Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links. The opinions expressed are mine. Read more.

42 Best Blogging Tools – Software To Grow Your Business

Here are the tools that made me successful with my online businesses. These are all highly recommended and have all been used by me at some point during my career. By signing up for one of the services/tools listed below, I may receive compensation, but you’ll help support me by creating more useful content.

I break down the recommended services into these categories. To jump to the section, click on one of the links.

  1. Web Hosting & Email
  2. Link Trackers
  3. Email Marketing Providers
  4. Landing Page Software
  5. Lead Generation Software
  6. Analytics
  7. WordPress Themes
  8. WordPress Plugins
  9. SEO Tools
  10. eCommerce Platforms
  11. Social Proof
  12. Miscellaneous

Web Hosting & Email

Choosing a web hosting provider is the cornerstone of starting a blog. It’s important to pick wisely as saving a few dollars in web hosting can be pennywise but pound foolish.

If you are looking for alternatives, read my best web hosting services and who’s the best domain registrar.

Bluehost

Larry's Take

If you're starting out and looking for a low-cost, no-frills web hosting provider, Bluehost is your best option. They give you a free domain name for the first year and have a one-click WordPress install. You'll be up and running with your blog in no time.
9.5 Out of 10
Price$2.95 - $13.95 per month
Annual DiscountYes
PromotionStarting At $2.95/mo
Learn More

Larry's Take

WP Engine is my go-to web hosting company when I create a WordPress blog. Unlike many other providers, WP Engine specializes only in WordPress hosting. But that means you'll have to look elsewhere if you want a host for your email as well. WP Engine has many features specific to WordPress, such as caching. Plus, a content delivery network (CDN) is automatically included. If you're looking for a reliable and fast hosting provider for your WordPress blog, WP Engine is your choice.
8.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$24 - $600+ per month
Annual DiscountYes
Promotion4 Months Free - Promo WPE4FREE
Learn More

Linode

Larry's Take

Linode is the perfect cloud provider for the DIYer with advanced hosting needs. I've used Linode for more than eight years and currently host most of my content with the service. I've experienced very little downtime. Linode offers basic virtual private servers (VPSs, load balancers, and block storage. Plus, with their premade images, you can be up and running very quickly with a new VPS. Check Linode out.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud, Linux
Price$5 - $4,000 per month
Annual DiscountNo
Promotion$100 Free Credit
Learn More

Larry's Take

Namecheap is an ICANN-accredited domain name registrar. It lets you do exactly what its name suggests: buy a cheap domain name. You can buy a ".com" address for as little as $5.98/year. The company also offers hosting services, but you might want to check out some of my other picks instead.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$1.44 - 11.88 per month
Annual DiscountNo
PromotionGet A .COM For $5.98!
Learn More

Google Workspace

Larry's Take

I prefer Google's Workspace over Microsoft 365 (although I use that too). As a blogger, I'm always online. I like Google Docs and Google Sheets, and Gmail is second to none. Google's anti-spam filtering works really well, and there are now many third-party plugins and options for extending Workspace.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$6 - $18 / user / month
Annual DiscountNo
PromotionFirst 14 Days Are Free
Learn More

It is best to manage your affiliate links in one central location than to manually insert each affiliate link on your website. Affiliate links can change often and outdated links can cost you thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

Also, using a link tracker allows you to cloak links, so they are cleaner, plus allow for conversion tracking. It’s highly recommended you start off using one of these services today before placing an affiliate link on your website.

To discover more, read my best link trackers list.

Larry's Take

ClickMagick is an alternative link-shortening service that specializes in ad tracking. I feel the user interface could be easier to use. It does have some advanced tracking capabilities not found anywhere else. It is worth checking out ClickMagick to see if they meet your needs.
8.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Conversion TrackingYes
Price$69 - $299 per month
Annual DiscountNo
Promotion14-Day Free Trial
Learn More

Pretty Links

Larry's Take

Pretty Links Pro is a cheap and easy-to-use WordPress plugin for tracking links. It is perfect for bloggers just starting out in affiliate marketing. You can use it for as little as $99.50 per year.
7.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Conversion TrackingNo
PriceFREE - $199.50 per year
Learn More

Rebrandly

Larry's Take

Rebrandly targets influencers and users who want to shorten links. It has many free features that Bitly should have and, in my opinion, is a must-have service for any digital marketer. Rebrandly lacks conversion tracking.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Conversion TrackingNo
PriceFREE - $499
Annual DiscountYes - Save 16%
Learn More

Email Marketing Providers

Even though email isn’t as popular today as it has been previously, it is still one of the best ways to stay engaged with your audience. I recommend creating a mailing list immediately.

