+43 Best Blogging Tools To Quickly Grow Your Blog (2023)
Last Updated on July 17, 2023 by Jordan Alexo
So, you’re here because you want to grow your blog, right? You want to reach more people, create engaging content, and maybe even make some money along the way. Well, you’re in the right place!
In this guide, you’ll discover the best blogging tools that can help you do just that. I’m talking about tools that can help you create killer content, optimize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), manage your email marketing, and so much more.
I’ve put together this list. Where I’ve done the research, tested the tools, and narrowed it down to the ones that really matter.
So, sit down and grab a coffee while at it. And let’s take your blog to the next level.
WordPress
WordPress.org offers flexibility and plenty of themes and plugins. It’s SEO-friendly, and with the right themes and SEO plugins, your site can rank on the first page of search results. It’s also great for monetization, making it easy to place ads and promote affiliate products.
Writesonic
This AI-driven writing assistance tool is like having a team of writers at your fingertips. It can handle a variety of content types, from blog posts to social media text. It’s budget-friendly and can be a powerful tool for content writers looking to speed up their work.
Surfer SEO
An on-page SEO tool designed to optimize a website on a page-by-page basis. It aggregates data about your competition and uses this data to show you how to optimize each page on your site. It’s packed with features that make SEO easier, such as the SERP Analyzer, Content Editor, and SEO Audit tool.
ConvertKit
This email marketing tool is simple to use, has a clean design, and has all the features you need to grow your email list and keep your subscribers engaged. It offers unlimited lead magnets for one campaign, free migration for large subscriber lists, and A/B testing for email broadcast headlines.
SEMrush
A powerful tool for keyword research. It also offers many features for SEO, content marketing, competitive research, and more. It’s an ideal tool for anyone looking to improve their SEO and understand their competition better.
Best Blogging Platforms
1 – WordPress.org (Undisputed Champion of Blogging Platform)
When it comes to blogging platforms, WordPress.org is the LeBron James of the game. It’s been around for a while, but it’s still dunking on the competition. Why?
Well, you change your blog design with only a few clicks to whatever you like. See, you’ve got themes for health, tech, and fashion blogs – you name it. And these aren’t just any themes. They’re high-quality, stunning designs that can take your blog from zero to hero.
But WordPress isn’t just a pretty face. It’s got brains too. Its plugins are like the secret sauce that takes your blog to the next level.
Whether you need to add new features as your blog grows or optimize your site for better search engine ranking, WordPress has a plugin for that.
In fact, a website on WordPress already has good SEO (Search Engine Optimization) value. With the right themes and SEO plugins, you can rank on the first page of search results.
Plus, when it comes to monetization, WordPress makes it easy to place ads and use third-party affiliation links to increase your revenue.
So it’s no wonder most professional bloggers consider WordPress the best platform.
2 – Ghost (Simplicity & Elegance Blog Builder)
Ghost is like the sleek, minimalist cousin of WordPress. It’s a free, open-source blogging platform that’s laser-focused on blogging and publishing.
It’s like a breath of fresh air for those who want to escape the sometimes overwhelming world of WordPress.
See, Ghost is all about simplicity and efficiency. You got a clean, intuitive interface that makes blogging a breeze. Also, you can see all your posts and pages right when you log in, no clicking around.
And the editor? It’s similar to WordPress but with fewer features to distract you. It’s all about the writing.
But don’t mistake simplicity for lack of power. Ghost might be focused on blogging, but it’s got some serious chops. You’ve got built-in email marketing, analytics, and even the ability to create a membership site with content behind a paywall.
And while it doesn’t have as many themes as WordPress does, you still have many.
Plus, if you’re up for it, you can even build your own theme using the Handlebars language. So, if you’re all about blogging and want a streamlined and efficient platform, Ghost might be your perfect match.
3 – Webflow (Ultimate Playground For Blog Designers)
Webflow is a SaaS platform that gives you control over your website’s design. You have a visual drag-and-drop builder for designers looking for a low-code or no-code tool.
But don’t let that fool you. Anyone can use Webflow to create a stunning website. The key difference between Webflow and other SaaS website builders like Squarespace and Wix is that Webflow still gives you access to your site’s underlying code.
You’re not just dragging and dropping; you’re visually generating your site’s HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
And the reason some bloggers prefer this platform over WordPress? Because it’s the control. With Webflow, you’re not just picking a theme and tweaking it.
You’re building your site from the ground up. And while that might sound scary, Webflow makes it easy.
It has a clean, intuitive interface that makes designing your site easy. Furthermore, it’s got its own CMS for dynamic sites. So, you can create a blog, eCommerce store, directory, and more.
