If you’re building an online presence and a marketing or writing business, you’re going to need a few tools. I don’t use a lot of fancy or expensive stuff. But here’s a list of things I DO use.
Domain Registration:
GoDaddy – I register all of my domains through GoDaddy. During the checkout process they will ask you to buy a hosting account and a lot of upsell junk. DO NOT do it. Skip through all of that and just purchase the domain. You don’t want to host with them!
Web Hosting:
HostGator – I LOVE this webhost. I use the $9.95 per month package and I can host ALL of my domains on that one account. It saves a ton of monthly expenses if you run several websites.
Tip: If your blog or webite is already hosted at another webhost and it has cpanel, HostGator will move it to their servers for free. I actually had them move this domain for me. I believe I had to go in and update the theme, it reverted back to the default theme, and move a few widgets around. But, it was really nice to have the whole thing moved for me. I didn’t have to backup databases and copy files. Bleh!
Email & Newsletter Marketing:
Aweber – Aweber will cost you $19 per month, but they are the leader in email and newsletter marketing. Once you learn the system, it’s really easy to integrate into all of your websites and stuff.
GetResponse – This is the leading competitor. I do have an account there. You can start for free. They only charge a monthly service fee once you reach a certain number of subscribers. However, I’m so used to Aweber that I don’t really like the interface at GR. You may like it though. Since it’s free to start, you can give it a shot.
Shopping Cart:
GetDPD - I use this one because it’s relatively inexpensive. There are better programs available, but if you’re on a budget, you need something that doesn’t cost a fortune. You will use this for any information products you create to sell from your site.
Cool Tools:
Cool Timer – I mention this little thing a lot. It’s really cute and really easy to use. Plus, it’s completely free. If you have problems with getting distracted, there’s something about knowing you’re being timed and racing the clock, that helps you focus.
Content Planning Calendar – A little something I created to help me remember holidays and plan out monthly content. It’s free!
Elegant Themes – I use these themes on niche sites with WordPress. It’s a one time fee for a lifetime membership and you can download all the themes you want.
Word Count Tool – I do a lot of writing in Notepad, which doesn’t have its own word count tool. I do this to avoid distraction from those squiggly lines in other word processing programs. Nothing slows you down more than a glaring mistake. This is an online tool and it’s completely free to use.
Chrometa – This nifty little program will track your time. It’s great for when you need to track billing for clients, to see where you spent your day (i.e. - how long you goofed off on social media) It can be a real eye-opener.
It does charge monthly fees. I downloaded the free version several years ago and at that time, all I had to do to keep it free to use was to write a review. I have no idea if they still do things that way, but it’s worth looking into. Maybe the downloaded version is still free. I have no clue, but it’s a nice program.
Content Providers:
I purchase and use quite a bit of content for my niche sites and for giving away free reports, etc. I have a list of content providers at my “Sassy Likes” website.
I also have a list of writing recommendations there to help you hone your writing skills or learn more about “writing business” models.
I’ve also written a few product reviews if you want to check those out.
Check this page often. I will continue to post things I use or find.
To your success!
Patti
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