If it’ll help move my business or a client’s project forward, I’ll try it! However, I must admit, tinkering with new tools can be huge distraction. To help me stay on track, I’ve adopted a mantra for myself when it comes to shinny-new apps and tools, “Less googling, more action!”
I pulled together the list below of my favorite finds so you can also hopefully do a little “less googling and more action.” Some stuff you might not need now, but I suggest bookmarking this page for your reference. I’ll be adding more as find and test them out.
Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links so I will earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase or sign up for a service. This is, of course, at no extra cost to you. I also want to mention that I do not add anything to this page that I don’t have personal experience using. I recommend them because I use them and find them genuinely helpful and worth mentioning. Feel free to ask me any questions. I’m happy to share my experience with any of my recommendations.
I used their hosting service for my personal sites and client sites. They have great customer service (love the chat feature) and I’m super confident in recommending them to anyone. Sure, there are cheaper hosting services out there, but I don’t mind paying a little extra for excellent service and that I what I’ve always received with Dreamhost.
LeadPages makes landing pages and opt-ins easy. They give you great templates that are proven to convert and they are super easy to set up. They even have a WordPress plugin that allows you to easily integrate everything onto your WordPress site. I love that! Recently, I’ve started listening to their podcast and it’s just as great as their service. Straight forward and super valuable.
Many of my latest projects include video and Wistia is the video hosting provider I use. You get so much more than just hosting. They give you great statistics and you actually get to see what parts of your videos people are watching. I also love this service because the company provides tons of great content on their blog for anyone looking to get started with video marketing.
Everyone needs an email service provider and I use MailChimp. It’s great because you can setup a free account and quickly start building your email list. It’s super easy to use and a big bonus is that it integrates really well with all the services mentions above. I love it when tech tools play nice with each other.
As you start building your brand online, you’ll find you need to create lots of graphics. This is a great FREE online tool that will help you make fantastic images. They have loads of templates, images, fonts, and layouts to choose from. You are bound to find something you like and you’re, of course, able to upload your own graphics so you can maintain your brand’s look-n-feel.
Themeforest is a marketplace for designers to sell their designs. I get all my premium WordPress themes on Themeforest. They tend to range between $40 and $55 and the designers on there keep their themes up to date and offer support. Check out the WordPress themes on Themeforest.
Easy as Pie Maintenance Mode – Quick and easy plugin for putting your site in maintenance mode while you work on it behind the scenes.
SumoMe – This plugin will help you build your email list.
YoastSEO or All in One SEO – These are all about SEO. Simple to use and very powerful.
WordPress SuperCache – This helps your site load quickly.
Surcuri – I use this service provider for backups and security. If you’ve ever been hacked you know what a pain it is to get everything back up and running. Peace of mind is priceless so this service is a must for me.
BufferApp – Super simple to use tools that helps you schedule your social media posts.
Awesome Screenshot – Capture and make notes on a screenshot.
1 Password – Keep all your passwords in a single place and safe.
DropBox – This is a given for the busy professional/entrepreneur on the go. Keep all your work in a signal place that syncs to all your devices.
Evernote – Yet another great tool for staying organized and managing the many pieces of media/content/information you have floating around.
Audible – I recently decided to pick up one new leadership/business book a month. I’ve tried this in the past but have never been able to keep up when I was reading the books. However, listening to the audio versions instead has enabled me to stick with it. Give it a try. You’ll be surprised how much easier it makes things.
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