Update: There are now 122 resources, so thanks for your suggestions and keep them coming!
Update: This article has been translated into Spanish here and here and has been translated into French here.
With the amount of tools and programs cropping up all over the web for every type of person imagineable, its about time that someone wrote a massive list of resources for bloggers. Fortunately, I’ve taken up that responsibility to share with you some of the tools I use in my daily blogging life. Please note that by no means is this a definitive list, so please let me know if you think I’ve missed any out!
Domain Registrars
If you’re starting up on the web, then you’re gonna need an address where people can reach you:
- 1. Namecheap – $8.88 per year with free WhoisGuard
2. GoDaddy – $8.95 per year (and lower)
3. 1&1 – $5.99 per year with free private domain registration
4. MyDomain – $8.25 per year
Hosting
Once you’ve got yourself an address, you’re gonna need a house to store all of your juicy blog posts – so grab yourself some server space:
- 1. Dreamhost – Great plans, great prices with loads of bandwidth and diskspace.
2. Frozen Webhost – Small company but only $5/month and very reliable.
3. Media Temple – Awesome recommendations, grid and dedicated hosting.
4. Rackspace – Managed, dedicated and scalable web hosting for businesses
5. Hostgator – Shared hosting at $6.95 per month
6. Bluehost – Affordable, Reliable, Web Hosting Solutions
Content Management Systems
These babies are the core of your blog, so choose carefully. Take pricing, customisation and aesthetics into account for this one:
- 1. WordPress – The industry standard and most widely used – and its FREE!
2. Blogger – quick blog creation, but FTP can be slow and you don’t have full control
3. Typepad – another blogging platform, but pricing from $4.95/month
4. Joomla – CMS and Web Application Framework and free
5. Drupal – Full-featured content management/discussion engine suitable to setup a news-driven community or portal site
6. SquareSpace – Publishing system for managing websites and blogs
7. Movable Type – Weblog publishing system developed by California-based Six Apart
Communication
If you want to be a proper blogger, you’ve gotta communicate with your fans. Instant Messaging and Email are the quickest and easiest ways to do so:
- 1. Gmail – Free web-based email service that includes over 2 GB of storage (and growing)
2. Hotmail – Free web-based e-mail with 2GB e-mail storage
3. Yahoo Mail – Free web-based email with unlimited mail storage
4. Outlook – Email manager which can be used with MS Exchange Server for shared mailboxes
5. Windows Live Messenger – Instant messaging program, talk to Yahoo contacts as well!
6. AIM – AOL Instant Messenger, free online chat service
7. Gtalk – Instant communication in conjunction with Gmail
8. Yahoo Messenger – Free instant messaging with file sharing
9. Basecamp – Project collaboration, management and task software
10. Campfire – Real-time group chat for businesses
11. GoToMeeting – Web conferencing and online meetings service
12. Thunderbird – Open source cross platform email from Mozilla
13. Meebo – IM service which supports MSN, Yahoo, AIM, Gtalk and Jabber
14. Twitter – Social networking and microblogging service utilising instant messaging, SMS or a web interface
15. Skype – Free internet calling from PC to PC
Research
To be the best, you’ve got to overcome the rest, so find out what your competitors are doing, and beat their blogs at their own game:
- 1. Whois – Domain and registration name lookup
2. Overture – Keyword selector and traffic analysis tool
3. Google Bid Analysis – Keyword Bid Tool in conjunction with Adwords
4. Wordze – Keyword research tool from $35/month
5. Firefox Search Status Extension – see how any and every website is performing
6. SEO for Firefox – Useful research and data, with loads of other tools
Customisation
Standing out from the crowd is very important in this growing blogosphere. Take a look at these tools to help you and your blog look fine:
- 1. WordPress Themes – Collection of free WordPress themes with graphical and textual preview
2. Template Monster – Premium WordPress themes from $50
3. Dreamweaver – Web development and streamlined coding environment
4. Adobe Photoshop CS3 – Image editing software from $649
5. iStockPhoto – Royalty free images
6. FlashDen – Buy stock flash, video, audio and fonts for as little as 50 cents
7. FamFamFam – Sets of icons available for use free of charge
8. Adobe Illustrator – Leading vector-graphics software
9. Filezilla – Fast and reliable FTP client
10. Cyberduck – Secure FTP for MAC OS X
12. psd2html – Online conversion service – does what it says on the tin!
