Disclaimer: This page may contain compensated links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. You will not be charged extra for this.
Blogging Platforms
WordPress.org
The best and easiest blogging platform. No coding required. You will need paid web hosting (see below).
WordPress.com
This is the free version of WordPress hosted by WordPress so you don’t need to pay for hosting. But there are limitations. In particular, some forms of monetisation are not allowed. For example, Google Adsense.
Web Hosting
DreamITHost.com.au
An Australian web hosting company. Very affordable for new bloggers. Web hosting starts at $4.95 per month. The price includes a free SSL certificate. They currently have a 50% discount for new customers.
Domain Name
DreamITHost.com.au
Again DreamITHost sells very affordable domain names including domain privacy. A .com is available for $15.95.
GoDaddy.com
From time to time, they offer discounted domain names for $1 for new customers.
Website Themes
I would recommend using a free one initially until you start making some money. There are many free ones available on WordPress.org.
Top Plugins
- Easy Table – Easy, free plugin for adding tables to blog posts.
- OptinMonster – An easy way to optimise how many subscribers you are collecting on your site.
- Yoast SEO – Great to updating the meta description for your blog posts.
Email Marketing
Mailerlite
Fantastic email marketing option – free for up to 1,000 subscribers.
Photos
Stencil
Perfect for creating Pinterest pins. Get access to hundreds of thousands of photos.
Depositphotos
Get access to a library of 100+ million royalty-free stock photos and vector images. You can use Depositphoto images for all your commercial projects, online and print. Perfect for blog posts.
Social Media Tools
Social Bee
This is a great scheduling tool for all major social media platforms – Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Google My Business. Currently there is a lifetime deal on Appsumo for USD$49 – bargain!
SEO
Keywords Everywhere
This free Chrome plugin shows the DA and PA of websites in Google search results. It helps you find keywords you can rank for.
Front Page Web Writing
SEO and copywriting services.
Site Monetisation
- Amazon – You can sign up and start earning straight away. Quick approval. Great for new bloggers.
- Commission Factory – There are so many affiliate programs here. Also, a quick approval process. Great for new bloggers.