The best programs I’ve used to build my blog:

*This page contains affiliate links, I will receive a small commission if they are used at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support! Please note, that I would not promote something I haven’t either used myself or know someone who has.*

  • Siteground Hosting: independently hosting your website is simply the best way to go. If you have a dependent site already (one that ends in “blogspot.com” or “wordpress.com”) and you sign up with a hosting plan through Siteground, they will transfer your site as is over to the new domain that you’ve purchased to host. Independent hosting will help you rank higher in SEO, it gives you an opportunity to make money through ads or affiliate marketing, and you can use plugins to market yourself more effectively. If you are seeing these recommendations before you’ve started any sort of blog, see my start a blog with Siteground tutorial here.
  • Elementor: this is a webpage building software that is compatible with WordPress that gives you all the power to customize a flawless page that displays your personal design and professionalism.
  • Bluchic Themes: having a paid theme for your site makes all the difference if you want to take professional blogging seriously. I chose Bluchic themes because they are more feminine and SO simple to use, customize and display your brand throughout.
  • Tailwind: this is a marketing tool that helps me plan to pin my articles throughout the week on Pinterest without me manually having to do so. So that when someone searches for a solution that I can provide, I will be higher in the search result feed because of the frequency of pinning. This is particularly important for marketing my blog without it taking over my time with my baby and husband.

    My favorite marketing and business education resources:

      • Making Sense of Affiliate Marketing: I hope to become an affiliate for this soon, the course is amazing, representation pending. 😉
      • Pinterest Ninja: by Megan Johnson; this is the course I took that brought my average monthly views on Pinterest from about 80,000 to 1 million. My reach extended, my pageviews skyrocketed, and I had my first and second and third viral pins (they just keep rising!).
      • Pinteresting Strategies: by Carly Campbell (aka Carly the Mommy from Mommyonpurpose.com.) This was the VERY FIRST blogging course I ever took, and it is chalk full of the perfect marketing material that will help you figure out how to track your stats on Google Analytics and pin with a strategy that no one would know unless they read this book. If you don’t get the book, follow her blog, her personality and email list is worth the weekly updates.

My greatest resources of work from home and saving money at home:

  • Amazon Associates: I love shopping Amazon and sharing what I’ve scored on Amazon. I especially love to make lists of my favorite pineapple products, how I’d style my home if it were all pink or even design avant-garde. They have amazing deals on decor, baby products and more, so whatever your niche is in the blogging realm, they will have things for you to try and review for your readers. It’s also the easiest associates
  • program you can join.
  • Google Adsense: This program is a little trickier. You have to apply and then figure out how to place the code between the two <head> symbols on your page. It took me a couple weeks to get it down, but I finally did and it was great. A lot of bloggers skip applying for Google Adsense and go straight for a company that places ads for them like Mediavine or AdThrive, but there are minimum requirements for those ad companies.
  • ShareASale: This system allows you to search for niche specific brands like fitness, fashion, blogging or shopping, and you apply for their affiliate program through ShareASale. I see a lot of fitness trainers and health-specific niches benefit from these programs because of the percentage of commission per sale is higher for those affiliate programs.
  • Ebates: If you have Ebates installed in your browser, you can get cash back bonuses that will pop up on any site that is affiliated with the Ebates program. I get the best bang for my buck when I use it for online shopping at Kohls and Target, especially Kohls because they are always running amazing deals as is and you get a percentage off on top of it!

The best recommendations for the new mommy:

  • Shop Amazon – Create an Amazon Baby Registry: It also helps to have Amazon Prime the first year of baby’s life. You’ll be surprised how often you turn to Amazon when that little nugget arrives and the free two-day shipping pays for itself in gold by the third month of newborn life (if not sooner).
  • Shop Target Baby: We also registered at Target for those who don’t like to online shop for our baby shower. We found the most adorable newborn onesies with a Target gift card from someone and well… Who doesn’t love making a Target run when waiting two days for Amazon is too long? #targetexcuses #slowlygettingaddicted
  • My Must-Haves List: follow this link to my Amazon list of items we have used the most in the first year of new baby life, and bookmark the page to see as the list grows. It’s our personal reference too for when we need refills and renewals and buying these items over and over and over again.

My go-to for a healthy lifestyle and fitness motivation:

  • Homemade Fitness: Free workout plans and building an at home gym as well as meal plans. (Site currently under construction)
  • Macro Miranda Coaching: an accountability and nutrition coach who if you don’t hire… you should at least follow on Instagram for her amazing, healthy, new recipe creations. (@macro_miranda, she is currently running a self-love challenge that is an incredible campaign to help you lose weight while also loving your self more!)
  • Mindy Mae’s Closet: for fashionable finds that help the fashionably challenged like me.
  • The Small Things Blog: for the beauty tips that help those handicapped in the make-up and hair department (also me).

recommendations for mommy bloggers

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