This page is dedicated to those who are also interested in starting a blog (either a food blog or really any type of blog) of their own. Blogging has been one of the most rewarding and fulfilling projects in our own lives, and we hope it can be the same way for you.

After a fairly decent amount of trial and error, we’ve come to learn of several tools that have made starting Arousing Appetites exponentially easier for us.

That’s what this page is about… the best blogging tools of our trade, if you will. We’ll keep this page updated as we come into other useful tools, learning materials and tricks, but for now, these are all fantastic resources for getting started with blogging.

Disclaimer: Please take heed that some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning that we will earn a commission on several of these products if you decide to make a purchase (at no additional cost to you.. worry not). We’re not making these recommendations based on these small commissions, though, rather because we legitimately find these to be the best blogging tools that have been helpful, trustworthy and useful in our own experience. Please don’t feel obligated to spend any money on these products unless you feel it fits well with your own needs and goals, food blogging or otherwise. And, of course, if you ever have any questions for us about what’s listed below, please let us know!

Best Blogging Tools and Software

You might wonder what it takes to start blogging, and you’d be surprised (like we were at first) at the different steps needed to get there. Yep.. you have to set up a domain, then find the right host, then set up your CMS (hopefully WordPress), then find the right theme… and the plugins… and the tools… and on and on.

Having tried a few tools out, here are some of the best blogging tools and software to help you get started:

Google Domains: We’ve managed a few other sites besides Arousing Appetites in the past, and one of the biggest pain points for us was managing domains, especially when different sites were with different hosts… it was all a total mess. Thank goodness Google threw their hat into the ring here, because it makes domain management so awesomely easy and helps you decouple domain management from hosting. Can’t recommend this one enough. Click here for super simple domain management

HostGator: It might not be the most fun decision you’ll make, but choosing the right host is a big deal. Basically, having a solid, reliable host will help your website perform better and save you a ton of headaches you don’t need to have. For us, that host (and we’ve tried a couple) has been HostGator. Their server uptime is amazingly reliable, and our site’s overall performance while hosted on HostGator has been amazing. We really like some other hosting providers as well, but it’s the customer service and insane reliability of HostGator that converted us in the end. Big fans of this company and what they’re doing, and they deserve to be considered as one of the best blogging tools. Click here to start hosting for as little as $3/month

WordPress: There’s really not much more you need to say about the platform that powers 1 in 6 sites on the Web right now. WordPress (note: the .org version… not .com!) will be your best friend when it comes to managing your blog. Its ease of use lets you focus more on the part you actually love: blogging. It’s best to utilize their famous 1-click install through a host like HostGator. From there, it’s off to the races for you!

Studiopress: Another one of the subtle yet massively impactful decisions we made with Arousing Appetites was investing in a premium theme. We tried some of the out-of-the-box and free ones out there, but you’ll understand quickly that you get what you pay for. The Genesis framework (the brainchild of Studiopress) takes a lot of the web design aspects out of your hands and into theirs. Perhaps one of the sleekest and smoothest set of we’ve come across ourselves, you really can’t go wrong with any of their child themes for the framework (we use Foodie Pro). Just be sure to customize safely! Click here to get the masterful Genesis framework and any child theme

Leadpages: One of the smartest moves you can make with blogging is to build up an email list. Why an email list is so important is a discussion for another day, but one of the best ways to quickly, easily and rapidly build up your list is with Leadpages. After trying several other tools and simply not getting as compelling results, we finally realized how important this investment into building our email list has been. Definitely one of the best blogging tools you’ll need. Click here to start building your email list today

Aweber: As you’re building your email list, it’s helpful to have it well organized and managed in a robust system. For others, it might be something like Mailchimp or GetResponse or anything else. They’re all great tools too, but for us, Aweber turned out to be the combination of no-frills, robustness and overall reliability for the most reasonable price tag. It takes some getting used to, but we can attest that it’s a great place to start building your email list if you stick with it. Click to start managing your email lists for $1 the first month

Other Tools and WordPress Plugins

Once you’ve got WordPress set up (if you end up using WordPress like we did… which we recommend), then there are a few plugins that will help you get on your way:

• Easy Recipe – Perhaps the easiest way to input your recipes (and have them look awesome) for your posts if you’re starting a food blog. As close to a must have for food blogging, the EasyRecipe plugin also makes sure that your recipe is properly formatted to get the most amount of SEO love possible.
• Limit Login Attempts – This is one of those “small function, large impact” type of plugins. It safeguards the back-end of your WordPress admin panel from any potentially harmful attacks to your site.
• WordPress SEO by Yoast – The king of all SEO plugins. It has so many built-in features that it merits inclusion in this best blogging tools list. This will help you instantly and dramatically improve your site’s SEO configurations as well as keep you honest on each post and page’s on-page SEO. Amazing stuff here (as are his other plugins too, especially Google Analytics)

Other Tools and WordPress Plugins

Once you’ve got WordPress set up (if you end up using WordPress like we did… which we recommend), then there are a few plugins that will help you get on your way:

• Easy Recipe – Perhaps the easiest way to input your recipes (and have them look awesome) for your posts if you’re starting a food blog. As close to a must have for food blogging, the EasyRecipe plugin also makes sure that your recipe is properly formatted to get the most amount of SEO love possible.
• Limit Login Attempts – This is one of those “small function, large impact” type of plugins. It safeguards the back-end of your WordPress admin panel from any potentially harmful attacks to your site.
• WordPress SEO by Yoast – The king of all SEO plugins. It has so many built-in features that it merits inclusion in this best blogging tools list. This will help you instantly and dramatically improve your site’s SEO configurations as well as keep you honest on each post and page’s on-page SEO. Amazing stuff here (as are his other plugins too, especially Google Analytics)

Learning

This section is a little more intended for people wanting to become food bloggers. Perhaps before diving into anything else around tools and systems etc, it’s super helpful to first know what exactly goes into food blogging itself…

Food Blogger Pro: When it comes to learning about food blogging, Food Blogger Pro is truly the creme de la creme. The tools and the videos they offer with the subscription are helpful indeed, but it’s the wonderful supportive community of other amazing food bloggers that really makes it all worth it. Without Food Blogger Pro, we don’t know if we’d be anywhere near where we are today. Click here to join this intimate and supportive group for food bloggers

Food Blogging For Dummies: Another great resource from a really great food blogger. Written by Kelly Senyei from Just a Taste, this gives you a great primer on what lies ahead on your food blogging journey. Click here for this amazingly useful resource and sounding board for food blogging

How to Monetize your Food Blog: One burning question we had before we started Arousing Appetites (and that we still get asked to this day from others) is how one is able to make any income from food blogging. This book covers every single avenue you could probably think of. If you need clarity about your “blogging endgame” before getting started, then you’ll need to take a look at this book. Click here to gain real clarity into the earning potential for your food blog