Today I’d like to highlight 4 tools/services that have really boosted my productivity during the past few months. I’m sure you’ll find some, if not all, of them helpful in your blogging work.
Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links. If you decide to buy through one of the links below I will receive a small commission.
Productivity Booster #1 – WordPress Managed Hosting
I’ve recently been moving some of my bigger blogs from shared hosting to managed WordPress hosting. I host all of my important websites on the WP Engine managed WordPress hosting platform.Why? Well, when you switch to managed WordPress hosting you usually get:
Why? Well, when you switch to WP Engine’s managed WordPress hosting you usually get:
- Improved site loading times
- A more responsive admin panel
- A secure and managed server environment
- Access to WordPress server experts
There’s no doubt that both Google and site visitors are enjoying the improved loading times.
When I add up the seconds saved here and there while working within the admin panel, they definitely add up to hours. More time for me to do other things, great!
An increase in a site’s popularity usually brings with it more malicious activity, so knowing that there is a team making my server as secure as possible saves me a lot of worries.
Finally, access to a responsive team of WordPress server experts is a very nice thing to have. Not only do they take care of server-related issues, but they also give advice on performance optimisation and which plugins to make use of.
Hosting is such an essential thing for any website, yet it’s so hard to find a web host that leaves you completely satisfied. I’m glad I’ve found mine in WP Engine, and I wholeheartedly recommend them to you if you’re thinking about making a change towards better web hosting for your website.
WP Engine offers several different packages, so check both of them out and see which one suits you best. With regards to support and dedication, I can vouch for them.
Productivity Booster #2 – BlogVault
I use BlogVault on all my WordPress websites to keep daily backups automatically.
Not only does BlogVault allow me to schedule automatic backups of my sites, but it also includes tremendously useful features such as the migration facility backup preview to make sure that the backups are solid.
Productivity Booster #3 – Genesis Theme
Are you one of those few people who hasn’t heard of the amazing Genesis theme by StudioPress yet?
If the answer is YES, then visit the StudioPress website to know what I’m talking about.
There are loads of WordPress themes out there, but which ones are truly top quality? That’s the million dollar question and one that many people will never get the answer for.
However, now that I’ve discovered and used Genesis, there’s no turning back for me. From now onwards, there would have to be a very good reason for me not to use Genesis as the framework for any new WordPress website I build.
With Genesis, you get:
- A framework of high-quality code
- A theme that is best-in-class for security
- Frequent releases of sexy child themes
When you are harnessing the power of such a framework + child themes, you can really cut a big chunk of your development time, and it’s a whole lot more enjoyable to boot.
Oh wait, I forgot, one of the very best things about working with Genesis is there are no complicated license terms to keep in mind. You buy Genesis for a one-time fee, and you get support and updates for life? I don’t know of any other theme shop which can beat that offer.
And before you wonder how they can possibly provide such value, let me tell you that the support forum is amazing, you will get timely and informative help, and I can guarantee that you’ll learn a lot about WordPress coding in general by just looking at how the StudioPress themes are built or browsing through the forums.
Get the Genesis theme by StudioPress
Productivity Booster #4 – Camtasia Studio
This is the latest weapon in my arsenal.
Camtasia Studio lets me record screencasts and tutorials with incredible ease. I use this to record how I perform certain processes in the business, then share them with the rest of the team so that they no longer have to rely on me.
Compared to other software I had used before, mainly to create tutorial videos for clients, this is by far the most full-featured and easy-to-use program, and is available for both Windows and Mac.
Camtasia’s video help tutorials are invaluable, as they not only show you how to use the software but also teach you a great deal about screencasting in general.
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