In the 7 or 8 years I have been running this blog, I’ve built up a list of tools & things that I recommend using when running a blog. Here are the tools I recommend, along with links to reviews I may have done in the past.
Hosting – Hostgator
I have had a number of hosting packages, but hostgator is by far the best. Allowing me to manage 200 domains (I am on their reseller packages) with relative ease, and in 2 years of being hosted with them, I’ve only had to call tech support once – who were knowledgeable & managed to fix the problem quickly.
Highly, highly recommended.
Blogging Software – WordPress
After a number of years of using blogger, with a server & domain I immediately switched to WordPress. Was incredibly happy with the switch, as it allowed me to do more with a wider range of plugins than Blogger, as well as all data being mine. Nowadays it’s the first piece of software on a new site.
Plugins
Adserver Management – OIO Publisher
For years the ad management on my blog used to be a pain, with manually placed 125 x 125 banner advertisments on the site. With OIO Publisher it has become easy and manageable to manage banner ads, taking me almost completely out of the equation. Please read my full OIO Publisher review for what I truly think of this amazing plugin.
Affiliate Management – Maxblogpress Ninja Affiliate
I was given this plugin to review on my blog, and whilst not essential by any means, it does save time in managing affiliate programmes on the site. Check out my Ninja Affiliate Review for more information & a full round up.
Click Here For Max Blog Press Ninja Affiliate
Other Software
Mailing List Management – WP Email Capture & Mailchimp
To run my free blogging newsletter I use a combination of WP Email Capture and Mailchimp. Both help me send targetted mail shots, which have a remarkable open rate.
Mailchimp allows you to import lists from WP Email Capture, and allows you to send non affiliated emails with a stupidly high delivery rate. Both are highly recommended.
Click Here For WP Email Capture
Social Bookmarking – Bookmarking Demon
One piece of software allows me to get a lot of targetted backlinks to my site. That piece of software is Bookmarking Demon. Bookmarking Demon allows you to create, manage & post to a number of social bookmarking websites automatically, quickly & easily – with little chance of being flagged for spam. I’ve had real SEO results with this piece of software alone. Highly recommended!
Rhys Wynne, the author of this blog, is a 20 something web designer from Colwyn Bay. 
