Best Blogging Tools
Blogging can be a fun and rewarding way to share your ideas with the world.
But to make your blog stand out, you need the right tools.
From SEO to design, the right tools can help you create better content and reach more readers.
I’m Jeremy LaFaver and today, we’ll look at the best blogging tools that can help you grow your blog and make it shine.
Key Takeaways
- Ahrefs helps you with keyword research and competitor analysis.
- Google Analytics provides insights into your blog’s traffic and audience behavior.
- Yoast SEO helps you optimize your content for search engines.
- Grammarly checks your writing for grammar and spelling errors.
- Canva allows you to create stunning visuals for your blog posts.
1. Ahrefs
Ahrefs started as a simple backlink checker but has grown into a powerful blogging tool.
It now offers features like content research, keyword rank tracking, competitor analysis, and on-page SEO tools.
Ahrefs is a must-have for serious bloggers.
Here are some of the daily searches you can perform on Ahrefs:
- Top Pages: Shows the highest traffic-grossing pages for the site you’re analyzing.
- Best by Links: Ranks pages based on the number of backlinks received.
- Content Explorer: Quickly generates blog post ideas focusing on trending topics.
- Competitor Research: Displays the keywords a competitor site ranks for, along with traffic estimates.
Ahrefs boasts the largest index of backlinks among blogging tools, making it invaluable for backlink analysis.
If you’re looking for a tool to compare with Ahrefs, consider SEMrush.
2. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free web analytics service provided by Google since 2005.
It helps blog and website owners track and report on their website traffic.
This tool is part of the Google Marketing Platform, designed to help marketers and advertisers reach more readers.
With Google Analytics, you can see critical data points like how many readers come to your blog each month, the breakdown of new vs returning visitors, how many pages the average visitor views, how long they spend on a page, your blog’s bounce rate, and much more.
Key Metrics Tracked by Google Analytics
- Organic traffic: How many people find your blog post via search engines.
- User engagement: The amount of time someone spends on your web page or app.
- Conversions: When a reader takes a desired action (like signing up for your newsletter) after visiting your site.
Setting up Google Analytics is straightforward and can be done in just a few minutes. However, it offers endless possibilities to slice and dice your web metrics for analysis.
Google Analytics integrates with hundreds of digital tools like Semrush, ecommerce platforms, WordPress, and more.
This makes it a versatile tool for any blogger looking to track their blog traffic and unlock valuable insights about their visitors.
3. Yoast SEO
Yoast SEO is a must-have tool in your WordPress arsenal. It helps improve your blog’s on-page SEO by offering suggestions for better grammar, sentence structure, and readability.
Yoast SEO stands out with its SEO analysis, which provides tips for adding keywords, optimizing meta descriptions, and adding internal links.
Key features of Yoast SEO include:
- Traffic light system to see where your SEO efforts are perfect or need work.
- Readability scores.
- Fields to change title tags, meta descriptions, URLs, and more.
Yoast SEO makes SEO optimization a breeze with Yoast AI Optimize. Easily implement SEO suggestions for search engine-friendly content.
Yoast SEO is compatible with WordPress, Magento, Drupal, TYPO3, and Neos CMS. It’s an excellent starter tool for anyone serious about SEO.
4. Grammarly
Grammarly is a powerful tool for bloggers who want to improve their writing. It checks for spelling and grammar mistakes, and it can also help with tone and style.
This makes it a great choice for anyone who wants their writing to be clear and professional.
Key Features
- Spelling and grammar checker
- Generative text to help you write
- Tone guide to see how your content might be received
- Plagiarism checker
- Vocabulary enhancements
Pricing
Grammarly offers both free and paid plans. The free plan includes basic writing suggestions and tone detection. The Premium plan, which costs $12 per month (billed yearly), adds full-sentence rewrites, vocabulary ideas, and more. For teams, the Business plan is available at $15 per month per user.
Integrations
Grammarly integrates with many platforms, including Google Docs and Microsoft Word. You can also use it as a browser extension for real-time suggestions while writing online.
Grammarly can do more than generate text. It can also check your spelling, polish your grammar, and reword sentences in seconds.
Grammarly is especially useful for blog writers and marketers who need an advanced editing tool that works with the writing tools they already use.
Whether you’re drafting a blog post or crafting a social media update, Grammarly helps ensure your writing is top-notch.
5. Canva
Canva is a fantastic tool for creating branded images and templates.
Even without design skills, you can make professional-looking graphics.
To start, choose from a collection of professional templates, add an image from its built-in photo library, or upload your own, and then layer in some text.
Canva is free, but you can upgrade to its paid plans for more templates and advanced functionality. They also offer a 30 day free trial for only $1.
Key features of Canva as a blogging tool:
- Create and edit images without any design skills.
- Thousands of page templates, elements, icons, and more.
- Well-documented guides and tips from the Canva community.
- Paid features contain AI features like magic edit, allowing you to edit photos like a pro.
Canva is still the easiest to learn quickly and start using immediately. It allows me to make really professional-looking designs within our brand guidelines. Plus, the new AI features are a fantastic upgrade.
Canva is an ideal design tool for large blogging teams and enterprise-level marketing teams.
While freelancer bloggers and small marketing teams will benefit from Canva, the tool shines because of its strong collaborative features.
For example, it allows a blogging team to create a library of branded templates.
6. BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a powerful tool for bloggers and marketers who want to understand how their content is performing across the web.
