As a content creator, you know that creating high-quality, engaging content is essential for success in the digital world. Creating high quality content establishes your brand as an expert in its field, which leads to more backlink opportunities, increased traffic, improved conversion rates and better ROI.
To simplify your job, we’ve compiled a must-have list of the best content writing tools and resources to help you improve your writing skills, create content yourself, optimize your content for search engines, and streamline your workflow.
Table of Contents
What Is Content Writing?
Content writing is an important part of the content creation process. It involves crafting text that resonates with readers and serves a specific purpose, such as educating, entertaining, or inspiring action. Effective content writing requires understanding the target audience, their needs and preferences, and the ability to convey messages concisely and engagingly. It covers various formats, including blog posts, news articles, social media updates, email newsletters, whitepapers, and web copy.
Why Is It Important?
Content creation is important for a number of reasons, including:
- Building brand awareness and authority
- Boosts SEO and organic traffic
- Engages and retains audience
- Generates leads and increases conversion rates
- Supports social media strategy
- Enhances customer relationships
To benefit from the content you create, you need to be able to write compelling and engaging copy. This isn’t everyone’s strong suit. As such, there are numerous content writing tools available that can assist in the process.
Content Research Tools
Content writing resources are essential for content creators, marketers, and strategists to create high-quality, relevant, and engaging content. Here are some must-have content writing resources to help you generate topic ideas, find the right keywords, and analyze competitor content.
Google Trends:
Content writing resources, like Google Trends, allow you to explore search engine trends, compare keywords, and identify seasonal or regional trends to create targeted content. Google Trends provides an unfiltered sample of requests made to search engines, which is beneficial in identifying what users are looking for and how they’re searching for this information.
Pros:
- Trend analysis
- Comparative keyword analysis
- Seasonal and regional insights
- Free and easy to use
Cons:
- Limited data granularity
- No long-tail keyword data
- Limited historical data
Despite its limitations, Google Trends remains a valuable content writing tool for creators and marketers to gain insights into trending topics, regional interests, and the relative popularity of new and existing articles and search terms. Using Google Trends and other content writing resources and SEO content tools, you can develop a comprehensive content strategy that meets the needs of your target audience and drives organic traffic to your blog post or site. These benefits make it one of the most valuable free content tools to generate topic ideas.
AnswerThePublic:
AnswerThePublic is a visual keyword research tool that helps content creators, marketers, and SEO professionals understand the questions and search queries related to their target keywords. These content tools are useful in discovering user intent so that you can create compelling articles and text that address the needs of your audience.
Here are the pros and cons of using AnswerThePublic:
Pros:
- User intent insights
- Visual representation
- Long-tail keyword discovery
- Content idea generation
- Language and location targeting
Cons:
- Limited free version
- No search volume data
- Limited filtering options
- No historical data
- Overwhelming visualizations
Pricing:
AnswerThePublic has a free version available with limited features. For more features you should consider one of their paid plans. The pricing for the AnswerThePublic content tool ranges from $9 for the Individual plan, to $199 for the Expert plan.
BuzzSumo:
Content writing resources, like BuzzSumo, lets you discover the most shared and trending content across various social media channels. With it you can analyze competitor content and identify influencers in your niche. It’s an excellent content tool for generating ideas and understanding the right type of content that resonate with your audience.
Pros:
- Content discovery
- Competitor analysis
- Influencer identification
- Comprehensive data
- Customizable alerts
Cons:
- Limited free version
- Focus on social media shares
- No keyword research
- Costs – the payment plans can be relatively expensive.
- Learning curve
Pricing:
BuzzSumo has a limited free plan available that includes some basic features. If you require more, you can consider on of their paid plans. These plans range from $199/month to $399/month.
Ahrefs:
Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO tool that offers keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink analysis, and content gap analysis. Ahrefs helps you look for relevant keywords, identify the best keywords to target, monitor your competitors’ content performance, and uncover opportunities to create high-ranking content.
Pros:
- Extensive keyword research
- Content gap analysis and SEO suggestions
- Site audit
- Regular data updates
Cons:
- Relatively expensive for small businesses or individuals
- Learning curve
- Limited free version
- No integration with Google Analytics or Google Search Console
- Overwhelming data for beginners
Pricing:
Ahrefs has a very useful free plan available, but it limits the amount of requests you can make. To use the tool without any restrictions, you can sign up for one of their paid plans. These range from $99/month to $399/month.
