10 Free Tools to Up Your Blogging Game

Organisation, aesthetics and analytical are the topics of the day. For bloggers, doing them all well might sound like a lot of work – potentially at a cost. However, it’s not the case at all. Once you’ve found your feet, you have your branding on point and it’s time to take things more seriously, there are a range of free, easy-to-use tools for you to take advantage of. I’m here to give you a rundown of 10 of the best ones around.

After writing this and go over it again, I realised that this reads a bit like a Google advert, but it’s only because they have sooo much good stuff available and give it out for free. Start using them as part of your weekly blog maintenance routine.

1. Canva

Bloggers that haven’t used Photoshop may feel out of their depth having to learn a pricey tool from scratch, just to have decent header images. Luckily, the world has come a long way, and Canva – a platform to create text overlay graphics and much more – is a cost-free way to make your blog’s images as polished as the pros.

2. Google Sheets

From an organisational perspective, I don’t know how anyone manages a blog without a spreadsheet (or three). A helpful part of the Google Drive suite is their Sheets – a simple way to create schedules for all of your blog activity. Create a routine for when to write and publish your posts, mark down days for Twitter chats, and jot down upcoming events in a swift manner. Take the time to plan now, so you don’t feel overwhelmed in the future.

3. Websta

Instagram is a blogger’s best friend. As easy it is to sit back and watch your interaction increase over time, there’s so much value in seeing what kinds of posts cause it, and the best time to unleash them. Websta is an analytical tool that traces all of this for you, helping you to work out what well-timed, perfectly hashtagged photo to post next.

4. FollowerWonk

Have you got baggage on Twitter? Follow my more people than you need to? FollowerWonk is an analytical tool that breaks down the numbers about the people you follow, helping you to cut down on people that haven’t tweeted in years, don’t speak your language or just don’t fit with the new you. It can do the same about whose following you too. More insight is always nice. By the way, I guarantee you have 10 more Russian followers than you thought you did.

5. Google Search Console

Often overlooked, this is hub for getting Google to index your content – speeding up the process, and drawing in as many new visitors and page views as possible. Use their insights to see what keywords you rank for, and what terms the public are searching to get to your site. Once you know that, you can cater your upcoming content towards those things, and see if it attracts even more attention.

6. Yoast

I hate to say it, but if you built your blog on anything other than WordPress, you’ve made it difficult for yourself. Yoast is a WP plugin that allows you to optimise your content for search engines. From title tags and meta descriptions to guidance on readability, it ensures Google and friends are more likely to spot your content in the endless sea that is the internet.

7. Upsplash

Good imagery makes a difference, no matter what anyone says. If you haven’t got the resources to make your own every time, Unsplashed host a plethora of stocky imagery that you can use for no charge at all. It’s a no-brainer for those that prefer the wordier end of blogging to the graphical side.

8. Google Trends

Are you using words that people search for? As much as you may think you are, Google Trends will let you know the truth. Compare two keywords or phrases against each other to help guide what wording to use in your post titles – making it more likely that someone will end up on your blog by chance.

9. TweetDeck

Everyone will have their own favourite, but TweetDeck is my port of call for social media scheduling. Write out a few ways to promote your posts and have them booked in for weeks in advance, so those old posts continue to get more love. Also if you’re feeling chatty on Twitter, you can save some of that talk for a day when you know you’ll be too busy to participate in person.

10. Google Analytics

Once you have put the rest into practice, Google Analytics is where you can see if you’re reaping the rewards of your hard work. See if your blog is being viewed more over time, what guest posts drive you the most traffic, and how much of a difference your Pinterest activity has had on your numbers. It’s home to some incredible insight about your blog, and will tell you how far-reaching your audience really is.

That covers it. You have all the essentials to give your blog superpowers for under a penny. Now do your thang!