Table of Contents
Blogging tools can be a game-changer when it comes to managing your blog efficiently and achieving success. With so many options available, it’s important to choose the right tools that will save you time and effort. After over a decade of blogging experience, I’ve compiled a list of my top 10 favorite tools that have helped me grow multiple blogs into six-figure income earners. In this article, I’ll highlight each tool and explain how they can benefit you.
My 10 Favorite Blogging Tools and Their Benefits
If you’re looking for a quick overview of the best blogging tool stack, here are my top 10 most-used tools:
- WordPress – Best content management system (CMS) for managing your blog.
- Google Docs – Best word document editor for collaborating with your team.
- Wordable – Easily upload articles from Google Docs to WordPress with one click.
- Ahrefs – Best all-around SEO tool for ranking high on Google.
- Notion – Best task management and content planning software.
- Google Search Console – Best tool for making informed SEO decisions.
- Canva – Best graphic creation tool.
- Snagit – Best screenshot capture and editing tool.
- Loom – Best screen recording tool.
- ConvertKit – Best email marketing software.
Now, let’s dive into each tool and explore their benefits in more detail.
Writing, Editing, and Publishing Tools
WordPress
What it is: A content management system (CMS) for building websites and publishing blog posts.
Why I love it: WordPress is the most robust and SEO-friendly CMS on the market. It offers endless possibilities with the right plugins or a skilled web developer. Although it may not be the easiest tool for beginners, its power and flexibility are unmatched once you learn how to use it.
Price: Free
Google Docs
What it is: A document editor.
Why I love it: Google Docs is an easy-to-use free document editor that simplifies collaboration with writers and editors. I’ve been using it for over 10 years to write my blog articles, and it has never let me down.
Price: Free
Wordable
What it does: Uploads articles from Google Docs to WordPress in one click.
Why I love it: When copying and pasting content from Google Docs to WordPress, hidden code can be brought over, causing formatting issues. Wordable solves this problem by uploading the document to WordPress while preserving the formatting and removing the extra code. It also optimizes your images for better performance.
Price: Free up to five exports per month (then $50/month)
Headline Analyzer
What it does: Scores your headlines for clickability and SEO.
Why I love it: Writing compelling headlines is crucial for both clickability and SEO. This tool helps me create killer headlines by providing ideas for power words and uncommon words to make them more interesting. It even has an AI feature that can generate headlines for you.
Price: Free ($19/month or $99/year for premium)
Grammarly
What it does: Makes suggestions to improve your writing and fixes grammar and spelling mistakes.
Why I love it: Grammarly is my go-to tool for fixing typos and grammar mistakes after I’ve finished writing. It’s compatible with Google Docs and WordPress if you install the browser plugin. This tool ensures that my content is error-free and polished.
Price: Free
ChatGPT
What it is: An AI chatbot.
Why I love it: ChatGPT is not only useful for researching and outlining content but also for various other purposes. It can help you generate ideas and improve your content overall. I’ve even used it to plan road trips and create blog posts and videos based on specific needs.
Price: Free ($20/month for premium access)
Hemingway App
What it is: A text editor that grades your writing based on the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level.
Why I love it: Hemingway App helps me ensure that my writing is easily understandable, especially for beginners. It highlights complex sentences and suggests simplifications, making my content more accessible to a wider audience.
Price: Free
Content Organization and Planning Tools
Notion
What it is: A productivity software.
Why I love it: Notion is an incredibly versatile tool that can be customized to suit your needs. It’s perfect for managing projects and goals, planning content, taking notes, and more. I use it to stay organized and keep track of various aspects of my personal and business life.
Price: Free (premium plans start at $8/month)
Slack
What it is: A messaging app.
Why I love it: While I primarily use Notion for team communication, Slack is great for connecting with other bloggers and content marketers. I join communities and stay in touch with masterminds through Slack. It’s a valuable tool for networking and staying updated.
Price: Free (premium plans start at $7.25/month)
Google Analytics
What it is: An analytics dashboard for your website.
Why I love it: Google Analytics provides valuable insights into your website’s performance. By analyzing data such as page visits, duration, and traffic sources, you can make informed decisions about your content strategy. I check my analytics regularly to identify the best-performing pages and optimize accordingly.
Price: Free
Google Trends
What it does: Shows search trends for topics over time.
Why I love it: Google Trends is a powerful tool for discovering trending and breakout topics. It helps me find new ideas and topics to write about. For example, I recently used it to identify a rising trend in searches for “lake berryessa camping,” which inspired a new blog post.
Price: Free
SEO Tools
Ahrefs
What it is: An all-in-one SEO tool suite.
Why I love it: Ahrefs is my go-to tool for keyword research and finding backlink opportunities. The Content Gap report within the Site Explorer tool is incredibly useful for analyzing competitors’ keywords and identifying areas where I can improve. Ahrefs offers a wide range of features that go beyond keyword research.