And when you’re done building, you can export your site’s code and host it anywhere or let Webflow host it.
Best Content Creation Tools
4 – Jasper AI (Great AI Writer For Bloggers)
Let’s talk about Jasper AI, an AI-driven writing assistance. It’s one of the leading artificial intelligence copywriting tools that help you write blog posts, social media posts, and landing pages faster.
Often used for marketing copy, but its capabilities extend beyond that. With its natural language processing (NLP), Jasper.AI can write surprisingly good copy, making it a valuable tool for content writers.
Jasper.AI stands out for its ease of use and the quality of its output. It helps writers speed up their work and allows them to create high-quality content for different purposes.
You still need to edit your content, but it’s an exceptional tool. Plus, it offers Surfer SEO integration to write SEO-optimized blog posts.
The ability to finish your first draft 2-5X faster and the capacity to boost ad conversions with a better copy. It also provides a solution to overcome writer’s block during content creation.
Their team offers a lot of well-produced tutorials that can guide you step-by-step through creating each type of copy you need.
5 – Grammarly (The Best Grammar Tool)
Grammarly is like your personal grammar coach. And it’s more than just a tool for catching typos or misplaced commas.
You also have a writing assistant that uses AI to improve your writing style and readability.
It’s like having a 24/7 English teacher and editor, identifying errors and offering real-time suggestions for corrections.
Beyond grammar and spelling, it checks for readability, sentence structure, and even plagiarism. There’s a web and desktop app and a plugin for your browser or Microsoft Office.
What sets Grammarly apart is its adaptability to your writing style and goals. You can set the tone, formality, and intent of your writing – and Grammarly provides suggestions accordingly.
Grammarly offers a free version with basic features. But for the full suite of tools, you have the “Premium” at only $30 monthly or $144 for an annual subscription.
6 – Writesonic (Awesome Budget AI Writer)
Writesonic, it’s like your personal content creation machine. Imagine: having a team of writers at your fingertips, ready to churn out content in 24 languages.
And it’s not just any content; you get high-quality stuff. From blog posts, marketing copy, social media text – you name it, Writesonic can handle it.
Now, if you’re in the marketing game, you’ll love this. Writesonic is a beast when it comes to crafting short, punchy marketing content.
For instance, Facebook ads, social media content, and website copy that grabs attention. But it doesn’t stop there. You also have many other features like a readability checker, grammar fixer, and content rephraser – that can take your content from good to great.
And why do I love Writesonic? It’s budget compared to other similar tools. I mean, you can start as low as $15 a month. So, if you’re looking for an inexpensive and powerful AI writer tool, Writesonic is a good bet.
7 – Google Docs (Ultimate Collaborative Writing Space)
Google Docs, folks, is a powerful and free word processor similar to Microsoft Word. But it’s also a collaborative tool that lets you work with others in real-time.
No more sending back-and-forth drafts named like “REAL_FINAL_DRAFT4.docx”.
With Google Docs, you can all work on the same document simultaneously.
But what really sets Google Docs apart is its simplicity. For instance, remember the save button?
See, Google Docs got rid of it. No more worrying about losing your work because you forgot to hit save. Plus, Google Docs keeps everything in the cloud. So you don’t have to care about losing your work or figuring out which version of a document is the most recent.
You have everything saved there in one place. In fact, I save all my content on Google Docs as a backup and for easy access.
8 – ChatGPT (Flexible & Budget ChatBot)
ChatGPT is one of my favorite AI assistants. You can have a back-and-forth dialog with it to generate new ideas, expand on topics, and even get suggestions for full paragraphs or blog posts.
It’s like having someone beside you, always ready to bounce ideas around. And the best part? It’s always on, always ready to help you create.
Also, ChatGPT isn’t just about generating content. Instead, it helps you structure your content, too.
You can ask for suggestions on headings and subheadings, flesh out each section with a few sentences, and even get it to rephrase or expand on points to clarify them for your readers.
And once you’ve got a solid draft, you can ask ChatGPT to review it and provide feedback on improving the clarity, flow, and impact.
Now the downside is the learning curve. You need to spend some time learning effective prompts and using ChatGPT effectively. But if you’ve got patience, you’ll find ChatGPT extremely powerful, especially the “Plus” version (only $20 monthly). This gives you access to GPT-4 (the latest AI model) and plugins.
Best SEO Tools
9 – Surfer SEO (Powerful On-Page AI SEO Tool)
Surfer SEO is an on-page SEO tool designed for writers, marketers, and developers who need to optimize a website on a page-by-page basis.
