Resources

Blog Hosting

This is a list of place where you can host or start your blog.

  • Blogger (free)
  • WordPress.com (free with for fee options)
  • LiveJournal (free)
  • Typepad (monthly fee)
  • Squarespace (monthly fee)
  • WordPress.org- This is the official website for the WordPress blogging software. If you wish to host your own blog, you can download WordPress for free from this website or you can choose a web host that includes WordPress. You can also find additional WordPress themes and plugins here.
  • Bluehost- This is a hosting company in which you can install and host your own WordPress.org blog with their easy install option.
  • Hostgator- This is a hosting company in which you can install and host your own WordPress.org blog with their easy install option.
  • WordPress for Blogging- If you need more information on how to properly install and manage your own WordPress blog, this video training system will give you step-by-step instructions.

Blog Statistics Services

These services will help you track a variety of statistics on your blog.

  • Google Analytics- A free service by Google that can track blog and website statistics.
  • Feedburner- A free service by Google that can track RSS subscribers and provide a variety other features for your blog.

Comment Tools

These tools help you control spam and customize your blog comments.

  • Akismet- A comment spam prevention service for blogs. This service is free for personal blogs and for fee for commercial or business blogs.
  • Gravatar- A free service that allows you to customize and carry your blog comment avatar across blogs over the Internet.
  • Top Contributors- A WordPress plugin that displays your most active commenters or authors on your blog’s sidebar.
  • Top Comments- A WordPress plugin that displays your top commenters on your blog’s sidebar.

Domain Registrars

These are companies where you can purchase a domain name for your blog.

Email Marketing & Email Blog Subscription

These tools and services can help you set up blog subscription services via email and to set up a mailing list for your blog.

  • Aweber- A email list management service which includes the ability to set up blog subscriptions via email.
  • Feedblitz- A service that allows you to set up blog subscriptions via email.
  • How to Plan and Start a Great Email Newsletter- If you’re new to setting up an email newsletter for your blog, this free ebook will provide information and links to resources that will show you how to properly plan and set up your email list.

Image Resources

These are various directories and websites where you can find images to use on your blog.

  • Stock xchng- A free image directory where you can find royalty-free images to use on your blog.
  • Visual.ly- A community websites for showcasing and sharing information graphics.
  • Creative Commons- An organization that provides a number of licensing options for creative works. The website also include an image directory.
  • iStockPhoto- A stock image company that provides royalty-free images for various uses.

Miscellaneous

  • WordPress Theme Directory- The official directory of blog themes for WordPress.
  • Evernote- A note-taking service for the web, computer, and mobile devices. Very useful for capturing notes and photos for blogging ideas.
  • How to Use Video to Promote Your Website- If you’re not familiar with how to add video to your blog, this free ebook will give you tips and resources to help you get started.

Search Engine Optimization

A variety of tools and services that can assist you in optimizing your blog for search engine traffic.

  • Google’s Keyword Tool- A free tool by Google that helps you to research what keywords are currently being searched for.
  • Website Grader- A free tool by HubSpot that evaluates your blog for SEO and other factors and gives you a brief report on how to improve it.
  • Yoast WordPress SEO- A highly recommended free WordPress plugin that can help you optimize your WordPress blog for search engines.
  • All-In-One SEO- A free WordPress plugin that can help you optimize your WordPress blog for search engines.
  • How to Build Traffic to Your Website: SEO Secrets Revealed- If you are new to search engine optimization, this audio and video system will help you get to speed on what SEO is and how to implement it on your blog.

Social Networking Management

These tools and services will help you manage your social networking promotional efforts for your blog.

  • Add This- A free tool that allows you to add social networking buttons to your blog. Works on all blogging services.
  • Share This- A free tool that allows you to add social networking buttons to your blog. Works on all blogging services.
  • Simple Social Bookmarks- A free WordPress plug-in that allows you to add a variety of social networking buttons to your self-hosted WordPress blog.
  • Hootsuite- A social networking management service that can help you organize and management multiple social networks including Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.
  • Buffer- A service that allows you to pre-schedule Twitter updates throughout the day.
  • SocialOomph- A service that can help you manage multiple Twitter accounts and pre-schedule Twitter updates.
  • NetworkedBlogs- A Facebook application that connects your blog to your Facebook personal profile and your Facebook page
  • Facebook for Small Business Marketing- Facebook Page Secrets- If you are new to Facebook pages, this instructional video system will show you how to create, manage, and use your Facebook page to promote your blog.
  • How to Use Twitter to Get More Traffic, More Subscribers, and More Customers- If you are new to Twitter, this audio and video training system will help you get started with marketing your blog using Twitter.

Videos

The following instructional videos can help you with setting up various part of your blog or services and tools related to your blog.

Worksheets and Templates

You can use these worksheets and templates to help you implement the tips outlined in this book.

  • Action Step Checklist- Use this checklist to help you keep track of your progress on the Action Steps listed in this book.
  • Blog Planning Worksheet- If you’re starting a blog or wish to redesign your blog, use this worksheet to plan various part of your blog including your anchor topic, audience, keyword research, blogging schedule, and more.
  • Blog Promotion Plan- Use this planning sheet to develop your blog’s marketing plan and to keep track of your progress.
  • Editorial Calendar Template- Use this template to plan and pre-schedule your blog posts.
  • Guest Post Promotion Worksheet- This worksheet includes a sample pitch email that you can send to potential bloggers for guest posting and also includes a spreadsheet that can help you keep track of your guest posting efforts.