Check out my head-to-head comparison of ConvertKit vs. ActiveCampaign to see which is better and why I recommend ActiveCampaign the most.

ActiveCampaign

Larry's Take

ActiveCampaign is my top choice with it comes to email marketing. It has everything you need, from starter email marketing to advanced automation. My biggest complaint about this service is that you must purchase a higher-tier plan to access many key features. Also, instead of a newsletter-style format, I wish the email editor allowed you to send more personalized-looking emails. ConvertKit offers this feature. That said, if you want to automate anything, ActiveCampaign is up to the task.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud, WordPress
Price$15 - $1,306+ per month
Annual DiscountYes
PromotionGet Started Free
Learn More

Larry's Take

ConvertKit is a great platform for bloggers. It has a free plan for your first 1,000 subscribers, but the service can get more expensive than competing email providers as your list grows. If you need complex automation features, ConvertKit lacks functionality when compared with other services like ActiveCampaign. On the positive side, the emails ConvertKit sends out resemble personal emails, which are more likely to wind up in the user's inbox than spam.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud, WordPress
PriceFREE - $2,539+ per month
Annual DiscountYes - 2 months free
PromotionCreate a Free Account
Learn More

Landing Page Software

With any website, you need to build your audience of visitors to your mailing list and promotions. I recommend OptimizePress as one of the best WordPress themes.

OptimizePress

Larry's Take

If you are looking for a WordPress landing page, this is the one I recommend. It has many integration options, and many premade professional-looking landing page designs. It is a much cheaper option than using a service like ClickFunnels.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$99 - $399 per year
Learn More

Lead Generation Software

Increase your audience by using any of these products.

OptinMonster

Larry's Take

If you are looking for a great service that not only works with WordPress but SaaS apps, then OptinMonster is your choice. It has many templates to use and allows you to easily create your own customized form so it matches your brand. OptinMonster supports 6 different types of campaign types that can not only be used for Email forms but can be used in conjunction with your own products.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud, WordPress
Price$14 - $80 per month
Annual DiscountNo
PromotionSave Up To 60% Off
Learn More

Deadline Funnel

Larry's Take

Deadline Funnel is a unique service that I recommend adding to any sales funnel. It allows you to create true limited-time offers that are hard to circumvent. You can entice your audience with promotions to engage now. Deadline Funnel supports web page and email countdown timers unique to the visitor. It integrates with many popular email services and is a must-have tool. The only downside is the monthly cost.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$49 - $199 per month
Annual DiscountYes - Save 20%
PromotionStart Your Free Trial
Learn More

Analytics

You cannot improve what you do not measure. These tools help track your traffic source and how visitors use your website.

Crazy Egg

Larry's Take

It's my go-to tool to improve conversion rates. Crazy Egg is a service that creates heatmaps and records visitor sessions. You can use this information to improve your user experience.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud, WordPress
Price$24 - $249 per month
Annual DiscountNo
Learn More

Woopra

Larry's Take

Woopra is the analytics tool I recommend to all of my clients. It integrates with many services out of the box but has a robust API to add unsupported integrations. It allows you to track visitors via reporting tools at the aggregate level but also allows you to drill down to each individual session. The biggest issue is their $1,000 for many businesses and the lack of pre-made reporting templates.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
PriceFREE - $999 per month
Annual DiscountYes
Learn More

Larry's Take

Get Google Analytics setup without having to worry about Javascript tags are set up correctly or if you are not accurately tracking all events for your blog. MonsterInsights makes setting up Google Analytics quick and easy.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$199 - $799 per year
PromotionSave Up To 50% Off
Learn More

Hotjar

Larry's Take

Increase conversions by monitoring website usagbe. Create heatmaps of visitors and video record tracking experience through your website. I personally prefer Crazy Egg for their heatmaps but prefer Hotjar for their video recordings.
8.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
PriceFREE - $989 per month
Annual DiscountNo
PromotionTry It Free
Learn More

WordPress Themes

I’m a fan of using StudioPress Genesis Framework. It creates SEO-friendly content that I use on all of my blogs. I rank it as the best overall WordPress Theme.

StudioPress

Larry's Take

My recommended WordPress theme I use all on my blogs. While not the fastest WordPress Theme, it is very SEO friendly and has many pre-made child themes to use with your blog. While a version of it comes with WP Engine, the Genesis Pro version has all sorts of functionality including powerful Gutenberg blocks.
9.0 Out of 10
Pre-Made Templates41
WooCommerce SupportYes
Free VersionYes
PriceFREE - $360 per year
Learn More

WordPress Plugins

Why reinvent the wheel with your WordPress-based site when you can download an existing plugin to make your website more useful. Keep in mind not all plugins are created equal. Unfortunately, many free plugins are designed poorly (they are, ahem free you know..).