I enjoy Surfer SEO because it doesn’t just tell you what to do; it shows you how to do it. It aggregates data about your competition, including the keywords they target, the links they have, and the content they write.
Then, it uses this data to show you how to optimize each page on your site. But that’s not all. Surfer SEO is packed with features that make SEO easier.
The SERP Analyzer feature helps you understand what the results page looks like for your chosen keyword, showing you alternative keyword suggestions, the questions people want to answer when searching for that term, and the sites giving backlinks to those top-ranking pages.
The Content Editor feature helps you optimize your content as you write, suggesting how many words to hit, which keywords you’re missing, and topics and questions to answer.
And the SEO Audit tool gives you a comprehensive report on how your page compares to the keyword you want to target. All these features make Surfer SEO a powerful tool for anyone looking to boost their SEO game.
10 – Frase (SEO AI Content Generator On Steroids)
Frase is a content writing software that identifies and categorizes content opportunities based on search results.
It helps you research, create, and optimize SEO-friendly content. Frase is also about planning and optimizing your content for SEO.
It shines with the built-in AI writing tool that can generate original content. Although, like with any other tool, you need to edit. But it still produces high-quality, optimized content.
And the best part? Frase is easy to use. Just add your main keyword to the “Target Search Query,” and Frase will do the rest, creating a new document for you based on top-performing articles on search engines for that keyword.
11 – RankMath (The SEO Plugin Powerhouse For WordPress)
RankMath is a tool that has become a favorite among WordPress SEO plugins. It’s got a lot going for it, and here’s why.
RankMath is light, fast, and packed with features that make it a standout choice. One of the biggest advantages is its Schema Markup support. Schema Markup tells search engines what your content is about, improving its visibility and rankings.
But that’s not all. RankMath Pro also offers AI analysis for SEO. It analyzes your content and gives you actionable tips to improve your optimization.
Plus, it integrates easily with Google Analytics tools, giving you useful information.
So, if you’re serious about SEO and want a feature-rich, user-friendly tool, try Rankmath.
12 – Yoast SEO (The King SEO Plugin)
Yoast SEO is one of the most popular WordPress plugins ever and for good reason. See, Yoast SEO is all about optimizing your content for search engines.
You have a built-in content analysis tool that helps you optimize your posts and pages for your chosen keywords. It even gives your content an SEO score and provides actionable tips to improve it.
But Yoast SEO also has other great features to help you improve your site’s SEO. From managing meta keywords and descriptions to creating XML sitemaps and more.
It even has features to help you manage duplicate content, add rich snippets, and integrate with Google Search Console. And if you’re worried about content scrapers, Yoast SEO has a solution for that too.
It adds a link to your original article in your RSS feed, helping search engines identify the source of the content.
Though nowadays I use RankMath, Yoas SEO is still a fantastic choice.
13 – Neuronwriter (Budget SEO AI On-Page Tool)
Alright, let’s talk about NeuronWriter. It helps you create content faster and optimize it to rank well on Google and other search engines.
And here’s the pickle: Neuronwriter gives you a 30-day free trial. So, you have a full month to play around with its features and see if you like it.
Neuronwriter lets you analyze your competition and gives you easy strategies for optimizing and scheduling your content. And even offers expert SEO techniques to get your content on that first page of search results.
Now Surfer SEO has more features than Neuronwriter but is also more expensive.
So, if you still want a tool to help you optimize your content without spending much, Neuronwriter is your choice.
Best Affiliate Marketing Tools
14 – Lasso (Powerful Affiliate Marketing Plugin)
This WordPress plugin is great for bloggers who are into affiliate marketing. Why? Because it simplifies the whole process of managing and inserting affiliate links into your posts.
No more juggling multiple networks or spending hours on link management. Lasso has got a product search tool that lets you find affiliate products from multiple networks, including Amazon Associates, ShareASale, Commission Junction, and more.
Plus, it’s got a custom link display feature that lets you create displays that match your website’s branding.
But that’s not all. Lasso also provides detailed reporting and analytics. You can track clicks, conversions, and revenue from your affiliate links. You can view your click and conversion rates by product, network, or website page.
This data is gold when it comes to optimizing your affiliate marketing strategy and identifying top-performing products.
Furthermore, Lasso includes built-in affiliate disclosure features that help you comply with FTC guidelines. So, if you’re a blogger looking to monetize your content through affiliate marketing, Lasso is worth checking.
15 – Thirsty Affiliates (Link Management Plugin)
ThirstyAffiliates is a WordPress link management plugin that great for affiliate marketers.
