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Blogging is amazing but to make the most of it, you need to invest in blogging tools. A few months ago, I shared some blogging resources every blogger should use most of which are free but as I mentioned earlier, investing in blogging tools is proportional to making the most of it and today, I’ll be sharing 10 blogging tools worth paying for.
10 blogging tools worth paying for
Self hosting
Number 1 on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is self hosting! Now I’m sure you have heard that if you want to make the most out of blogging, one of the most important things you need to do is go self hosted. If you are a hobby blogger, you might not necessarily need to go self hosted but if you want to take blogging as a job and make an income out of it, then you need to go self hosted.
There are many benefits of going self hosted from it being cheaper than WordPress.com to enabling you to have more authority over your website and so much more. One of the platforms I would recommend for going self hosted is lyrical host. Almost every blogger knows lyrical host. They are one of the best when it comes to self hosting. They have the best customer support you can ever ask for and more importantly, you get your money’s worth. I can’t recommend them enough. Get 10% off your first hosting plan payment by using the code RLG10 at checkout.
Blog Theme
Number 2 on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is blog theme. Blog themes are very important! They can be very crucial to your sites success. A good blog theme will give your users a good first impression, make them want to spend more time on your blog (if your blog theme isn’t very functional, people won’t want to spend time on it) and it can also help your SEO.
All themes are not created equally and some of them could be detrimental to your blog and your SEO. And so, when you want to get a blog theme, you sure want to get one that is aesthetically pleasing, compatible with all browsers and one that has an overall positive impact on your blog. Below are some brands I love!
Keysearch
Number 3 on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is Keysearch. Well, if you aren’t already using Keysearch, you are missing out and you need to get it ASAP! Keysearch is one of the best, if not the best keyword tool you can find out there. Keysearch has a starter and a pro plan. The starter plan costs $17 per month and $169 per year and the pro plan costs $34 per month and $279 per year. Think that’s expensive? Give it a try and see that you are paying for your money’s worth.
If you haven’t tried keysearch, you need to try Keysearch for real. I love it and I’m pretty sure you’ll love it too. If you are a blogger with one website then the starter plan would be fab for you. But if you have more than one website, you may want to give the pro plan a try! Still in doubt, you can read an honest review of Keysearch here!!
Convertkit
Number 4 on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is Convertkit! Ok so as a blogger, you definitely need to have a mailing list. The benefits of an email list can never be overemphasized. I use MailChimp and I love it but lately, I have been wanting to give Convertkit a try.
While MailChimp is an amazing platform, Convertkit has more aesthetically pleasing designs and with Convertkit, you can easily embed sign up forms in your blog posts and so much more! Beautiful thing is you can create a free convertkit account and have up to 1000 subscribers! Click here to get Convertkit!
Keep reading: 10 blogging tools worth paying for
Buffer
Number 5 on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is Buffer! Social media is important to every blogger. And for many bloggers, social media is the easiest way to get their content out there, interact with people, etc. Buffer is an amazing social media management platform that helps you plan, publish and even schedule your posts in advance across your various social media platforms. With buffer, you can plan your social media posts for months, weeks and even get in-depth analytics of how they’re performing! Isn’t that fabulous?!
Canva
Number 6 on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is Canva! I just couldn’t close this up without canva. Canva is a must use for every blogger and I cannot recommend it enough! While the free version is fantastic! The premium version gives you access to more fonts, designs, allows you to create a brand kit and so much more! If you’ve been wondering if the premium version of canva is worth it, here’s to let you know that it is 1000% worth it!
Blog Planner
Number 7 on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is blog planner! As bloggers, we always have so much to do and we all know how crucial it is for us to stay on top of blogging responsibilities. Blogging work never finishes lol but planners are a good way to get organized, stay on top of your blogging responsibilities and take charge of your blogging journey. My friend Jordanne created this blog planner with years of blogging experiences. She is a blogger herself and I promise you, she knows what she is doing! Click here to get you a yearly blog planner!
Grammarly
Believe me, no one wants to read posts that are full of errors. Posts that are filled with lots of errors – spelling errors, incorrect word usage, or improper punctuations and all that can send readers away. Personally, if I click on a blog post that has so many errors, I will leave your blog as fast as I clicked on it. Now we are humans aren’t we? And mistakes are normal and bound to happen.
Even I make mistakes too. There have been times where I write a blog post and proofread it as many times as I can to find no error only to publish it and see that there are some errors here and there lol. Grammarly is that second eye you need to catch errors here and there! You can get grammarly here!
