When you first get started, you may not realize how many tools and resources for bloggers you’re going to need to succeed. The successful single mom blogger who wants to make money needs the right foundation for your website, the best marketing tools to reach the right readers, and recommended resources to help you learn and grow.
This page includes affiliate links. If you make a purchase using an affiliate link I may get a few bucks, at no extra cost to you. To learn more, read the Affiliate Disclosure.
This collection of resources includes the very tools and systems I use every day, as well as other resources I have researched. These all come highly recommended by myself and other experienced bloggers.
- Recommended Web Hosts for Bloggers
- Best WordPress Plugins for Your Blog
- Must Have Marketing Tools for Bloggers
- Keyword Research Tools for Bloggers
- Resources for Stock Photos, Graphics and Templates
- Resources for Bloggers to Make Money
- Recommended Courses and eBooks for Bloggers
- Save Money with the Best Bundle of Resources for Bloggers
- Best Productivity Tools for Bloggers
- Best Free Resources for Bloggers
The Resources for bloggers page will be updated throughout the year, with new or replacement resources, and new details as I am made aware. However, I assume no responsibility nor liability for any misinformation found on this page. Please click through to each resource for the most current pricing, features and other details you need before you make a purchase.
Recommended Web Hosts for Bloggers
Best for beginners, recommended by WordPress. I’ve used Bluehost for 10+ years for all my sites.
- starts at $2.95/month
- free domain name included
- SSL certificate included
Great for beginners, NameHero offers low prices, good site speeds and helpful customer service.
- starts at $2.77/month
- free website migration
- SSL certificate included
Specializing in WordPress, BigScoots is perfect for the pro blogger with high website traffic.
- starts at $5.95/month
- dedicated hosting
- great customer service
Best WordPress Plugins for Your Blog
UpdraftPlus is a reliable, FREE backup plugin for WordPress. Schedule full daily backups to protect your site and all of it’s content.
Yoast SEO offers FREE and premium WordPress plugins that act as a powerful guide to SEO success. Also check out Yoast Academy for free courses.
An extremely powerful antispam plugin, WPBruiser blocks spam-bots without annoying captcha images. For FREE.
All in One WP Security is a comprehensive, easy to use, stable and well supported FREE WordPress security plugin. Reduces security risk by checking for vulnerabilities, and implementing the latest security practices and techniques.
ShortPixel is an awesome plugin that easily compresses all your images, without loss of quality. The result is improved site speed and better SEO!
Grow by Mediavine is one of the easiest to use social sharing plugins available. Add highly customizable social share buttons for increased interactions and social media shares. For FREE.
Pretty Links helps you shrink, beautify, track, manage and share any URL on or off of your WordPress website. Create links that look how you want using your own domain name!
Easily build forms with WPForms, the #1 drag and drop forms builder. Offers mobile friendly design, tons of integrations, smart conditional logic and instant notifications.
Must Have Marketing Tools for Bloggers
Email marketing is an essential resource for bloggers who want to make money. Build a list of subscribers and turn readers into customers with ConvertKit. Use my link to unlock first 100.
- free up to 1000 subscribers
- free widget for WordPress
- optin forms, landing pages
Easiest way to create gorgeous graphics for your blog, social media and Pinterest. Use Canva to create ebooks, printables and freebies too.
- powerful free plan
- free photos, elements, templates
- affordable Pro plan
Tailwind is a powerful, and very popular, social media tool for Pinterest and Instagram. Makes it easy to plan, schedule and analyze your posts and get traffic to your blog.
- official Pinterest Partner
- grow with Tailwind Tribes
- start with a free trial
Keyword Research Tools for Bloggers
My favorite easy to use keyword research tool. Find relevant, low competition keywords to help your blog or business rank on search engines. KeySearch is affordable and you can save an extra 20% with coupon KSDISC.
Use the free Moz Bar extension for Chrome to instantly see the Domain Authority of websites in the SERPs. Moz also offers keyword research tools and SEO education.