You can easily manage all your affiliate links from your WordPress dashboard and quickly add affiliate links from the post editor section. Also, it’s SEO-friendly and even offers geo-cloaking as a pro feature.
Now ThirstyAffiliate helps you optimize your links for maximum performance. You have features like competition analysis, easy strategies for optimizing and scheduling content, and expert SEO techniques for page-one results.
But what makes ThirstyAffiliates awesome are all the add-ons that can take your affiliate marketing to the next level.
From a CSV importer for easy migration of your links to a geolocation add-on that redirects people to a specific landing page based on their location.
So, if you’re serious about affiliate marketing, ThirstyAffiliates is worth a look.
16 – Pretty Links (Free & Paid Link Cloaking Solution)
This is a WordPress plugin that’s all about making your affiliate links look clean, professional, and, well, pretty.
Pretty Links also lets you manage and redirect your links, either to a page on your site or to another site altogether.
Now, you might be thinking, “Jordan, I’ve got a ton of affiliate links. Is Pretty Links really going to make a difference?”
And to that, I say, “Absolutely.” See, Pretty Links has got advanced features like automatic link creation, detailed stats, and link categorization.
Plus, it’s easy to use. So don’t worry if you aren’t a tech nerd. So for affiliate marketing, Pretty Links is a tool you’ll want to have on your side.
Best Email Marketing Tools
17 – Converkit (Best Email Marketing Tool For Bloggers)
This email marketing tool is fantastic for bloggers because it’s simple to use, has a clean design, and has all the features you need to grow your email list and keep your subscribers engaged.
You can create unlimited lead magnets for one campaign, migrate for free if you bring over 5,000 subscribers from a previous email provider, and even A/B test your email broadcast headlines.
But no tool is perfect. The sequence layout could be better, there’s no A/B testing for headlines in automated series, and dealing with cold subscribers could be smoother.
However, ConvertKit is all about simplicity and effectiveness. It’s an autoresponder email tool that lets you grow your email list and send automated emails over time or blast emails whenever you want.
If you’re a blogger, course creator, or digital product creator, ConvertKit is a great fit for your business.
18 – ActiveCampaign (The Advanced Suite For Email Automation)
ActiveCampaign is another popular email marketing tool, offering more than just email blasts—it’s about crafting personalized journeys for each subscriber.
Its top-tier automation capabilities allow you to automate everything from welcome emails to complex, multi-step campaigns with multiple triggers and actions.
Plus, it’s a full-fledged CRM, meaning you can manage your contacts, deals, and sales pipelines all in one place.
This makes it a powerful tool for businesses looking to streamline their sales and marketing efforts.
When compared to ConvertKit, ActiveCampaign offers a more extensive dashboard and more customization options for your emails. Also, you don’t have to worry about price increases as your email list grows.
However, if your team is small and you have a healthy subscriber list, ActiveCampaign might be the better choice. For $49 per month, ActiveCampaign will set you up with access to three users and a subscriber list of up to 250,000 people.
So, give ActiveCampaign a run if you think it’s better for your needs.
19 – MailerLite (Great Budget Email Marketing Tool)
MailerLite is a fantastic choice for beginner bloggers with little money to spend on an email marketing tool.
See, MailerLite is a progressive email marketing software designed with simplicity and user-friendliness in mind. The interface is intuitive, clean, and modern, making it simple for newbies. Plus, it’s got a ‘Free Forever’ plan. Yes, you heard that right. You can have up to 1,000 subscribers for free.
But don’t let the simplicity fool you. MailerLite is packed with features that make it a powerful tool for your email marketing. You have plenty of choices when it comes to email campaigns, landing pages, and form options.
Also, it’s got an excellent email deliverability rate, so you can be confident your email campaigns will land in your subscribers’ inboxes.
The best part? MailerLite is one of the more affordable email providers on the market. Even when you start paying, it’s cheaper than most email marketing tools.
So, if you’re a new blogger who’s dirt poor, MailerLite is a tool you should consider.
Best Blogging Themes And Builders
20 – Kadence (Blazing Fast & Lightweight WordPress Theme)
Kadence is my favorite theme. Well, it’s my choice for this blog. Why? Because Kadence is built on lightweight, SEO-friendly code. That means your site will load at lightning speed and rank high in Google search results.
Also, it integrates perfectly with page builders like Elementor and offers extra WooCommerce features. Want to build a customizable eCommerce store to sell your products? Kadence has your back!
But wait, there’s more. See, Kadence comes with its own Gutenberg extension plugin called Kadence Blocks.
This plugin unlocks a page-builder directly within Gutenberg, the built-in WordPress editor. So, you get the best of both worlds: the power of a page builder and the speed of Gutenberg.
