Blogging in 2024 is not just a muse but is rather seen as a sustainable business for content creators. And with time, it does not mean just writing and typing things out, but strategically aesthetically putting your thoughts and ideas.
To ease this process of growing your blog effectively, using the right tools and applications is important. These tools not only provide you with significant results but also save you time. They can streamline your workflows, engage your audience, and even provide the analytical support you might need to expand your blog.
With my years of experience, I have explored hundreds of blogging tools and plugins. Today, with the help of this guide, I will be sharing with you 14 essential blogging tools that can elevate your blog in 2024. The tools I have mentioned below are easy to use and budget-friendly, making it an affordable option even for beginners and starters. So, let’s get started.
Best Essential Blogging Tools to Grow Your Blog
1. WPX Hosting
The first one on my list of blogging tools is WPX-managed WordPress hosting providers.
A good and reliable host that lets your website run 365 days a year is a must-have for any blogger or business. WPX gives you secure and reliable hosting at reasonable pricing. It has 3 different plans with diversified features which are tailored for different levels of business. The Starter plan will cost you around $20 per month or even less when a discount code is used, giving you the option to host 5 websites.
A. Standalone Features
- Different datacenter (USA, UK & AU)
- 99.9% uptime guarantee along with a Malware scanner
- Customized plans available – Scale Plan
- 30 days money back policy
B. Pros
- Reliable and easy to install and configure
- Affordable – starts at just $20 per month
- 24x7x365 customer support
- Security of website – SSL certificate, malware removal, daily backups, WHOIS protection
- Easy-to-use Dashboard
C. Cons
- Ideal for beginners and small sites, and hence, I would not recommend this hosting to big businesses.
2. Semrush
SEMrush is an SEO tool that starts its plan at $99.95 per month. Using this tool, you can do keyword research, KW Finder, SERP breakdown, and track position changes, giving you an edge over others.
A. Standalone Features
- Keyword research
- On-Page SEO to improve your site’s performance
- Competitor analysis and SERP breakdown
- Rank tracking in your target location
- Link building to strengthen your backlink profile
- Content creation and optimization
- AI Accessibility Widgets and more
B. Pros
- Tracking backlinks is easy using this tool
- You get breakdowns for desktop as well as mobile search
- Keyword suggestion and recommendation
- Domain analytics which is easy to understand and use
- Pricing starts at just $129.95 per month
C.Cons
- Since it’s an all-in-one tool, it has a large number of features that might take time for you to understand and get used to
- It has limited logins and lacks keyword list management
3. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is one the free web analytics tools that helps your businesses and site owners track their site’s performance and effectiveness of marketing. What it does is collect data from various websites and applications and create reports that provide your insights on traffic and engagement.
A. Standalone Features
- Reporting and data visualization
- Analysis of funnel to improve sales and conversions
- Tag management to deploy marketing tags for more engagement
- Smart Goals to help you track your website’s performance
B. Pros
- Free analytic tool
- Easy to use and implement
- Can be easily integrated with Wix or WordPress
- Effective reports with practical insights that you can work on
- Can handle massive volumes of data
C.Cons
- Ideal for small sites but not good for large websites with huge traffic
- Too much information can confuse you a bit, so it might take time to get used to it
4. Paraphrasingtool.ai
Paraphrasingtool.ai is an AI-based content writing tool that helps you create high-quality, unique content for your website. It is suitable for bloggers, marketers, and writers who are looking for fresh perspectives for complex ideas.
A. Standalone Features
- Generation of new ideas and outlines for fresh blogs
- SEO-friendly content with no grammatical errors, and you can select the tone of your piece as well
- Helps you discover long tail and LSI keywords for your blog
- Helps you remove fluff from content
B. Pros
- User friendly interface
- Built-in plagiarism remover
- Check and proofread your content
- Comes with a free plan that can be accessed without any registration
- Comes with three different paid plans, and the starter paid plan comes at just $7 per month
- Comes with 20 AI tools such as an AI detector, AI content bypasser tool, and more
C.Cons
- Limit how many words you can generate in their plans
- Not the ideal content writing tool, but good under the budget (Recommended for beginners)
5. Hemingway
Another good tool to streamline your website content is Hemingway. There are other better tools to help you with the same, but this one does not cost you a single penny, which is why I love to use it.
A. Standalone Features
- Provides readability analysis for complex sentences and suggestions on how you can simplify it
- Color-coded highlighting for common errors like adverbs and more
- You can also see your readability score and enhance your writing
- Free and works even without an internet connection
B. Pros
- It has a minimalistic and easy-to-use interface.
- Free as well as paid version available
- Ideal for editing small pieces
C.Cons
- Limited functionality for long content pieces
- Grammar capabilities may not be as extensive as other tools like Grammarly Premium or ProWritingAid.
6. Grammarly
Grammarly is an AI-based writing model that helps you correct your grammar, spell checks, and suggestions for plagiarism detection. The monthly plan of Grammarly will cost you $30 per month or $144 per year.
