Blogging is not only hard work, but it can get expensive, too. When you factor in hosting, images, SEO, graphic design, and everything else that goes alongside a blog, things can get expensive.
But it doesn’t have to.
Here’s 10 free blogging tools for when you’re blogging on a budget.
Organising
Trello
If you’re disorganised, Trello is the perfect tool for you. You can make a list of everything you need to do, and attach any imagery/documents/links that go along with it, and keep everything together. There is also a paid version, but you’re not missing out on much by using the free version instead.
There are apps available for mobile and tablet too, which means you can add/edit ideas as soon as you have them, and don’t have to be at your computer.
Milanote
If you don’t like working in a linear way, Milanote is perfect for you.
You can keep everything in one place, while having it laid out any which way you want to.
They have templates for novel planning, character creation, mood boards, and so, so much more.
You can even collaborate with your team on there to get super organised.
Writing
Hemingway
I love Hemingway.
I love it so much I’ve blogged about why everyone needs to use Hemingway.
If you have a habit of using overlong sentences, too many adverbs, or using passive voice, it’s the perfect app for you.
CoSchedule Headline Analyser
This is my new favourite toy.
You can analyse as many headlines as you like to find out which will grab your readers the most.
It gives you an overall score, tells you which words stand out, and if the emotion your headline invokes is positive, negative, or neutral. As someone who hates coming up with titles, I cannot rate this headline analyser highly enough.
Design
Canva
Canva is the graphic design tool for people who hate graphic design.
It’s easy to get the hang of, has a wide variety of images to choose from, and has its own design school to teach you the basics of graphic design.
Templates include social media headers, ebook covers, posters, and gift certificates.
Layout
Layout is an Instagram app that allows you to create collages using your photos. It’s easy-to-use, and has the same filters as Instagram. It also talks to Instagram itself.
Gimp
Gimp is a step up from Microsoft Paint and a step down from Adobe Photoshop. While I’ve never been able to get along with it, I’ve seen many people create incredible things with it. If you’re into graphic design but can’t afford Photoshop and need something more versatile than Canva, it’s worth giving a go.
SEO
Google Trends
Google Trends tells you what people are searching for and when.
You can check out how popular the keyword you want to use for your blog post is, and see how it’s ranked over time.
You can also compare similar keywords to see which is the better option for your chosen blog post.
Yoast SEO Plugin
Yoast SEO plugin is for those using WordPress who need some help with their SEO. If your blog is hosted on WordPress.com, you don’t need it. If it’s hosted on your own domain, you need Yoast or something similar.
Yoast is easy-to-use, and has a traffic light system that tells you how good your blog post is in terms of SEO. It also gives you bullet points on how to improve your post.
Since its latest update, it also rates the Readability of your blog post using the same traffic light system.
Social Media
Buffer
I’ve been using Buffer for a couple of years now. It’s my favourite social media scheduling software. It’s user-friendly, it’s got a clean interface, and I’ve got even the most technophobic to use it!
You can only schedule up to ten posts at a time using the free plan, but if you’re posting regularly and schedule stuff in each evening, it doesn’t work out too badly.
MailChimp
Everyone needs a mailing list (or so we keep being told).
MailChimp is a free software that allows you to manage yours. You can create lists for different people, see the stats for emails you’ve sent out, and design the look of your emails.
Over to You
What are your favourite free blogging tools?