I’m a big fan of paying for commercial WordPress plugins. While there are many great free plugins, some of the best WordPress plugins available are commercial. Don’t be afraid to pay for a plugin. In most cases, the amount spent will save you time and/or generate more revenue in the long run.

AAWP

Larry's Take

If you want to monetize via the Amazon Associates program, AAWP is the WordPress plugin you should use. It cannot only create links to Amazon products but can create summary boxes that automatically update with descriptions, images, and pricing. You can create product comparison pages quickly as well.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$47 - $389 per year
Learn More

WP Rocket

Larry's Take

With SEO and users, page load time is important. Speed up your website by minifying your files and using a CDN with this plugin. WP Rocket is my recommend WordPress plugin to increase your blog's speed.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$49 - 249 per year
Get 30% Off

Larry's Take

A WordPress plugin that creates social media share buttons on your blog. The must-have plugin for social media links on your website. Creates social proof with counters for the popular social media platforms.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
PriceFREE - $349

BlogVault

Larry's Take

Backups and security are a critical part of maintaining your WordPress blog. Don’t rely on your web hosting provider to make backups of your site! Make sure you are in control and have off-server backups. BlogVault is an easy-to-use backup and malware security monitoring service.
8.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud, WordPress
Price$7.40 - $149 per month
Annual DiscountYes
PromotionStart Your Free Trial
Learn More

PixelYourSite

Larry's Take

While I’m more a fan of Google’s Tag Manager, PixelYourSite is an easy-to-use plugin to adding tracking for your site. Perfect for tracking conversion and remarketing campaigns.
7.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$189 - $599 per year
Learn More

WP Mail SMTP

Larry's Take

A must-have WordPress plugin if you are sending out any emails from your blog. This plugin will avoid your WordPress emails from going into the spam folder.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$39 - $299 per year
PromotionBuy Now and Save Up To $150
Learn More

MemberMouse

Larry's Take

MemberMouse is a WordPress plugin that allows you to create a membership and subscription area. It has a pretty robust feature set but unfortunately has a monthly cost and cost per seat as your site grows. The membership area administration can be a little clunky but is functional. I personally prefer MemberPress but does not work as well with ThriveCart, so MemberMouse is the next best option.
7.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$39 - $299 per month
Annual DiscountYes - Save 17%
Promotion14 Day Free Trial
Learn More

LearnDash

Larry's Take

Make your WordPress blog into a learning management system (LMS). It is a drag and drop course builder that supports quizzes and drip-feed lessons. It makes it easy to create an online course.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$199 - $369 per year
PromotionSave $40 Off
Learn More

Larry's Take

Monitor and get alerts about events in WordPress. Keep a record for user changes, updates to plugins, and any changes to WordPress. A must have for any membership blog to audit changes and keep your site secure.
8.0 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$89 - $449 per year
Promotion14-Day Free Trial
Learn More

Uncanny Automator

Larry's Take

Put your WordPress on autopilot. Similar to Zapier but installed as a WordPress plugin and gives you more access to services, plugins, and functionality not found with Zapier. A must for a WordPress membership site.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
PriceFREE - $499
Learn More

Permalink Manager Pro

Larry's Take

A WordPress plugin that solves a specific problem with WordPress and SEO. Permalink Manager Pro allows you to modify any WordPress URL. This is perfect for times you want to test alternative URL structures without changing the entire blog. Test specific posts, pages and categorize to see if the URL change improves SEO.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
Price$55 per year
Learn More

SEO Tools

If a tree falls in the woods, does it make a sound? One of the primary ways people will find your information is via search engines like Google. SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a way to research, monitor, and improve the ranking of the content you create.

SEO for bloggers is an important concept to understand. These blogging tools can shave off hours in manual research. For other options, check out my article – best SEO tools.

SEOPress

Larry's Take

A competing WordPress plugin to Yoast SEO, I find SEOPress is more lightweight and doesn't include unnecessary features and functionality. There is a free version but I recommend SEOPress Pro which includes structured data types, breadcrumbs, Google Page Speed, Instant Indexing, and URL rewriting.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
PriceFREE - $118 per year
Learn More

Ahrefs

Larry's Take

My go-to SEO research tool. I use this tool daily and I highly recommended it. There are too many features to count. If you are wanting to improve your SEO game you must get a tool like Ahrefs to do your research, monitoring and getting a feedback loop of if you are improving SEO over time.
10.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$99 - $999 per month
Annual DiscountYes - 2 months free
Learn More

Mangools

Larry's Take

Mangools is a great alternative to Ahrefs for keyword research. They are not only cheaper but from my testing, I find to be more accurate results for search volume. Mangools not only includes a keyword finder (called KWFinder) but SERPChecker, SERPWatcher, LinkMiner, and SiteProfiler as well.
8.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$49 - $129 per month
Annual DiscountYes - Save 40%
Promotion10-day FREE Trial
Learn More