A. Standalone Features
- Grammar and spelling checks
- Suggestions for correcting vocabulary
- Checking and correcting the structure of sentences to improve the readability score of the content
- Free as well as paid version available
- Color-coded to understand the urgency of the error
- In-built plagiarism detector
B. Pros
- Real-time grammar correcting with accurate suggestions
- Easy to work on
- Suggestions come with explanations and options you can choose from
- Can be customized such as the selection of language, target audience, and more
- You can get an extension for your docs and emails
C.Cons
- The free version is very limited
7. Canva
Canva is a popular designing and publishing tool with very friendly yet diverse options for digital marketing designs. You can create Instagram posts, reels, videos, YouTube videos, shorts, and more using their design.
A. Standalone Features
- more than 250,000 templates and 100 design types
- Free as well as paid version available
- Additional features on the paid version include brand kit upload options, cloud storage, etc
- Tons of tutorials available online
B. Pros
- User-friendly with a wide range of libraries
- Free version available
- Regular updates and additions
C.Cons
- Limited file export options
- Cannot work on the tool without an internet connection
8. VEED
VEED.IO is an online video editing platform that offers a range of features for creating professional-quality videos.
A. Standalone Features
- Easy tool for editing videos with expert support to help you when you are stuck
- Free and paid plans are available
- Paid plans start at $12 per month
- Can be customized
B.Pros
- Easy to use AI
- Many options for editing, such as subtitle addition, compressing video size, one-click feature, and more
C.Cons
- Limit on video length
- Limited storage
9. Akismet Anti-Spam
Akismet is like a hidden gem as it is a pre-installed plugin that comes with WordPress but is not activated by default. The primary goal of this tool is to detect and filter spam comments and contact forms, saving you from manual work.
A.Standalone Features
- Automatic spam detection on comments and reporting
- Monitoring spam on a real-time basis
- Can be easily integrated with other plugins and tools
B.Pros
- Easy to activate and implement
- A free tool with minimum weightage on website
- Reduces SEO risks and saves time
C.Cons
- Only compatible with WordPress
10. WP Rocket
WP Rocket is a premium caching plugin for WordPress that aims to improve website speed and performance.
A. Standalone Features
- Basic wp cache settings and configuration
- Lazy loading
- Minification and image optimization
- CDN integration
- Optimization of files and database
- Starts at just $49 per year for 1 website and comes with three different plans.
B.Pros
- Enhances core web vitals of website
- 24/7 support from company
- Multiple add-ons
- Guides and knowledgebase to get you started
C.Cons
- No free version is available, although you can take advantage of money return policy
11. Rank Math
RankMath is a WordPress SEO plugin that offers a range of features to optimize SERP rankings of your pages and site.
A.Standalone Features
- Easy to use interface
- Comes with step-by-step installation and configuration wizard that sets up SEO for WordPress perfectly
- Advanced Schema generator to easily import files
- Auto-configuration and compatibility
- 24/7 support from experts
- Paid and free version available
B. Pros
- Easily integrable with Google Analytics, Bing, and more
- Multiple features but setup is easy
- Easy to understand the evaluation of SEO metrics
C.Cons
- The free version is very limited and does not work properly
12. GeneratePress
Let’s look at some of the WordPress themes that are focused on enhancing the speed and usability of your website – Generate Press. This is an ideal theme for starters and beginners in the blogging industry.
A. Standalone Features
- Compatibility with block editor Gutenberg
- Compatible with different page builders such as Beaver Builder and Elementor
- Responsive design with minimal coding
- Multiple customization options
- Premium version with additional features like theme builder, library, designs, and more tools
B.Pros
- Free and open source
- Additional features in the premium version
- 100% page speed scores
- Amazing support team
C.Cons
- No drag-and-drop feature
13. Astra
Astra is another popular theme for WordPress, which is ideal for different purposes, such as personal blogs, WooCommerce, and portfolio websites. It is highly customizable theme and is best for almost all sites.
A. Standalone Features
- Lightweight and fast loading speed
- Comes with integrated Schema.org code
- Responsive design with minimal coding
- Extensive customization options
- Integrates with popular plugins and tools
B. Pros
- Multipurpose WordPress theme
- Custom layouts
- Customization options
- Many pre-built templates
- Header and Footer builder
C.Cons
- With so many features, it could be overwhelming for beginners.
14. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of my favorite tools for researching and performing competitor analysis. It is great for finding new keyword opportunities, linking building, competitor analysis, and more.
A. Standalone Features
- Provides in-depth backlink analysis
- Comprehensive keyword research tool to find new keywords
- Domain analysis to get an overview of the website
- Easily find top traffic pages of the website
- Offers Content Explorer to find link building opportunities
B. Pros
- Tracks keyword rankings
- Offers data from multiple search engines
- Insightful backlink analysis tool
- Powerful website audit tool
- Comprehensive keyword research tool
C.Cons
- Can be expensive for beginners
Conclusion
So, there are some of the best and essential tools, platforms, and plugins that you can use to grow your blog efficiently in 2024. You don’t necessarily need to use all the above-mentioned tools for your blog, you can just select the best one as per your requirements and make the most out of it. I personally have used these on many of my websites and found them very useful.
Whether you are a beginner or a professional blogging tools can be very handy when it comes to getting more traffic to your website. And I hope with this article helpful I was able to help you a bit in your blogging journey. Happy Blogging!