And the part everyone loves, Kadence, is free. But the theme gives you more options than most paid WordPress themes do. For instance, you get features like:
- Header and footer builder
- Sticky header
- Transparent header
- Scroll to top
- SVG social icons without needing a plugin
All of that is completely free. So, if you’re a blogger looking for a theme that’s easy to use, customizable, and fast, Kadence is your best bet.
21 – Astra (Blazing Fast & Lightweight WordPress Theme)
Astra is a WordPress theme built for professionals, creatives, and you name it. It’s got support for portfolios, eCommerce plugins like WooCommerce, and blogs.
The people behind Astra, Brainstorm Force, created this theme as the perfect base for any site.
Plus, its fast loading time, and the fact that the theme is easily customizable.
Now, let’s dive into the meat of Astra. It’s optimized for performance, meaning your site will load in seconds, providing visitors with a smooth user experience.
Astra is lightweight, requiring only 50K of resources, and it’s got a professional back-end design and code, ensuring your WordPress site will be stable and functional.
It offers a wide array of design options. You can customize your page headers, set your unique color scheme, and even create specific sidebars that will only display on certain pages. And if you’re worried about the learning curve, don’t be. Astra has pre-built layouts that make creating a new website easy.
And it offers both a drag-and-drop builder and a way to edit your site’s code directly. So, Astra’s is a good choice whether you’re a beginner or a pro.
22 – Thrive Suite (The All-Encompassing Theme Builder)
First off, Thrive Suite is more than just a WordPress theme. It’s a platform that turns your website into a full-blown online business. You got themes, landing pages, lead generation quizzes, online courses, evergreen scarcity campaigns, and more.
All are designed to help you grow both viewership and revenue. It also has an intuitive, easy-to-use user interface and excellent 3rd party integration.
But here’s the thing. See, Thrive Suite is conversion-focused. Meaning every product they offer is designed to provide bloggers and business owners with the tools they need to make conversions and money from their blog or website.
So, if you’re serious about turning your blog into a money-making machine, Thrive Suite is fantastic!
Best Blog Outreach Tools
23 – Hunter.io (The Email Detective For Blogger Outreach)
This tool is like a magnet for email addresses, pulling them right out of the domain you’re interested in.
No more manual hunting for contacts, no more guessing games. Just type in the domain, and boom, you’ve got a list of email addresses, complete with their sources and even the pattern of email addresses on the website. It will save hours of boring work.
Plus, Hunter.io has a sleek, easy-to-navigate interface and many features that make your outreach process smoother than ever.
You’ve got an email verification tool, bulk email management, lead management, and a campaign optimizer. Also, it offers free cold email templates. Oh, and let’s not forget: You can try it out for free with up to 50 email searches.
Anyway, the pricing plans might be a bit steep for some, but the quality of service and support justify the price.
So, if you want to improve your outreach, give Hunter.io a shot.
24 – Mixmax (The Sales Engagement Platform Optimized For Gmail)
Mixmax is about helping you send emails, schedule campaigns, and track everything from your Gmail or G Suite account.
You can see open rates, clicks, and even download tracking. Plus, you get real-time notifications. But Mixmax doesn’t stop there. It helps you with scheduling and personalization.
For instance, you can schedule emails for any date and time, meaning you don’t need to be glued to your screen to send an email. And personalization?
It helps you send customized emails using data from Salesforce, Pipedrive, HubSpot, and other CRMs.
But remember, no tool is perfect. Mixmax has drawbacks, like limited features in lower-priced plans and no mobile support.
25 – Respona (The Link Building Specialist)
This tool is great for anyone looking to supercharge their PR and content marketing efforts. It’s an all-in-one PR and link-building platform.
Respona helps you streamline your outreach campaigns by automating the grunt work. It’s all about building relationships with bloggers, influencers, and journalists, and it does a fantastic job.
Also, you have many features that make your life easier. For instance, you have an integrated search engine for finding relevant prospects, an email management system that keeps your communication on point, and AI-backed outreach automation to help you.
Plus, it has a library of pre-built campaign templates you can personalize depending on what you want. All combined in a clean and intuitive user interface that makes managing and tracking your campaigns easy.
But the downside is that the pricing can be steep for small businesses or individuals on a tight budget. And it can take some time to get the hang of all its features.
Anyway, if you’re serious about taking your outreach campaigns to the next level, Respona is worth a look.
26 – Lemlist (The Cold Email Software Customized For Bloggers)
Now, this is a tool that’s got your back when it comes to cold emails. It’s designed to personalize your cold emails, making them more effective.
