Easily export a list of influencers into Google Docs or Google Sheets to create a database
BuzzSumo Limitations:
– Advanced features may require a learning curve compared to other blogging tools
– Pricing may be a bit high for individual bloggers and no free tool available
BuzzSumo Pricing:
– Basic: $119/month
– Content Creation: $249/month
– PR & Comms: $249/month
– Suite: $499/month
– Enterprise: $999/month
BuzzSumo Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: 4.5/5 (100+ reviews)
– Capterra: 4.5/5 (100+ reviews)
3. Social Champ
Social Champ is more than just a social media management tool—it’s your secret weapon for running successful social media marketing campaigns.
With its comprehensive features, you can effortlessly schedule posts, track your performance, and engage with your audience.
Social Champ goes beyond mere scheduling—it also offers project execution features to help you plan, organize, and execute your social media campaigns systematically and efficiently.
Social Champ Best Features:
– Bulk uploading and scheduling of posts on your different social media platforms
– Performance tracking to analyze social media posts
– Collaborative features for teams
Social Champ Limitations:
– The user interface might not be intuitive for all users
– Limited integration with other blogging tools
Social Champ Pricing:
– Free
– Champion: $26/month
– Business: $89/month
– Agency: Contact Social Champ for pricing
Social Champ Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: 4.4/5 (20+ reviews)
– Capterra: 4.4/5 (50+ reviews)
4. CoSchedule
CoSchedule is a holistic marketing platform with an integrated suite of blogging tools.
From a dynamic content calendar to an intuitive social media scheduler and a dedicated marketing project manager, CoSchedule caters to every facet of your content marketing needs.
As one of the best content calendar software on the market, CoSchedule simplifies the task of planning, creating, and sharing content, keeping your blogging efforts consistent and impactful.
CoSchedule Best Features:
– Unified content calendar for planning and scheduling posts
– Social media management tools for posting and tracking social performance
– Robust marketing project management features
CoSchedule Limitations:
– Could be overwhelming for users new to blogging tools due to the range of features
– Pricing may be prohibitive for small businesses or individual bloggers
– Limited SEO tools
CoSchedule Pricing:
– Free
– Pro: $29/month
– Marketing Suite: Contact CoSchedule for pricing
CoSchedule Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: 4.4/5 (200+ reviews)
– Capterra: 4.4/5 (100+ reviews)
5. Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO brings the power of search engine optimization to your fingertips.
As a WordPress blog plugin, Yoast simplifies SEO tools by making it accessible even to those with minimal technical expertise.
It’s highly rated as one of the best SEO agency software tools due to its seamless integration with popular blogging platforms like WordPress and its in-depth guidance on improving content rank.
Yoast SEO Best Features:
– SEO analysis for every post with its WordPress plugin
– Readability analysis to improve content structure on your WordPress site
– This WordPress plugin includes schema implementation to help search engines understand your content better
Yoast SEO Limitations:
– Advanced features require the premium version
Yoast SEO Pricing:
– Free
– Premium: $99/year
Yoast SEO Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: 4.6/5 (100+ reviews)
– Capterra: 4.6/5 (100+ reviews)
6. Calmly Writer
Calmly Writer is a minimalist writing tool designed to eliminate distractions and create an environment conducive to focused writing.
Its clutter-free, intuitive design promotes an immersive writing experience, enabling you to channel your creativity and concentrate on developing engaging blog content.
Blogging tools like this don’t let their simplicity sacrifice their functionality compared to some of the other best blogging tools. It also includes essential features like autosave and offline mode and comes with an editing tool for grammar.
Calmly Writer Best Features:
– Distraction-free interface to enhance focus
– Cloud saving for easy accessibility
– Support for Markdown
– Editing tool to help with grammar
Calmly Writer Limitations:
– Limited formatting options
– No collaboration features
Calmly Writer Pricing:
– $12.99 one-time payment
Calmly Writer Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: N/A
– Capterra: N/A
7. Grammarly
Grammarly is indispensable among blogging tools. Its feature set helps it transcend traditional spell-checking software.
It offers real-time grammar and punctuation corrections, style suggestions, and even checks for plagiarism.
Whether crafting a detailed blog post or a concise social media update, Grammarly ensures your content is polished, professional, and error-free.