Top Content Writing Tools
When it comes to writing quality content consistently, having the right, advanced content writing tools and platforms at your disposal can make all the difference. Content writing resources and content tools are useful as they can guide you in creating high quality content. By using these content tools you can save valuable time in the creation process without sacrificing quality.
Here are some suitable content writing tools and their pros and cons.
Grammarly
This popular grammar checker is essential for any blog editor or content writer. Grammarly catches spelling and grammar errors and suggests alternative word choices with its writing and editing modes.
Pros: Grammarly is easy to use, offering many content writing tools that provide a free and paid version with more advanced features. It also integrates with popular online writing tools and platforms like Microsoft Word and Google Docs.
Cons: While Grammarly is excellent at catching basic errors, it may not catch more complex issues or offer context-specific feedback.
Pricing: Free or Premium version from $12/month.
Hemingway Editor
It’s an advanced editing tool that analyzes your writing for readability and suggests improvements for clarity and concision.
Pros: Hemingway Editor helps you identify areas where your writing could be more concise and easier to read. It also offers suggestions for sentence structure and word choice.
Cons: Hemingway Editor’s suggestions can sometimes be overly prescriptive and may be content ideas that do not fit your writing style or intended audience.
Pricing: Free or Hemingway Editor 3 for Mac and PC at $19.99.
Google Docs
This cloud-based free content writing tool and platform is famous for web content writers because of its collaboration features, ease of use and multitude of add-ons to improve your writing efforts.
Pros: Google Docs allows multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously, making it easy for teams to collaborate. It also saves automatically and offers easy access from any device with an internet connection. The tool also has add-ons which you can install to get even more from your content tools.
Cons: Google Docs sometimes have formatting issues when importing and exporting documents. It may not have all the advanced editing features of a dedicated writing platform like Microsoft Word.
Trello
While not specifically a content writing tool, Trello is a popular project management tool many content writers use to organize their workflow. It’s beneficial for staying on top of your content creation process and facilitates easy collaboration between team members.
Pros: Trello allows you to create boards, lists, and cards to track the progress of your writing projects. It’s easy to use and integrates with many other productivity tools well.
Cons: Trello’s simplicity can sometimes be limiting for more complex projects, and it may not be suitable for teams that require more advanced project management features.
Top Content Creation Tools
Content tools don’t just encompass writing. Sometimes you need to create other forms of content such as infographics, images, videos, etc. Let’s take a look at a few of the best content tools.
Canva
Canva is a versatile and user-friendly design tool that allows you to easily create various graphics, such as social media posts, infographics, and presentations. It comes with a multitude of templates to make it easy to create the content you require quickly.
Pros: Canva offers other content writing tools and a vast library of pre-made templates, images, and graphics that make it simple for users to design high-quality visuals quickly. Its user-friendly interface, editing features, and affordability make it an excellent option for content writers with limited design experience.
Cons: While Canva is perfect for creating simple graphics, it may lack the customization options required for more complex designs. Additionally, its limited font library can make it challenging to create unique typography styles.
Pricing: Free or Canva Pro from $12.99 /month.
Skitch by Evernote
Skitch is a simple and intuitive tool that allows users to annotate images and screenshots quickly. Content writing tools like Skitch makes it easy for team members to provide feedback on images and other types of content.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Variety of annotation tools for content writing tools usability
- Seamless integration
- Cross-platform compatibility
Cons:
- Limited customization options
- Limited image editing capabilities
Pricing: Free
Infogram
Infogram is an infographic and data visualization tool that allows users to create creative and engaging content and interactive visuals. Content writing tools, like Infogram, are especially useful for designing infographics and visual graphs.
Pros:
- User-friendly interface
- Variety of templates and design elements
- Customization options
- Real-time collaboration
Cons:
- Limited free version
- Limited chart customization
- Limited branding options
Pricing: Free or a Infogram Pro for $19.00/month.
