Running a successful blog is no small feat these days. You need top-notch content, promotion across social platforms, and analytics to track growth – plus a solid website infrastructure to support it all.
The good news is, with the right tools, you can automate and optimize many of these tasks. In this comprehensive guide, we‘ll share 40 of the most useful blogging tools for WordPress based on over 15 years of experience managing WP sites.
Whether you‘re a seasoned pro or just starting out, you‘ll discover new solutions to streamline your workflow and take your blog to the next level. Let‘s dive in!
Contents
Must-Have Tools for Building Your Blog Foundation
A rock-solid WordPress website provides the foundation upon which great blogs are built. You need reliable hosting, optimized content, and an easy way to customize design.
1. Bluehost Web Hosting
- Recommended by WordPress.org
- Powers over 2 million websites
- 24/7 live chat support
Bluehost is one of the most popular hosting providers for WordPress blogs. Key features include:
- One-click WordPress installation – Get your site up in minutes
- Free domain name – Stand out with your own custom URL
- SSD storage – Blazing fast page loads to keep visitors engaged
Plans start at $2.95/month. With their 30-day money-back guarantee, it‘s risk-free to give Bluehost a try.
2. Yoast SEO Plugin
- Over 5 million active installs
- Analyzes content for SEO optimization
- Improves WordPress site search ranking
This plugin is a must-have for any WordPress blog. Yoast SEO analyzes your content then provides specific suggestions to optimize it for search engines and increased traffic.
The premium version unlocks powerful features like:
- Focus keyword analysis
- SEO training courses
- Synonyms for optimization
But the free version offers plenty to get started.
3. Elementor Page Builder
- 5 million+ active installations
- 500+ templates and blocks
- Drag and drop editor
Creating beautiful web designs is effortless with Elementor. Its intuitive drag and drop interface makes building pages a breeze for non-developers.
We especially love these key features:
- Responsive mobile-ready editing
- Popup and theme builder
- Works with all major plugins
- 100s of custom widgets
Get started with Elementor‘s free version available on WordPress.org.
4. OptinMonster
- Used on over 1 million sites
- 16+ types of conversions
- Built-in analytics
OptinMonster helps you get more email subscribers by letting you create popups, slide-ins, floating bars, and other attention-grabbing opt-in forms.
With powerful targeting options, you can:
- Display forms to certain visitors
- Show different forms to specific pages or posts
- Test conversion rates of different forms
Check out their free plan to easily add custom popups to your WordPress site.
Top Tools for Creating Compelling Content
Engaging, valuable content is what keeps readers coming back. Producing it takes planning, writing, and graphic design. This section features the best tools to optimize your content creation workflow.
5. Grammarly
- 30 million+ users
- Detects 250+ grammar errors
- Enhances vocabulary and style
This AI-powered writing assistant helps you fix grammatical mistakes and other writing issues before you publish.
Grammarly‘s browser extension works great, but upgrading to Grammarly Premium gives you access to advanced suggestions on:
- Vocabulary enhancement
- Tone adjustment
- Plagiarism detection
- Readability score
- Genre-specific writing style
6. Hemingway Editor
- Makes writing bold and clear
- Highlights complex sentences
- Identifies passages to simplify
Hemingway Editor analyzes your writing for readability. It flags hard-to-read passages and suggests edits to simplify your language.
This tool helps you create straightforward blog posts your audience can easily digest. The Hemingway online editor is free.
7. Canva
- Used by over 100 million people
- 100,000+ templates
- 2 million+ images, graphics and fonts
Canva makes graphic design easy for non-designers. Its drag and drop interface lets you quickly create social media posts, blog pins, infographics, banners, and more.
Even beginners can design high-quality, on-brand graphics in minutes with Canva. It‘s free to use basic features.
8. Buffer
- Analyze best times to share
- Schedule posts in advance
- Add hashtags and reshare old posts
Buffer is an invaluable social media tool that lets you easily plan and schedule blog post shares across all your profiles.
With Buffer you can:
- Analyze engagement by day and time
- Optimize your posting schedule
- Track effectiveness of different posts
- Reshare top-performing content
Their free plan accommodates 1 user with up to 10 scheduled posts at once.
