15 Best Blogging Tools for Beginners (prepare to be wooed)
I love blogging. It’s content that lasts for years and something that builds my personal brand through SEO. It’s a rewarding and money-making creative project. So it’s fun.
But it takes some skills, patience and the right strategy. And using the right tools make your life easier (and your blog grow quicker).
So this is my list of the best blogging tools for beginners — the crème de la crème, the absolute bangers!
These tools are seriously wooing me.
Now let’s do this!
Hey, just a quick heads up that some links in this post may be affiliate links. This is at no extra cost to you, but helps me keep the lights on. Thanks for your support!
What Are Blogging Tools?
Blogging tools are resources, software or platforms that help bloggers blog better.
The tools in this list are things that help me get more done more quickly and with higher quality.
But are they really necessary?
Do I Need Blogging Tools?
You don’t need super fancy tools to succeed in blogging.
But using a few of the right ones will make your life easier (and your blogging better). Here’s why:
Improve your blog productivity
Improve your content organization
Get data to make better decisions
Automate boring parts of your blog
Improve your SEO and blog performance
Be more strategic with your blog
Scale your blog more easily
Optimize your blog’s performance and content
15 Best Blogging Tools for Beginners
1. A Good Website
To have a blog, you need to have a website and hosting. This is your CMS and it’s where your articles will live.
Personally, I use both Squarespace and WordPress. But choosing the right platform depends on your budget, preferences and goals.
Here are some of the best blogging platforms (that I use):
Perfect for beginners who want to dabble in writing online, but don’t want to start a whole website quite yet.
Great for bloggers who prefer advanced customization options and are okay with the more technical website management.
Perfect for creators, personal brands and non-techy bloggers who like simplicity, lots of tutorials and creator support and SEO power.
Read my full Squarespace for blogging review.
2. Google (so much Google)
Google might be the one blogging tool I use the most.
It’s a powerhouse with invaluable resources — many of which you really can’t go without. And if you have a blog, you’ll be using Google…like, a lot.
So here’s how I use them as a blogger:
Google Search
Keyword and competition analysis
Brainstorming and ideation
Google Trends
Explore current and historical trends
Discover new topics and opportunities
Google Docs
How I write and draft articles
Also how I organize my content and keywords
Google Analytics (GA4)
Get insights on engagement, sessions and more
Know which topics perform best
Google Search Console
Connects to your website
Request automatic indexing for new articles
Track your ranking keywords, submit sitemaps and more
Google Workspace
Professional email account
Collaboration tools, storage and more
3. A Keyword Research Tool
“Keywords are the backbone of your website. It’s the first step to driving traffic, building authority and growing your brand with a blog.”
There are billions of searches in Google everyday with millions of new ones always popping up. So rest assured, there’s plenty to go around — no scarcity mindset here!
Keyword research tools help you identify, analyze and organize keyword opportunities in your niche.
It can be hard to know which keywords are actually good (and have real search volume to them). That’s where having a tool helps.
Here are my go-to keyword research tools:
Ahrefs
Semrush
UberSuggest
AnswerThePublic
Keywords Everywhere
Google Keyword Planner
Explore more:
➤ How I Find Good Keywords
4. byword.ai
If you’re keen on using AI to help streamline your blog writing, byword is a tool that’s recently hopped into my radar.
It’s got lots of reviews and has been featured by big brands like HubSpot and Ahrefs. Jake Ward shares a lot ways he’s successfully using byword on his X account.
Here are some of byword’s core features:
Generate images
Multiple languages
Build for scaling programmatic SEO
Customize your writing tone
Suite of helpful integrations
Try for free (3 articles, at the time of writing this)
5. Hypertxt
Looking for an epic AI blog writer that uses real-time, user-based research? Hypertxt may be the answer.
I like them because they pull data from Reddit. Since Google loves with UGC (user generated content), this adds important human elements and research to the whole AI writing process.
I’ve been testing this tool with one of my other blogs and it’s making me feel pretty stoked.
Hypertxt saves me a lot of time by blending AI and user-generated research to create quality blog drafts.
*Just remember to always fact check and edit AI articles — add your unique spin on things! Firsthand experience, unique information and authenticity are crucial for modern SEO.
6. Wordable
Do you work in Google Docs and want to streamline your publishing? Then Wordable may be your answer.
Their core products automatically push your Google Docs to WordPress, Medium or HubSpot (I’m sure more CMS platforms are in their pipeline). Since I draft all of my blog posts in Google, this tool strikes all the right chords for me.
Publishing (copy/pasting) takes a lot of time. It’s administrative and boring. So finding ways to automate this process frees up more time for creative work and makes me more efficient — blog productivity for the win!
7. Infography
When I first stumbled upon Infography, I was stoked. True to its name, it’s a tool that automatically converts your blog posts into visual infographics.
And they look good.
Infographics are visual and many readers prefer them over text. It’s one of the best ways to improve your site UX, boost engagement and promote more sharing of a blog.
All of these things boost your SEO and blog performance.
It’s also perfect if you have a Pinterest traffic strategy. Hypertxt can automate the whole Pin creation process (🎉).
This is an amazing tool and it’s something I’ve been tinkering around with a lot lately.
And like so many people have said before, “work smarter, not harder.”
8. Canva
I use Canva a lot. It’s my go-to tool for all of my image edits and custom web design stuff.
It’s simple, free and the perfect design tool for beginner bloggers.
There is a premium version, but you can do plenty with a free account.
Unless your domain is in art and digital illustration (aka, I need Adobe), Canva is an awesome way to get high-quality creatives for your site with no design background.
