Best Blogging Tools to Earn More (Update) – Free & Paid Options

So, you are going to start a blog now.

What are the perfect Blogging Tools? This is why you are reading this article right now.

Don’t worry. You are at the perfect stop to learn about Blogging Tools to be appropriately used in this year.

Your one‑stop checklist for launching, writing, designing, promoting & monetising a blog that actually makes money.

1️⃣ Blogging Platforms – Where Your Blog Lives

Platform	Ideal For	Key Pros	Key Cons	Pricing (as of  2025)
Blogger (blogger.com)	Absolute beginners, Google‑centric users	Free, Google login, automatic hosting, mobile‑responsive templates, built‑in spam protection	Very limited design flexibility, Google ads automatically displayed, no premium plugins	Free
WordPress.com	Bloggers who want growth room without self‑hosting hassles	One‑click setup, automatic updates, built‑in stats, excellent community, ability to install plugins on paid plans	Free tier limited to yourname.wordpress.com; premium themes & plugins need a paid plan	Free → $4/mo (Personal) → $25/mo (Business) (billed annually)
Wix	Visual‑first creators who hate code	Drag‑and‑drop editor, 500+ templates, AI‑designer (“Wix ADI”), App Market for extra functions	Free plan shows Wix branding & ads; template lock‑in (cannot change after publishing)	$13/mo (Combo) → $39/mo (VIP)
Squarespace	Small‑business owners & designers who need a polished look fast	Stunning mobile‑first templates, built‑in SSL, e‑commerce, 24/7 support	Fewer third‑party integrations, limited custom code on lower plan	$12/mo (Personal) → $18/mo (Business) (annual)
Ghost (self‑hosted)	Writers focused on speed & subscription revenue	Super‑fast, built‑in membership/paywall, minimal bloat	Requires own hosting, steeper learning curve than Wix/WordPress.com	$9/mo (Starter) → $29/mo (Professional) on Ghost(Pro)

Quick tip: Start with a free platform (Blogger or WordPress.com). When traffic > 5 K / month, migrate to a self‑hosted WordPress.org or Ghost for full control and monetisation options.

2️⃣ Content‑Idea Generators – Never Run Out of Topics

Tool	How It Works	Free Tier	Best For
BuzzSumo	Enter a keyword → see most‑shared articles, content gaps, influencers.	5‑searches per month	Competitive analysis & viral post ideas.
AnswerThePublic	Visual “question cloud” based on autocomplete data.	3 searches per day	Long‑tail questions to answer in blog posts.
Portent Title Maker	Input a keyword → instant, witty title suggestions.	Unlimited, ad‑supported	Quick headline brainstorming.
Ubersuggest (Neil Patel)	Keyword volume + SEO difficulty + content ideas.	3 daily searches	Data‑driven topic planning.
Google Trends	Real‑time interest graphs; compare multiple topics.	Free	Spot seasonal peaks before they happen.

Pro workflow:

1. Pull a seed keyword from your niche.
2. Run it through BuzzSumo → note the top‑5 shared headlines.
3. Feed those headlines into Portent for a fresh spin.
4. Validate search volume with Ubersuggest → prioritize the highest‑potential ideas.

3️⃣ Blog‑Writing & Editing Suites

Tool	Core Feature	Free / Paid
Grammarly	Real‑time grammar, tone, plagiarism check.	Free (basic); Premium $12/mo
Hemingway Editor	Highlights hard‑to‑read sentences, adverb overuse, passive voice.	Free (web); Desktop $19.99 one‑time
Frase AI Writer	Generates outlines, suggests FAQs, SEO‑optimised content drafts.	Free trial; $14.99/mo (Basic)
Google Docs + Add‑ons	Collaborative writing, comments, version history; add‑on “Wordtune” for rewrite suggestions.	Free (Google account)
ProWritingAid	In‑depth style, structure, readability, plagiarism.	Free (limited); Premium $20/mo

Best practice: Draft in Google Docs → run through Grammarly → polish readability with Hemingway, then copy into your CMS.

4️⃣ Graphic‑Creation Tools – Make Your Posts Pop

Tool	Strength	Pricing
Canva	8 000+ templates, brand kit, stock photo library.	Free (2 GB uploads) → Pro $12.99/mo
Adobe Express	Adobe‑quality assets, quick “Resize” for socials.	Free (limited) → Premium $9.99/mo
Share‑as‑Image (Chrome extension)	Turn any paragraph into a stylised quote‑image for Twitter/Instagram.	Free (basic) → Pro $8/mo
Skitch (Evernote)	Fast screenshot annotation, arrows, blur.	Free
Meme Generator	Build on‑trend memes for humor posts.	Free (ad‑supported)

Design hack: Create a brand template (same font, color palette, logo placement) in Canva. Export as a .png watermark and reuse on every featured image – brand consistency boosts recognisability and trust.

