How To Start A Blog: Resources And Tools

Any blogger or marketing person can tell you the blog resources you need; however, I will tell you what I have. Can you believe the Canadian Budget Binder blog is twelve years old?

Starting a blog with WordPress added thousands of extra dollars to my net income. Imagine creating a successful blog where you can quit your day job. Many bloggers have done that, and although I still work full-time, CBB pays the bills monthly.

If you want to start blogging to earn extra money or work from home, below are blog resources to get you started.

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Updating and Adding New Blog Resources 2024

Disclosure: If you purchase through our links we are compensated at no cost to you. I will continue to add resources that have helped CBB, so as always, check back. When I started Canadian Budget Binder, I made mistakes and will likely continue to do so.

My friends, this is how we learn to improve what we do to become successful at blogging. I blog part-time and work a full-time job in our community. The great thing about blogging is that you choose your hours and are the boss. When I earned my first $100 blogging years ago, there was no stopping me. I knew blogging would be challenging but a great way to earn extra income.

5-Figure Income On Canadian Budget Binder Blog

It has taken me eleven years, and I now earn a 5 figure income from the Canadian Budget Binder. I wasted years of earning a blogging income because I didn’t know what I was doing. Don’t make the same mistakes I did, and start earning loads of money early! Now, I do and am working my way through the monetization process of CBB. Any income earned will supplement our income and help build our net worth.

Related: How I Made My First $1000 Blogging On Canadian Budget Binder

It also pays the bills at CBB since I have to hire help behind the scenes. Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that CBB will make a small commission if you use the product. There are no extra charges to you because of this. If anything, you’ll get savings just for joining.

Blogging For Dummies

If you haven’t read the book Blogging For Dummies, I suggest you grab a copy and do so. I think it’s a fantastic book for beginners who want to learn the basics of blogging because I used it. Now, there’s an updated version titled Blogging All-in-One For Dummies, which includes 8 books. I’ve made many blogging mistakes; however, I would have made more if I had not researched.

Domain Names

Disclosure: If you purchase through our links we are compensated at no cost to you. You’ll want to start by securing a domain name for your website. I created CanadianBudget Binder.com and paid for it yearly for a small fee. For domain names, I suggest any of these:

Canva Pro Photos

You will want the BEST cover photos for your blog posts, and I have used CANVA for years on the Canadian Budget Binder. They also offer a Canva Pro series, which is way above the rest, and if you want to drive traffic to your blog, investing in Canva is a must. I created my Facebook and blog covers for all social media outlets in Canva. Canva is saving me time and is worth every dollar for your blog.

Fiverr

Fiverr® is the world’s largest, most affordable, and easy-to-use digital marketplace where busy professionals can choose from thousands of talented freelancers from 116 service categories. I used Fiverr years ago, with my first Canadian Budget Binder logo designed for five bucks. Fiverr is a great place to find inexpensive services for your blog, including creating a cool new blog logo. Make Your Business Stand Out!

Some of the services available at fiverr.com include:

  • Graphics & Design
  • Video & Animation
  • Music & Audio
  • Programming & Tech
  • Business Consulting
  • Writing & Translation
  • Digital Marketing

Uptime Robot

I’ve used Uptime Robot for years on Canadian Budget Binder to alert me when the blog is down. Uptime Robot also alerts blog owners what incidents caused the errors or downtime and when the website goes back online. There are other features to Uptime Robot that are beneficial to the hobbyist blogger like myself to high-end websites. For a small fee, the reassurance that your customer experience is not affected is worth the expense. Sign up for Uptime Robot today!

Tailwind

Using Tailwind has been successful for Canadian Budget Binder since it allows me to focus on other things rather than posting daily on Pinterest and Instagram. You no longer need a professional designer to create jaw-dropping Pins. Transform your photos into dozens of personalized Pin design ideas in one magical click. The only tricky part is deciding which one to use, as they are amazing. Sign up for Tailwind and watch your business grow on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Tailwind Create

Tailwind Create is new, and I love using this service by Tailwind. I used to do it all manually when designing pins and graphics for blog posts. That takes a lot of time, but Tailwind Create takes all that time and stresses away from you. Tailwind Create will populate many pins and post creations in seconds by adding your favourite photos. You also have the opportunity to change colour fonts and swap around photos. If I’ve ever honestly loved a product for my blog, it’s Tailwind Create. Create hundreds of unique Pins for Pinterest and your blog without hassle, and they are amazing!!!

