The Tools I Actually Use

I like tools.

I also have a long history of buying tools that felt suspiciously like progress without requiring me to make much actual progress.

A new course, a new platform, a new piece of software, a new domain—each one can come with that brief and wonderful feeling that the future has finally begun. Sometimes it is useful. Sometimes it is just shopping with a business plan attached.

So this is not a giant “resources” page stuffed with every product that has an affiliate program.

It is a short, changing list of tools I actually use, why I use them, and where I think they are worth the money. Some links may eventually be affiliate links. Some will not. If I earn a commission from a recommendation, I will say so. If a tool is useful but does not benefit me, I may share it anyway.

The point is to help people make better choices—not to make every choice lead to a checkout page.

Keysearch: Finding Topics Worth Writing About

Keysearch is the SEO tool I use to research article ideas.

Its value is simple: it helps me see what people are actually searching for and whether a smaller website has a realistic chance of appearing in the results. That matters when you are deciding whether to spend several evenings writing an article.

It does not make an article good. It does not give a website personality. It does not guarantee traffic, income, or a successful business.

What it does do is help me avoid writing blindly.

For my own projects, I use it to look for useful questions, underserved topics, and search terms that connect with something I genuinely want to write about. The best result is not a keyword with the biggest number beside it. It is a topic where real reader interest and real curiosity meet.

If you are building a small content site and want a practical research tool without paying for an enterprise-level SEO suite, Keysearch is worth a look.

WordPress and GeneratePress: Owning the House

I prefer building on WordPress because I like owning the place where my work lives.

Social platforms are useful, but they change, disappear, reduce reach, or decide what people see. A website is slower to build, occasionally more annoying, and requires you to learn things you never expected to care about. But it is yours.

GeneratePress is the WordPress theme I use because it is clean, quick, and flexible without forcing every site to look like a high-pressure online-marketing funnel.

That does not mean it is effortless. I have spent time staring at settings, wondering why a widget exists, and trying to remove the word “Home” from a page. That is part of the deal.

Still, I would rather learn enough to make a site feel like mine than rent a little corner of somebody else’s platform forever.

Canva: Making Things Look Respectable

Canva is useful because most of us do not need to become graphic designers. We need to make a site, post, pin, or product image that is clear, readable, and not embarrassing.

That is a lower bar than creating brilliant visual art, and it is an important one.

Canva helps with simple graphics, social images, book covers, printable products, and the visual odds and ends that make an online project look cared for. It will not give you taste automatically. It can also make it very easy to keep fiddling with a design instead of finishing the thing you meant to publish.

Use it to support the work. Do not turn choosing fonts into a full-time occupation.

Gumroad and Etsy: Testing Whether Anyone Cares

I have used Gumroad and Etsy for digital products because they let you test an idea without building a complicated store first.

That is the important word: test.

A storefront does not create demand. Uploading a product does not mean it is ready. And a few sales do not necessarily mean you have discovered a scalable business empire.

But these platforms can answer a useful question: will anyone who does not know me pay a few dollars for something I made?

That is a much more valuable signal than spending weeks perfecting a website before a single person has shown interest.

Pinterest: An Experiment, Not a Promise

Pinterest is one of the places I am still learning.

I can see why it appeals to small publishers and creators: a useful pin can keep sending people to an article or product long after it is posted. That is different from social platforms where a post often disappears almost immediately.

But I am not going to pretend I have mastered it because I made an account and learned where the plus sign is.

For now, it is an experiment. I am learning how to make useful, honest pins that lead to worthwhile content. If I get good enough to recommend a particular tool or method, I will say so. Until then, I would rather be honest about being in the learning stage.

A Final Rule

The best tool is not always the newest, most expensive, or most exciting one.

Sometimes it is the tool you already own and finally use. Sometimes it is the cheaper option. Sometimes it is a notebook, a timer, and twenty minutes of focused work.

If a tool stops being useful to me, I will remove it from this page. If I have not used it enough to form an honest opinion, I will not recommend it just because somebody is offering a commission.

There are enough people selling shortcuts online.

I would rather help you choose better, not bigger.