Resources
The following are products and services we can fully recommend for the small business owner. We’ll keep adding to the list as we run across more cool things to help take your business to a new level.
Please note that some of the links below are affiliate links to products that will earn me a commission. These are all things that I have experience with that I am recommending because they are helpful and are companies that I trust, not because of the commissions that I may earn from you using these products.
Website Resources
Bluehost – I host all of my websites on Bluehost. They offer 1-click automatic WordPress installation, great customer service, and very economical pricing plans. I highly recommend them. Usually they are offering deals, as I write this hosting is $3.95/mo.
WordPress - Core software for building and easily maintaining your blog/website. All of our websites are built around WordPress.
WordPress Plugins -Plugins can extend WordPress to do almost anything you can imagine. We use them for everything from social sharing, spam protection, SEO, and mobile functionality. It truly is limitless what you can get these plugins to do.
Email and List Building
Aweber – What we use for almost all of our list building and newsletters. Send email newsletters & autoresponders, and create web sign up forms easily. Normally you can try it out for $1.
Constant Contact – Email marketing software that makes it easy to create professional HTML email campaigns with no tech skills. We use this in our business for newsletters primarily.
Popup Domination – Popup domination is an online software designed for WordPress that pops up an opt-in form in a very stylish fashion. Very effective at increasing your opt-in rates and subscriber growth.
Content and Graphics
oDesk - oDesk lets small businesses hire, manage and pay remote contractors as if they were in their own office. With more than 220,000 business seeking skilled workers, and 805,000 service providers from over 150 countries. I use them for everything from content creation to personal assistants.
eLance – Elance, the world’s leading platform for online employment, helps businesses hire, manage and pay professionals in the cloud. Over 100,000 businesses use Elance to find Web Developers, Graphic Designers, Writers, Marketers and more.
99Designs - The #1 marketplace for graphic design, including logo design, webdesign and other design contests. Over 29000 satisfied clients!
Niche Marketing and Research
Market Samurai – The best niche finder out there. Find profitable niches with minimal competition to help you make more money.
Google Keyword Tool – Easy way to research keywords and phrases. Integrates with Google Adwords.
SEO Book Keyword Tool – Learn which keywords you should be targeting to increase your website rankings, traffic, and profit.
Word Tracker – I especially like the keyword question tool.
Advertising
Google Adwords – Google AdWords is a service that lets you create and run ads for your business, quickly and simply. Run your ads on Google and their advertising network such as affiliated websites and blogs. Can be a cheap way to get the word out about your products and services.
Blogging Resources and Guides
31 Days to Build a Better Blog – Join with 19000 other bloggers and Kick-Start Your Blog with this 31 Day Challenge.
ProBlogger’s Guide to Your First Week of Blogging – Your First Week of Blogging encapsulates the lessons pro blogger Darren Rowse learned, and the insights he gained, over eight years and more than 30 new blogs. The ebook takes a systematic approach to the tasks that he believes are essential in the first week of a blog’s life. It’s the model I use for every new blog I start.
Shopping Carts, Distribution, and Payments
eJunkie - We’ve sold eBooks through eJunkie with great results. Shopping cart for selling downloads and tangible goods with PayPal, Google Checkout and Authorize.Net. Low cost ($5/mo) and reliable service.
Clickbank - ClickBank is the Internet’s leading retailer of digital products. Whether you’re looking to sell, promote, or shop for digital goods, ClickBank is for you. Has a great affiliate program built in for you to sell your digital products.
Paypal - Most everyone knows and trusts Paypal. Super easy way to take payments. Most of our revenue gets processed through Paypal and we’ve never had a problem.