9. Visme
- 20 million+ users
- 8000+ templates
- 35+ million stock images and icons
Visme simplifies graphic design by providing tons of professionally designed templates, icons and images you can use to create infographics, presentations, flyers, maps, banners and more.
It‘s a handy tool for sprucing up your blog posts and social media content with engaging graphics. Visme offers a forever free plan.
Drive Targeted Traffic to Your Blog
Quality content alone won‘t grow your blog. You need promo and optimization to bring in readers. This group of tools helps maximize your reach.
10. Google Trends
- See current hot search trends
- Find untapped content opportunities
- Identify seasonality of topics
Google Trends shows you the most popular search trends so you can create relevant content while interest is high.
Staying on top of rising topics can significantly boost traffic. This free tool provides invaluable insights.
11. Quora
- 50 million monthly visitors
- Ranks high in search results
- Popular for asking and answering questions
Establish yourself as an industry expert on Quora by answering niche-related questions. Share your knowledge and insert links back to relevant blog content.
With its huge reach, Quora offers major traffic potential. Just avoid making answers overly promotional.
12. BuzzSumo
- Analyze competitors‘ top content
- Find influencers to promote your content
- See which topics perform best
BuzzSumo reveals valuable data like:
- Your competitors‘ most shared content
- Top bloggers and influencers in your niche
- The best-performing topics and content types
Leverage these insights to craft high-impact content that attracts links and social shares for greater reach.
13. Followerwonk
- Identify and analyze target Twitter users
- Segment by bio keywords and location
- Compare Twitter stats
Followerwonk helps you gain Twitter followers by discovering accounts that are a great fit for your niche.
Segment users by location, interests, engagement levels, influence and more to refine your Twitter marketing approach.
14. JustReachOut
- Find the right people to pitch guest posts to
- Get email templates, follow-ups and tracking
- Schedule and automate outreach
JustReachOut takes the pain out of manual email outreach. It helps you identify the best sites and influencers to pitch guest posts to.
Features include:
- Email templates
- Two-click follow-ups
- Tracking and analytics
- Auto-scrapes contact info
Pricing starts at $47/month for 1-click outreach to grow your audience.
Essential Analytics and Tracking Tools
Understanding your audience and tracking growth is crucial. This suite of analytics tools provides invaluable user insights.
15. Google Analytics
- Free website analytics service
- Used on over 70% of websites
- Tracks visitors, sources, page views and more
Google Analytics should be installed on every WordPress blog. It reveals vital stats like:
- Traffic volume by source
- Visitor demographics
- Behavior flow patterns
- Top performing content
- Conversion funnel optimization
The free version packs a comprehensive feature set with powerful reporting.
16. Hotjar
- See how visitors navigate your site
- Identify usability issues
- Get feedback with polls and surveys
Hotjar records real visitors on your site so you can see exactly how they engage with your content.
Useful features include:
- Mouse tracking heatmaps
- Scroll maps
- Form and funnel analysis
- User feedback options
- Recorded user sessions
Hotjar makes user research easy. Try it free on your blog.
17. MonsterInsights
- Over 3 million installations
- Compatible with Google Analytics
- Easy-to-use WordPress plugin
MonsterInsights puts your Google Analytics data directly in your WordPress dashboard for easy access.
Benefits include:
- No manual logins to view reports
- Important stats displayed upfront
- Easy-to-digest visual data
- Google Analytics enhancement
The free version connects your WordPress site with Google Analytics in just minutes.
- Support for top social networks
- Measures URL shares
- Encourages social sharing
SharedCount shows social sharing numbers on your posts. Visitors can see when content is popular, which often encourages them to share it too.
The premium version ($9/month) tracks shares from over 50 additional networks beyond Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.
19. Mailchimp
- Used by over 200,000 businesses
- Free plan up to 2,000 contacts
- Automate email campaigns
Mailchimp helps you easily build an email list, create campaigns and analyze performance.