Statistics
Track your blog’s every move with these statistics packages so you know what you’re doing right and what you should be spending some more time on:
- 1. AWStats – Free log analyser, normally already in your Hosting Cpanel
2. Statcounter – Free yet reliable web tracker and hit counter
3. Sitemeter – Free basic counter and site statistics tracker
4. Google Analytics – Trendy interface with detailed site statistics, integratable with Adwords campaigns
5. Feedburner – Manage and track RSS Feed Readership
6. Mint – Extensible website analytics program, all on 1 page!
7. 103Bees – Search engine traffic analysis and statistics tool
8. pMetrics – The new Performancing Metrics with detailed visitor information and clean interface
Creating Posts
Your articles are the things that will matter the most above all else. So take the time to spell-check and to make sure that they look presentable:
- 1. ScribeFire – full-featured blog editor that integrates with your browser
2. Spellbound Spell Checker – Firefox extension that enables spell-checking
3. Microsoft Word – Industry standard word processor
4. Adobe Reader – PDF file reader
5. SlimTimer – Time tracking
6. Ta-Da Lists – Simple list making and tracking
7. BlogDesk – Free offline weblog client for creating and publishing posts
Ranking
When it comes down to the crunch, you’ve gotta be the best. So find out if you are with the following ranking tools:
- 1. Technorati - The Internet Search Engine for blogs, provides popularity and authority ranks
2. BlogTopSites – Directory of the Best Blog sites
3. Alexa – Traffic rankings and graphs (sometimes can be inaccurate)
4. Live PageRank – Displays current Pagerank Value in Google index
Feedreaders
In order to build a solid readership, you’re gonna have to do some reading yourself. Using a feedreader can cut down on the time you spend going from site to site, and you can have one place where all the latest articles will appear:
- 1. Google Reader/Homepage – Web-based RSS and News Aggregator
2. Bloglines – A web-based personal news aggregator that can be used in place of a desktop client
3. Newsgator – Free online RSS reader
4. NetNewsWire – Award winning RSS Reader for MAC
5. Socialist – Social bookmark manager that works with del.icio.us and RSS feeds
6. FeedDemon – RSS Reader for Windows Desktop
7. NetVibes – Personal news aggregator with RSS and Atom support
8. NewsFire – MAC RSS with style
9. Omeo Pro – All-in-one feed reader
Social Media
Using social networking can help market your site to a big audience which is essential for your blog’s growth. Spend some time networking yourself and submit your best articles to find more readers:
