The resources pages here are where I list favorite tools for making various parts of my life work better. This section has two pages: recommended blogging tools (current page), and other (for homemaking, organization, and a little of everything!).
Favorite Blogging Resources
Investing in good tools can make the process of building a profitable blog or internet business so much faster and easier. Here are the resources I use everyday in my business and would never be without.
If you’re interested in blogging, enter your name and email address below to get my FREE 100 Top Blogging Tips report. No obligation of any kind. And be sure to check out my Making Money Blogging course.
Autoresponder/Newsletter Management
Aweber is my autoresponder and mailing list manager of choice. Aweber offers unlimited autoresponders and mailing lists for a lower price than many others and is simple to use. The service is excellent and they are one of the most popular and reputable of mailing list management systems, period. Newer companies may offer more flash but I hear blogger after blogger complain about deliverability problems. I stick with the tried and true service that’s been around decades.
If you’re brand new and want to get started sending email newsletters without upfront costs, try MailChimp – they have a free option that’s good.
Website Building
I have used several website builders and blog platforms over the years and prefer WordPress, no contest! It’s a free software download. Contact your website host for help.
Hosting
I love ReliableWebs hosting. The customer service is out of this world and the price is extremely reasonable. I have tried other hosts and had issues with poor customer service and downtime.. I host all my sites with ReliableWebs now and have been extremely pleased with them. I have never had downtime, my sites are backed up every 24 hours, and I get customer service answers in minutes.
Time Management
I’ve read a ton of books on productivity and time management. TONS. One of my all-time favorites is 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think
Earning Money Blogging
I’ve taken many courses on earning money from a blog, and by far, hands down my favorites are Sticky Blogging and Sticky SEO.
Sticky Blogging teaches you exactly how to create loyal fans, how to work smarter not harder, and how to gain your readers’ trust.
Sticky SEO shows you everything you need to know to get free traffic from search engines.
If you already have a blog and want to earn money from affiliate marketing specifically, Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing is excellent. The course is reasonably priced and simple for the beginner to start implementing her advice immediately, but meaty enough for veterans to learn how to earn more with her strategies. When you buy the course you get access to Michelle’s private Facebook group. This has huge value, as you gain even more education from fellow bloggers, networking and more.
My very own Making Money Blogging. Check it out!
You might also enjoy this post where I interview three moms to talk about how to make money at home blogging.
Technical Help and Virtual Assistance + More
I’ve used Fiverr.com many times to hire out (inexpensively) tasks that I didn’t know how to do, or didn’t want to spend time learning. Highly recommended.
Canva.com is my go-to to create beautiful printables, worksheets, graphics and much, much more.
I’m no photographer, so if I need a beautiful image for a blog post or other piece of content, I head to Unsplash and grab it free (giving credit to the photographer, of course).
If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments and I’ll get back to you asap.
Hi Carrie, I’ve followed you since the early days. Do you think there is still a demand for PLR packs? I’ve considered putting some together.
Hi Marisa, yes I do!
I sure am enjoying reading your blog, Carrie! (I love Trim Healthy Mama too…) I’ve just begun blogging and am trying to figure things out and appreciated your articles on the subject. Just thought I’d let you know that the Boardbooster site is no longer up and running. Are there any others that you’ve come across that would be a good replacement for that site?
Thanks,
Cora
Hi Cora! Thanks for your comment. I haven’t been blogging much in the last 3 years since I started a new business, so I’m not as much “in the loop” about the blogging world! I didn’t know Boardbooster had closed down. A lot of people are using Tailwind to pin and re-pin as a primary traffic strategy though. (I use it.)
Thanks again!