Lemlist is also a comprehensive sales automation solution. It interacts with your CRM, customizes cold emails, and automates follow-ups.
So, if you’re looking to improve your sales funnel, Lemlist is a solid choice. For instance, you got features like audience segmentation, email personalization, and result tracking to optimize campaign effectiveness.
Plus, it integrates with Salesforce, LinkedIn, Zapier, Slack, Hubspot, and more. So, you can automate your email marketing workflow and save time.
Now a few things I don’t enjoy is Lemlist doesn’t allow for email attachments, which can limit your interaction with prospects. It also functions outside of Gmail in a different interface, which can be a bit of a hassle. And let’s not forget about the daily limits on email sending.
So, while Lemlist has a lot to offer, it’s worth considering these limitations before jumping in.
Best Organizational Tools
27 – Google Sheets (Free Content Calendar Platform)
Google Sheets is a cloud-based application that lets you create, edit, and share spreadsheets in real-time.
It comes with a nice supply of features such as data visualizations, integrations, add-ons, and all the basic tools you’d need from a spreadsheet app.
But where it’s great is its collaboration features. You can have several people working on the same file simultaneously from several devices.
Google Sheets is user-friendly and perfect for beginners. The onboarding process is quick and painless, and you won’t need to invest in training classes or resources to learn how to navigate it.
Plus, you can access it from any device, like laptops, tablets, or mobile devices. It’s compatible with Windows systems, as well as with macOS and Linux. There’s even an offline mode.
And all your workbooks are automatically saved to your Google Drive, so you don’t have to worry about losing your work.
So, for bloggers, Google Sheets is a must-have tool for staying organized and collaborating with others.
28 – Notion (The All-in-One Workspace For Bloggers)
This isn’t your average note-taking app; it’s a full-blown project management tool perfect for solopreneurs and small teams.
It’s like your digital workspace, where you can keep all your project-related info in one place, build workflows, and share them with your team. You can create pages, interlink them, nest them, and add blocks to create anything from to-do lists to videos.
This app is flexible and customizable, so you can structure your pages any way you want. Oh, let’s not forget it’s got a forever-free plan with enough features to get you started.
I also like that Notion tables are fantastic for project management. You can add columns for task details, due dates, status, priority levels, etc. And you can filter these columns to view only the info you need at any given time.
Plus, it offers multiple views for project management like timeline, board, and calendar. Each item on a board is a page in itself, with related info stored for easy access.
Anyway, if you’re looking for advanced project management features like time tracking or Gantt charts, you won’t find them here. But for content creators and small teams, Notion is a solid choice.
Best Blogging Image Tools
29 – Canva (Simple Graphic Designer For Bloggers)
This tool is a must-have for bloggers, and here’s why. Canva is an easy-to-use graphic designer that you can use for free. Or, if you want more options and stock images, you pay a cheap subscription.
It’s got a massive range of assets — from infographics to videos, even websites — that you can create quickly. Besides, you don’t need to be a design expert to get great results.
It’s user-friendly and intuitive, so you can focus on creating content that pops, not wrestling with complicated design software.
Canva also comes with a Magic Resize tool. That helps you whip up a design and then instantly reformat it for different platforms. So, you can turn a blog post banner into a Facebook post image or a YouTube video thumbnail just by clicking a button.
No more wasting time adjusting sizes or layouts. Plus, with the option to embed your Canva projects, any changes you make in Canva will automatically update on your site. Now, that’s what I call working smart, not hard.
30 – Pixabay (Free Stock Images & Videos Platform)
This platform is a fantastic source of high-quality copyright-free images for bloggers.
Pixabay is a community-driven platform where creators share their work, offering stock photos and a slice of their creativity to make your blog posts pop.
Beyond photos, Pixabay offers illustrations, vector graphics, videos, and even music, allowing you to enhance your blog posts, guides, or video blogs.
You can use all this content for free, for both commercial and non-commercial purposes, but remember to get written consent or a property release for the commercial use of images of people or objects.
The search filters might require some digging to find the perfect image or video, but once you master it, you’ll find fantastic content for your blogs.
So, if you want to visually enrich your posts without breaking the bank, Pixabay is a must-try. Just remember to respect the rights of the creators.
31 – Unsplash (Free Stock Images Platform For Bloggers)
Another fantastic source of high-quality images similar to Unsplash. But this platform only offers photos and nothing else.
Anyway, it never hurts to have additional options, right? So, go ahead and explore Unsplash.
32 – Sketch (The Creative Design App)
This tool is excellent for bloggers wanting to improve their design game. Unlike Photoshop, Sketch was built from the ground up for designing interactive interfaces.
