Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means if you sign up for one of these services, I’ll get a commission for helping you start your blog, at no extra cost to you.
1. SiteGround
If you’re looking to start a blog, you want to chose a hosting company which is fast and reliable. I use to be with Bluehost but swapped to Siteground after one year. Siteground have amazing customer support, and I have personally have had a great experience with them.
SiteGround offers hosting from $3.95/month by just pre-paying for 12 months (instead of 36 months like with Bluehost). Your first payment to get up and running is only $47.40 and there are no other surprise setup charges.
Follow my step-by-step guide on how to start a blog
2. WordPress
You will also need to choose a platform for your self-hosted blog. I have been using WordPress since 2016 and would highly recommend it. It’s very easy to use and there are alot of cool features and plugins which you can use with it.
3. Tailwind
The main source of traffic to my blog is Pinterest, and one of the best investments i have made to increase my traffic is Tailwind. With Tailwind you can schedule your pins in advance, and Tailwind will pin for you while you’re sleeping and continue to drive traffic to your blog. I’ve been using Tailwind for year and for only $14.99, I can make this money back easily through the adverts on my blog.
4. Mailchimp
Mailchimp is a marketing platform that lets you create an email list and stay in contact with your readers and customers. They have a free option plan for small bloggers and businesses with less than 2000 subscribers. I have been using Mailchimp since 2016 and love it, it’s very easy to use and has a lot of cool features to make your emails stand out.
5. Yoast SEO
Improve your traffic by optimising SEO. I use the Yoast SEO plugin which tells me exactly how to improve the SEO on every single blog post!
6. Canva
I use Canva to create all of my blog pins for Pinterest, I also used Canva to create my two planners (the Positivity Planner and the Plant Planner). Canva is so easy to use and you can create beautiful designs on there, they have a huge number of templates to choose from!
7. Publish with Purpose
One of my main income sources are sales from my two planners, the Positivity Planner and the Plant Planner. I created both of these planners after signing up for Sarah Steckler’s online course and group coaching programme called Publish with Purpose. In 60 days Sarah teaches you how to create and publish your own planner and start making passive income from your sales.
