Interested in knowing what all resources and tools do we use at SpeckyGeek.com to run our blog efficiently, manage our productivity and also generate revenue. Here’s the updated list to help you start your website efficiently.
Domains
The majority of our domains are registered with Godaddy. You also get free WHOIS privacy for most domains (if eligible). Your personal details are hidden, and only country, state and company name is shown in WHOIS. (Try coupon code cjc99com for 99 Cent ($1) .com domain registration for new Godaddy customers.)
Namecheap and Namesilo are other recommended domain registrars. The registration and renewal costs are almost the same. These provide free domain WHOIS privacy too.
Use LeanDomainSearch.com & Domainr.com for searching available domains. You can also find expired domains at ExpiredDomains.net. If you keep checking regularly, you can find some gems in expired domains.
Web Hosting
At Specky Geek, we have a guide dedicated to help you pick the right web hosting, along with recommended hosting companies (here). Look for a cPanel-based web hosting that you can easily use to create and manage blogs (WordPress) and websites.
I personally avoid hosting from GoDaddy as it is relatively slow and does not offer cPanel.
CMS/Blogging Platform
Most of our websites and blogs use WordPress, the open source and free website/blog platform. We recommend using self-hosted WordPress website for your blogs and websites.
WordPress Themes
- WordPress.org for free themes
- ThemeForest for premium, paid themes
- Get our free WP themes at ReduxThemes.com
WordPress Plugins
- WP Super Cache for website caching
- Yoast SEO & SEOPress for advanced SEO features
- Ninja Forms & Contact Form 7 for contact forms
- AdRedux WP plugin for easy advertisements
Image Editing & Graphics
- Gimp free image editing tool
- Canva for easily creating graphics online
- Inkscape for illustrations and graphics
Free Images for Blogs
- Pexels for commercial-use images
- Pixabay for a huge inventory of images (check licenses)
- OpenClipArt.org for more free images & cliparts
- Freepik for vectors and images (check licenses)
- Unsplash for high-quality commercial-use images (lots of ad recently)
Affiliate Programs
- Amazon Associate affiliate program
- ShareASale.com: Use affiliate marketing by promoting products and services to monetize your web site.
Don’t find what you are looking for?
If you need any support or assistance, please do contact us.