It creates live comps, so you can preview what happens when you click, swipe, or tap your design on any device. This means you can give your readers a more interactive and engaging experience.
And the best part? It’s more preferred by developers, so if you’re working with a team, it will make the handoff process smoother.
Also, Sketch is all about making teamwork seamless. It has a feature called Sketch Cloud, where you can upload your document and share it with your team.
They can view the document, use the built-in commenting tools, and even preview the artboards in full resolution.
Plus, it’s got libraries that let you store and share your project assets and presets. For this reason, working solo or with a team, Sketch, will make your design process easier.
So, try Sketch and see how it can transform your blog.
33 – Dall E (Free AI-Image Generator)
DALL E is an image generator that is open source, meaning that it is freely available for anyone to use and modify. This tool lets you create impressive images from text descriptions. And what you can do with DALL E is pretty wild, and the images you get don’t have copyright restrictions.
Also, their system keeps learning and evolving. So, it will only improve its understanding and interpretation of your prompts.
For this reason, if you’re a blogger looking to create unique images, DALL-E 2 is a tool worth trying. Besides, it can be fun to experiment and see how artificial intelligence has advanced.
34 – Jasper Art (Premium AI-Image Generator)
Jasper Art is another AI image generator that takes the manual hassle out of creating images from scratch. You just type a description of the image you have in mind, and Jasper AI will generate multiple images within a few seconds!
You can also customize images according to your preference. But here’s the thing, Jasper Art is designed specifically with marketers and bloggers in mind.
So, if you’re a blogger, you can save a ton of time by generating unique images instead of searching through stock images.
Plus, Jasper Art uses the DALL-E 2 system to generate unique images, which is one of the best AI image generators out there.
So, you’re not just saving time but also getting top-notch quality.
Best Analytical Tools
35 – Google Search Console (Free SEO Performance Tracker)
Google Search Console (GSC) is a free tool that gives you a backstage pass to your site’s performance. You can see your high-traffic pages and top queries and even track your average position over time.
Meaning you can check what’s working and what’s not. And you may use this data to strategize your next move.
So, this is a must-have tool for bloggers looking to optimize their website’s performance and improve their search engine rankings.
36 – Google Analytics (Free Analytical Tool)
Another must-have free tool for any blogger out there. It lets you see how your audience is interacting with your website.
You can check where they’re coming from, such as what pages they visit, how long they stay, and much more. It’s like having a window into their journey on your site.
But Google Analytics isn’t just a passive tool. You can set goals, track conversions, and even integrate it with other products like Google Ads.
For instance, do you spot a high bounce rate on a key page? Time to optimize. Notice a surge in traffic from a particular source? It might be worth investing more in that channel. You can use this data to make smarter decisions.
Now Google Analytics gives you a ton of valuable info, but the problem is its scary interface. It isn’t easy, and it requires patience and spending some time learning it.
37 – Clicky (Simple Free Google Analytics Alternative)
Clicky is your go-to if you’re overwhelmed by Google Analytics. It provides some awesome features like real-time traffic stats. You can see what’s happening on your site right now, not just yesterday or last week.
Also, heat maps show where your visitors click, giving you the lowdown on what’s hot and what’s not.
All this is combined with a simplistic interface that doesn’t cause headaches like Google Analytics.
So, bloggers who want to make their life easier should get Clicky! Oh… and you can freely use Clicky to track up to 3,000 daily page views.
38 – ContentKing (The Real-Time Solution for SEO Auditing & Monitoring)
ContentKing is a real-time SEO auditing and monitoring tool that’s a lifesaver for brands with hundreds of pages. Why? Well, manual monitoring? Forget about it.
It shows potential issues 24/7 and gives actionable insights about your website’s search optimization state. Also, ContentKing tracks all the changes on your website.
So if you’ve just updated something and your rankings take a hit, you’ll know what went wrong. Plus, it’s cloud-based so that you can work from your browser. No downloads, no installations. Just pure, unadulterated SEO tracking and auditing.
Now, here’s the pickle! The pricing model is tricky, especially if you’re unsure how many pages your website has. And the Basic package doesn’t render JavaScript, which can be a bummer for some people.
Anyway, if you want a tool that gives you a real-time, in-depth look at your website’s SEO health, ContentKing is worth checking out.
Best Keyword Research Tools
39 – Ahrefs (Powerful SEO Tool for Keyword Research)
If you’re a blogger, Ahrefs is an incredible tool. It gives you the lowdown on your competitors’ content, showing you what’s working for them and what’s not.
