Blog Resources
These are the tools and resources that I use on a daily basis to help my blog grow!
Please note that I do not recommend products that I have not used myself. All of the resources you see below are products that I truly love and endorse.
Last Updated: September 20, 2023
This is just a placeholder page while I create the real page!
This article may contain affiliate links, which means if you make a purchase through the link, I get a small percentage at no additional charge to you. See my affiliate disclosures for more info.
Hosting & Domain
Lyrical Host – I highly recommend my blog host, Lyrical Host! You receive FREE resources every month, the staff is super nice and helpful (I’ve become great friends with one of the owners), it’s super simple and easy to use, you receive FREE migration (if transferring from another host or platform), and you can even get up to 2 months free (each year)! Use my code ‘STARBRIGHT‘ for 10% off any hosting plan!
Related: Why I Switched to Lyrical Host
WordPress – This is the platform that I use for my Blog. It makes editing my theme and making my blog posts really easy! I use WordPress.org, which is for self-hosted blogs, but there is also WordPress.com, which is a Free and very limited version of WordPress.org that is hosted on their site. If you want to make money off your blog, I suggest you start with a self-hosted blog.
Themes
BluChic Themes – The BluChic themes are a bit more expensive than the ones I usually go for, but they actually provide more customization options, which is what I was looking for!
Hello Chic Theme – My old theme, created by Hello You Designs, was super cute and had so many customization options! I loved that it even came with its own Social Page for me to edit for linking to from my Social Media Platforms!
Genesis Framework – My old theme ran on the Genesis Framework. This framework works with Child Themes that are created specifically for Genesis. Genesis Themes cannot run without the framework installed.
Organization
Elementor – This is the page builder that I currently use! It makes creating pages on my blog so easy! Elementor is free, but they do have a Pro plan with additional features. There are tons of templates that you can use to set up your pages, but even creating something from scratch is really easy! I highly recommend at least giving it a try!
Evernote – Evernote allows you to create virtual Notebooks where you can store information, notes, articles, etc. You can use this for taking notes in school or even writing a blog post draft. You can also set up a team notebook if you are working on a project with multiple people, and you can all access the notebook to keep up with what is being done!
LastPass – This is a secure service that allows you to save your passwords for any and all accounts you use on a daily basis! It adds an extension to your browser (you can access from the website as well) and every time you sign up for a new account or login to an account that isn’t saved yet, it will ask you if you want to save the password!
Notion – I have been really getting into Notion and I have slowly been bringing over everything from Trello to be housed here instead. “Notion is a single space where you can think, write, and plan. Capture thoughts, manage projects, or even run an entire company — and do it exactly the way you want.” (cited from Notion)
Trello – Trello is a great (and FREE) Project Management tool that you can use for every aspect of your business! It allows you to create personal boards, boards with a team, or public boards (if you are into that kind of thing lol). You create Lists and cards on the different boards to help you stay on track with tasks and to-do’s, links, and so much more!
Email Marketing
MailerLite – Starting a newsletter was the best thing that I could have done for my blog! It allows me to connect with my readers! I chose MailerLite for my email platform because the first 1,000 subscribers are FREE. Get $20 credit for signing up with my link.
Social Media Tools
TailWind – I use TailWind to schedule my Pinterest posts (mine and others that I find) and grow my blog! You can join Tribes with other bloggers to share each other’s content and help you all grow. Click here to sign up for TailWind and get a free month on me!
Click to Tweet – I use this to create my Click to Tweet links in my posts! This makes it easy for someone to Tweet your content to their Twitter and get you more traffic!
TubeBuddy– I actually just started using this software for my YouTube channel! It integrates right into YouTube and has awesome features such as Keyword Rank Tracking, Thumbnail Generator and my all time favorite – the Upload Checklist! It makes sure that you are never forgetting a step during the video upload process! There are tons of more features that are available, so why not have a look for yourself!
Editing Software
Canva – Canva is a free editing software, but there are items you can purchase within the program. I use Canva to make a lot of my Freebies!
PicMonkey – This is the only editing software I pay for! It is only $7.99 a month and you get full access to all of the editing options available! I use this to make all of my YouTube thumbnails and other blog graphics.
Resources
Creative Market – This is a great website to purchase fonts and graphics that you can use for your blog! There are also items given away for free all the time! You can also purchase WordPress Themes from this website!
Writing
Grammarly – I use Grammarly to proofread all of my blog posts before I publish them. This is a Free software that checks every word/sentence to ensure that everything is spelled correctly, or has proper grammar! I prefer to use this because the Spell Checker in WordPress doesn’t seem to catch everything!
