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The Ultimate Starter Toolkit for Blogging
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items Website building was the first thing I ever did as a freelancer. Later, I moved into blogging, SEO, and everything around it. After 10+ years and more than 1,000 blogs, I’ve tried hundreds of tools and these are the ones that have consistently worked...
Sections
5
Domains & Hosting
Blogging Platforms
Writing & Editing
SEO & Research Tools
Design Tools
Domains & Hosting
Before you build anything, you need a domain and a place for your blog to live. These are the two platforms I’ve used over the years, from simple beginner options to advanced hosting when your site starts growing.
GoDaddy was one of the first places I used when I started blogging. It’s simple, beginner-friendly, and makes buying a domain easy. Great for your first blog, especially if you don’t want anything complicated.
GoDaddy
I switched to Cloudways when basic hosting couldn’t keep up. It’s faster, more stable, and gives cloud-level performance with less technical complexity. Perfect if your blog is growing and you need more power.
Cloudways
Blogging Platforms
These are the platforms I’ve actually written on. Some are beginner-friendly, some are minimal, and some give full control. No matter your writing style or goals, one of these will fit perfectly.
I’ve used WordPress for years because it gives complete control over your blog. Just remember: WordPress.com (this one) is the simple, hosted version, while WordPress.org is the self-hosted version you install on platforms like GoDaddy or Cloudways for full flexibility.
WordPress
Ghost is great if you want a clean, fast, minimal blogging experience without distractions. I love Ghost because everything feels smooth and focused on writing, and you can also run memberships or paid newsletters without any extra plugins.
Ghost
Medium is the easiest place to start blogging. No setup, no design work, just write and publish. I've been using it for more than 4 years. The main advantage of Medium is the built-in discovery system, where your posts will reach millions of people.
Medium
Writing & Editing
These tools will help with brainstorming, drafting, editing, and keeping your writing clear and polished.
Grammarly is my go-to tool for grammar correction. It works everywhere, your browser, apps, and even across your entire system on Windows or Mac. It basically fixes every sentence you type, from grammar and spelling to clarity and tone, before you pu...
Grammarly
Notion is where I plan and organise all my blog ideas. I use it to outline posts, store research, and keep my content calendar in one place. It’s my writing workspace before anything goes live.
Notion
Hemingway helps to simplify the writing. It highlights long or confusing sentences and pushes you to write clearly. I use it whenever I want my drafts to feel sharper and easier to read, and I always keep my grade below 5 for easier understanding.
Hemingway Editor
I use ChatGPT mainly for brainstorming. It helps me come up with ideas, outline posts, and break down complex topics when I’m stuck. It doesn’t replace writing, but it makes the starting point 10x easier.
ChatGPT
SEO & Research Tools
Once your blog is live, SEO is what brings in traffic. These are the tools you can rely on to find topics, understand keywords, and see what’s working on Google. They’re beginner-friendly but still powerful.
Ubersuggest is a beginner-friendly SEO tool. You can use it to find content ideas, discover what people are searching for, and check keyword difficulty. It’s simple, clean, and perfect when you don’t want a complicated SEO workflow.
Ubersuggest
Semrush is the tool I often use to get serious SEO insights. It’s more advanced than Ubersuggest (or any other tool) and gives deep keyword data, competitor analysis, backlink audits, and content opportunities. If you want to understand what top-rank...
Semrush
Google Search Console shows how your blog is performing on Google. You can use it to see which keywords you are ranking for, which posts get clicks, and what needs improvement. It’s essential for understanding how Google actually sees your blog.
Google Search Console
RankMath is the SEO plugin I install on every WordPress blog. It guides you through optimising each post from keywords to meta titles without making things confusing. It basically teaches you SEO while you write.
Rank Math
Design Tools
Your blog also needs visuals that look clean and professional. These tools help you design graphics, banners, and images quickly.
Everyone knows Canva. It's used to design almost everything with a simple drag-and-drop builder. From thumbnails to featured images, Canva is my go-to tool.
Canva
Unsplash is where you can get high-quality, free images for your blog posts. The photos look clean and professional, and they save you time when you don’t want to shoot your own visuals.
Unsplash