It helps you track the performance of your content and find the best times and days to post.
You can also see which topics are trending and which types of content get the most shares on social media.
One of the standout features of BuzzSumo is its ability to generate a list of the most popular blog posts on a given topic.
This means you can get pre-validated ideas for your own blog posts.
Additionally, BuzzSumo allows you to monitor your blog’s mentions in real-time, making it easier to reach out to unlinked brand mentions and turn them into new links for your SEO strategy.
BuzzSumo is especially useful for those who don’t have a preferred performance tracking tool or find other analytics interfaces difficult to navigate.
7. Semrush
Semrush is a powerful tool for bloggers and marketers who want to improve their SEO game. It offers a wide range of features that can help you understand and enhance your online presence.
Key Features:
- Keyword research: Including competitive research and keyword gap analysis.
- Keyword position tracking: Keep an eye on how your keywords are performing.
- Site audits: Identify and fix issues on your website.
- Traffic analysis: Understand where your visitors are coming from and what they are doing on your site.
With Semrush, you can find long-tail keywords that have the best chance of ranking for organic traffic.
This tool is especially useful for discovering your main paid search competitors and figuring out which keywords they’re bidding on.
It enables you to study their regional presence and the composition of their ads, which is essential for creating and managing your own paid strategy.
Semrush is best for bloggers and marketers who are familiar with keyword research at an intermediate-to-advanced level. Beginners might find it overwhelming due to its wide variety of features.
If you can’t afford Semrush, consider trying SE Ranking, which offers similar features but with a less extensive database.
8. Trello
Trello is a fantastic project management tool that helps bloggers stay organized.
It’s a free tool that allows you to create lists of tasks and easily move them around. This makes it perfect for managing your blogging workflow.
Key Features
- Visual collaboration platform ideal for task management.
- Create cards for every blog post, including the title and additional notes.
- Assign cards to writers, add due dates, and create checklists for each assignment.
- Organize tasks into categories with color-coded tags.
Trello is especially useful for small-to-medium businesses with a team of writers and bloggers. Freelance writers or solo bloggers can also benefit from using Trello to keep their content writing efforts in one unified place.
9. WordPress
WordPress is one of the best blogging platforms of 2024 due to its versatility and customization options. It is an open-source platform, meaning you can use it for free, but you will need to pay for third-party hosting services like GoDaddy or WPX.
Pros
- User-friendly platform with visual editors.
- Over 11,000 free theme options.
- More than 60,000 free plugins available.
- Minimal learning curve for simple blogging.
Cons
- Ongoing learning curve requires a time investment for beginners.
- Costs can add up for hosting, premium themes, and plugins.
- Abundant selection of themes and design options can be distracting.
Pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Free | $0 |
| Starter | $9/month |
| Explorer | $18/month |
| Creator | $40/month |
| Entrepreneur | $70/month |
| Enterprise | Contact for pricing |
WordPress is ideal for bloggers who want to manage their hosting, security, and maintenance independently. It is also perfect for those who plan to grow their blog into a full website.
Key Features
- Drag-and-drop block editor for easy use.
- Over 80,000 plugins and themes for customization.
- SEO plugins like Yoast SEO to help improve search rankings.
- Extensive community tutorials to help you get started.
WordPress is best for bloggers who want a highly customizable blog and have the time and resources to manage the design and maintenance process. It is a great CMS once you make it work for you.
10. ConvertKit
ConvertKit is a powerful email marketing tool designed specifically for creators and bloggers.
It started as a text-only newsletter platform aimed at helping users grow their email lists and engage with their audience.
Key Features
- Automations & Sequences: Set up automated emails to promote your products or services.
- Landing Pages: Create beautiful landing pages to capture leads.
- Integrations: Works seamlessly with WordPress and other top tools.
- Templates: Use pre-designed templates to get started quickly.
Pricing
| Plan | Price |
|---|---|
| Basic | $29/mo |
| Creator | $59/mo |
| Creator Pro | $119/mo |
ConvertKit is a crucial tool for experienced bloggers looking to monetize their email lists and grow their audience.
If you’re still not convinced, take a peek at my recent comparison between ConvertKit vs AWeber vs Mailchimp.
Conclusion
In the end, the right blogging tools can make a huge difference in your blogging journey.
They help you save time, improve your content, and grow your audience.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to take your blog to the next level, there’s a tool out there to meet your needs.
From writing and SEO to social media and analytics, the options are endless.
So, take the time to explore and find the tools that work best for you. Happy blogging!
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Ahrefs used for?
Ahrefs is a tool that helps you find the best keywords, analyze your competitors, and track your website’s performance. It’s great for improving your SEO.
How does Google Analytics help bloggers?
Google Analytics shows you how many people visit your blog, where they come from, and what they do on your site. This helps you understand your audience and improve your content.
What is Yoast SEO?
Yoast SEO is a plugin for WordPress that helps you optimize your blog posts for search engines. It makes it easier to improve your rankings on Google.
Why should I use Grammarly?
Grammarly checks your writing for grammar and spelling mistakes. It also suggests better ways to write your sentences, making your content clearer and more professional.
What can I do with Canva?
Canva is a design tool that lets you create images for your blog. You can make graphics, infographics, and social media posts easily, even if you’re not a designer.
How does Trello help with blogging?
Trello is a project management tool that helps you organize your blogging tasks. You can create boards for different projects, set deadlines, and keep track of your progress.
