9 Tools to Improve Your Blog and {FREE Blog Printables}
Blog Tools I Use Everyday
Have you wanted to start a blog but did not know where to start? Have you thought blogging would be fun, but overwhelmed with the how to set-up and manage your blog every day?
I wanted to start a blog for many years, and I tried a few times unsuccessfully. This time blogging is different for me, I have found many tools to help me be a successful blogger. You can have a successful blog too. Here are a few of the tools I use with my blog.
Books to Help You Understand Blogging
Building A Framework: The Ultimate Blogging Handbook by Abby Lawson is a great book for bloggers getting started and for those with some experience. Abby takes you step-by-step from the beginning of how to start your blog. She will share with you how to select a name for your blog, how to set-up your blog, and how to start building traffic to your blog. Most importantly, she shares how you can make money with your blog. Abby even shares the mistakes she made in the early days of her blog so you can avoid those mistakes.
Building A Framework: The Ultimate Blogging Handbook can be purchased as an e-book and blog planner or you can select from 2 upgrade options. First, the advanced option which includes the book, blog planner and step-by-step video series on managing your blog. Or the master upgrade including the book, blog planner, step-by-step video series and interviews with expert bloggers. The expert video series includes many different blog topics such as Pinterest, SEO, time management, and much more.
How to Blog for Profit Without Selling your Soul by Ruth Soukup is an advanced blogging study, but helpful even to new bloggers. This book does not include the details of how to set-up your blog, but it does offer ideas on how to use Pinterest, drive traffic to your website and monetize your blog.
If you are looking for an inexpensive how-to-monetize your blog guide, start with How to Blog for Profit Without Selling Your Soul. An insightful book with practical advice you can apply to your blog immediately.
Delicious Blogging has all the “ingredients” you need for a successful blog. Written in 31 lessons, you can complete one lesson a day or work at your own pace adding each ingredient to your blog.
Delicious Blogging will take you through the steps to set-up or improve your blog and help you develop a social media presence. Learn how to create a blog that will want your subscribers to keep coming back for more.
Pinterest Tools
BoardBooster to handle your basic Pinterest scheduling. BoardBooster makes Pinterest scheduling easy allowing you to add any pin to a secret board that is pinned at a scheduled time. It’s a quick, easy and inexpensive way to schedule pins. BoardBooster allows you to test their service with 100 FREE pins.
Ahalogy also allows you to schedule your pins at set times to the designed board of your choice. Ahalogy is a free Pinterest scheduling tool, but you must apply to join their network. Ahalogy also makes it easy to curate content from other bloggers. P.S. Sometimes, Ahalogy has a wait list to add new publishers.
Online Blog Tools
PicMonkey allows you to edit pictures, add headlines, create banners and headers for your website and social media platforms. I use PicMonkey every day for picture editing and creating banners.
For beginning bloggers, you can use the free version which has all basic the features you will need for your blog, and then later you can advance to the paid version which includes many additional features.
Canva also allows you to edit pictures and to create headlines, banners and other artwork for your blog. Canva has many pre-designed page and banner layouts you can edit (change fonts, change colors) or you can start with a blank slate and create your own design. Canva also offers pictures for purchase for $1 each if you do not want to use free stock pictures.
The World’s Best Grammar Checker – Grammarly has become one of my favorite writing tools. Grammarly will help you improve your writing by showing you basic writing mistakes and offering alternate spellings, punctuation and more.
All writers should be using Grammarly or a similar tool for their writing.
Blog Calendar
To track your blog ideas and scheduled posts, you need a blog calendar. You can use a simple WordPress Editorial Calendar plugin (which I find helpful for reviewing past posts and planning future posts). You may also use one of the many blog planners you can download online.
I suggest a printed calendar. I like the My Blog Plan (link to left) for planning and managing my blog. It offers monthly and weekly pages to plan. It has pages to recap your social media and most popular posts.
FREE Printables
Do you work with affiliate networks or other bloggers with affiliate programs? Do you find it hard to keep track of all your affiliate networks and programs? These 2 easy to use worksheets will help you track your affiliate networks and companies you use within those networks and independent affiliate programs.
Affiliate Networks Tracking Printable
Independent Affiliate Printable
If you like to post your blog on link-up’s, here’s a tracking tool to help you remember all the blog link-up’s.
Weekly Blog Link-up Tracking Printable
What blog tools do you use? What blog tools have helped you improve your blog?
Note: this post contains affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.