Another useful free Chrome extension. Keyword Surfer shows search volume and related keyword ideas right there on the SERP.
Resources for Stock Photos, Graphics and Templates
Create better, more meaningful social media and website content for your blog and business with Pixistock.
- Social Content Calendar
- Canva templates
- Free 30 days of photos
Built for speed, Astra is a wildly popular WordPress theme. Join over 1 million users (including me) who use Astra to build fast, reliable and awesome WordPress blogs.
- Excellent free theme
- Free starter templates
- Pro version available
Over 4500 Styled Stock Images
and 100s added monthly. Ivory Mix membership includes Canva and Instagram templates!
- Get 550 stock photos free
- VIP membership $11 and up
- Exclusive Facebook group
Resources for Bloggers to Make Money
Great tool to sell your digital products and make money. SendOwl makes it easy, with Stripe, PayPal and ConvertKit integrations.
Awin is a giant, global affiliate network with popular brands and programs for every blogging niche, including Etsy! Start making money with affiliate marketing.
My favorite affiliate network, ShareASale has loads of programs for every niche for you to promote and make money on your blog.
Get high commissions sharing these popular digital bundles for every niche! Ultimate Bundles affiliates also get free marketing training, discounts and support. Free to join!
Debbie Gartner’s course Journey to the Center of Amazon shows bloggers how to make money with Amazon, from how to get started to what types of posts to write for more clicks and conversions.
Recommended Courses and eBooks for Bloggers
Easy On Page SEO by Debbie Gartner is an incredible resource that teaches beginner bloggers how to grow their blog and get the right readers and traffic. Check out her SEO Bundle too!
If you’re looking to make passive income with your blog, Leanne’s excellent Affiliate Marketing Superstars course is the best.
It covers affiliate marketing basics in-depth, and then dives deeper into top strategies and secrets to making money, than any other affiliate marketing course I’ve seen!
SEO Jumpstart is a jargon-free, self-paced SEO course for bloggers like you who want to grow their blogs in a long-term, sustainable way and be free from worrying about getting traffic from social media!
Want to start a blog fast and easy? The Blog by Number course by Suzi Whitford, taken by thousands of happy students, is a step by step method to help you create a professional blog quickly without breaking the bank.
Your blog needs legal pages and the Legal Bundle Value Pack includes templates for the main 4 pages you need, easy-to-follow instructions to customize them for your website, bonuses and lifetime access to updates! Created by lawyer-turned-blogger Lucrezia Iapichino.
Affiliate Marketing, Simplified! by Cate Rosales is a self-paced online course that teaches bloggers how to strategically increase their income and impact through affiliate marketing.
Save Money with the Best Bundle of Resources for Bloggers
Best Productivity Tools for Bloggers
The Social Bee social media management tool gets you more leads and more engagement for much less effort. A must-have tool for bloggers to save hours every week!
Best Free Resources for Bloggers
Free Legal Course for Bloggers created by lawyer and blogger, Lucrezia Iapichino. Learn how to protect your blog legally and how to meet all the legal requirements with Legally Blogs.
My free Weekly Checklist for New Bloggers will help you stay focused and not get overwhelmed by all there is to do to reach your goals as a blogger.
The free Blog Post Template outlines the 15 essential elements of a solid blog post that will make your readers and the search engines happy.
The free Niche Smarts for Bloggers Workbook will show you how to narrow down and choose a profitable niche for your blog to make money and make your marketing efforts easier and more effective.
Get 12 months of blogging planned out for you with the The Blog Plan by Suzi Whitford. With free monthly worksheets to keep you on track to grow your online business.
The free 5 Day Affiliate Marketing Course by Leanne of Passive Income Superstars is an easy way to get started in the world of affiliate marketing for bloggers.
I hope you found this collection helpful. Please feel free to get in touch to let me know if there’s another category of resources you’d like to see added.