The Blogging Tools I Use to Create My Website

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure for details.

Are you thinking about starting your own blog or website?

Have you ever wondered what site resources I use to run My Life, I Guess…?

Well, you are in luck!

This page includes the resources and services that I currently use or have used in the past to make this website possible. Some are free (or offer free trials), and some are paid services.

Check back from time to time, as I’ll add to this page as I discover things that I’m proud to recommend.

Most of the links on this page are affiliate links. If you decide to use my links to sign-up to a service or make a purchase, I will receive a small commission. It’s a simple, easy way for you to help support me – that comes at no extra cost to you. #winwin

Please read my disclosure policy for more. 

Thanks!


Memberships:

THE MONEY MIX INSIDERS: Blogging Network

Free Trial, Paid

Join the Money Mix Insiders and be instantly connected with other highly-motivated bloggers who can help you to grow your blog! Get more followers, improve your pageviews, and boost engagement with your audience by working together with other Insiders.

Read more about how this group helped me grow – including increasing my domain authority (DA) from 29 to 63! The group is currently offering a 3-month free trial!

Start Your 3-Month Free Trial!


Hosting & Domain Registration:


SITEGROUND: Quality-Crafted Hosting Services

Paid

I use SiteGround to host my WordPress website. I started off using HostGator, but SiteGround came highly recommended, and I could immediately see why! Their support is above and beyond!

Find the Hosting Plan that’s Right For You

Namecheap Logo

NAMECHEAP: The Hassle Free Way to Register Your Domain

Paid

I registered my domain name using Name Cheap. They offer WhoisGuard privacy protection for FREE, which keeps your personal data (like your name, email, home address, and phone number!) safe whenever you register a domain. They also offer hosting plans and WordPress management.

Buy a domain name and create your website today!


WordPress Themes:

STUDIOPRESS: WordPress Themes & Genesis Framework

Paid

With StudioPress, you can browse through numerous premium WordPress themes to find the one that’s right for you. Or you could develop your own using the Genesis Framework. Not sure what that is? If you think of your website as a car, WordPress is your engine, the Genesis framework is the body, and your theme is the paint.

Build an Amazing WordPress Site


Social Media Marketing:

SOCIAL WARFARE: Your Ultimate Social Sharing Arsenal

Free, Paid

The only premium (paid) WordPress plugin I use is by Social Warfare. It’s an advanced social sharing plugin that will also enhance how you use Pinterest and Twitter to share your content. It’s highly
customizable, and can make your site much more visually appealing. They also offer a FREE version of the plug-in.

Go Ahead and Give Social Warfare a Try

Tailwind logo

TAILWIND: The Smartest Way to Schedule on Pinterest & Instagram

Free Trial, Paid

Tailwind is a great, automated way to share your content and drive more traffic to your website. It’s really easy to create the optimal posting schedule that’s right for you and your audience and provides insights and analytics to see how well your Pinterest pins and Instagram shares are performing.

Try it for FREE and get a $15 credit

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MAILERLITE: Email Marketing Your Way

Free, Paid

If you have a website, you need an email list. MailerLite is a great way to get you started for FREE (with options to upgrade, as needed). I’ve tried other email marketing tools, but found MailerLite to be the easiest to use and understand.




Sign up for FREE and start growing your email list


Images & Design Tools:

PicMonkey

PICMONKEY: Photo Editor and Graphic Design Maker

Free Trial, Paid

All of my post images are made by me using the PicMonkey photo editor. I started using them back when they were free. When they switched to paid versions, I looked around for another option but couldn’t find anything that worked as well, so I was happy to pay for a service I knew worked for me.

Start Your Free Trial Now!

canvalogo

CANVA: Design Anything. Publish Anywhere.

Free, Free Trial, Paid

Canva is an excellent alternative to PicMonkey – and not just because it’s free. It comes with built-in stock photos, and has templates for everything from logos, business cards, social media banners and resumes. There’s also free design school courses and incredibly useful resources.

You Can Also Try “Canva Pro” FREE for 30 days

What are you waiting for? It’s free!

Creative Market

CREATIVE MARKET: Fonts, Graphics, Themes and More

Free, Paid

If you’re not into making your own designs or are looking for something a little more professional,Creative Market is a great place to find affordable fonts, graphics, themes and more. Plus you can get 6 free goods every week, by signing up to their newsletter. (That’s how I got my current theme for free!)

Get a 10% Discount in Your Inbox

FIVERR: Freelance Services for The Lean Entrepreneur

Paid

Fiverr is another great place to hire all sorts of freelance services that can help you build and grow your website. (Even though very few gigs cost $5 anymore.) You can also use this site to make some money by selling your own services, too. Or use this link to become an affiliate and earn those commission sales!

Find The Perfect Freelance Services For Your Business

Bethanyworkslogo

BETHANY WORKS: Freelance Writing, Graphic Design & Web Design

Paid

If you want an honest recommendation of a real person to help with your designing needs, Bethany is 100% the way to go. She is extremely responsive, patient, affordable – and of course, amazing at coming up with designs!

Hire an Amazing Freelancer!


Writing Resources:

GRAMMARLY: Free Writing Assistant

Free, Paid

All posts on My Life, I Guess have been proofread with Grammarly before I hit that publish button. Because let’s be honest, it’s hard to spot your own typos! I use the paid premium version to scan my text for grammatical and spelling mistakes (which are available on the free version) and for vocabulary enhancement suggestions and plagiarism checks.

Become a Great Writer


Courses, Training & Tutorials:

do you even blog logo

Launch Your Side Hustle

Paid

Whether you are brand new to side hustling or want to learn more about growing your own small business, this course will guide you through it. You can check out my review of the LYSH course here.

Launch Your Side Hustle and Make Your First $1,000!

10K VA Course Logo

$10K VA: Make $10,000 per month as a Virtual Assistant

Paid

Becoming a Virtual Assistant is all the rage right now. I am currently taking the $10K VA course by Kayla Sloan to learn how to become a successful one. Can you imagine how great it’d be making $10K a month working from home?

Start Making up to $10,000 Each Month!

perfect gift guide logo

PERFECT GIFT GUIDES: The Course that Pays for Itself

Paid

If you’ve struggled with affiliate marketing in the past, or just don’t know where to start, I cannot recommend the Perfect Gift Guides Course more. It’s focused and provides a clear strategy that is already bringing in passive income. Check out my review for more.

On Sale Now for Only $19!