Grammarly Best Features:
– Detailed writing feedback to improve clarity and engagement
– Plagiarism detection tool to compare across search engines and other blog posts
– Customizable writing goals
Grammarly Limitations:
– Advanced checks require a premium account
– Can’t detect all context-based errors
Grammarly Pricing:
– Depends on team size. Visit Grammarly’s pricing page for more information
Grammarly Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: 4.7/5 (4,000+ reviews)
– Capterra: 4.7/5 (6,000+ reviews)
8. Surfer
Surfer optimizes your online content for better search engine rankings. It analyzes a vast range of data points from your webpage and offers actionable insights to enhance your content’s relevancy and competitiveness.
With Surfer, you can conduct comprehensive keyword research, perform SERP analysis, and compare your content with top-ranking competitors.
The tool’s robust content editor allows you to draft SEO-friendly content, providing real-time suggestions as you write. It’s also armed with a SERP analyzer that breaks down why certain pages rank higher, offering you a strategic blueprint to improve your ranking.
Surfer’s keyword research capability assists in identifying high-performing keywords to help your blog reach a wider audience.
Whether you’re a blogger, content creator, or SEO professional, Surfer provides a suite of features that can help boost your website’s visibility, traffic, and engagement.
Surfer Best Features:
– Surfer’s SERP analyzer breaks down why certain pages rank higher, providing a roadmap for you to elevate your rankings
– The content editor allows you to create SEO-friendly content, offering real-time suggestions to optimize your writing process
– Compare your content with top-ranking competitors and gain insights into what works in your niche and how you can leverage it for your blog
– Connect your Keyword Research Tool to the Google Search Console for a more powerful research tool
– Use Content Editor guidelines directly in Google Docs with easy-to-use Surfer extensions
Surfer Limitations:
– The number of features can make it a little unwieldy for SEO beginners
– No free version
Surfer Pricing:
– Essential: $89/month
– Advanced: $179/month
– Max: $299/month
– Enterprise: Contact Surfer for pricing
Surfer Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: 4.8/5 (400+ reviews)
– Capterra: 4.9/5 (300+ reviews)
9. Portent Title Maker
Portent’s Title Maker is a nifty and free tool that generates catchy, SEO-friendly titles for your blog posts.
Its intuitive design and smart algorithm generate innovative title suggestions that ignite your creativity when grappling with writer’s block.
With Portent Title Maker, you can ensure each blog post has an engaging title that attracts clicks and boosts your SEO efforts.
Portent Title Maker Best Features:
– Generates creative title suggestions for each blog post
– Easy-to-use blogging tool with no account needed
– Helps optimize titles for SEO blog traffic
Portent Title Maker Limitations:
– Suggestions might not always align with your content
– No additional features beyond title generation
Portent Title Maker Pricing:
– Free
Portent Title Maker Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: N/A
– Capterra: N/A
10. RightBlogger
RightBlogger is a strategic marketing campaign management tool designed for bloggers.
Its primary functionality lies in finding influencers in your niche and reaching out to them for guest blogging opportunities—a proven technique for boosting SEO blog traffic and widening your audience.
Alongside your SEO and marketing strategy, RightBlogger can be a game-changing companion in your blogging journey.
RightBlogger Best Features:
– Helps find the right influencers in your niche
– Streamlines the outreach process for guest blogging
RightBlogger Limitations:
– Limited functionality compared to full-suite influencer blogging tools
– Data accuracy might vary
RightBlogger Pricing:
– Unlimited: $29.99/month
RightBlogger Ratings and Reviews:
– G2: N/A
– Capterra: N/A
Revolutionize Your Blog Management with ClickUp
The blogging tools and software highlighted in this article can complement and improve your blogging process with unique features. But to truly streamline your blogging journey, it’s essential to centralize your processes and manage your content effectively.
This is where ClickUp shines. As a comprehensive project management tool, ClickUp offers robust blog management templates designed to organize, plan, and track your blog posts effortlessly. Whether you’re a solo blogger or part of a content team, these templates can be tailored to suit your workflow, so you always stay on top of your blogging game.
But that’s not all. ClickUp Docs are an all-in-one workspace where you can write, edit, and collaborate on your blog posts. With its user-friendly interface and real-time editing capabilities, you and your team can effortlessly craft, revise, and finalize your content, all within a single platform.
Lastly, it’s important to remember that your blog is just one cog in the wheel of your overall marketing strategy. As your blog grows, so will your need for an integrated marketing approach. With ClickUp’s marketing project management features, you can seamlessly orchestrate your marketing campaigns, track their performance, and ensure every piece of content aligns with your broader marketing goals.
So, why not give ClickUp a shot? With its full suite of features, templates, and collaborative capabilities, it’s more than just a project management tool—it’s your ultimate blogging ally. Happy blogging!