Surfer

Larry's Take

Surfer is a recent addition to my SEO tool chest. Surfer allows you to perform a technical SEO audit and compare your content to competing sites. You can compare things like the number of words, backlinks, and keywords and phrases used. Surfer saves hours of time that previously was a manual process. You can get answers in a matter of seconds, which makes it easily worth the cost.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
PriceFREE - $239 per month
Annual DiscountYes
PromotionStart For Free
Learn More

eCommerce Platforms

If you are selling services or products online you must have an online shopping cart of some sort. These shopping cart systems are flexible to handle either digital products or physical products.

Use ThriveCart or SamCart (you can see the comparison of the two in my SamCart vs. ThriveCart) if you sell digital products like courses, ebooks, or software. Use WooCommerce to sell physical products, though it can also handle digital goods.

Read my best eCommerce Platforms rankings for more information.

ThriveCart

Larry's Take

ThriveCart is a great shopping cart service for selling digital products. With order bumps, upsells, and down sells, ThriveCart has plenty of methods to increase your sales. It has a powerful affiliate program built-in so no need to purchase additional software. The biggest advantage over competing services is ThriveCart's one-time fee.
9.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
DunningYes
Affiliate SystemYes
Price$495 - $690 One-Time Fee
PromotionLifetime License Only $495
Learn More

SamCart

Larry's Take

If you want to sell digital products, put SamCart on your shortlist. The online shopping cart makes it easy for creators to sell ebooks, online courses, and more. One downside is the monthly fee. In addition, I'm not a fan of their affiliate system. When comparing SamCart to its closest competitor, Thrivecart, it's a toss-up. I personally use the latter, but your own needs will determine whether SamCart is a better fit for your business.
8.5 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
DunningYes
Affiliate SystemYes
Price$59 - $299 per month
Annual DiscountYes - Save Up To 47%
PromotionGet Started For Free
Learn More

WooCommerce

Larry's Take

If you are using WordPress and want to sell physical products, you seriously consider WooCommerce. It has many third-party plugins and can be used to sell digital products as well. Though prefer ThriveCart and SamCart since that is their speciality.
8.5 Out of 10
PlatformWordPress
DunningNo
Affiliate SystemNo
PriceFREE
Annual DiscountNo
Learn More

Social Proof

One of the more powerful tips mentioned in the book “Influence” by Robert Cialdini is the use of social proof. Showing what others have done shows new visitors how valuable your service is.

Proof

Larry's Take

Alerts visitors of recent purchases by other visitors. Great social proof and FOMO from your visitors. Convert up to 300% more visitors into leads, demos and sales.
8.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$29 - $299 per month
Annual DiscountYes
PromotionStart Your Free 14-Day Trial
Learn More

Shopper Approved

Larry's Take

Create an easy to use method to instill social proof with your visitors. It helps not only with visitors but displays in SERP with Google Ads which helps increase your CTR. Can install a widget on your blog to show your ratings.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$199 per month
Annual DiscountNo
Promotion30-Day Free Trial
Learn More

Miscellaneous

I’ve always been about constant small 1% improvements. Over time a 1% improvement every week can yield huge gains after one year. Constantly improve your website and use some of the tools below.

LiteSpeed

Larry's Take

If you are hosting your own website you want the fastest possible web server. LiteSpeed is the best performing web server. LiteSpeed is easy-to-use and administer. It supports caching of web pages which is perfect for WordPress when using their plugin.
9.0 Out of 10
PlatformLinux, FreeBSD
PriceFREE - $92 per month
Annual DiscountNo
Learn More

Larry's Take

A macOS based application that allows you to video stream Facebook Live, YouTube Live, Periscope Restream.io, Twitch, or Switchboard. Perfect for training, or webinars with live guests for a professional presentation.
8.5 Out of 10
PlatformmacOS
Price$20 - $40 per month
Annual DiscountYes - save 20%
PromotionGet Started For Free
Learn More

Vimeo

Larry's Take

Vimeo is a much better video hosting service than using YouTube. No ads and no recommend videos for others. Vimeo is great for membership sites and with the latest features great for VSLs (Video Sales Letters). Protect your content from others stealing it using their service.
10.0 Out of 10
PlatformCloud
Price$7 - $75 per month
Annual DiscountNo
PromotionFree 30-Day Trial
Learn More
Larry Ludwig

About Larry Ludwig

Larry Ludwig is an entrepreneur, financial expert, tech & marketing guru with over 25 years of industry experience.

In July 2018, Larry successfully sold Investor Junkie for $6 million.

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