Start a free trial of Tailwind Create (no credit card required! You won’t be sorry if you run a blog and use Pinterest. Tailwind Create is fantastic, and I can’t say anything better. P.S. The price after the free trial for this fantastic program is reasonable and, as far as I’m concerned, a blogger necessity. Just try it and see for yourself how incredible this blogging tool is.

Tailwind Create

AdBloom Affiliate Network

As an Affiliate of the Adbloom network, you can amp up your passive blog earnings by working with other Canadian businesses. Add added income to your blog by joining advertising networks such as Adbloom. They do the hard work, and you share it on your blog for money.

WordPress Plugins For Your Blog

This section is new, and I will add all the appropriate plugins. There are a few more, but these are the leading 15 I wanted to share with you. If you are new and unsure what you are doing, perhaps hire someone to get you set up. I have a wonderful woman named Sara from Moonsteam Design who works behind the scenes on CBB.

Askimet Anti-Spam

Cookie Notice and Compliance

Insert Headers and Footers

Kadence Blocks

Mediavine Create

Genesis Enews Extended

Kadence Blocks

Lazy Loads

Redirection

Resize the Image After Upload

Vaultpress

Social Warfare Pro

Yoast SEO

WP Rocket

There are a few more, but these are the leading 15 I wanted to share with you. If you are new and unsure what you are doing, perhaps hire someone to get you set up. I have a wonderful woman named Sara from Moonsteam Design who works behind the scenes on CBB.

Blog Resources For WordPress Success

The services below have helped me earn a 5 figure income each year with Canadian Budget Binder. I can’t forget all my Canadian Budget Binder friends who visit the blog daily to read and comment. You, too, have helped grow CBB into a more extensive blog today. Thank you. Start a blog if working from home and earning a 5-figure or even 6-figure income is your goal or supplementing your income.

Find A Web Host – CBB Uses BIG SCOOTS!

I’ve been blogging for ten years, and Big Scoots is the BEST hosting company.I rarely have downtime, and they are quick to answer questions. The countless hours I spent on the phone arguing with those cheaper guys were a significant drain on my time and energy. If you are serious about blogging, be serious about your hosting company; go with Big Scoots.

Sometimes, cheaper is not always the better way to go. Besides, Big Scoots is affordable. When you start a blog with WordPress.org, you must set up a hosting company after picking your domain name.

highly recommend BigScoots because when I was with this company, they surpassed all expectations of a hosting company. Seriously, sign up for Big Scoots; you won’t regret it.

SiteGround Hosting

Join SiteGround Hosting, available worldwide as it has multiple pros, including a fantastic introductory offer plus a free transfer from your current host (if you have one, if not, they’ll set you up).

Create and send captivating email marketing campaigns to win your subscribers and help you grow your business.

Ad - Web Hosting from SiteGround - Crafted for easy site management. Click to learn more.

Ionos Canada Hosting

Joining Ionos Canada to host your blog is a smart move, especially if you’re looking to support a medium-sized business that specializes in helping new entrepreneurs get off the ground.

We serve entrepreneurs taking their first steps online, business owners scaling up, large companies, and the partners who help them reach their goals.

Whether building an online presence by securing a domain, building a website, moving back-office processes to the cloud, or orchestrating a container cluster, our comprehensive portfolio offers a best-in-class app, server, or service.

Web Hosting Canada

Privately owned Web Hosting Canada is a Canadian technology and IT infrastructure company based in Montreal, Quebec. We’re a team of passionate web professionals providing Canadian businesses with the means to succeed online.

Since 2003, WHC has set the highest standard for service reliability and security and is now trusted by tens of thousands of clients throughout Canada and abroad. It is among the fastest-growing web service providers in Canada.

Every day, Web Hosting Canada helps thousands of Canadian individuals, small businesses, and organizations grow and succeed online with its powerful yet affordable web solutions. We’d love to count you among them.

Bluehost Hosting

Disclosure: If you purchase through our links we are compensated at no cost to you.Sign up with my exclusive CBB affiliate link and pay only $1.99 monthly to host your new blog or website.

  • Free domain name for 12 months
  • Secure, reliable hosting
  • Expert 24/7 support
  • 1-click WordPress install
  • Free SSL certificate included
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

Get CBB By Email + My FREE Printable Budget Binder!