5️⃣ Content‑Distribution & Promotion

Tool	Main Function	Price
Buffer	Schedule posts across 8+ networks, analyze engagement.	Free (10 posts) → Essentials $5/mo
CoSchedule Click‑to‑Tweet	Turn any sentence into a tweet‑ready quote button.	Free (WordPress) → Pro $9/mo
Filament (WordPress plugin)	Social share buttons, email opt‑in, Google Analytics snippet.	Free
Later	Visual Instagram scheduler, hashtag suggestions.	Free (30 posts) → Starter $15/mo
Zapier	Automate: new post → push to Slack, Mailchimp, LinkedIn.	Free (100 tasks) → Starter $20/mo

Automation example:

• New post → Zapier posts to Buffer (Twitter + LinkedIn).
• Click‑to‑Tweet embeds a shareable snippet inside the article.
• Filament logs each social click into Google Analytics for ROI tracking.

6️⃣ SEO & Monetisation Toolbox

6.1 Keyword & On‑Page SEO

Tool	What It Does	Cost
Google Keyword Planner	Search volume, CPC, related keywords.	Free (Google Ads account)
Yoast SEO (WordPress)	Content‑analysis, XML sitemap, schema markup.	Free (Premium $99/yr for extra features)
Screaming Frog SEO Spider	Crawl your site, spot broken links, duplicate content.	Free (≤ 500 URLs) → Paid £149/yr
Google Search Console	Index coverage, performance, enhancement reports.	Free
AnswerThePublic (for FAQ schema)	Generates question‑style keywords → add as FAQ markup.	Free (limited)

On‑page checklist (per post):

1. Primary keyword in title, first 100 words & meta description.
2. Use Yoast green light (focus keyword, meta, readability).
3. Add an FAQ schema using the top 3 questions from AnswerThePublic.
4. Insert alt‑text for every image (include keyword where natural).
5. Internal‑link to at least two older posts + one pillar page.

6.2 Monetisation Options

Method	Typical CPM / RPM	Setup
Google AdSense	$0.30‑$2.00 per 1 000 impressions	Apply → Add script to footer.
Amazon Associates	1‑10 % per sale (varies by category)	Insert product links in “Resources” section.
Digital products (e‑books, courses)	100 % profit margin	Use Gumroad or WooCommerce (self‑hosted).
Affiliate Networks (ShareASale, CJ)	5‑30 % per conversion	Choose high‑ticket programs relevant to niche.
Sponsored posts	$50‑$500+ per article (depends on traffic)	Create a “Media Kit” page with stats.
Membership/Patreon	Recurring $5‑$20 per subscriber	Add a Patreon widget or MemberPress plugin.

Revenue‑first tip: Add a newsletter capture (via Mailchimp or ConvertKit) in the sidebar. Even a 2 % conversion rate on a 5,000‑visitor/month blog can generate a $100+ monthly list‑building profit when you promote affiliate offers.

📈 Putting It All Together – Sample Workflow

1. Idea – Search “sustainable home office” on BuzzSumo, pull top‑3 headlines.
2. Keyword – Validate “sustainable home office” in Keyword Planner (≈ 1,800 searches/mo).
3. Outline – Let Frase create a 1,200‑word outline with headings.
4. Write – Draft in Google Docs, run through Grammarly.
5. Edit – Run through Hemingway for readability < 8th grade.
6. Visuals – Design a featured image in Canva (brand colours, logo).
7. Publish – Upload to WordPress.com (or self‑hosted) with Yoast SEO meta.
8. Schema – Add FAQ schema using top 3 questions from AnswerThePublic.
9. Schedule – Push to Buffer for Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook (optimal times).
10. Promote – Insert a Click‑to‑Tweet quote, share the same on Instagram Story with Share‑as‑Image.
11. Monetise – Include an Amazon affiliate product list and a Mailchimp opt‑in form.
12. Track – Monitor impressions, clicks & earnings in Google Analytics + AdSense dashboard.

Result: A single post that ranks, drives social shares, captures email leads, and starts generating passive income—all with tools that cost $0‑$25 per month.

🎯 Bottom Line

Goal	Must‑Have Tool	Why
Launch quickly	Blogger or WordPress.com (Free)	No hosting headaches, instant publishing.
Find winning topics	BuzzSumo + AnswerThePublic	Data‑driven, low‑competition ideas.
Write error‑free	Grammarly + Hemingway	Better readability → higher rankings.
Create eye‑catching graphics	Canva (Free)	Professional‑looking images without a designer.
Schedule promotion	Buffer (Free tier)	One‑click posting to multiple socials.
Rank on Google	Yoast SEO + Keyword Planner	On‑page optimisation + keyword validation.
Monetise	Google AdSense, Amazon Associates, Mailchimp	Proven revenue streams for any traffic level.

When you combine the right platform with an efficient content pipeline, you turn a hobby blog into an income‑generating asset. Start with the free tools, test the workflow, then upgrade only where the ROI proves worth the cost.

📚 Further Reading & Resources

• How To Start A Blog Step By Step?
• A Step-by-Step Guide to Building a Career in Blogging
• Exploring 5 Exceptional Canva Alternatives for Graphic Design
• Diib Review | Best SEO Tool for Content Optimization

🚀 Ready to start earning?

1. Pick a free platform (Blogger or WordPress.com).
2. Grab the free Canva brand kit and Grammarly account.
3. Follow the 6‑step workflow above for your first post.

Follow me for daily insights and updates, find me here:
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I’ll suggest a killer content idea and the exact keyword volume you should aim for!

Happy blogging!