This is a list of my favorite resources for business & blogging. This page will always be a work in progress as I continue to find companies with products and services worth sharing. Some of the links on this page may be affiliate links (noted by asterisks), which means that, at no additional cost to you, I earn a commission if you make a purchase through these links. You can see my full disclosure here.
Please keep in mind that the products and services listed below are ones that I use or have used in the past and that have worked well for me. If you have any questions or just want to chat about blogging, feel free to email me at cristi.aston{at}live{dot}com.
Hosting
Bluehost* – At just $3.95/month, Bluehost is a great option if you’re just starting out. Their customer service is excellent and they offer a free domain name as well. Once I signed up with Bluehost, setting up WordPress was so easy and any questions that I had were quickly answered by their tech support.
Siteground* – Siteground is my current host and I love them! Their tech support has been so helpful and someone’s always available to answer my questions. You know, because I’m the furthest thing from technically-inclined that you can get. I’m currently using their $3.95/month plan, but I’ll definitely be with them long-term, which means upgrading sometime soon.
Themes
If you download WordPress, you can of course use one of the free themes, but if you don’t know html, it’s probably easier to purchase Genesis and a child theme and then most of the hard work will already be done for you.
Studio Press* – I currently use the Genesis framework on this site, which I purchased from Studio Press. Studio Press offers a number of child themes as well.
Restored 316 Designs* – I’m absolutely head over heels in love with the Restored 316 Designs. I purchased the Graceful theme and it was so quick and simple to set up. When I emailed with technical questions, the support was amazing. I had a reply back within 10 minutes. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase from them again in the future.
Social Media
Board Booster* – I use Board Booster to schedule pins to Pinterest. I absolutely love it. You can set up either scheduled or random campaigns and specify how many pins you want to go to each group board and, depending upon how you set it up, at what times. This has totally changed how I blog. I no longer sit in front of Pinterest for hours on end. Board Booster really is a “set it and forget it” solution.
Resources
Building A Framework* – Abby Lawson’s Building A Framework was the first eBook that I purchased related to blogging. It’s an excellent beginner’s guide to everything from setting up your blog to growing your social media.
How To Blog For Profit
Elite Blog Academy* – I was definitely skeptical at first. Let’s face it. I didn’t have $300 to spend on a class when I wasn’t exactly making money. When I started EBA, I had about 4k page views each month and now I’m over 40k, so it’s definitely paid for itself already. Totally worth it! Don’t wait as long as I did to invest in yourself and your business. Note: Enrollment is currently closed.
SKYROCKET Blog Page Views Using Google Analytics* – Kelli Miller & Crystal Van Tassel-Lopez’s SKYROCKET Blog Page Views Using Google Analytics is an amazing ebook full of actionable tasks that really work. They show you how to get the most out of the data hidden within your Google Analytics account to substantially increase your traffic. The information is broken-down into a series of challenges, which makes each one easy to implement. Every serious blogger should own this ebook. It’ll definitely take your blog to the next level.
Websites
Melyssa Griffin – Blog tips, social media, entrepreneur tips, and self-development
Learn To Blog Hangouts – Kelli and Crystal are both full-time bloggers and have done 85+ Google Hangouts talking about anything and everything you ever wanted to know about blogging. I love listening to them while I’m doing housework and/or working on other stuff in the studio.
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