Subscribe to our latest newsletter and never miss the latest news!

Grammarly Catches Spelling and Grammar Errors

Using Grammarly has saved my blog since I make spelling and grammatical mistakes like everyone. Grammarly catches my typing errors before I publish my blog post and alerts me to make a change. Grammarly is a must if you’re blogging, and I highly recommend it

Installing WordPress.org or WordPress.com

Unlimited Performance, Unbeatable Uptime

WordPress.org (Host Needed (See BigScoots Hosting above or WordPress offers hosting packages with excellent speed and unstoppable security. Canadian Budget Binder is now with WordPress.org after a total re-design and migration from wordpress.com (a Free WordPress site, no host needed). If you don’t want to monetize your blog and want a platform to share your thoughts, sign up with WordPress.com. Start your blog or website with WordPress.com and get $25 off your first purchase.

Monetize Your Blog With WordPress.Org

However, if you want to monetize your blog and earn money, jump into WordPress.org. Save yourself the hassle that I had to move it from WordPress.com. You can download and install a software script called WordPress on this website, but they have Happiness Engineers to help you if you need it. Don’t worry if you are not a blogging expert or are scared you’ll do something wrong. You’ll make mistakes, and that’s ok.

To self-host your blog, you need a web host who meets the minimum requirements and a little time. WordPress is completely customizable, which means you can add your design ideas. WordPress started as a blogging system but has evolved into a content management system. There is much more today through thousands of plugins, widgets, and themes. WordPress is limited only to your imagination.

WordPress.com

MailerLite Email Subscription

I couldn’t be happier with Mailerlite as I’ve moved from Feedburner, which didn’t allow me the amount of control over my subscriptions that Mailerlite does. Any blogger who earns an income knows the value of building an email list for your blog. Not only that, but you can also embed surveys into your emails and create newsletters!!

MailerLite offers a free 30-day premium trial where they can experience the best features, including:

  • A brand new drag & drop editor with inline editing, advanced design blocks, and the ability to save your custom blocks
  • AI-powered writing assistant powered by OpenAI to help you come up with effective email content ideas in seconds
  • Subject line generator that writes engaging subject lines in seconds
  • Comparative reporting capabilities to better understand your campaign performance over selected periods
  • Automation templates to set up proven workflows quickly, along with A/B testing for automation so you can keep improving performance

Semrush

Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is not pleasant. It’s a MUST-HAVE when you are a blogger. If you want to monetize your blog to earn an income, incorporate keywords into your blog posts. SEMrush is an excellent SEO research tool that will take your blog from the back of Google to the front window.Optimization means money, so don’t leave money on the table.

Podia

Use Podia to bring your entire business into a single platform. Podia is free. And as you grow, it has all the tools you’ll need to keep growing.

You should be able to spend your time creating, not figuring out yet another piece of tech. Podia puts your website, email marketing, and digital products in one platform that’s easy to use. Sign up for Podia FREE today!

Keeper Password Security

I use Keeper Security to protect my passwords and stay safe online. Most importantly, I save passwords and information if I pass away. Using Keeper allows my spouse or power of attorney the information they need. Keeper stores all passwords and keeps them safe. I don’t have to memorize them again.

Jetpack with WordPress

I’ve been using Jetpack with WordPress for years to keep my blog free of spam, safe from hackers, and backed up with other premium services. EVERY blog owner should have a Jetpack to protect their blogging investment when starting a blog. You’ll see from the Jetpack Price List below the costs are reasonably comparable.

Start your blog or website with WordPress And get $25 off your first purchase.

Submit Your Blog Url

Once your blog is created, submit your URL to business blog listings, including Yahoo, Google, Bing, and Ontoplist. Directory listings help generate backlinks from web directories and increase website indexing.

Related: Over 100 Canadian Directories to help with your Blog SEO

How To Start Your Blog

I have a series on Canadian Budget Binder, which I will link to the blog below.How I Started Canadian Budget Binder Blog and how you can make a 5-figure income.

 

Disclaimer:

Please note that pricing for each blog resource may change.This blog post may have affiliate links where I earn a small commission if you sign up for them.

I trust these products and have used or still used them at one point in the last ten years. Please read my policy and disclaimer for Canadian Budget Binder.