Price: $99+ per month (free tools available)
SurferSEO
What it is: A software that analyzes Google search results to score your content’s optimization.
Why I love it: SurferSEO helps me outline my content in a way that maximizes its chances of ranking well on Google. Its content editor provides a score based on how well optimized your content is for a specific keyword. The Chrome extension is also handy when working with Google Docs.
Price: $49+/month (depending on tier)
Yoast SEO
What it is: A WordPress plugin for optimizing your pages.
Why I love it: Yoast SEO simplifies the process of optimizing your pages for search engines. It allows you to set meta tags, add robots.txt and sitemap files, and quickly identify pages that require optimization. It’s a must-have plugin for any WordPress blogger.
Price: Free ($99/year for premium)
Google Search Console
What it is: A tool for monitoring and troubleshooting your website’s appearance in search results.
Why I love it: Google Search Console helps me identify pages that are losing traction on the search engine results pages (SERPs). By comparing performance over time, I can pinpoint areas that need improvement and refresh my content accordingly. It’s also useful for monitoring site performance and identifying issues.
Price: Free
Answer the Public
What it is: A tool to find common questions people ask on Google.
Why I love it: Answer the Public ensures that I address common questions people have about a specific topic when writing an article. It helps me rank for People Also Ask questions on Google and provides valuable insights into what my audience is searching for.
Price: Free (premium plans start at $9/month)
SERP Simulator
What it is: A tool to check if your meta title and description are optimized.
Why I love it: The SERP Simulator ensures that my title tags won’t be cut off in the Google search results. By checking the length of the title and description, I can optimize them to maximize visibility and click-through rates.
Price: Free
Marketing Automation and Lead Magnet Tools
Buffer
What it is: A social media scheduling tool.
Why I love it: Buffer saves me time by allowing me to schedule updates across multiple social media channels from one dashboard. I can track their performance without logging into each channel separately. I also delegate scheduling tasks to a freelancer, further streamlining the process.
Price: Free (premium plans start at $6/month per channel)
ConvertKit
What it is: An email newsletter automation tool.
Why I love it: ConvertKit’s intuitive interface and powerful automation features make it my favorite email marketing tool. I can easily create custom email drip campaigns tailored to different segments of my audience, increasing engagement rates and personalization.
Price: Free up to 300 subscribers (plans start at $9/month)
Zapier
What it is: An automation API.
Why I love it: Zapier allows me to automate various tasks and workflows. For example, I use it to receive email notifications when someone fills out a form on my website. The possibilities are endless, and it saves me time and effort.
Price: Free up to 100 tasks/month (plans start at $19.99/month)
Media Creation Tools
Canva
What it is: A drag-and-drop image editor.
Why I love it: Canva is perfect for creating visually appealing graphics for my blog posts. Even as a non-designer, I can create high-quality images and social media shareables with ease. The AI photo editor is a bonus for automating certain tasks.
Price: Free ($12.99/month or $119.99/year for premium)
Snagit
What it is: A screen capturing and editing tool.
Why I love it: Snagit is my go-to tool for capturing and editing screen images. It’s user-friendly and offers advanced features for adding annotations and instructions. I use it in my blog posts and standard operating procedures.
Price: $62.99 (free trial available)
Loom
What it is: A screen recording tool.
Why I love it: Loom simplifies screen recording and sharing. I use it to create tutorials and how-to videos for my team and blog readers. It’s an effective way to visually demonstrate tasks and processes.
Price: Free (unlimited video starts at $8/month)
Descript
What it is: An audio and video editor.
Why I love it: Descript goes beyond standard editing tools with its AI-powered features. I can remove filler words, rearrange clips, and even clone my voice if needed. It’s a powerful tool for creating professional audio and video content.
Price: Free (paid plans start at $12/month)
Artbreeder
What it is: An AI image generator.
Why I love it: Artbreeder allows me to create unique custom images for my blog posts based on text prompts using AI. While it’s still developing, it has the potential to create photo-realistic images for content. I also use it for fun social media posts.
Price: Free ($12.99/month or $119.99/year for premium)
Unsplash
What it is: A high-quality stock image library.
Why I love it: Unsplash is my go-to resource for finding high-quality photos to use in my Canva graphics. It offers a wide range of images that visually enhance my blog posts. I always ensure that the chosen images are relevant to the content.
Price: Free
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right blogging tools can significantly improve your efficiency and success as a blogger. The tools mentioned in this guide have been personally tested and proven effective in growing multiple successful blogs. Whether you’re looking for content management, SEO optimization, content planning, or media creation, there’s a tool that can fulfill your needs. Invest in these tools and watch your blog thrive.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter.