7.28.2017

5 Totally Free Blogger Resources

I know, I know. I am no where close to being such a big blogger that I can provide blogging advice and resources for start-up blogs and their owners. 



However, on this short journey in the blogging world (that I hope will last a long time), I have had to do a lot of research. Blogging is definitely not as easy as it seems. A lot of bloggers say this and the only reason I am echoing their words is because it is true. 

For example, before I could begin writing actual posts, I had to design my blog and decide what widgets to implement. I had to go through multiple other successful blogs and see what they recommended. I had to make a list of things I wanted to include on my blog, and then find them (which was probably the hardest part, to be honest). 

Being a student and a new blogger, I don't have the money to invest. The only things I could include had to be totally free. Maybe you're going through the same thing. You're determined to run a blog, you're willing to put in the time, but don't have the money. Or maybe you just don't want to spend on something as unstable as a blog. What if no one reads it? This is why I have compiled a list of my favorite, totally free blogger resources. 

My post is not sponsored at all so all of these sites and apps are ones I truly recommend and use on this blog, not just ones that I am being forced to write about.

1. Email Marketing

MailChimp - Most bloggers want automatic email updates sent out their readers every time they post which is something I'm currently having difficulty with, using MailChimp. The feature's there but I'm not sure if their system is down or if I'm doing something wrong (probably the latter). Sometimes MailChimp can be hard to use but overall, I'd say this is one of the best options out there. Right now, I'm using the free plan but am still open to trying other email marketing programs and sites.

2. Subscribe Bar

GetSiteControl - How do I go about collecting emails to use in MailChimp? Well, I'm glad you asked! I use a subscribe bar, located on the top of every page that encourages users to sign up for email updates. I've had quite a bit of success so far and a few people have even signed up. There are, of course, times when no one signs up at all but I doubt that has anything to do with GetSiteControl. The site is easy to navigate and tells you key information including: 

Impressions: Number of people who have seen the widget

Hits: Number of people who have signed up

CTR (click-through rate): average % of people who have signed up, based on number of people who visit 

Days: Number of days the widget has been active

3. Blogging on-the-go (for Blogger)

EasyBlog App (iTunes) - This is the only app I use to blog on-the-go. I truly LOVE it and would not use anything else. It was a little hard to find an app for Blogger/Blogspot because there isn't as big a market as, for example, WordPress. However, I couldn't have asked for a better app. Former to this, I used to the official Blogger app but recently that's been having some issues so I decided it was time to make a switch. If you use Blogger, I highly recommend this. If you're using WordPress, sorry but you'll have to find something else.

4. Recipe Nutrition Label Maker

VeryWell Recipe Nutrition Analyzer - There are a bunch of these out there but my personal favorite is this one. It's not that the others aren't as good but because I've been using this for the longest and for me, this is good enough. To get your label, you need to enter in all the ingredients of the recipe and their measurements (1 cup, 1 tsp, 2 tbsp etc). And that's it!

5. Image Editing 

PicMonkey - To make my images look a little better, I use PicMonkey. I used to use BeFunky but recently, they started charging for pretty much every feature. In my experience, this is the best free option (even though it does require payment for some features). I only need to use about two features (text and filter) so it doesn't matter how much they charge. If this blog gets bigger however, I might start paying :P

That's all I have for today. So, to summarize, these are my 5 favorite free blogger resources (in no particular order):
1. MailChimp
2. Getsitecontrol
3. Easyblog App
4. Verywell
5. PicMonkey

I am not sponsored or affiliated with any of these websites, so only 100% honest opinions here 🙂

Have a great day!

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