Courses
Trello 101 – This course was very helpful when I was trying to learn the system! If you are new to Trello, I highly recommend this course! If you already know how to use Trello, she also has a higher-end course as well called Trello Content Management System that will help you get your content strategy system in place using Trello! I will be purchasing this one soon!
Affiliate Companies
Ultimate Bundles – Ultimate Bundles is an awesome Affiliate company to be with! They provide you with banners, links, and more to promote Bundles of products (some are only during specific time frames, and some are evergreen!) to your readers and email list subscribers! These can range from Blogging Bundles to Essential Oil eBook Bundles! Use my link to sign up for your own Affiliate account.
Amazon Affiliates – This company is owned and operated by Amazon! It allows you to create links to products (on Amazon) that you can get commission for if someone buys that item (or other items)! You can create links to any and every product available on Amazon, and there are even ‘Bounties’ that you can place on your sidebar or in posts, that you can get paid for referring people to Amazon Prime, Kindle, etc.
SendOwl – SendOwl is a platform for you to sell your digital products from! It makes selling your products easy and gives you the option to have your own affiliate program for them!
WordPress Plug-In’s
Yoast SEO – This is one of the best SEO plugins you can get for your blog! It does take time for your posts to rank on search engines, but by using an SEO plug-in (such as this one) you can optimize all of your posts really easily. This plugin gives you gives you advice, as you are writing, on how you can improve your posts and make them SEO friendly.
Pretty Links – I love this plugin! It allows you to take super ugly links (such as affiliate links) and make them look…well, pretty. For example, I could turn my super long YouTube link (since I don’t have 100 subscribers yet lol) into something pretty like – kaciestar.com/youtube (see pretty!) to send to people! Pretty Link also allows you to keep track of how often your links are clicked on!
JQuery Pin It – This essential plugin allows you to make a custom Pin It button that appears when readers hover over an image on your blog! It makes it so that your blog posts are easily pinnable! This allows you to get more traffic to your blog using Pinterest!
Disqus – This is my all time FAVORITE comment system! It looks nice on my posts, and is super easy to use! I love that it post your top comments from other posts at the bottom of the comments! This helps get more of your content out of the world!
Easy Content Upgrades – This plug in allows me to add opt-ins to my posts really easily! You can set it up as a direct download, or add in the link for them to download themselves! You can then create the form however you like (embedded form or popup form) and design it to match your theme!
Financial Tools
Cash App – Send money to friends and family easily with the Cash App. Try the Cash app using my code and we’ll each get $10! TJKWQBR or click here!
Square – Receive Payments from clients and customers, send invoices, etc. Receive free processing on up to $1,000 in sales during your first 180 days by signing up with my link (only merchants new to Square are eligible).
Ibotta – Ibotta is a cash back rewards app that you can use every time you shop! You can search at almost any store to find rebates for the items you may be wanting to purchase anyway! You then purchase the item, scan the receipt and receive the rebate that you can then redeem for gift cards or even send to your bank account via Paypal or Venmo. Sign up with my referral code, elyyhuc (this is a link), to receive a $10 welcome bonus!
Dosh – This is another app that you can receive cash back from when you shop, eat at restaurants, and even book hotel rooms! You add your debit or credit card(s) to the account, and every time you make a qualifying purchase with those cards, you receive the cash back into your account. There are so many ways to get cash back with this app! Check it out and sign up with my link here.
Ebates – I’m sure everyone already knows what this website is, but in case you don’t, Ebates is another cash back website, that you can use for your online shopping! I use this all the time when I got shopping on Amazon, but there are so many other online stores that you can use it at! Sign up with my link here, and receive $10 after your first purchase!
Acorns – This is an investment tool! It helps you to save money over time! Get $5 when you use my invite link.
Robinhood – You now have a claim to a stock like Apple, Ford, or Facebook. In order to keep this stock, sign up and join Robinhood using my link. You will get a free stock (and can also purchase more)! I got Plug Power as my free stock!
Shopping
Wish – A cheap online shopping retailer! You can purchase anything from clothing, to craft supplies, to electronics! Sign up and use my code receive up to 50% off your first purchase! Click here to download the app, and use my code hhrlsxl on your first order!
Amazon Prime – Receive Free Shipping, deals for Prime members only, free Ebooks, Music, and more by becoming an Amazon Prime Member! Click here to try Prime free for 30 days!
PinchME – Answer a series of questions to help the company learn about you. They will pick samples for you to choose from to receive for testing purposes! This website is COMPLETELY FREE!!! Click here to get sign up and receive free samples!
Influenster – This is a website that you can write reviews about all sorts of products that you use and buy! You can also receive free products to review based on your social media score and much more! You can sign up with my link here!