Keyword Research Tool
Keyword research is a critical component of SEO and content marketing strategies. Here are the pros and cons of some of the best keyword research tools:
SEMrush
SEMrush is a comprehensive SEO and keyword research tool that provides insights into your website’s traffic and helps identify high-value keywords for your content.
Pros: SEMrush’s database includes over 20 billion keywords, making it one of the most comprehensive keyword research tools. It also offers a range of other SEO features, such as site audits and competitor analysis.
Cons: SEMrush’s pricing plans can be expensive for individual content creators or small businesses. It may also have a steep learning curve for beginners.
Pricing: Free or $119.95/month.
QuestionDB
QuestionDB is a keyword research tool that helps identify popular questions related to your niche.
Pros: QuestionDB is easy to use and provides valuable insights into your target audience’s questions, making it a powerful tool for creating content that addresses their needs.
Cons: QuestionDB’s database may be limited compared to other keyword research tools and may not provide as many keyword suggestions.
Pricing: Free or Pro $10/month.
AlsoAsked
AlsoAsked is a visual keyword research tool that provides insights into related questions and topics.
Pros: AlsoAsked’s visual format makes it easy to identify related topics and questions, making it a powerful tool for creating comprehensive content that addresses your audience’s needs.
Cons: AlsoAsked’s database may be limited compared to other keyword research tools and may not provide as many keyword suggestions.
Pricing: Basic $15/month ; Lite$29/month ; Pro$59/month
Keyword Surfer
Keyword Surfer is a free keyword research tool that provides search volume data and related keyword suggestions.
Pros: Keyword Surfer is easy to use and provides valuable keyword suggestions and search volume data without needing a paid subscription.
Cons: Keyword Surfer’s database may be limited compared to other keyword research tools and may not provide as many in-depth insights.
Pricing: Basic $708 /year; Pro $1,428 /year
Plagiarism Detector Tools
Plagiarism is a serious issue in the content creation process, and ensuring that your work is original and free of plagiarism is essential. Here are some must-have plagiarism checkers.
Plagiarism Checker X
Plagiarism Checker X is a software-based plagiarism checker that compares your content against online sources and academic databases.
Pros: Plagiarism Checker X offers a comprehensive database of online sources and academic databases, making it a powerful tool for detecting plagiarism. It also provides bulk scanning and cross-language support.
Cons: Plagiarism Checker X’s interface can overwhelm some users, and its paid plans can be expensive for individual content creators or small businesses.
Pricing: Free or Professional from $39.95/month
Copyscape
Copyscape is a web-based plagiarism checker that compares your content against billions of web pages.
Pros: Copyscape is easy to use and provides detailed reports highlighting plagiarism. It also offers an API for automated checks and bulk scanning for larger projects.
Cons: Copyscape’s free version has limited features and may not catch all instances of plagiarism. Its paid plans can also be expensive for individual content creators or small businesses.
Pricing: $4.95 /month for up to 10 pages on your site and $0.25/month for each additional page up to 500 pages.
Unicheck
Unicheck is a comprehensive plagiarism detection tool that compares your work against billions of web pages and academic databases.
Pros: Unicheck is easy to use and provides detailed reports highlighting plagiarism. It also offers advanced features such as multi-language support and a user-friendly interface.
Cons: Unicheck’s paid plans can be expensive for individual content creators or small businesses. It may also have some limitations when detecting plagiarism in more complex documents.
Scribbr
Scribbr is a plagiarism detection tool designed for academic papers that compares your work against academic databases.
Pros: Scribbr’s database includes over 70 billion sources, making it one of the most comprehensive plagiarism checkers available. It also offers advanced features such as a similarity report and detailed feedback on potential instances of plagiarism.
Cons: Scribbr is primarily designed for educational use and may not be suitable for all content creators. Its paid plans can also be expensive for individual users or small businesses.
Pricing: Free 30-day trial, after which subscription plans start from$9.99/month.
Top Audience Research Tools
Audience research provide great content writing resources and is crucial in creating effective marketing strategies and content that resonates with your target audience. Here are the pros and cons of some of the best audience research tools:
Sparktoro
Sparktoro is a market research and audience analysis tool that provides insights into your target audience’s behavior, interests, and preferences.