Instagram preset
Number 9 on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is this Instagram preset! Instagram is all about aesthetics and your Instagram account could end up being an epic fail if it’s not eye catchy enough (At least, most successful Instagram accounts I know are very aesthetically pleasing). We all know how important Instagram is for blogging or at least for getting sponsored posts.
Most brands nowadays always ask for an Instagram account. I never really used to focus on Instagram but when I started to notice how interested brands are in Instagram, I created a new Instagram account that I recently started to focus on. Using the right tools can help grow your Instagram account, followership, engagement and even land you some amazing sponsorships. You can get the Instagram preset here!
Pinterest Templates
Last but not the least on my list of 10 blogging tools worth paying for is Pinterest templates. Now this is my own product but i’m not gonna hype it up just because it is my own product lol. We all know how difficult it can be to create pins sometimes. I love creating pins but sometimes I just don’t find the time to create them. And because of that, my Pinterest suffers, impressions reduce and all that.
I abandoned my Pinterest for months because I couldn’t find time to create pins and my Pinterest monthly views dropped to 2 hundred and something lol. Three weeks ago, I started to pin consistently on Pinterest and at the moment I have 4.3k monthly views. Pinterest templates are definitely worth the purchase if you do not have the time, to create them yourself or if you are looking for new pin design inspiration that is different from your regular! You can get the pinterest templates here!
Round up
You’ve got 10 blogging tools that are worth every penny at your fingertips. Blogging is a give get thing. And when it comes to blogging, you need all the tools, resources and help you can get. These 10 blogging tools worth paying for can make your blogging journey more worth it. I have 15 beautifully designed free Pinterest templates. Grab yours here!
I use Grammarly all the time; I pay for the full version as my writing would be atrocious without it. I love using Canva, too; there is so much you can do on there, but I definitely need help with planning, so I’m going to check out the blog planner and buffer also.
Firstly, thank you so much for including my blog planner, it means the world!
Canva is such a valuable resource, I don’t know what I would do without it now. Although I work mostly on Adobe creative cloud with AI and Photoshop, canva is perfect for those quick and easy designs and super easy to achieve a professional look. Thank you for sharing, going to check out Buffer for sure.
You are welcome Jordanne! Canva is a great tool! I don’t know what I would have done without it. You do need to check out Buffer. Thank you for reading and commenting xx
Really great post! I use canva all the time and I love Buffer too. You’re so right about paying for a blog theme x
Thanks so much for sharing. As a newbie blogger, I found this incredibly informative. I will definitely be looking into this further. Thanks again.
Really loved this post! I don’t have some of the things listed on here so I’ll be changing that ASAP. Really helpful and interesting post, thank you so much for sharing lovely x
Soo many amazing tools in this list. I recently upgraded to Canva premium and it was the best decision I’ve made for my blog for a long time!
Rosie
Is there still a reason to use buffer when you can schedule tweets and Facebook posts using there own interface?
I had to ditch Grammarly because of it’s recurring problem of not working for months at a time after a WordPress update. It’s happened three years in a row now
While there’s nothing wrong with scheduling posts directly on social media platforms, in my opinion, Buffer is a very relevant tool as there’s way more you can do using buffer. Also, I have found that people have mixed reviews about Grammarly. It has been useful for me. And I think it all boils down to what works for you. Thank you for reading and commenting!
So true! These are the important investments to make your blog awesome. No.1 is the most important. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you for this list of resources — it’s always good to find new ways of making our sites and blogs work for us. It can be a bit overwhelming sometimes to figure out what’s good and what’s worth the investment of paying for an online tool. I love Canva Pro and think it’s been invaluable to have so it was good to see it highlighted in your post. I will be checking a few others out you mentioned — this has been super helpful!
I cannot imagine blogging without a bunch of social media templates, grammarly, or Hootsuite.
I love this. It’s hard sometimes as a hobby blogger to know where to invest. I don’t mind spending some money, but it’s not like there’s going to be a financial return so I need to be careful what I spend it on. There are great suggestions here, and I love the idea of instagram presets because mine is a mess right now. Thanks for the recommendations!
Great post Ruth! These are all very helpful tips for creating a successful blog and I use several of these. I will check out some of the others I haven’t looked at yet. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for compiling such a helpful guide. It can be difficult to decide when to spend and when to save sometimes.
This was such a helpful post! I use a lot of these, but there are some that I will definitely be giving a try after reading this (hello Instagram presets!) thanks so much for sharing!
