Make Your Life Easier: 7 Kinds of Tools You Should Be Using as A Blogger

If you’re frustrated trying to create content, and it feels like a mission, you’ve come to the right place. I’ve assembled some tools and hacks that are going to make your life so much easier. Here are some tools for bloggers and content creators that will inspire you to put all that content together easily.

Content Planning

When I interviewed SEO expert Ruth Adeyemi from Sarmlife, she shared her four step process:

1. Answer the Public (What questions are people asking?)
2. Google (What’s my competition?)
3. Ubersuggest (What keywords can I use?)
4. Share through Headline Analyser (What headline will grab people’s attention?)

I use

1. Answer the Public to get ideas of questions.
2. Then I use keyword research e.g. Rightblogger to get an idea of the competition,
3. Then I plug in the keyword into Rightblogger‘s outline maker to get more ideas of what I’ve left out.
4. From there, the writing starts.

Writing and Editing

If you need help with grammar, a great free resource is Grammarly. This even has a Chrome extension which I once installed, but I got too irritated with it. You can use it on your phone as an app or on the web.

You can plan your posts ahead of time using an editorial calendar like Google Calendar or Trello. You can also use a plugin (Editorial Calendar) if there is more that one person on your blog – Laura and I used to use this to plan out our posts.

Hemingway Editor is another editing resource. Ernest Hemingway, master of short sentences, is known for his simple and direct writing. I haven’t used it myself, but according to this post, it doesn’t check grammar, it focuses more on readability.

Graphic Design

Everyone uses Canva. Even though it’s free, I will say there are benefits on the paid plan. One thing is the access to more photos and templates. Another benefit is using your branded colours.

Images

The three go to stock image sites I use for free photos without copyright issues? Unsplash, Pexels and Pixabay. I’ve written about this topic before here.

These days, you should also have some AI image resources to go to: Google Gemini (although no human images here) and the Rightblogger Chat.

Video Editing

Many content creators swear by CapCut. I’ll admit it’s not my first choice, but I am getting used to it. I recently upgraded to the paid plan and I like the noise cancelling effects because I live on a noisy road and I have a cat that meows in the background!

I also use ScreenPal (previously Screencast O Matic) (you can record your screen on the computer) and editing here I find easier because you can see the sound waves clearly. It’s not free but it’s cheap. I also use Canva. Other screen recorders are OBS studio and Loom.

I’ve recently started using ManyCam with my classes (where you use virtual images to teach) and I’m slowly getting the hang of it!

SEO and Web Analysis

Use a plugin on your post to be aware of how your post will perform on searches. I use Yoast. Ruth suggests Rank Math.

Google Analytics is the standard to see which posts are performing well on your blog and how people are getting there too. It’s a great way to see which posts are performing well.

Google Console shows you what words people are searching for when they find your blog and it also detects issues e.g. broken links and lost pages. I’ve recently been fixing these issues with redirects for the lost pages. I still have to do the broken links.

Social media scheduling and engagement

I once used to use these things, and I think they are great to get your social media out there on a consistent basis. I used Social Pilot before.

Some other ones are: Buffer, Hootsuite, Tweetdeck, SocialBee.

I once listened to a very good talk on content repurposing by Eden Reed Enever, who believed that people need to see your content seven to eight times before they will engage. She uses a tool called Meet Edgar and plans her posts well in advance.

FAQs

FAQs Answered:

1. What are the best free writing tools for bloggers?

Here are some highly recommended free tools:

• Grammarly: For grammar, spelling, and style suggestions.
• Hemingway App: Helps simplify your writing and improve readability.
• Google Docs: For collaborative writing and seamless editing.
• Evernote: Great for organizing ideas and creating drafts.
• Notion: A versatile tool for planning blog content and managing editorial calendars.

2. Can free tools really boost my blog’s SEO?

Absolutely! Several free tools can significantly improve your blog’s SEO:

• Google Keyword Planner: For keyword research.
• Ubersuggest: Provides SEO insights and keyword suggestions.
• Yoast SEO (Free version): If you’re using WordPress, it helps optimize blog posts for search engines.
• AnswerThePublic: Generates content ideas based on search queries.
• Google Search Console: Monitors your blog’s performance on search engines and helps fix SEO issues.

3. How do I choose the right free tool for content creation?

To select the best tool:

• Identify your needs (e.g., writing, research, graphics, or planning).
• Look for user-friendly interfaces and integration with your existing platforms.
• Test out a few tools to see which fits your workflow. For instance, if you prefer visual organization, tools like Notion or Trello work well. If you’re focused on writing clarity, Grammarly or Hemingway might be better suited.

4. Are there free tools that can help with social media engagement?

Yes, here are some popular ones:

• Buffer: Schedule and analyze social media posts for multiple platforms.
• Hootsuite (Free Plan): Manage up to three social profiles and schedule posts.
• Canva: Create engaging visuals for your social media posts.
• Later: Ideal for scheduling Instagram posts and visual planning.
• TweetDeck: Perfect for managing Twitter accounts and engagement.

5. What is the easiest tool to create graphics for my blog?

Canva is by far the easiest and most versatile free tool for creating blog graphics. It offers:

• Pre-designed templates tailored for blog posts, social media, and infographics.
• Drag-and-drop functionality.
• Access to free icons, images, and fonts.
  Alternatives include Crello (now VistaCreate) and Piktochart for more infographic-focused designs.

Conclusion

To be a blogger, creating consistent content, you need all the help you can get. Utilise these tools for content, writing, creating images, editing videos, analysing your SEO and scheduling your social media. The more I take the time to learn from other bloggers and experts in the field, the more I’m adding to my arsenal of tools. And that is what will make things easier in the end: having mechanisms that will assist you in bringing your creations to life.

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