Learn about Blogging and Blogging Tools for Beginners
Are you a mom blogger who wants to be super productive but not break the bank? Or are you a mom looking to start a blog? Well either way finding budget-friendly blogging tools can significantly change the game for you.
That’s why I’m writing this.
If you haven’t started a blog check out my step by step tutorial here.
In this post I’ll discuss
How I’m Saving You Time and Effort
The Truth about Passive Income
The 3 Very Important Things Beginning Mom Bloggers Should Focus On
Free Blogging Tools for Beginners that are Worth Your Time
Best Budget-friendly Blogging Tools
The Best Blogging Courses for Beginners
Free Blogging Courses to Start Making Money Before Spending Money
How I’m Saving You Time and Effort
When I started out as a mom blogger I didn’t read about blogging tools for beginners, how to make money as a blogger, or even read how to start a blog page!
Now I bet you’re wondering how did I become a money-making blogger with over 5 thousand followers and gain authority in my niche?
Basically, I winged It.
By that I mean I learned about blogging from having my own free online diaries (anyone remember livejournal.com?).
It was stressful and took a lot longer than it would have if I had a guide. I certainly do not recommend building a blogging business (or any type of business) by stumbling around in the dark.
This is why I’m creating these posts for you, to help you save time and get better results faster.
Before I got serious about blogging, at the beginning of my journey, my husband and I were trying to get debt-free. I stumbled upon podcasts to help me stay consistent and focused on our goals. One was This is your Life by Michael Hyatt, and the other was Smart Passive Income by Pat Flynn. To this day they are two of my most favorite people to follow. I would dare say I may not even doing this without them.
I say that because, for one, I didn’t know how to start a blog.
It was through listening to Michael Hyatt about creating a platform (for my books), that I decided to get serious about blogging. I followed Michael’s video tutorial on setting up an easy-to-use Bluehost self-hosted blog. Now I own my blog, my own Bluehost tutorial, and have been able to create everything that you see right now!
But little did I know that blogging comes along with a slew of systems and processes, schedules, laws, etc.
Related: The Smartest Social Media Strategy for Pinterest and Instagram
Without some of these systems blogging for money is nearly impossible. But then there are those who take the use of these systems to an extreme. The extreme? That if you set things up the right way that blogging falls into the passive income category but I would say not really.
The Truth about Passive Income
Having listened to Pat’s podcast for a few years ( and yes I’m on a first-name basis with him and Michael and my husband is fully aware of this ^.^ ) and have read and researched about passive income I will confidently say that blogging is not passive income…. initially.
I mean most things aren’t actually passive income. If you are looking to make money from blogging, quickly and passively, you’re in for a shocker.
First, let’s be clear – the pennies you get from Google Adsense, as a newer blogger isn’t passive income. You seriously aren’t creating an income on $2-3 a month. Yes, that’s about it when you aren’t getting massive amounts of traffic.
As I talked about in my blogging for beginners guide, no matter what Pinterest or other bloggers may want you to believe, most bloggers don’t make any significant money in their first year. Try less than $300 for the whole year. And many of those who stick with it, won’t make an income in their second year either.
You probably want to go check out my post, How to Get Better Results, Faster, with a quite revealing the infographic about beginner bloggers stats here. The infographic shows everything from the average age of a newbie blogger to how much money they are making to what they type of things they paid for to get going with their blog.
Now that doesn’t mean you’ll never make money. I know many mom bloggers who make money in their first 3 months and go on to be pro bloggers.
What it does mean is money isn’t automatic, it’s worked for.
Pat tells in this video that passive income is something you get after working hard (sometimes for years). [Disclosure!!! There is some language that is bleeped out, but you can certainly still tell what’s said. If this bothers you, please skip watching the video, you’ll still get the point]
Now, if I haven’t convinced you that passive income is not an easy to attain reality, especially for a new blogger, you have to believe Pat since his whole business is based on the idea that passive income is achievable and yet he’s telling you that it won’t come from just starting or just taking one of his courses.
Why would he want people to believe the opposite?
I believe Pat is not out to trick people into buying his products, as some online gurus do.
Instead, he wants us to know that online marketing is hard work, being an entrepreneur is awesome but not instant, and that blogging isn’t for the faint of heart.
If you like this approach and want to know more of how to build your blogging business, I highly recommend you listen to Pat’s podcast Smart Passive Income.
Now that you’ve heard the facts, are you still determined to become a successful, profitable blogger?
Great! You are my kind of people.
When I realized all this, I decided to keep going because I figured if I do this for two years and never have to work a job ever again after those 2 years more than worth it. If it doesn’t work out, at least I can close the door and say I tried, instead of having regrets.