They have tons of elements, photos, fonts and assets you can use however you like for all of your blog projects.
It’s also super fun and creative making custom graphics.
9. Email Automation Software
Sooner or later (ideally sooner), you’ll want to start collecting emails.
I use Beehiiv, but there are tons of other options, like ConvertKit, Constant Contact, Moosend and MailChimp. Luckily, most starter accounts are free.
An email list is your greatest asset. They’re people who are warmed up to your brand and they trust you. Email gives you some of the highest ROI and it’s a direct line of communication with your biggest supporters.
So here are some quick tips to start building your email list (asap):
Create a lead magnet. Make a quick win for your audience.
Create a popup. Use popups offering your lead magnet to visitors.
Use clear CTAs. Create a strong and clear CTA (call to action) for why users should sign up.
Put a signup form in your header. Add an email signup form or a subscribe button to your header or your footer.
10. Scalenut
Scalenut is an all-in-one content writer and SEO planner. They sort of have it all. Here are some of the standout features:
Plan content and create topic clusters
Keyword research and topic ideation
SEO-friendly AI writer
Keyword rank tracker
SEO analyzer
There are also a number of free tools and all plans come with a free 7-day trial. So you can test things out before committing.
As for reviews, Scalenut has 4.7/5 stars on G2 and 4.8/5 stars on Capterra. So rest assured, it’s legit.
11. AlsoAsked
You know those Related searches and People also ask sections on Google? This tool makes researching them easier.
Those extra queries are great for outlining blog posts. They tend to be followup questions and relevant searches users have for your target keywords. It’s nice to sprinkle them into your outline so you can cover your topic more fully.
AlsoAsked works by entering your keyword or search topic and then spits out web of related questions people ask.
You get 3 free searches per day and it’s a great tool for researching and outlining your blog posts.
12. CoSchedule’s Headline Analyzer
CoSchedule is a content scheduler, organizer and publisher. And they have a number of free tools useful for blogging.
Namely, their headline analyzer is a great way to optimize your titles for better CTRs (click through rate) and SEO.
So if you want a second opinion on your headlines, definitely check out this tool. You’ll just need to sign up for (free) account.
13. HubSpot (Persona Builder / Topic Generator)
HubSpot has a ton of tools. It’s a CRM, email automation software, website builder and so much more.
But as a beginner blogger, let’s keep things simple. There are two simple tools I want to highlight here:
A reader persona is a snapshot of who your ideal target audience is. To write more effective and compelling blogs, it’s important to write for your exact audience and their unique pain points, values, passions, etc.
This HubSpot tool makes creating a persona easy.
If you’re struggling with topic ideation or you’re in a creative rut, this tool is worth checking out. All you need to do is type in an initial blog post idea and the topic generator will give you lots more relevant ideas.
14. Grammarly
Grammarly checks your writing for accuracy and clarity — i.e., it helps you write better.
One main way I like to use Grammary is for improving my active voice while writing. Passive writing is a bad habit of mine. It makes you sound less confident. Active writing is clearer and more direct.
But Grammarly isn’t the only option. Even Google Docs does a decent job of catching glaring issues.
But Hemmingway is another popular editing tool. Although, I haven’t tested this one myself yet. Still, it seems to be another powerful option.
Whatever tool you use, here’s the takeaway: always edit your blogs.
Always reread things before publishing. Step away and come back before editing for fresh eyes.
15. Website Plugins
The amount (and type) of plugins you use depends on the platform you’re blogging with.
For example, with Squarespace you don’t technically need anything. But with WordPress, you’ll need some to fully optimize your site.
So let’s look at the top ones to know about as a beginner blogger.
Squarespace Plugin Resources
Spark Plugin — customize your site’s design (without code)
Adlytic Marketing — custom plugins and code snippets
SQSP Themes — more custom code snippets (I love their sidebar plugin)
WordPress Plugins (that I use)
Bluehost — for your website hosting
Yoast SEO — optimize your site for SEO
Kadence WP — my favorite WordPress website builder
Elementor — drag-and-drop website builder
Later ✌️
I hope this list sufficiently wooed you like it has me.
But just remember, your blogging success depends more on your mindset, consistency and love for the journey. But tools make your life easier.
Some of my go-to platforms are Google, Canva, Ahrefs…
If you’re new to using blog tools, it’s best to focus on finding your voice and improving your writing on your own first. Getting your keyword research strategy and content planning right is most important.
Tools will amplify a solid foundation.
So with that, happy blogging!
FAQs
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This depends on your goals, preferences and budget. Many platforms can work. WordPress is most popular, but I also use Squarespace and I've had great success with this tool as well.
WordPress takes more technical knowledge and general maintenance.
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You don't need much more than a website and some basic free tools like Google.
Using software like keyword research tools and AI can speed up your blogging and growth and improve your strategies and rankings.
Currently, some of my favorite blogging tools are Ahrefs, Semrush, Hypertxt, Infography and Google.
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You'll need a computer to write content on. Technically, you could create content on your phone (especially with AI), but having a bigger screen and workspace will make life easier.
You'll also need a website and hosting.
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Yes! Many powerful tools offer free plans. Ahrefs Keyword Generator will give you basic keyword data and Semrush gives you 10 free keyword searches per day. These are high-quality tools with a proven track record.
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No. But they do help.
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If you've never written online before and you're not sure if it's for you, try starting with a simple Medium account. It's free and you don't need a website.
If you're not technical and prefer simplicity, I like to use Squarespace.