With Mailchimp you can:
- Design mobile-friendly emails
- Send automated welcome emails
- Personalize content with tags
- Schedule emails in advance
- Track opens, clicks and unsubscribes
The free plan accommodates up to 2,000 contacts and unlimited emails.
Optimize Speed and Security
Site speed and security impact user experience and search engine reputation. This toolkit helps maximize performance and protection.
20. Cloudflare
- Free SSL certificate
- CDN for faster content delivery
- Caches site for improved load times
Cloudflare offers a free plan that includes:
- SSL certificate for HTTPS security
- CDN to cache and serve site faster
- Basic DDoS protection
Upgraded plans provide enhanced performance and security tools.
21. Sucuri Security
- Hardens sites against hacks
- Malware detection and removal
- DDoS attack protection
- Free site security scan
Sucuri keeps WordPress sites safe and secure. It offers:
- Site monitoring and threat alerts
- Daily malware scans
- Firewall and blacklisting
- File integrity monitoring
Plans start at $16/month annually for 1 site.
22. iThemes Security
- Used by over 1 million sites
- Locks out hackers and bad bots
- Fixes common vulnerabilities
This powerful security plugin helps safeguard your WordPress site.
Key features:
- Password encryption
- Two-factor authentication
- Banned users listing
- WordPress core file scanning
- Login tracking and blocking
The free version secures one site.
23. WP Rocket
- Used by over 1 million sites
- Average site speed boost: 62%
- Money-back speed guarantee
WP Rocket combines best practices like caching, minification, and lazy loading to optimize WordPress site load times.
Benefits include:
- Image optimization
- Browser caching leveraged
- Cache preloading
- Advanced cache configuration
Plans start at $49 per year for one site.
Bonus Tools for Your Toolkit
Rounding out our list are a few bonus tools we find extremely helpful for managing different aspects of a WordPress blog.
24. SEMrush
- Tracks 30 billion keywords
- Reveals competitors‘ strategies
- Finds profitable keywords
SEMrush provides powerful competitive analysis so you can compare your blog‘s SEO against competitors and find new opportunities.
Use it to:
- Uncover competitors‘ highest traffic sources
- Analyze competitors‘ top keywords
- Discover untapped long-tail keyword variations
- Track keyword rankings over time
- Benchmark your domain strength
25. LastPass
- Saves and fills passwords automatically
- Creates strong randomized passwords
- Offers password sharing and emergency access
LastPass securely stores all your passwords in one place, protected by one master password.
Benefits include:
- Auto form-filling for fast logins
- Password generator for stronger credentials
- Secure password sharing with team
- Emergency access if master password is lost
26. Trello
- Manages projects and tasks visually
- Boards, lists and card system
- Easy collaboration
Trello keeps you organized with its simple card-based system for managing projects and tasks. It‘s great for:
- Content calendars and editorial planning
- Blog promotion checklists
- Organizing ideas and notes
- Collaborating with team members
The free plan works nicely for personal use.
27. Camtasia
- Easy screen recording and editing
- Zooming, panning and cursor effects
- Quiz creation and voice narration
Camtasia remains the best screen recording software for creating tutorial videos to engage your audience.
With Camtasia you can easily:
- Record on-screen activity
- Edit and trim clips
- Enhance videos with callouts, captions and zooming
- Add voiceovers and music
- Export videos for publishing
Pricing starts at $249 for individuals.
28. Nextiva
- Award-winning business VoIP
- Integrates CRM, help desk, email
- 99.999% uptime SLA
Nextiva is the best phone service for businesses. It offers:
- Exceptional call quality
- Unlimited calling plans
- Voicemail transcriptions
- Advanced call routing
- CRM and help desk integration
Plans start at $20/month per user. International calling available.
Take Your Blog to the Next Level!
Running a successful blog is an ongoing endeavor, but the right set of tools can save you time, multiply your reach, and provide insights to continually enhance your content and strategy.
This comprehensive list of 40+ must-have blogging tools spans crucial categories like site building, content creation, analytics, security, and more.
Hopefully you discovered a few new solutions to try on your own WordPress blog. Let us know which tools become your new favorites!
