7 Basic Content Creation Tools Content Creators Shouldn't Create Without

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Are you just getting started with content creation?

If your goal is to work smarter, not harder, then you'll want to know about these 7 content creator tools. They're mostly free, except #1 and can in simple but profound ways take your SEO content writing to the next level.

Let's take a look.

1) Topic Generator

Sites like Quora and Reddit are perfect for this.

They help you understand what your target audience wants to know. Just search a topic or keyword and see what people are asking.

Generate endless ideas and create new ones based upon what you find there.

2) Program to write in

With most online content management systems, it’s best to type content directly into the program.

Copy/paste from Word, Pages, etc. can result in strange formatting in some programs.

3) Human Being

This may be you or an SEO content writer who writes for your website.

I mention this, to point out that A.I. technology is not yet capable of producing articles that sound completely natural. We still need a human content creator for that.

I love technology. But for now, it seems humans are still good for some things.

4) Grammarly

It’s not perfect so don’t always go with its suggestions. But it will catch a lot of silly mistakes.

Just visit the website. Sign up. Copy and paste your content and then make correction. On a Mac I use Command + A, Command + C, Command + V to make copy paste super fast. It's similar on a PC.

5) Flesch Score Calculator or Hemmingway App

Both of these tools help you understand if your writing will go way over the head of your reader. This article is written at a 5th grade reading level by the way. That's an excellent level for most basic articles.

Hemmingway is nice because it makes suggestions for how to make it easier to read. It also tells you if you’re using a lot of passive tense, which in excess can create a very blah piece of content.

This tool is like having your own personal editor who helps you improve your writing.

6) Meta Title/Meta Description Best Practices

This isn't really a tool. But it's essential to content writing.

These not only communicate with search engines regarding what your page is about. They also are displayed when your content comes up in searches.

Metas are entered into the code or you may be using a program that enters the code for you. You just provide the text.

Here are some basics for a Meta Title:

• 50-60 characters, including spaces

• Contains your keyword phrase

• Keyword is closer to the front

• Compelling - makes people want to click

• Special characters, when they make sense like & instead of and

Here are some basics for Meta Description:

• 150-160 characters, including spaces

• Contains your keyword phrase

• Compelling - makes people want to click

• Special characters, when they make sense like & instead of and

7) Pixabay, pexels, etc.

You need a place to find high quality images that you can legally use for free because content isn’t complete without great pictures.

Content Creation Tools Help You Create Better Content

I’d also strongly recommend some analytics, keyword research tools, SEO and competitor analysis tools but that’s moving into the realm of advanced tools.

This article covers basic.

What other basic tools do you think content creators shouldn't be without? Comment below.