Pros: Sparktoro’s user-friendly interface makes it easy to navigate, and its detailed reports provide actionable insights that can inform your marketing strategy. It also offers a free trial to test its features before committing to a subscription.
Cons: Sparktoro’s pricing plans can be expensive, especially for small businesses or individual content creators. It may also lack some advanced features of other audience research tools.
Pricing: Free or Personal $45/month.
Audiense
Audiense is a social media audience research tool that provides insights into your audience’s behavior and interests on social platforms.
Pros: Audiense offers detailed reports on your audience’s demographics, interests, and behavior, making it a powerful tool for creating effective social media strategies. It also offers access to advanced features for real-time analytics and engagement tracking.
BuzzSumo
BuzzSumo is a content analysis tool that provides insights into the most popular content on social media and the web.
Pros: BuzzSumo’s database includes millions of articles, making it a powerful tool for identifying popular topics and trends in your industry. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to use and offers real-time alerts for popular content.
Cons: BuzzSumo’s pricing plans can be expensive for individual content creators or small businesses, and they may not provide insights into audience behavior beyond content popularity.
Why Should You Use Content Writing Software Solutions?
Content writing tools and software solutions can be a game-changer for content creators, offering a range of benefits that can streamline the content creation process and improve the quality and effectiveness of their work. Here are some reasons why you should consider using content writing tools:
It can help you save time by automating repetitive tasks, such as formatting, spell-checking, and grammar-checking. This can allow you to focus on the creative aspects of your work and produce more content in less time.
These content writing tools ensure that your content is high quality and error-free by providing real-time grammar, spelling, and style feedback. This can help you maintain consistency in your writing and avoid common mistakes.
Some content writing software solutions offer features such as AI-powered content suggestions and brainstorming tools that can help inspire new ideas and enhance your creativity.
Many content writing software solutions provide collaboration tools that allow multiple users to work on the same document simultaneously, making working with team members and stakeholders easier.
It can help optimize your content for SEO by suggesting keywords and analyzing the readability and structure of your content.
Overall, content writing tools can be a valuable investment for content creators, offering a range of benefits that can improve productivity, consistency, creativity, collaboration, and SEO. By selecting the appropriate content tools for your needs, you can enhance the quality and effectiveness of your content and take your content creation strategies to the next level.
How to Improve Your Writing Quality and Style
Improving your writing style and quality can take time and practice, but it is achievable with the right approach and most content writing tools.
Here are some tips for your writing process and for improving your writing skills:
- Read widely: Reading various materials, including books, articles, and blogs, can expose you to different writing styles and help you develop your unique voice.
- Write regularly: Practice makes perfect, and the more you write, the better you will become. Try setting aside dedicated time each day to write and work on improving your skills.
- Focus on clarity and concision: Good writing is clear and concise, so aim to convey your message in as few words as possible without sacrificing clarity. Avoid using overly complicated language or convoluted sentences.
- Edit and revise: Writing is a process, and editing and revising are critical to improving your work. Take the time to review your writing and make changes to improve clarity, grammar, and structure.
- Seek feedback: Feedback from others, whether from a writing group, a mentor, or an editor, can help you identify areas for improvement and refine your writing style.
- Use active voice: Active voice is more engaging and direct than passive voice. Use it whenever possible to make your writing more powerful and exciting.
- Develop your style: Everyone has unique writing styles; developing your own can make your writing stand out. Experiment with different techniques, and find a style that suits your personality and message.
- Use content writing tools: There are many content tools available that can help improve your writing style and quality, including grammar checkers, plagiarism checkers, and style guides. Improving your writing style and quality takes time and dedication. Still, by following these tips and techniques, you can develop your writing skills and create high-quality content that engages and inspires your audience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, having the right content writing tools and resources can make a significant difference in the quality of your content and its effectiveness in engaging and converting your audience. From grammar and style checkers to design tools and plagiarism detectors, numerous content tools help writers create high-quality, engaging, and original content.
These must-have content tools and content writing resources allow content creators to streamline their workflow, produce high-quality content, and improve their skills and productivity.
Remember to consider your specific needs and budget when selecting the appropriate content tools for your content writing needs. Never stop learning and experimenting with new techniques and content tools to improve your craft.