A strong and well-functioning website or blog relies on a solid foundation to ensure its proper operation and deliver a great user experience. This website is no different. To ensure its smooth functioning, there are several fundamental components that are essential. These include
- Reliable hosting with minimal downtime and great customer support.
- Fast and optimised theme for optimal user experience.
- Plugins that don't crash the site or course any conflict
- Dependable tech support
- Great courses and resources
And that's before I get into the kitchen to bake and create recipes to share with you.
Included below are several blogging tools that I use on this website. It's important to note that some of these recommendations are affiliate links which I have marked with a (*). If you make a purchase through any of my affiliate links, I receive a small commission at no extra charge to you. Any commission received will go towards the upkeep of this website so that you can continue to have access to my recipes for free. I would greatly appreciate it if you choose to use my affiliate link when purchasing any of the tools I suggest. However, all of my recommendations are based on their quality, service and effectiveness, not solely because they are affiliate links. I hope you find them useful in your blogging endeavours.
Planning - Productive Blogging
Running and organising a website also needs planning. What recipes to make, keywords research, when to post them, admin work - updating plugins and checking stats, social medial etc etc. The list goes on.
This is where some of Eb Gargano's Productive Blogging courses * and ebooks have helped me greatly.
In particular, the course Profitable Productivity*. It's not only changed the way I run my website, it has dragged me out of the social media rabbit hole, we all seem to fall down freeing me up to spend more time on what is important in life and in my website. The course modules and downloads have given me clarity on my goals and how I need to implement them enabling me to make smart choices.
The Productive Productivity course is currently on a waitlist* so why not check it out and add your name to the list to receive more details?
Get It here>> All Productive Blogging Courses* and Productive Productivity*
Hosting - Bigscoots
All websites need good reliable hosting. I used Bigscoots* on my previous website and use it for this site TastyBakesKitchen and my other site CreativeCookingCorner which I am building. I've tried other hosting companies over the years but found Bigscoots to be reliable with very little if any downtime and their customer service is some of the best in the industry. I would wholeheartedly recommend them.
Get it here>> Bigscoots*
Images - Canva
All the step by step images are created using Canva They make it easier for me to add images taken by my iPhone and turn them into step by step instructions, which I hope make it easier for you to follow all my recipes.
Get it here>> Canva
Tech Support - Nerdpress
Nerdpress are my biggest investment, I use their 'Sleep Soundly' option. They cover the bases of speed and security while I'm working and building my website. Their customer support is amazing too.
Get it here>> Nerdpress
Internal Linking - Link Whisper
In order for you to move freely through my website and so you don't miss out on any recipes, I may need to add internal links from one recipe to the other. Using the Link Whisper plugin helps me do that without having to update my posts causing Google to recrawl my site.
Get it here>> Link Whisper*
Theme - Feast
My favourite theme is Foodie Pro by Feast Design favoured by many food bloggers. They have a dedicated facebook group and they have white glove support in helping to set you your new site if you need it.
Get it here>> Feast Design
Recipe Cards - WordPress Recipe Maker Plugin
Another plugin favoured by many food bloggers, including myself, is WordPress Recipe Maker Plugin by Bootstrapped Ventures Depending on whether you use the free which you can download via the 'Add New plugins' on your website dashboard or premium version that you can purchase and download direct from their website, you can add all your recipes details as step by step instructions with the option for the user to print and save a copy for themselves. I love this plugin and would definitely recommend you try it.
Get it here>> Bootstrapped Ventures WordPress Recipe Maker Premium
Keyword Research - Keysearch
One of the most important aspects of writing a good recipe post is trying to discover just what people are wanting to read and hear about. This is where Keysearch comes in. It helps find relevant, low-competitive keywords for websites. It also gives you browser search volumes, making it easier for you to decide what to write about, saving you time and money. There are four Keysearch Pricing Options.
For a 20% Discount use KSDISC at checkout
Get them Here>>
Thank you so much for all of your support.
Lynn Hill
Tasty Bakes Kitchen