Tools
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Although some people are really skilled, most of us are experts in one or some areas, not in all of them.
Writing and maintaining a blog requires a lot of different skills and even if you master most of them, you only have so much time in a day. That is when tools come in handy.
As a developer, I constantly need to refrain from diving into the code to optimize this website. The time I spend updating code and creating new features is time that is not spend writing content and vise versa.
Tools can help you spend your time more efficiently.
Don’t make me think
Often we use tools without giving them too much thought and that is great. You shouldn’t need to think about them, they just need to work.
And that is what makes some tools great and others a nightmare to work with. Imagine having to set all the options over and over again when watching your favorite show. Choose cable or antenna, set the frequency a channel is on, set the volume, the color settings, audio preferences, etcetera.
Most of these settings have default values and if you want, you can override them. No need to think too much about it.
So, the best tools are those that do not make you think about them.
You get all the knowledge and best practices a company or person has on a specific topic and you can use it to improve or optimize your own work, without all the distraction of (learning) how to use them.
Starting with a longlist
I am sure that this list will get too long and due to the different use cases of the tools I might need to split it up into specific lists but for now, I am going to collect all the tools into one list.
The tools I mention here are some that I use or have used myself and that work for me. I’m not going to add the ones that bug me.
When to use them
These tools have different use cases, I like to try out tools and see how they fit in my workflow. Some might be useful for using Pinterest others come in handy while proofreading or in your stock photography workflow
Do they save me time? Do they add to my skills or my knowledge? Do they work well together?
Tools are kind of personal. Although these may work for me, I cannot advise you. Just give them a try and find out yourself. Most have a trial period or free version.
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Where to Find Infinite Content Ideas
Don’t know where to start? No inspiration? Too much inspiration? Then you probably recognize this: You have a blog, and the niche you chose is something you know a lot about or is dear to you. You know what topics fit that niche, but when you need to start writing, your head is either empty or so full of ideas that the effect is the same: no words.
What you need is either inspiration, a way to organize your ideas, or a sort of editorial backlog. If there just was a source for infinite content ideas…
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I Bought the Genius Bloggers Toolkit
Yep, I did. I bought the Genius Bloggers Toolkit, aka the GBTK and in this post, I will tell you why, and if I think that it is worth it.
Of course, everybody’s needs are different. We all have different levels of experience. Some of us are more interested in the writing of content, others in SEO, and others in the technical courses.
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Ubersuggest
I tried thisI like thisWebsite: Ubersuggest
I am pretty sure that you have heard the name Neil Patel or his Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tool Ubersuggest before.
If not, then this post may contain some very interesting information and links for you.Neil Patel has a great reputation in Online Marketing and with the -often- free courses and information on his website he has helped a lot of people generating more traffic and sales.
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Upgrade Your Content with Grammarly
I tried thisI like thisWebsite: Upgrade Your Content with Grammarly
When I started to think about this website, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into.
Don’t get me wrong; I immediately liked the idea of collecting and organizing all the information about side gigs, but writing content was a different story. Grammarly was a lifesaver. Let me tell you about it so you can upgrade your content with Grammarly too. -
Tailwind
I tried thisI like thisWebsite: Tailwind
To be honest, I have just recently found out about Tailwind, but I like it already.
Tailwind lets you schedule your pins, photos, and videos.You might wonder why you would schedule your pins instead of pinning them to Pinterest immediately.
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Canva
I tried thisI like thisWebsite: Canva
There are a gazillion images that you can buy or download for free, but when it comes to that picture you need for your blog…
No problem, I hear you think; there are also hundreds of photo-editing applications available, so let’s get one.But when you start them and take a look at all the tools the user interface offers you, you feel the first signs of frustration growing in the back of your mind.
And then there was Canva!
