Tools & Resources for Making Money Online
The Tools Creators & Bloggers Need To Make Money
Success in any endeavor requires resources. You simply cannot do it alone. Tools are necessary to build and run a blog, to deliver products and process payments, and to communicate and market your website.
These are products and services that I use or used, to make money online. These tools are important to save time, to be professional, and to make money. If you have a question, please ask me. Chances are good that I’ve been down the road before and can help.
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Some of the links on this page are affiliate links. This means if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission at no additional cost to you. I recommend products because they are helpful and useful. If you have any questions, please ask. I am here to help you.
Getting Started / Basic Essentials
BLUEHOST – For Website Hosting
Every blog needs a host. This blog and all my niche sites are hosted on Bluehost. It’s easy to get started on Bluehost with their one-click WordPress blog installation. Their hosting is super reliable, and their customer support is awesome. You can use your Bluehost account to host unlimited websites for one low price – no matter how many domains you add. I’ve used two other hosting platforms in the past and now I use and recommend Bluehost. Get Bluehost now.
CONVERTKIT – For Building Your Email List
Email marketing is essential to making money. ConvertKit email list marketing is the easiest and most functional email service I’ve used (and I used 7 services). I love ConvertKit for its simple, intuitive design. It’s so quick and easy to set up an autoresponder and make an opt-in form, so you can begin building your list quickly. Another key point about ConvertKit is the ability to segment my subscribers into groups so they only receive content relative to their needs. I only use ConvertKit. Try ConvertKit.
Creating Your Own Online Courses
Teachable – For The Easiest Way To Package & Sell Your Knowledge
The most profitable way to sell your knowledge is through an online course. That’s because courses have a higher perceived value over other methods. Teachable has made this process easy. They handle everything from processing students’ payments to delivering content in the order and format that you choose. There are even landing pages to sell your course and bring in those new students (your customers). It’s so simple because they even provide the layout (which you can change). You get to focus on creating content. And their customer service is second to none. Teachable is truly an online content delivery game-changer. Click here and see how easy it is.
Building Out Your Website / Blog
STUDIOPRESS (GENESIS FRAMEWORK) – For Your WordPress Theme
Your WordPress theme defines the look and function of your website. I use the Genesis Framework by StudioPress because their software is always kept updated to the latest version of WordPress ensuring security and function. They also keep it updated to work perfectly on all the latest mobile devices. This is huge for me. And you can still choose the perfect theme to your liking because they have a ton of choices for what they call “child themes” that work within their “framework”. The framework provides security and function, and the child theme provides the look and feel. It’s brilliant. Click here and see for yourself.
LEADPAGES – For High-Quality Landing Pages
Landing pages are important for getting opt-ins, especially when you don’t want the subscriber to be distracted by a post or article. I like LeadPages because it’s extremely flexible with a wide selection of pages and page types. However, not everybody will need to pay for a service like this. If you are just starting out, ConvertKit (mentioned above) includes pretty good landing pages to get you going. If you are not using ConvertKit or you want to perfectly custom tailor your page, then give LeadPages a try.
CLICKFUNNELS – For Automated Sales Funnels (and High-Quality Landing Pages)
A sales funnel is an automated sequence that takes over your entire online sales process, including the delivery of the product. Funnels are necessary for online success. ClickFunnels simplifies and automates the creation and execution of your funnels and is perfect for online entrepreneurs who want to focus on content, as well as offline businesses that wish to reach an online audience. ClickFunnels includes a high-quality landing page builder. You can, alternatively, make your own funnels and that’s perfectly fine if you do not have the budget. ClickFunnels will save you time and energy. Try ClickFunnels.
SOCIAL WARFARE – For Social Media Sharing Buttons
It’s important to have social media sharing buttons on your website, especially if you are just starting out. They make it easy for people to share your article or page with their followers. Social Warfare won’t slow down your site (as most social plugins do), and it’s easy to use. It’s free, and they also have a paid version. I use the free version on my niche sites and the paid version for this blog. The paid version allows ME to choose the image and description when other people share, maximizing the traffic that comes back. This plugin is a must-have, even if it’s the free version. Get Social Warfare here.
NINJA FORMS – Webforms for Contact From Your Visitors
At the very least, you need a “contact us” form on your website. You may also need other forms to collect info for an application, client profile, discovery call, etc. Ninja Forms are flexible, easy to use, packed with features, and won’t slow down your site. Default WordPress forms didn’t do the trick and that’s why I use Ninja Forms. The FREE version of Ninja Forms is robust and even stores all form submissions in a database for future referral. There’s also a ton of advanced automations and integrations to take your business to the next level, such as accepting payments, uploads, or subscribing to your list (to name a few). Try Ninja Forms.