Wow. Wow. Wow! This post is incredible and jam-packed! I’ve got so many tabs open now from your recommendations! I’m definitely subscribing to your blog, it’s motivating and inspiring! 💚
Yes, I agree with all of these, Ruth – self hosting, blog theme, Pinterest templates, Keysearch, Buffer, Canva, IG preset – I don’t have Grammarly or Blog Planner though. And I’ve only just got ConvertKit so haven’t used it – fab list! x
Fab list! At the moment all I’ve invested in is going self hosted, but I really need to get a planner at some point – and I love the sound of keysearch, it sounds fab! Thanks for sharing, you’ve brought a lot of great tools to light for me x
I’ve paid for Pinterest templates in the past and I still use them, I’ll be looking to find different ones for the New Year just to change things up a bit. I use Grammarly but I am considering paying monthly so I can do a deeper grammar check on my blog posts, it seems to be worth the money! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I love grammarly. It is such a great resource. I have had so many grammar errors in the past. Its good to have a second eye looking at everything.
Great list! I’m familiar with most of the things you’ve listed and completely agree they help with the blogging experience. Once I have a bit more money to spare, I definitely want to update my theme. Thanks for sharing!
I agree with you on so many of these tools! I have had to cancel Canva Pro because I can’t really afford to pay £10.99 a month, I’m definitely going to miss it though 😬 It’s amazing what a difference a preset can make to Instagram, right? x
You’ve got some amazing tools here, some of which I use too. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without Grammarly. Paying for the upgraded version is the best thing I’ve done, it’s excellent value for money. Also, Canva, I would be so lost without it. I’ll have to give Keysearch I look, that sounds fab!!! Great post 🙂
A great list! I use canva and paid for a blog theme too. I plan to purchase a blog planner as it’s easier to plan content. Thanks for sharing x
I could not agree more on how worth it paying for self-hosting is! I recently switched and think it is definitely money well spent! I use Canva, but have not gone in for the premium version yet. I do get frustrated with the limitations on the free version, but I am not using Pinterest enough to warrant paying for Canva. It is something I keep in mind, though, and am working towards!
Love the sounds of Keysearch; I have heard good things about it and look forward to checking it out!
Thanks for sharing.
Great post! I only pay for self-hosting right now, but I’d probably pay for an email list system in the future. I’ve managed to find free versions of most things, and they’ve been working out okay. I’m also a little interested in investing towards Canva pro. Thanks for sharing!
Alexis| http://cafe-beauty.com
These are all amazing tools and some I hoped I had discovered much earlier! Keysearch was one of the best investments as much as Canva Pro, a total life saver! And Grammarly has saved me from atrocious mistakes far too many times, thanks for sharing x
Some great options you gave here. I haven’t heard of the 3 theme names you gave. Not of keysearch either. I’m still struggling with presets. I don’t have a planner but just getting on doing it. Thanks for this. Xx
Isa A. Blogger
Great article! I use some of these but really need to get a keyword app.
I am using most of those tools and yes I do agree they are worth it. Canva Pro is my fav paid tool as it has improved my workflow immensely. Just the paid images are well worth it. ConvertKit is also really easy to use but a bit expensive if you ask me.
Thanks for this post. I use Convert kit now & love it. Also use Canva daily. Haven’t heard of some on the list, so I will check them out
There are so may tools for blogging out there and it can be so difficult to figure out what you really need. It can be really overwhelming. Thanks for sharing your must haves! It’s so helpful to know what other bloggers are using.
So many great tools on this list! I couldn’t agree more with going self-hosted, it really does open up your blogging capabilities, doesn’t it? I am also going to check out the themes that you have recommended. Mine is a free one that I have customised, so I may just venture out on using a paid theme in the future!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Aimsy’s Antics
Love all the blogging tools you’ve mentioned and I 100% agree, they are def worth the money! Canva has been a lifesaver for me with making social media content and thumbnails for my posts.
I agree creating multiple pins is really difficult sometimes! It’s definitely worth it to purchase a premade one. It will save much of your time. Thank you so much for sharing this! xxx
This is an awesome list – I 100% agree with Canva, Website Theme, Pinterest Templates, and Grammarly – I use these all daily! I’ve been looking into Instagram presets so thanks for linking to some awesome looking ones – I’ll check them out.
Very good selection of tools. Canva is a bit expensive but I agree that it is quite worth it. There are some other tools I haven’t heard of here. I will check them out!