- 1. Digg – Stories and submitted and voted to the front page by the community
2. Del.icio.us – A social bookmarks manager. Using bookmarklets, you can add bookmarks to your list and categorize them
3. StumbleUpon – Channel surf the internet with the StumbleUpon toolbar, can be a huge source of traffic
4. Reddit – User-generated news links. Votes promote stories to the front page
5. MyBlogLog – Free site stats, and a cool widget to find out who’s been visiting your site
6. LinkedIn – Online network of 11 million experienced professionals (including bloggers)
7. Facebook – One of the fastest growing social networking sites on the net
8. Myspace – Free social networking which has blogging capabilities and ability to attract a lot of friends!
9. Squidoo – Set up your own lense (sub-site) and spread the word about your blog
10. Ning – Create your own Social Networks
Monetization and Advertising
Whether you want to or don’t, blogs can be a fantastic way to make a bit of dosh, so check out the following ways you can earn yourself some cash online:
- 1. Google Adsense and Adwords – Contextual advertising solution and make money through Pay-Per-Clicking
2. Adbrite – Webmasters can buy and sell text ads based on their site’s topic area
3. Yahoo Publishers Network – Contextual advertising with PPC online revenue stream
4. Text Link Ads – Sell static HTML links on your blog sidebar and post for $$/month
5. Kontera – In-Text Advertising on Cost-Per-Click basis
6. Chitika – CPC Revenue due to displaying of related products
7. BlogAds – Image and Text Ads for set prices per month
8. Amazon Associates – Link to Amazon products and earn a commission from 10% per product
9. Commission Junction – An online advertising and internet marketing company that specializes in performance-based affiliate programs
10. ReviewMe – Review products/websites and receive a flat-fee. Reviews must be nonbiased and stated as sponsored
11. Feedvertising – Sell links in your RSS Feed for set price per month
Blogs and Forums
These blogs are forums are must-reads for every aspiring blogger, so take some time to browse through the archives and read some threads to make sure that you’ve got all the knowledge about your field and your blog:
- 1. Problogger – the No.1 site about blogging
2. Daily Blog Tips – Focusing on blog promotion, monetization and optimization
3. Blog Herald – Premium source of blog and blogging related news for bloggers
4. John Chow – This guy makes a lot of money through his blog online. Articles especially on monetization
5. Digital Point – Sub-forum related to blogging with other areas on SEO and Optimization
6. Namepros – Buy, sell and discuss domain names
7. Sitepoint – Web design tutorials and a buzzing community and marketplace
8. YoungEntrepreneur.com – Full of online earners and Entrepreneurs eager to assist you
9. DoshDosh – A blog about making money online through affiliate marketing and advertising and social media
10. QuickOnlineTips – Technology news, blogging tips, useful computer software and web services.
11. Lorelle on WordPress – The WordPress Blogger!
Miscellaneous
And finally, here’s all the other tools that wouldn’t in any of the above categories:
- 1. Paypal – The best way to send and receive money online
2. Nochex – UK Based online payment company
3. Escrow – Third party which protects buyer and seller in larger transactions (blog sales?!)
4. WorldPay – Offers a range of e-payment and e-commerce solutions
5. CreativeCommons – You need to protect your articles!
6. Ezine Articles – Article submission website for PR and authority
7. ArticlePR – Article submission tools
8. PRWeb – Press Release Distribution for small business
9. Six Figure Blogging – Blogging course made by Problogger Darren Rowse himself and Andy Wibbels
10. SEO Book – Aaron Wall’s famous Search Engine Optimization book
11. Blog Mastermind – Yaro Starak’s blog mentoring program
12. Flickr – Online photo management and sharing application
13. Blog Profits Blueprint – Free ebook in PDF format about making money with blogs from Yaro Starak
The idea for this post came from FreelanceSwitch’s awesome post on 101 Essential Freelance Resources and graphic was designed by JetPacked.
“Small Business, Big Vision provides a framework for you to unleash your driven and relentless passion to achieve unprecedented growth.”
We use A Small Orange as a web host. It is a small company located at http://www.asmallorange.com. Their tiny orange package is only $25 per year!
Nice lists – you forgot http://www.freecmstemplates.com/ in your “Customisation” list.
For “Customisation” list:
tehre are plenty of community contributed drupal themes at http://drupal.org/project/Themes
Very Nice list.. thanx for such a great article.. keep up the good work!
Great list.
Except Overture tool is no longer live.
If you know where it’s online somewhere, can someone please post the link.
Excellent resource thanks for putting it together I am looking at setting up a blog
Great content, you are missing gfxpoll.com. Its a handy tool for bloggers who can’t use lots of html or javascript and want to create a nifty poll
Great Article!
btw
openOffice > M$ Word
Great resources and information! thanks and keep up the good work.
Another tool for time tracking is Fanurio http://www.fanuriotimetracking.com It’s a useful application, with a user-friendly interface.
Sorry – I can’t spell:-
A wide selection of photos are available to hotlink directly to at
http://www.irishviews.com
Great list. Thanks a lot!
The most affordable PSD to HTML service for freelancers with high-quality slice
in 24 hours for me
http://www.mydesign2html.co.uk
Came across a very good affordable blog hosting package at http://www.lcn.com/blog_hosting
Their blog seems to be getting into helping people promote their website/blog which is pretty cool too
Thanks again for another great and comprehensive list.
What a detailed post, appreciate the good job done.
