I wanted to develop a resource section that was like a toolkit, full everything you need to be a successful blogger.  I plan on adding and updating this page regularly as I discover more tools, resources and strategies that are working for me. I recommend bookmarking it for your reference and convenience. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links to products that will earn me a commission (this is how I make a living). I do not include any affiliate links to products that I don’t personally use in my business. Furthermore, these are companies, products and services that I trust.

Blogging

  • Wordpress – The number one blog publishing platform. Free and easily customizable with wonderful support we use WordPress on  all of our blogs.
  • Blogging to the Bank 3.0 – One of the best no-nonsense guides for creating substantial wealth with your blog.
  • SEO Press Formula – Learn how to identify profitable niche markets and build a laser-targeted search engine optimized niche WordPress site in minutes.

Private Label Content (PLR)

  • Master Resale Rights – One of the best sources of content and private label products on the web.

Google related WordPress Plugins

  • Google Sitemap Generator – Automatically creates a compliant Google XML-Sitemap. The cool thing is every time you edit or create a post, your xml-sitemap is instantly updated. All of the search engines that support the sitemap protocol, like ASK.com, Google, MSN Search and YAHOO, are automatically notified about the update.
  • Google Analytics for WordPress – Automatically tracks and segments all outbound links from within posts, comment author links, links within comments, blogroll links and downloads. It also allows you to track AdSense clicks, add extra search engines, track image search queries and it will even work together with Urchin.
  • Google Analyticator – adds the necessary JavaScript code to enable Google Analytics logging on any WordPress blog. This eliminates the need to edit your template code to begin logging.

Word Press Themes

Hosting

  • Bluehost: All of my websites are hosted using Bluehost. Easy to use, 1-click automatic Wordpress installation, and good customer service.
  • Host Gator: Another fantastic and easy to use hosting service. Also includes 1-click Wordpress installation.
  • Amazon S3: The Amazon Simple Storage Service. Reliable internet storage, which is great for putting large files like podcasts and videos, so you don’t create bandwidth problems on your own website.

Product Distribution & Shopping Carts

  • E-Junkie – The shopping cart I use to sell some of my eBooks. It’s compatible with Paypal Standard, Paypal Pro, Google Checkout, Authorize.net, TrialPay, Clickbank & 2CheckOut. Works like a charm, very low price to use. Comes with a decent affiliate program for your products.
  • Clickbank -  Another digital products retailer. Probably the most popular. Decently priced, but comes with an amazing affiliate program for your products.
  • Paypal.com – Paypal is just ok for selling your own products through them, but you’ll need an account anyways to configure with and accept payments from the above shopping carts.
  • 1Shopping Cart – The best of the best, scalable, user friendly and comes with all the bells and whistles.

Keyword Research

  • WordTracker Free Keywords Tool: Spits out a number for the popularity of a keyword of your choice. Search volume numbers can be compared to find the perfect niche, or to choose keywords for your blog posts.
  • Google Adwords Tool: A tool to help you decide what keywords to use for your Adwords campaigns. You can also check to see the popularity of certain keywords and the competition for ads for those keywords as well.
  • Seo Book Keyword Suggestion Tool: Another fantastic keyword research tool, with even more information and numbers to compare and select the perfect keywords.

Email Marketing

Advertising

  • Google Adsense: Make money by placing relevant ads on your website that are generated from advertisers using Google Adwords. This is free to use, but you have to register for an account.
  • Google Adwords: If you want to begin advertising on Google, you can select keywords and locations and you pay each time someone clicks on your advertisement.

Email Subscriptions & Marketing

  • Aweber: The internet’s most powerful email opt-in service and email marketing/broadcasting tool.

Testing Results

  • Google Analytics: Google’s free website tracking and analytical tool. A must have for anyone with any type of website.
  • Clicktale: You can use clicktale to watch actual recordings of how people use your website. It is actually like watching their own computer screen, so you can then optimize your website if you don’t like what you see. You can view a small sample of website viewers for free. It will cost more for a larger sample.
  • Google Optimizer: This is another free tool from google where you can test different webpages of the same content, only changing one or two things, so you can see which one works/converts best. It’s basically a website optimizer testing tool.

Outsourcing Work

  • Elance: Hired service for just about anything you can think of.
  • Odesk: Another outsource website for freelancers, IT companies, programmers and web designers from abroad.
  • 99Designs: This is a unique website that you can use if you need a logo design. It’s in a contest format. You submit the description of what you want, and designers will compete against each other to win money.

Health Insurance

  • eHealthInsurance: Here, you enter your information, and it generates a number of different health care plans for your particular situation with a variety of different prices and specifications.
  • The National Association for the Self-Employed: NASE has a variety of different benefits to it’s members, including a unique, customizable health insurance plan for the self-employed.

Legal Stuff

  • LegalZoom: Easy online incorporation or LLC creation.

Books

  • The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss, Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich: Pretty much the most awesome book in the entire world. I reference this quite a bit in my posts.
  • ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income by Darren Rowse: The best book about blogging from the number one online blogger, Darren Rowse.
  • Moonlighting on the Internet by Yanik Silver: I also own this book and it’s really what insipired me to go full time working online. I finished it in 1 day because it’s so good.

Internet Business Courses

  • Internet Business Mastery Academy: Pretty much where I learned everything I know about internet business. The best online business community around.