The 3 Very Important Things Beginning Mom Bloggers Should Focus On
You may already have been blogging for a while, but there are a few critical points where many moms get hung up and never progress into a full-time income. These are easy mistakes to make so I want to make sure I, at least briefly, point them out.
The three main points that every blogger needs to focus on
#1 building a foundation
#2 income-generating activities
#3 promotion
I want to get right into the blogging tools, but if you need specifics on how to focus on these main points, I’ve already created a post about these and a few more things called 7 New Blogger Tips so You Can Focus and Actually Make Progress (Video) you can check out.
Let’s move on to the best free tools for bloggers.
Free Blogging Tools for Beginners that are Worth Your Time
Google Docs and Google Drive. Use this to create and save documents and images. You can also share documents, like guest posts, and images.
I’ve recently switched to Docs for saving my blog posts, although some people keep their only copy in WordPress itself. I have just found this the easiest for sharing documents for collaboration.
Plus, my husband thought it was time I had a dedicated laptop just for my business. He bought me an Acer Chromebook (affiliate link) and everything Google is integrated. When you get more established with blogging I recommend you check it out on Amazon.
Evernote. This was originally where I kept all my posts backed up. However, I still keep practically everything else blogging and business in there. I use it daily for business goals, saving articles about SEO, all my blog post ideas, my keywords, swipe files and more.
Plus I keep everything non-blogging from my homeschool notes, DIY project ideas, my events planning, and more. It really is where I’m able to remember everything – Evernote’s slogan.
Read my post, Evernote for Moms, to find out how much clarity and clutter-freedom to you really can enjoy!
Unsplash. Wondering where you can get free stock photos for your blog? I get most of mine from Unsplash. I love their search setup and these photos really are great quality, matching some of the paid images I’ve seen. These are also royalty-free.
But if you want a larger variety of stock photo options – for free – Go Here.
Canva. What do I do with all those images? Most of my images get turned into Pinterest pins and Facebook ads using this graphics editor. Canva does have a premium service but so far I haven’t needed it. Everything is available for my little graphic arts needs.
Dropbox. This is an alternative to using Google Drive.
I prefer to use Dropbox but with my Chromebook (affiliate link), I’m not sure I’ll be using it much. I have to see how everything works out.
Dropbox syncs right onto your computer’s files folder, just like Google Drive does on a Chromebook. This saves so much file space because all of the pins and images are huge space thieves ( sounds like a 70s tv show). You can also share the files with others just like in Drive.
Buffer. I take some of the graphics and schedule them in my beloved Buffer. The people at Buffer are super nice, they have a very informative blog, and every Wednesday they do a Twitter chat! I’ve gotten so many followers from attending their chats.
Buffer’s scheduler is great. I have used both their free and their paid packages. Right now I have a different strategy for social media, however, I will say it was worth the money when I was using it.
The only sad thing about Buffer is that they changed a few things as of 2018. Their Free Forever Plan is now for only 10 scheduled posts per social account. However, if you haven’t used a scheduler at all for Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest, Buffer’s skimmed-down free forever plan is still a good place to start to save you time in being social.
Crowdfire. So I’ve loved Crowdfire for a while to help manage my Twitter. You can follow, unfollow, post what’s trending, get hashtag recommendations, and more. They have updated so you can now schedule to Twitter and LinkedIn, and I think they have an Instagram and Facebook option too. Again a free account has limitations.
Pro Mom Blogger Tip: If you’re very scrappy and you want to be present on social, you’ll find some combination of several free schedulers to create your own strategy.
Mailerlite. This is a very easy introduction to using an email marketing tool.
One of my top tips for new bloggers is to have a mailing list right from the start.
Mailerlite is easy to use and pretty straightforward. Not a lot of bells and whistles which works great for a newbie blogger. The simplicity will allow you to focus on other things like getting a blog foundation (or cleaning up your toddler’s lunch mess from the floor).
Yoast. This is a plug-in and if you even hope to rank using SEO you need to have this. It’s super easy, you don’t have to figure it out, just enter your info for each post and you’re good to go (options for Yoast appears at the bottom of the post area of the WordPress draft and publish screen).
So fun! I didn’t realize how many of these were free blog tools. That should get you on your way. However, as you progress you’ll want to upgrade your tools. Let’s look at budget-friendly blogging tools.
Best Budget-friendly Blogging Tools
Now you are ready to invest in your business and you realized you’re still not self-hosted. You want to be self-hosted because when using any other platform, that platform owns your content.
