I learned that to start blogging you need a very limited amount of tools and most of them are free:
- Internet connection
- Some kind of computer, laptop, Chromebook or tablet
- Website hosting company with SSL Certificate
- WordPress and WordPress theme with some free plugins
- Gmail account by Google
- Google Ads – eyword Planner
- Google Analytics
- Monetization accounts (e.g. Amazon Associates)
- Spelling plugin
- Some kind of course (optional)
Internet Connection
Any internet connection will serve its purpose for blogging. Lightspeed internet connection is not required. Even slow connection is fine but could be annoying. Sometimes I even use my phone’s internet connection shared with my laptop. No need to stress about it since it is mostly used for transferring text and occasional pictures. You can always go to a coffee shop, public library or restaurant to use their free internet if you do not have internet at home.
Computer for Blogging
Any computer will do. Mac or Windows. Since I have both – Windows and Mac computers – I use for my other creations, I use both for blogging. I do not see a difference, but this is, of course, personal preference. I use mostly 27” Mac with Windows on it so if I want to switch the systems, it is just a matter of restarting a computer and starting with another system. Working this way saves me money because I do not need to have two computers with two different operating systems. I like the big screen because you can open two web browsers side by side. And the screen is so clear, it has no competition. It is a little bit pricey though, but it is very quiet and my current computer I bought 8 years ago has been doing it’s a job without any problems, and I hope it will last for another few years. Any Windows-only computer would die two or three times in the meantime. You can check the current price of the Mac I use on Amazon here. I use Mac, however, with a standard Windows keyboard. I like it that way.
Laptop for Blogging
I have a laptop (I didn’t buy it for blogging) that I sometimes use for blogging. I prefer to use a tablet with a keyboard since it is lighter, making it more mobile friendly, and for editing text/writing blogs, it is fine. The laptop has an advantage over the tablet – it can run Photoshop, which I use for editing pictures. I use Dell with an Intel I5 processor, but I guess you can use a less expensive model. Here is an Amazon link to that laptop.
Tablet for Blogging
I also use my Android tablet with a wireless keyboard which is nice because I can take it anywhere. Even a cheap tablet with a large screen will do the job. I use Amazon 10” tablet with nice screen resolution to make reading a pleasant experience. The problem is that it is hard to edit pictures easily like it is on a computer since I use Photoshop, which is not available on tablets. I haven’t found a nice solution for editing photos on the tablet yet. There is Photoshop Express app available for Android that has basic functions like cropping. So, a tablet for writing a text in the park or in the coffee shop is OK, but if I want to do serious photo editing, I would use a laptop or computer. If you like this solution, you can check the latest price of the Amazon Fire’s latest version here. For a tablet cover (I use the cover with a keyboard), you can find it on Amazon here. It is light and rigid.
Chromebook for Blogging
A Chromebook is basically a version of ab Android tablet but with a keyboard and the look of a laptop. It is a little more expensive than a tablet and bulkier. I trust Samsung Chromebooks, but it doesn’t mean that other brands are bad. I found a nice, inexpensive Samsung Chromebook on Amazon here.
Website Hosting for Bloggers
Years before, I used InmotionHosting.com for my company website, and I recommended it to my friends, and they are happy with their service. However, I never used it for blogging. I know that the majority of bloggers use Bluehost for their blog and it is cheap. Everybody says that it is very reliable and trustworthy. I got my hosting with them in 2018 and I paid $131.16 for three years including SSL, Domain Registration and Domain Privacy Protection. I am very happy with their service and phone support (I’ve called a few times). I paid for 3 years upfront since I am very serious about my blogging business. The only thing, when you buy hosting, make sure to purchase Domain Privacy. I didn’t purchase Domain Privacy for my second domain to save money and solicitors (especially from India) were calling me every two hours, offering web design services that obviously I didn’t need. It was very annoying. After a week (I was hoping that they would get tired), I upgraded my Domain Privacy – it is like $12. My time is more valuable than that. You can check their current rate here.
WordPress and WordPress Theme
WordPress
To make a blog these days, you need WordPress. It’s a free platform that makes it easy to produce website content. When you sign up with Bluehost, WordPress comes preinstalled, so you don’t need to worry very much about it. It’s like buying a car these days – you don’t need to worry about seats belts – they come included with a car. And free is good!
WordPress Theme
When I started my blogging adventure, I was trying to make everything on the cheap. I chose a WordPress theme. Everything was fine until I saw my newly made blog’s free theme on another blog site made by Internet Wise Guys, and I started crying like a baby. The theme you choose for your website – please make sure that is mobile friendly since nowadays everybody browses the internet on their phones. So much work and my blog looked awful compared to another blog. I opened my wallet purchased another theme. I purchased a license for ten blogs because I figured that I want to make more than ten blogs in total. The cost of the theme I paid was $10 per site. From now on, I will not try to save on themes. For $10, it is worth it (that’s like two coffees at Starbucks!!!). This site you are reading was made also with this theme – to me, the site looks very modern and slick! You can check the current pricing of this theme here.
Other bloggers have different preferences as far as theme goes. But every serious blogger uses a paid theme. The reason is simple – since they are making money blogging, they need to be sure the website is up and running day and night to monetize those visits to your site. Since I never used them, I cannot recommend any of those themes.
Gmail account by Google
For blogging these days, you need email account with Google. If you have hotmail or yahoo or other email service, you need to get gmail. It is free and you will use it very frequently for everything.
Google Ads – Keyword Planner
Google Ads accounts are free, and you will use it to occasionally check your keywords for popularity among advertisers. You can check how often words are searched and how those searches have changed over time. You can trust it because the source – it’s Google. Check it out here.
Google Analytics
Make a free account with Google Analytics – you will need it to set up an Insights Plugin for your website to check your blog’s performance as far as traffic and audience goes.
Monetization Accounts
You need money to survive in the modern world. In order to make some, sign up with an Amazon Associate account or other similar program. Almost every big company such as Best Buy or Walmart has one. Just check the store you like and check their affiliate offers.
Some Kind Of Course (Optional)
Of course, you can come up with your way of making your blogging business profitable. I have tried. It takes a lot of time, and in the end, you are not sure if it is going to work. I came across a course offered by two nice guys from some rural part of the U.S. First, before I gave paid any money, I listened to almost every video on their YouTube channel (takes a month to do it, believe me), and they make a lot of sense. Looks like they nailed this business, so why not copy them? There is no reason to invest time inventing the wheel if the wheel was invented in some rural part of the U.S. So I bought The Wheel. It is called Project 24. That is why I call my project Project 24 Extreme – I am going crazy on this one. This blog you are reading is entirely dedicated to showing my level of success using their method, month by month in real numbers. Their method is not cheap (costs a few hundred), but it is not extremely expensive (it is not thousands). At the time I made a purchase, it was $350. You can check the current price here.
Spelling Plugin
As a blogger, you words are your tools. Since I am not a native English speaker, I need this plugin a lot. You want your blog to be without spelling errors. I use Grammarly’s plugin – the free version. Visit the plugin website here.
