I know when I started blogging, finding blogging tips, especially for beauty blogging, was pretty scarce. Now, I’m not an expert when it comes to blogging; I’m still learning myself. But, I’ve picked up a few things from trial and error, research, working, and one of the degrees I pursued at university was digital retailing, which dealt a lot with online marketing, SEO, SEM, creating a website, UX (user experience), etc., and I also pursued a minor in marketing so I thought I’d put all that education to use.
Photoediting/Designing |
Picmonkey. I used to use this free photo editing/designing website before upgrading to Photoshop. You do have to pay to use some of the more complex features, but their free version is still really nice and you can get a lot done.
Befunky. This website is another great tool for anyone wanting to edit/design images for free. I switched from Picmonkey to Befunky because it worked more seamlessly and faster on my laptop. There’s also a paid version with more features, but the free version is excellent and has significantly improved since I used it.
Canva. Definitely check out this website if you’re interested in creating better graphics, but don’t want to pay for Illustrator. They also have a “design school” area where they teach you different tips and tricks.
Organization |
Google Calendar. I can’t stress how easy Google Calendar has made scheduling posts for me. I’m an unorganized person, and this has really helped me organize things and shift things around with ease. No more ugly eraser marks all over my written planner anymore!
Evernote. This website has also been a lifesaver for me. It’s an easy way to organize, brainstorm, and write out your blog posts. For some reason, I prefer writing all of my blog posts out on Evernote before pasting it into the WordPress Text editor. You can create different “notebooks” and then create “notes” inside each one so it’s very easy to organize content. Plus, it autosaves! I don’t know where I would be without autosave.
Workflowy. I’m a list girl. I love writing them, but I don’t bring my giant notebook/planner everywhere. Luckily, Workflowy is an app you can easily download or use online. This tool is such an easy way to organize your life, really. I have three separate sections for work, blog, and personal so I can keep my life organized. Is it just me or is there something therapeutical about accomplishing tasks and being able to cross them off your list?
Social Media Marketing |
Bloglovin. I never used to take advantage of Bloglovin when I first started blogging, and that was such a big mistake. Not only is it a great way to promote your blog, you can follow other bloggers easily and save/organize different posts you like or inspire you. I discovered so many blogs through Bloglovin that I’m addicted to reading.
Hootsuite. Balancing life, blogging, and a full time job can be really difficult. Luckily, Hootsuite allows you to schedule posts ahead of time on three different social media accounts (more than 3 if you buy a plan) so it makes promoting your content a lot easier.
Tech help |
Pingdom Tools. If you run a blog or are thinking about starting a blog, you know that having your website load quickly is important. This website is great because it will tell you your load time and how quick/slow your website is compared to others.
Down for Everyone or Just Me. Another website that allows you to enter a domain and see if it’s simply not working for you or if it’s actually down for everyone.
SEO/SEM |
Buzz Sumo. This is a great tool for searching a topic you’re interested in writing about and it’ll pull up the most popular & shared articles so you can optimize your blog post. The only downside to the free version is that you have a daily search limit.
Keyword Tool. Keywords are really important if you want to attract people to your blog. This website allows you to enter keywords to come up with a blog title that people are searching for.
SEMRush. This is another keyword tool that allows you to optimize your site and create content that people are looking and searching for. Again, keywords are super important. That’s why there are so many SEO/SEM/keyword tool websites out there.
The Moz Blog. If you’re new to SEO and SEM then this blog will become your new bible. It is very informative and a great way to learn new tips and tricks to market your website and increase your sites optimization.
Do you know of any more free online tools? Let me know in the comments below!
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