How to Use Blogging Tools Like MacGyver

Like MacGyver with a toothpick, tube-sock, a bent paperclip, and a wad of bubblegum, you too can propel yourself to success with the proper blogging tools. You see, when it comes to blogging, there is no set path to success, the same way Angus MacGyver always found tricks to his success. All there is to it is finding the proper tools to save the day. Unlike MacGyver, we have almost every blogging tool available, so picking wisely can make things a lot easier, or far more complicated than it needs to be. We aren’t reinventing the wheel, but we want to remain unique. After all, our unique writing and vision are what’s going to get ourselves some readers.

Blogging Tool #1

WordPress – Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you are most likely aware of the various content managing systems (CMS for those hip slang types). WordPress is king of them all, with two available suites available. The first being WordPress.com and their ‘blog’ platform, which offers your basics. Your next level suite is WordPress.org, offering far more than what meets the eye. Slightly more complicated, far more resourceful, and less restrictive. In fact, our site is largely built on the latter platform.

The point – research your CMS and find what best fits your needs. For your basic mama and papa blogger, we would suggest WordPress.com and their easy to use, self-hosted service.

Content Management Systems / We also do website design and can help publish your stuff.

Blogging Tool #2

Namecheap – Pick out a sweet, sweet, sweet domain name for your blog. Make it something catchy, like kimjongillookingatthings.tumblr.com/. While we advise against long tail domain names, this one a bit easier to digest.

The point – You want something memorable and relatively easy to remember.

Website hosting

Blogging Tool #3

Google Keyword Tool – Hopefully, you have some form of direction for your blog. With that direction, you will have generated topics in mind. Now you need to research what the people are searching for, with regards to your topic. To start ranking, try choosing a keyword that at least 500 average monthly searches, but isn’t being dominated by your competitors. If it highly competitive, your chances of ranking are slim to none, which gets us to the point of SEO.

The point – Keyword planning plays an important role in your search engine rankings, choose your keywords wisely.

Our keyword planning lesson.

Blogging Tool #4

Google Webmaster Tools – Ironing out all of your SEO will be a crucial aspect of gaining readership momentum. Analyzing your Webmaster Tools account will give you insight as to what is getting people to your site. With this tool, you can see where visitors are coming from, what they searched for to get to your site, and where they went from there.

The point – Figure out what is influencing your audience and note their actions on your site.

Our Search Engine Optimization Services for you to ponder.

Blogging Tool #5

Canva – You know what is boring? A blog without any graphics/images/charts/GIFS. Canva is a great tool to create simple graphical designs to display on your blog. Choose from a variety of layouts, pre-made templates and more. Free to use too, so you know, you got that going for you.

The point – Please, just show us some pictures or something or else I’ll be bored.

Hey, we got a graphic designer or two to help with your stuff.

Blogging Tool #6

Grammarly – We know our grammar isn’t the best, we aren’t some polished bloke out of London. We speak good English, or at least good enough English. However, there is a difference between our writing, and something written by a boxer in championship post-fight interview. Grammarly can help resolve at least some of the issues. Emphasis on some, like this tool, won’t magically turn you into William Shakespeare.

The point – If it’s hard for me to understand, I am probably not going to read it.

Grammarly

Blogging Tool #7 & 8

HootSuite & Mailchimp – We paired these two together because they both fall under content distribution. Even though they are completely different from one another. If you haven’t already read our piece about small business email marketing, give it a read here. I am pretty sure we also did something about small business social media too. You’ll have to look around our blog for that one (we can’t do EVERYTHING for you, geez). Hootsuite handles social media; write your content – boom, pass it along with your to all of your followers. MailChimp, start generating an email list, and once that is complete, you can tell everyone on your list about your new blog post detailing cat facts. Meow.

The point – You want people to read your stuff, right? Tell them about it.

Social Media Marketing and Email Marketing Services.

Blogging Tool #9

Editorial Calendars – Now we use a bespoke calendar that we have drawn up ourselves using our basic iMac/iPhone calendar. But you have a million options as far as editorial calendars. Google makes a fancy one that you can share amongst your peers.

The point – Get organized, plan out in advance what you are writing, when you are writing, and who is writing what.

Well ladies and gents, that just about covers the basics of blogging tools. By now you should be able to disarm that bomb that you call writing and publishing. Good luck

Would you like to share your thoughts?