Ever wondered what the best blogging tools are to create a productive blog workflow? That's exactly what I'll show you in this post.
So when you first start a blog, you're probably think a bit of writing and formatting is the only thing you need to do to get started. But as you enter the blogging world, you realize...nope, writing and formatting your blogs is only the beginning.
Suddenly you learn there's so much to do to actually get your blog post discovered on Google, so you need a keyword planning tool.
Then you realize your blog posts are way too plain and not engaging for readers, so you're scrambling for a really good visual editor for your blog.
And then you hear from this blogging guru to always share your posts to different social media platforms, so now you're scrambling to create Facebook images, Instagram quote cards, Pinterest images and—
Seems like a lot, doesn't it? Don't worry. I've got you covered. Keep reading to check out these 7 best blogging tools that'll help you focus on your content and publish high-quality blogs faster, all without losing your mind.
AnswerThePublic: researching blog topics
AnswerThePublic.com is a free online tool that helps you find keywords for your chosen topic and tells you how many people are searching for those keywords on Google. The site also allows you to see what people are saying about your chosen topic, and what questions they are asking.
You can use the browser app to search for keywords that people in your audience are actually using in their Google searches, so you can imagine how awesome the app is for figuring out best keywords that'll get your blog to rank.
Notion: content planning
Keeping consistent on your blog is important if you truly want to build an audience and get them to fall in love with you. This is where good planning comes in. And here's where it gets better: there's a ton of amazing blogging tools for monthly content planning. The one I personally recommend is Notion.
I love the versatility of Notion for letting you create different views that fit your planning style. I personally prefer the Calendar view when planning out my content for the full visual preview I get per month. But you can plot out your blog posts for the month using List Views, Table views, and even Timeline views.
One other reason I can't recommend Notion enough for content planning is because of their customizable properties. You can add properties to your blog post planning, like tags you want to use, which category on your blog this new post falls under, the status of your post, and important dates like deadlines.
And technically, you can outline and write your blog posts straight to Notion, but I personally don't find it the best for that. But let's jump to that in the next section.
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Google Docs: outlining and writing your blog post
While Notion is a great app and tool for blog post writing, but I still believe the best one out there is the free browser app Google Docs.
It comes full of features for no-nonsense writing, including simple formatting features for headings and paragraphs, a word count tracker you can display as you write, and a full-screen mode to get rid of the toolbar and just get your writing done.
Plus, in case you run your blog with other people, the collaborative features on Google Docs is top-notch. You can all edit the same document at once, recommend suggested edits without changing the original text on the document, or add comments about highlighted areas in your draft.
Grammarly: grammar checker
Even seasoned writers make mistakes. So that's why it's helpful to have Grammarly, a grammar checker that points out errors like misspelled words, wrong subject-verb agreement, and misused words.
For Premium users, it also shows you some ways to make your writing even better. It might suggest to shorten a sentence, adjust your tone, or make a phrase or sentence clearer.
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Affinity Photo: graphic design and photo editing
Affinity Photo is a fantastic graphic design and photo editing app. It's a great, cheaper alternative to Adobe Photoshop without holding back on features.
You're able to resize, retouch, and manipulate images in any way you like. And if you need to do graphic design-heavy images—say, infographics or blog post headers—then Affinity Photo is flexible enough for that too.
For example, if you want to make a collage, you can cut out sections of one photo then lay it on top of another. Or if you want to add shapes and text, it's as easy as doing a couple of clicks.
If you're not used to professional photo editing apps like Photoshop yet, then there will be a slight learning curve to Affinity Photo. Otherwise, it's the best flexible photo editing software I have in my arsenal.
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Thrive Architect (part of Thrive Suite): formatting your blog post
For WordPress users, creating a nice and clean blog that readers can enjoy is probably a big priority. Thrive Architect is one of the best blogging tools under the suite of WordPress plugins by Thrive Themes.
Architect is designed especially to help you create custom landing pages, but one handy feature is being able to do the same with blog posts. You can format your blog posts to look exactly how you want them to look without a single line of code, create templates you can use and reuse, add buttons, columns, icons, and a lot more.
See me design a blog post from absolute scratch with zero code in the video below:
Later: social media sharing
After hitting Publish on that post, you're going to want to distribute it online for your audience to see. My app of choice for social media sharing is Later. It's one of the best blogging tools for anyone that's already using social media to share their blogs.
Later is a social media management app that lets you manage and schedule content for Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest—which are the best places to promote your blog post.
The app supports most post types, from static images to videos to carousels and more, so you're covered no matter your preferred medium. You can plan out captions, do some hashtag research to try and get better reach, and plan your Instagram grid all from the app.
Use the best blogging tools in 2021 to grow your blog
As bloggers, it's important to be able to create high-value blog posts efficiently. That's why the best blogging tools can help you create a more streamlined workflow that helps you focus on your content. Which tools are you going to put in your blog creation suite?
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