Here is a handy selection of resources that I recommend.
Each one of them has been tried & tested by me and is of a high quality.
I do earn a commission on some of the tools, if you purchase them using links on this website.
However, none of these resources would be here, if I didn’t have experience with them personally and if I didn’t trust the individuals/companies behind them.
Domain Name Registration And Web Hosting
Reliable web hosts with great customer support and reasonable prices.
- Bluehost: kidnap customers is hosted on Bluehost and so are most of my other websites.
- Hostgator: Another excellent web host, which is also recommended by a number of bloggers/websites that I visit very often.
Blogging & Content Management Systems
WordPress: One of the most popular blogging and content management platforms, which makes it easy for anyone to build a great website.
WordPress Theme Frameworks
Frameworks that provide a solid foundation for your website and make building/maintaining a site easy.
Keyword Research
Keyword research is essential if you want your target audience to find you online.
- Micro Niche Finder: For quick and easy keyword research. I use this almost everyday.
- Market Samurai: Provides more detailed data and takes more time. But an excellent tool.
Email Marketing
It’s said all the time – The money is in the list. These tools and services will help you grow your list of subscribers.
- AWeber and Mailchimp provide auto-responder and email marketing services.
- Optin Skin is a great way to add nice looking forms in different parts of your website, to get more people to join your mailing list.
Social Media Marketing
- Integrated social profile management and marketing: Hootsuite and Sprout Social.
- Facebook page creation and marketing: Short Stack, Lujure, Pagemodo and FanPageEngine.
- Synnd: Social syndication tool to get many more people to share your content.
E-Commerce & Shopping Carts
E-junkie: Shopping cart for selling downloads and tangible goods with PayPal, Google Checkout and Authorize.Net.
Website Analytics
You can learn more about how people are visiting and using your website, with Google Analytics or Clicky.
Advertising Related Stuff
- If you want to advertise and get more visitors to your website, then Google, Facebook and StumbleUpon are good/easy/quick options.
- To earn money by publishing advertisements on your websites try Google Adsense.
Article Marketing
- Unique Article Wizard: Article distribution service to build links and/or market your website.
- Article Builder: Generates good quality articles in a matter of seconds, which you can use in Unique Article Wizard and other such tools.
- The Best Spinner: Useful for spinning articles, in order to re-word them and create ‘unique/different’ articles, which can then be distributed.
Outsourcing
- Elance and oDesk: Hire programmers, designers, writers, translators, marketers, researchers and admin contractors with tested skills. Great for small ticket items.
- 99designs: For logo and website design.
Images For Your Website
- Free: Flickr and Google Images.
- Paid: Fotolia.