You can see what kind of content gets the most shares and search traffic and use that intel to craft your killer content. Plus, Ahrefs helps you understand your own content better. You have several tools that let you dig deep into your content performance.
For instance, you can see which of your posts are getting the most traffic, ranking for your target keywords, and even getting the most backlinks.
Another aspect I enjoy is they’re constantly adding new features and revamping existing ones to give you the most accurate, up-to-date insights.
But remember, Ahrefs is just a tool. It won’t do the work for you. You must take that data and run with it. Use it to shape your content strategy, find new opportunities, and keep pushing your blog to the top.
So, if you’re serious about blogging, give Ahrefs a try. Sure, it’s a bit of an investment, but the insights you’ll gain are priceless.
40 – SEMrush (All-in-One Digital Marketing Suite for Keyword Analysis)
SEMrush is another SEO tool great for bloggers, and here’s why.
It constantly gathers data and insights to help you make better decisions. It’s got a massive database of keywords updated daily. You can reverse engineer your competitor’s keywords, which is a killer strategy for content creation.
It’s also a powerful PPC tool too. You can see almost every ad your competitor runs and how much traffic those ads pull in. You can even see the exact ads your top competitors are running.
SEMrush also has a solid display advertising feature. Also, compared to Ahrefs, you have a simpler pricing structure. For instance, you spend credits each time you make a report (keyword research or competitor analysis) on Ahrefs. You don’t have that problem with SEMrush.
Plus, it has a pretty decent site audit tool built in, so you can ensure your site’s technical SEO is on point. So, it’s a fantastic SEO tool for bloggers wanting in-depth keyword analysis.
41 – Google Keyword Planner (The Free Keyword Research Tool)
Google Keyword Planner is a free tool, and free is always a good start, right? But it’s not just about being free. This tool helps you find new keyword ideas and gives you a peek into how much traffic those keywords could bring in.
You can see how often people search for a keyword, its competition level (for Google ads), and other related keywords.
Google Analytics is also about understanding your audience. You can use it to research new product and service ideas or get insights into how customers search for your business.
And it’s all backed by Google’s massive data. So, if you’re a blogger, this tool is a must-have, and well, it’s free.
42 – Lowfruits.io (Budget Long Tail Keyword Research Tool)
This tool is great for bloggers who are on the hunt for low-competition keywords. Why? Because it’s designed to find those untapped niche keywords that your site could easily rank for.
Also, it’s intuitive and well-designed and can fit within anyone’s budget. But what makes LowFruits.io stand out?
Well, compared to other tools, it allows you to use a Google search operator style of query finding. This means you can go far beyond what most tools can give you within a single report.
Plus, it automatically clusters keywords for you. This means you can start creating pages based on the outputs straight away rather than spending ages manually grouping keywords you think are relevant.
So, if you’re serious about SEO and want to find those hidden keyword gems, give LowFruits.io a try.
43 – Ubersuggest (Another Inexpensive Keyword Research Tool)
Ubersuggest is an SEO software and marketing keyword tool created by Neil Patel. And it’s a great tool to help with keywords and get content suggestions.
But also, Ubersuggest lets you keep an eye on your competitors’ websites, giving you updates on their SEO performance. Plus, it’s packed with other valuable features that’ll give you an edge over your competition.
Now, let’s talk about some of the standout benefits. With Ubersuggest, you can snoop on your competitors, see what keywords they’re ranking for, and get a list of the backlinks they’re receiving.
You can also discover their top SEO pages and how much traffic they receive. And if you’re worried about errors on your site, Ubersuggest has your back. It’ll give you error reports for your website and advice on fixing them.
You can also track your website and keywords to see how they perform daily. So, for bloggers, this tool has plenty of useful features, and it’s pretty affordable compared to other SEO tools.
Last Thoughts
You’ve just taken a deep dive into the best blogging tools, and boy, what a journey it’s been! We’ve explored everything from blogging platforms like WordPress.org, Ghost, and Webflow to content creation tools like Jasper AI, Grammarly, and Writesonic.
We’ve even touched on SEO tools like Surfer SEO, Frase, and RankMath, and affiliate marketing tools like Lasso, Thirsty Affiliates, and Pretty Links. Now, let’s wrap it up.
Remember, the right tools can make your blogging journey smoother and more successful. They can help you create better content, reach more people, and even monetize your blog.
So, don’t shy away from investing in the right tools. You shouldn’t see them as just a cost; rather an investment in your blog.
And with the insights you’ve gained from this post, you can now choose which tools are right for you.
If you got any questions about these blogging tools, leave them below.
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