Royalty-Free Stock Photos
Sooner or later you’ll need to add images to your website. I will share the tools I use in a moment but I first want to make an important point. You cannot just take images you find in a Google search and use them. These images are owned and they are protected by local and international copyright laws. Using images without the rights can land you in a lawsuit. Luckily there are solutions.
There are lots of websites offering paid and free stock images. Generally speaking, you’ll spend less time searching for just what you need with a paid plan. Searching for the right image can otherwise be time-consuming. I use both paid and free images. If money is tight and you don’t mind the extra effort, you can do well with a free option.
Pixabay is by far my favorite free stock image website (and I have used many).
Shutterstock is my favorite paid option for images. They also have royalty-free video footage and audio tracks.
Producing Images & Graphics
Once you have photos and images you are allowed to use on your website, for marketing, and for your products, you’ll need tools to turn them into a useful form. For instance, you may need to combine several images, add text, or change the size. There are several free and paid tools you can use for this purpose.
CANVA – For Making Great Graphics For Just About Anything
Canva is by far my favorite tool for making Pinterest pins, post images, and other marketing images. They have a free and a paid version. I use the free version, and for most of you, that will be sufficient. It does not do everything, but it’s so quick and easy to use and it gets the job done. Use Canva to combine images, add text, and now you can add videos from their stock collection. Check out Canva.
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD – For Powerful & Advanced Features
I’ve been using Adobe Photoshop for years, and it can do just about anything. It’s super powerful. I use Adobe when I want to do things I cannot do in Canva, such as adding gradients or special text effects, which I usually process in Photoshop and then upload into Canva. Adobe now has its products available in the cloud making it cost-effective, and you can pick just the products you need. Check out Adobe Creative Cloud.
PICMONKEY – For Intermediate Features That Are Easy To Use
I found PicMonkey when searching for an easier way to make advanced graphics to help a student who asked. PicMonkey provides that perfect “in-between” for those who need the functionality missing in Canva, but who do not need the full functionality of Adobe. I don’t use PicMonkey because I am proficient in Photoshop, but otherwise, I would. Check out PicMonkey.
OPTIMIZILLA – For Compressing Images
Image optimization and compression is essential and is often overlooked. Compressing images makes them smaller so they load faster while retaining the same quality. Slow page loads cause people to bounce from your site, and even lowers your ranking in Google. Optimizilla is a free service that you can use to shrink any JPEG or PNG image before uploading it to your website. Use Optimizilla here.
Education & Training
CREATE AND GO – For The Best Blogging Courses
This is my favorite resource on this page. The others are important too, but if you don’t know what to do, it’s time wasted. These courses made the difference for me. I spent a boatload of money on all sorts of training and mentorships, and I was still struggling to make money until I found Create and Go. After taking their courses and implementing their strategies, I finally started to bring in a regular income. I just can’t say enough good things about their training. You will love it too. Their Blog Biz Bundle is discounted and includes all three courses (everything you need), but you can choose one course at a time if you prefer.
Productivity
MARKET SAMURAI – For Keyword Research
It’s essential to use keywords in every post matched to your marketing to maximize traffic. It used to take me hours. Now I use Market Samurai because it’s hands-down the fastest way to find keywords (I’ve used pretty much everything). I like the pre-set filters which quickly identify high demand keywords with low competition. It’s a premium product so there is a fee, however, it’s only a one-time fee that’s good forever including updates. Try Market Samurai for free.
GRAMMARLY – For Grammar and Proofreading
Grammarly is one of those products I am amazed by. I tried Grammarly to see how it works because some of my writing articles were getting a lot of attention. I was going to remove it afterward, but it works so well that I’ve come to love it. And I use the free version! Grammarly runs in the background so I don’t have to do anything to launch it. It just works. Try Grammarly here.
TAILWIND – For Pinterest and Instagram Scheduling and Analytics
Tailwind is currently the only scheduling tool approved by Pinterest. Tailwind is an amazing tool and saves me heaps of time automating the pinning process for Pinterest. Tailwind uses a browser extension so I can repin directly without having to open Tailwind. And I can repin to group boards, personal boards, and board lists – saving even more time. It also works for Instagram. Tailwind is a must if you use Pinterest to drive traffic. Try Tailwind.
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