Did you just launch your blog, but are struggling to figure out your next step? I get it. There is so much information out there about blogging that it can be somewhat overwhelming. Depending on the type of blog you have and your goals there are different resources you would need to utilize. However, there are some basic resources that new bloggers like you should definitely know about, I’m including 12 in this post.
There are some resources mentioned in this post that are also mentioned in a few of my other blogging posts because they are such great products, if you would like to read my two of my other posts for blog tips check out the posts here and here.
Setting up Your Blog:
WordPress Beginner: WordPress Beginner also known as WPBeginner is exactly as the name suggests. This website is designed to help you learn all about the WordPress platform from setting up your theme, to setting up features and plugins through articles and video tutorials. This website has saved me from jumping down the rabbit hole that is Google many times.
WordPress.org: When setting up your website, you’ll see that there are plugins and themes that you can find and download, though helpful, not everything is there and that’s where find even more options for themes, plugins, and updates to the WordPress platform from the blog.
Etsy: Have you used Etsy before? If not, I’d describe it as (). If you have, did you know you could also find design options for your blog? I bought my theme from Etsy during a Black Friday sale last year. I’ve also bought stock photos and Instagram highlight covers on there/ The best part in my opinion? Etsy has a gift card option so if you don’t want to save your card, you don’t have to in order to buy items.
Creative Market: Creative Market is Esty 2.0 in my opinion if you exclude the fact that on Etsy you can get all types of products whereas Creative Market is more digital products for a website. On this platform, you can find WordPress themes, fonts, Instagram highlight covers, stock photos, and much more. If you’re wondering why I included both Etsy and Creative Market well like I said Creative Market is Etsy 2.0 when it comes to digital products. You will find several of the sellers on both platforms and in my experience, they include more options in their Creative Market shops.
Creating Graphics For Blog & Social Media
Canva: I discovered Canva years ago and I’ve been using it ever since. Canva is a free graphic design platform that lets you create graphics for your blog or social media. Whether you are creating pins for Pinterest, a logo, or social media promos for any number of platforms you can use Canva to do it. This platform even offers free and premium stock photos for your graphics as well as templates in case you need a little design inspiration/.
I told you about the design platform to create graphics and these next three resources are some of my go-to places for free stock photos. These websites are definitely helpful, but there are times that it is hard to find photos for certain industries or topics so I’d suggest finding a group of websites that you use for stock photos that’s a mix of free and premium options if it’s in your budget.
Unsplash: First up, Unsplash, possibly my top choice for free stock photos/ I love the quality and this website has keyword suggestions to help you find the right photo for your needs. Pexels: I actually discovered this website from another blogger. Similar to Unsplash, it has keyword search suggestions to help you find the right photo for your needs.
Styled Stock: I love styled stock, they don’t have nearly the variety for the free options that some of the other websites I’ve come across, but these photos are worth using somewhere on your blog if it fits your niche.
Related: 35 Best Places For Free Feminine & Styled Stock Photos
Other Important Resources
Pinterest: Pinterest, oh what can I say about Pinterest? For starters, did you know that it’s a search engine? I’ll go so far as to call it one of the best free resources for bloggers. Pinterest is full of content from various sources including bloggers from makeup tutorials, decor ideas, fashion tips, and even blogging tips. When I’m looking for blog post inspiration or advice on how to do a task for my blog, Pinterest is my first stop. If you take one thing from this blog post it should be this, Pinterest will help you with your blog post in the best way.
Meera Kothand.com: Meera Kothand is an email marketing expert and blogger. She creates content to help you run your blog but naturally is focused on helping her readers with the email marketing aspects of it all. If you get a Kindle Unlimited Subscription, you can read several of her books including my current favorite, The One Hour Content Plan. This particular book is designed to help you brainstorm & create several pieces of content quickly and easily and it’s a system that I have used to stay ahead of schedule on my editorial calendar when inspiration strikes. Meera’s blog can help you get a great start with an email list and the content you should be sending to readers. Content may be king for running a blog, but an email list and a plan for communicating with that list is important as well and this is a great place to start.
Planoly: Planoly is a social media scheduling platform that you can use to schedule Instagram and Pinterest posts, though I only use it for Instagram. I love this app because I can upload my photos and write my captions ahead of time while looking at how everything will appear on my Instagram feed. I love that you can easily move items around and even create drafts to store other photos separately from your main Instagram grid preview.
This app has a free option that lets you upload 30 photos and stories each per month, but if you use the 8.99 version you get unlimited monthly uploads and more analytics features. From experience, I suggest that if you see the end of the month is coming and you have more than 10 uploads left, try to upload a few photos you know you will want to use because it is possible to run out of uploads for the month, this way you will save time when scheduling posts and make the most of the app. Although I love all of these features, my favorite aspects of the app would have to be the hashtag groups and the analytics.
Planoly allows you to create groups of hashtags you can organize by category so that when you are creating your posts all you have to do is copy and paste the groups into the post. The analytics offered in the free plan of Planoly allows you to see your post engagement for a set time period including likes, comments, and a few other metrics.
A Color Story: Last but not least, A Color Story: a photo editing app I love even though it’s a paid app if you want to use certain features. When it comes to Instagram, there are a few words you’ll probably see over and over again such as aesthetic and cohesive feed. One of the best ways to create the same aesthetic with all of your photos is to use a photo editing app. I discovered the Color Story app through a webinar and I love it. The app is easy to use and lets you try various filters and combinations on your photo, once you find one you like, save it and you are all set to create your beautiful photos for your Instagram Feed.
Depending on your blog niche, there will be other tools you can use to help you set up and run your blog, Nevertheless here are some of the basic tools I wish I knew about when first getting started. I hope you find these particular resources as helpful as I have, but now that you have them, get started.
Kimberly
Have you found any resources blogging that you think needs to be added to this list for new bloggers? Let me know in the comments below
