Essential Tools for the Modern Pro-Blogger
The writing industry has come a long way in the last decade thanks to algorithm innovations and new marketing strategies. It feels as though the digital landscape is forever shifting, something we have to be comfortable with if we want to keep pace with changing dynamics. Make sure you are using the latest and best tools and platforms for your blogging business to remain relevant.
WordPress
The original is not always the best, but that is certainly not the case when it comes to WordPress. Created back in the early days of blogging, WordPress is one of the original content management systems. It allows bloggers to create beautiful websites and join a community.
Whether you are blogging for yourself or professionally, you should be familiar with WordPress. Bloggers that understand the platform and how to optimize content for websites and search engines can charge higher rates to clients or enjoy more interaction with the business site.
Ahrefs
If you want to get ahead in today’s blogosphere, you need more than an elegant turn of phrase. What you need is data. Information on your competitors, target audience, niche, and target keywords all contribute towards a higher ranking on search engines and more website traffic.
Ahrefs is an indispensable tool for Blogger Broker. This website offers effective keyword research helping you to choose the best keywords for any topic or website. Ahrefs also allows you to analyze your backlinks, perform technical SEO audits, and lots more to boost business.
Google Docs
Cloud computing is now the norm, and Google Docs is leading the way as the number one word processor for blogging. While it is not technically free - you need to sell your personal details to Google for ad purposes to use it - it does feel free and provides plenty of tools and connectivity.
Google Docs is designed for blogging. It has a very user-friendly interface allowing you to integrate HTML tags (H1 to H3) into your subheadings. It is also cloud-based, allowing you to access your work from any device or location. Google Docs also has excellent backup options.
Chat GPT
In case you missed it, we have entered the age of artificial intelligence with the release of ChatGPT by OpenAI. This technology is still in its early stages, but it’s already quite impressive and looks set to revolutionize the writing industry, the internet, and every aspect of the future.
For now, ChatGPT is a writing tool that can assist but not replace professional bloggers. ChatGPT can write articles and create raw material for articles and blogs, but it lacks the nuances of writing and tends to be overlooked by search engines as it lacks personality.
Grammarly
ChatGPT might be the latest AI technology to rock the online writing industry, but it’s not the first. Grammarly has been around since 2009 and is used extensively by the ProBlogger industries. Grammarly also uses AI technology to correct writing errors and improve its quality.
Automatic proofing is not the only thing that Grammarly can offer. The platform can also inform the tone of the article and make suggestions for active and passive voice, language modalities, and more. Every pro-blogger needs to have Grammarly in their pro-writing toolbox nowadays.
Canva
Professional bloggers need templates, Infographics, featured images, and other graphics for personal and professional articles and websites. There are various ways to acquire these items, but none are as accessible and affordable as Canva - a personal graphic design tool.
If you don’t want to partner with other freelancers for graphics, or you want more creativity and autonomy in your current project, Canva is an exciting solution. Available on a range of devices, Canva can help you create professional graphics in minutes to level up articles and projects.
Buffer
Social media is an integral part of the blogging profession, allowing you to distribute articles and adverts quickly to reach a target audience. But there’s a snag. Using social media platforms can be complicated and time-consuming, especially when you manage content for different clients.
Enter Buffer! Buffer is the tool you need to schedule posts on multiple social media channels simultaneously. Buffer also gives you ongoing analytics and engagement analysis, helping you to make smarter choices about your content, social media channels, and the times you post.
The internet is a weird blend of everything, making it harder to determine what people are truly interested in and what areas to target. While Reddit isn’t exactly a problogging tool, it is highly effective. Reddit allows you to find the most relevant information on niche topics to write about.
One thing that makes Reddit different from other social media platforms is that it doesn’t allow people to post promotional content. Based on a range of community interest groups, Reddit allows users to engage with niche content giving bloggers a better insight into what matters.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a must-have for any professional blogger. If you are publishing content on your own website, you can use this integrated tool to measure the total website traffic, discover unique visitors, and measure bounce rates and traffic sources, contributing to better outcomes.
For any blog or client website to be successful, you need to oversee the analytics on a regular basis. Google Analytics gives you accurate information on what is working and what is not, allowing you to double down on the best results and take the business or website forward.
Search Console
Along with Google Analytics, Google Search Console is an essential tool for any problogger. While Google Analytics gives you the oversight to double down on the best practices for your website, Google Search Console is what you need to optimize the technical side of the website.
Google Search Console allows you to track performance, rank impressions and clicks, monitor your click-through rates, and apply different categories such as location, individual pages, and keywords. This system is also what you need to analyze core web vitals and user experience.
Conclusion
The tools and platforms in this article form the foundations of a career in the writing industry, but there is a lot to understand and become familiar with if you want to count yourself as a full-stack content writer. Using these tools regularly will ensure you create content that delivers for clients.