Many times when you blog or do paid postings, you find it a necessary to calculate the number of characters and words in your post. Here is an easy online
tool that lets you do that on the fly. Check http://www.wordcountertool.com for accurate word counter.
Hey, Thanks for such a useful post!
@Prem, On the WordPress Add new Post page, There is a word counter already present.
from here really get some new sites.
Thank you..
Soon I will create a personal blog. This is ok – can serve an example for beginners.
Wow, That’s a great post. I was compiling a similar list myself in a spreadsheet, but this one has already more than I have, so I will simply add it to my spreadsheet of websites to go to daily or weekly.
There is another cool tool that’ll help you figure out how you’re actually spending your time each day, if you’re being as productive as you can be, and figure out where the gaps are. It’ll be really interesting to
see how much you *actually* work each day and what activities you’re
focusing on.
This site is http://www.rescuetime.com – you install their little
widget and it tracks your computer use. Your data isn’t available
to others (unless you join groups and make it available to others).
Great Lists.Thanks for Posting… :)
For domain and registration name lookup (WHOIS lookup) I recommend http://whois-server.net (whois.net sometimes handeding out information about registrar company, not domain owner.)
i am with bluehost and its working best for me
Some of the most useful tools for blogging and web hosting. Thanks for the information.
Good list of resources. There’s also a site that has demo’s of quite a few of the blogging platforms so a blogger can see how the admin panel feels before they commit to the one they want. I don’t recall the name of the site, but I wrote a post about it one day. There’s probably other sites that have blogging platform demos, but I thought it would be good to mention, especially for any new bloggers. Happy blogging! :)
There is a massive change underway in the mobile media market as it becomes unshackled from the operators’ portals that have dominated it for a decade, all without having made any significant inroads into the content use of mobile users. The new capped data packages, fuelled by further competition, will see a total revamp of the mobile media market. It will no longer be based on portals but on direct services by content and services providers via open source phones and mobile-friendly Internet-based services. The next step is the continued emergence of m-commerce and in particular m-payment services.
http://www.google.com
Hmm..nice to try and use this widget
[...] 101 sites incontournables pour blogger (en [...]
Great post. Complete lists. Thanks a lot
I have to try 1 and 1 at their prices. Also I love how they include domain privacy, I usually have to pay 2 dollars or so with dynadot.
Wow this is great list to bookmark! I am already aware of most of these sites but this is still quite useful. As far as hosting I like Servage as they charge les than $50 for 6 months and they throw in a free domain.I dot work for them its just that I have found them to be a good deal.
Also could I make a recommendation? You should list various credit cards processors of payment gateway providers for all of us who are in need of credit card payment processing for our sites.Thanks for the quality resource, I can tell it took some time.
A self hosted blog on a very competitive hosting has lots of free CMSes I think.
A self hosted blog on a very competitive hosting has lots of free CMSes I think.
Really great source and very useful article. Please keep it updated. Thanks for sharing.
Waoh, thanks a lot for this great list!
I also recommand one of my favorite Whois.
WoW! awesome list of resources… Thanks for sharing. I am definitely going to try some of these for my next project.
WOW great list of resources!
If possible, do you think you’d be able to list our company psdcutups.com in the resources for Customization?
Thanks!
Thanks for the excellent list of resources Adam, very helpful indeed.
Excellent post, I was looking for such resources in one place. Found this nice blog from Google image search.
Styling, I picked up a new template earlier this morning and this page has all of the things I’ll need to make it even better. A++ Thank you!
Thanks Adam. This is one post that will go to my dashboard for quick access to essential blogging resources.
@ DrClaude
These are awesome resources. Thanks!
Thanks for the resources!
Some of the most useful tools for blogging and web hosting. Thanks for the information.
Great resources thanks! keep up the hard work with the blog!
Thanks again for another great and comprehensive list.
I admit that locating quality blogging resources have been a challenge for me.
Thank you for this information. It’s a keeper.
This is a great list. Thanks.
Great resource! I have my new wedding blog: http://www.haringphotography.com/blog
Thanks again!
Dude, this is like a bloggers blueprint. I thought I was running out of things to learn about blogging, but I’ve just copied have of this list to use with some of my blogs. Good stuff.