All your words, all your images (yes personal images also), your blog’s setup and layout are all under the discretion of the platform hosting you (if it is Facebook or Blogger, etc.). You are limited with access to your own files, codes, and plugins. Even worse, hosted sites limit your ability to monetize, there may be rules or stipulations that you must abide by.
Essentially, you are renting space at someone else’s house (or business in this case).
Don’t play around with this. Get self-hosted and use Bluehost, a reliable company that’s been in business for 15 years (a long time in the world of the Internet).
I’ve used them for 2 years and whenever I needed anything customer service was right on it, available and helpful. I’ve enjoyed their service so much, and trust them enough to have created a quick tutorial you can use sign up a new blog.
You can have your own web space to build income, and even a business – a resource to reach your people.
If you use this affiliate link for Bluehost, you’ll get hosting for only $3.95/mo.
If you are serious about your blog you need a serious advantage.
Click here start your free tutorial to set up your blog.
Convertkit. This is the upgrade option after you’ve tested the waters with using mailing lists. Convertkit has everything, their designs and opt-in boxes are professional, tons of options, and are a lot more customizable than some email platforms. Convertkit also is very strong when it comes to spam, reaching your readers, and more secure overall.
It is worth the investment but you need to know if it works for you! You can try it for free.
Click here to get your free 14-day trial for Convertkit
Tailwind. Love, love, love Tailwind. I know you will love it too so before I say anything else here is your free trial link. And you’re welcome!
With this free trial, you can schedule 100 pins, as well as use the tribes’ function (which are share groups for repinning power).
Now, let me tell you, my traffic went up significantly when I started using Tailwind in my Pinterest strategy, especially when I finally understood their board list option (more about that below).
Since nowadays most bloggers get their most traffic from Google and Pinterest, using the Tailwind scheduler has been a lifesaver. I give all the details about this in my post social media strategy for Pinterest and Instagram.
The Best Blogging Courses for Beginners
I certainly wish that I had put more emphasis into getting courses and learning to blog. You can get ahead start with some great courses.
Ready Set Blog for Traffic. Do you keep hitting a roadblock to your traffic? You absolutely positively must get this course.
Elna Cain, from twinsmommy.com, created this course. I believe she is such a sweet mom. She’s grown on me so much. I’m thankful for her ongoing tips and thoroughness which has helped me to mature as a blogger and writer.
She has really set herself up as an authority in the mom blogging space and for good reason.
Two different times I’ve Googled something about blogging and she’s in the number one spot. She ranks for many keywords. Tailwind promotes some of her Pinterest content because she’s so on point! I truly believe if there is anyone who can help you with traffic it’s Elna in her course Ready Set Blog for Traffic.
This course isn’t just about Pinterest (although you’ll learn a lot), and it’s not just about SEO and Google either. She covers a variety of methods for gaining and keeping visitors on your site. She will explain to you how to use Tailwind and the must-have board lists!
Once, I mentioned in a tweet that I was taking this course. Elna saw it, commented and asked my opinion on her course! She really does care if she’s helping you gain traffic.
>>> It was because of Elna that I finally learned to create pretty pins.
>>> It was because of Elna that I grew in traffic.
>>> It was because of Elna that I have been able to create valuable longer form posts that keep my bounce rates low.
I know you want that too!
You can grow in your blog visits, and subscribers and set yourself as an authority in your niche by learning from this SEO Wiz.
Click this link to find out how to enroll and also see other testimonials!
Creative Live. This is a great place to learn design, business money and photography if you are into Instagram or want to start your blog. Lots of affordable courses to check out.
Pinteresting strategies. This is another course I have just loved although it is set up different from Elna’s. Carly is all about saving money and manually pinning. This is the first course I ever purchased because it’s so great for moms on a budget.
Unfortunately, I let a lot of distractions come in and I didn’t apply these strategies for months later. I wish I had just stayed steady with just this course in the beginning.
Carly’s course is really no-nonsense, easy to apply, and honestly, without it, my social media strategy would go flat. I’ve tried to do things without it, definitely lowers my traffic. It’s Carly’s method that is really my key to ranking over a hundred thousand views on Pinterest.
Click here to get Carly’s course, Pinteresting Strategies!
Free Blogging Courses to Start Making Money Before Spending Money
So here are some good free blogging courses to take so you can make money before you invest money.
Email Lists for Newbies w/ Meera K
Conclusion
I stand behind everyone and every tool or course I’m suggesting. I’ve used many of them for years and have seen how these tools work. I have interacted with most of these ladies behind the tools, these mom bloggers just like you.
You may be at the beginning of your blogging journey but I believe you will go far if you simply learn, apply and stay consistent.
Now tell me what your favorite budget-friendly blogging tools are down below!
Such a great and comprehensive list of resources!! Thank you.