Tools I Use & You Can Try
I decided to create this resource page for you to see which tools I’ve used to help me in my side hustles to earn and save money and to run this blog with your love.
I have found these resources so useful for myself, whether you’re a hustler like me or a new blogger, I am sure this list of useful tools will add value to your life and work!
Earn and Save Money
Survey Junkie When it comes to earning money with online paid surveys, Survey Junkie is the biggest player. They are well-reputed and provide a steady source of side income to the hustlers.
Swagbucks Similar to Rakuten Swagbucks also offers you cashback on online shopping. Plus you can also earn money by taking surveys, surfing the internet, and watching videos! You can get a $5 sign up bonus here.
Fiverr If you are looking for side hustles and have writing or designing abilities you can earn money here. Fiverr connects freelancers like you who are willing to sell their services to the buyers who might need those services. I have personally used it as a side hustle.
Blogging
Hosting
Bluehost When it comes to hosting Bluehost is the go-to option for beginners. This web hosting company makes starting a blog very easy with their 1-click WordPress install button. You can get your website online with 2.95/month plan with Bluehost hosting here and you will get a free domain name (value $15) if you buy plan for more than 12 months from this link.
InterServer If you are not a big fan of increasing renewal charges of each service provider after the initial offer periods are over, you can go for InterServer. I personally have used there services and if you are a beginner on a budget they offer value for your money. You can try their service at $0.01 for the first month using this link.
Themes
Astra
I use a customized child theme of Astra on this website. The theme have an amazing feel and is easily customizable with a page builder.
Thrive themes
Other themes I used and loved are from Thrive themes. They have a pretty good range of themes and they all focused on conversion-friendly sites.
Themify
Another theme provider I can easily recommend to readers who want to try more is Themify. They are aslo highly customizable with Page buider.
WordPress Plugins
Essential Plugins I use
Plugins are very important for WordPress sites. They are like the extra code to help you in making your website more user friendly and easy to work with without actually changing the core code of the website. Choosing the right plugins for your website is very essential as cluttering the website with plugins can slow the speed and few plugins may interfere with core code.
Choose your plugins wisely and if some problem occurs deactivate plugins one by one to figure out the culprit. That being said this is the list of plugins I use on my website after testing them for their use and effect on my website.
- Yoast SEO
- UpdraftPlus – Backup/Restore
- Elementor Builder
- Akismet Anti-Spam
- Contact Form 7
- ShortPixel Image Optimizer
- Easy Table of Contents
- ThirstyAffiliates
- Google Analytics Dashboard for WP
- No Self Pings
- Autoptimize
- Link Whisper
- MailOptin
- WP Product Review Lite
- Redirection
- Nginx Helper
Other Resources I Use for Blogging
Writing
Grammarly I can't recommend using Grammarly enough. This is one of the must-have resources for folks involved in writing especially blogging. The human eye tends to miss some errors even if you are an expert. In such scenarios, Grammarly is the savior of people like me as you don't want too many errors in your posts. I use the browser extension of Grammarly.
Designing
SEO
SEMrush It is a high-value SEO tool that handles multiple things for you starting from the most important keyword research to backlink analysis, domain analysis, local SEO, and other such things. It's a higher investment for the starters, but if your website have started generating revenue, this is a must-have tool to grow it further. Get a free trial here.
LongTailPro If you are only looking for a keyword research tool and can't afford SEMrush, this tool is the best alternative. Plus it specializes in finding long-tail keywords which is the place beginners should be looking to rank for. It helps you to identify long-tail keywords that bring high traffic giving you the chance to rank for them. Get 30% discount on all plans here.