Internet Marketing Tools & Resources
I’ve personally used all of these Internet marketing tools to help me build a passive income business through a variety of websites. Many of these tools are also used for my client-side SEO consulting business, but it depends on the situation.
None of these are get rich quick products. They are either services to scale productivity or SEO tools I use on a daily to weekly basis.
I strongly recommend thoroughly researching these tools before making a purchase to ensure they are right for you. It’s amazing how quickly money can disappear as an Internet Marketer.
Remember: My business started with George Bush’s $300 stimulus check and that’s the only money I spent for my first year
Internet Marketing Tools I Use
Please note – Some of these are affiliate links. If you click on a link and purchase the product, it will earn me a commission. If you do, I absolutely appreciate your support and it helps keep Brighter Vision as a free, high quality resource for everyone looking to make money online. I’ve personally used these products and only recommend them if I strongly support them.
If you have any questions about the products, please don’t hesitate to contact me!
Here are the tools I use broken down by category:
- SEO Tools & Keyword Research
- Hosting
- Blogging
- Essential WordPress Plugins
- Email Marketing
- Making Money
- Outsourcing
- Domaining
- Tools You Shouldn’t Buy
SEO Tools
- RavenTools – Raven is the swiss army knife of all SEO tools. It’s functionality and depth is surpassed by nothing on the market. It’s greatest strength is the ability to add, manage and track links built to your site. It can coordinate with Basecamp, you can schedule posts out on your Facebook page, perform keyword research, do in-depth linkbuilding research, track your rankings… It is an Internet Marketer’s dream tool… but takes weeks to learn its full functionality.
- BuzzStream – BuzzStream is hands-down the #1 linkbuilding tool on the market. It pulls back Google search results, their PageRank, scrapes contact emails, can scrape WhoIS database info, reaches out to your link prospects, uses MailMerge… Man, it is awesome. I seriously cannot live without it.
- Market Samurai – I used to swear by Market Samurai. And it’s still a very high quality tool for keyword research. But here’s the problem: It’s on Adobe Air. This means it runs v-e-r-y slowly… There’s also rank tracking, but it’s an additional monthly fee. I don’t use it nearly as much as I used to, but will dive into it for a few hours anytime I’m beginning a new project.
- Google AdWords – AdWords is a great tool for quick keyword research. But Google only shows you keywords it wants to show you… In other words, the keywords they want you bidding on in AdWords. For long-tail searches, you need Market Samurai, Raven, Wordtracker or SiteBuild It!
- Google Webmaster Tools – Necessary for sitemap submission, crawling errors, duplicate meta problems etc.
- SEOMoz Open Site Explorer – Great tool for checking out the backlinks of competitors.
- WordTracker – I love this keyword research tool. They don’t take their data from Google, but instead use third party search engines. Still, it’s accurate, fast and a killer tool.
- Site BuildIt! Keyword Research Tool – But this is my go-to keyword research tool. SiteBuild It! uses WordTracker’s API to get their data, plus their own massive data set from sites they host. They also relay accurate competition data so you know how many pages are optimized for a particular keyword.
Hosting
- Bluehost – What differentiates web hosting platforms from one another these days is customer service. I have a few sites at Bluehost and they’ve moved into my #1 default choice for any new site’s hosting thanks to tremendous service, a great dashboard & one click WordPress install.
- HostGator – I have over half of my websites with HostGator. I like that you can get someone to chat with you instantly, but that’s about it. Their service used to be top notch, but it has taken a steep slide over the last year and I’m tempted to transfer all of my sites away from them.
- ZippyKid – Now this hosting service ROCKS. You can get the CEO on the phone with you in minutes — how’s that for customer service?!? It’s expensive (20 bucks a month), but it’s a fully managed WordPress hosting solution. They update your plugins, keep your site safe and secure etc. If I move off of HostGator, I’ll be moving most of my sites to ZippyKid.
- VPS.net – I host my ‘biggest-site-in-the-making’ with them. Nothing great to say about the company though. You can chat with people anytime, which I appreciate, but the price for WordPress hosting isn’t worth it. I’ll be moving this site to ZippyKid.
- Site BuildIt! – This was my first hosting platform and where I built my first 3 websites on. It’s far more than a hosting platform though — It’s a swiss army knife of tools for anyone looking to build an online business. The biggest problems with SBI! is that they have a cult-like following, you need to know extensive HTML & CSS to build a good looking website, they are expensive, and it isn’t scale-able like WordPress
Blogging
- WordPress – Where I build all my sites now. Quick install, easy to manage… But because it’s so popular, it gets hacked all the time, so you need to stay on top of your security. Plus, the SEO isn’t built-in.
- Woo Themes – I build some client sites on Woo Themes. They have great looking out-of-the-box templates for businesses. Plus they have good SEO built in.
- Studio Press – Same goes for Studio Press as Woo. Good looking templates, great SEO, easy to customize for clients.
Essential WordPress Plugins
- Limit Login Attempts – Security, security, security. Keep your WordPress site secure or you’ll get hacked. You can set the number of times someone can attempt logging into your site before their IP is blocked for X hours.
- Yoast SEO – The best all-in-one SEO tool for WordPress.
- Redirection – If you ever change a page’s URL, you need to tell Google where the new page is. This plugin lets you easily write 301 redirects.
- Contact Form7 – Good looking contact form plugin.
- WP Database Backup – Back your site up every week. Including the Database and posts. Security, security, security.
Email Marketing
- Aweber – The King of all email marketing tools. You can easily build an opt-in email marketing list with Aweber and your opt-in forms look really slick.
- Mail Chimp – MailChimp is the step-child of Aweber. It’s a more economical solution.
- SendGrid – I use SendGrid to ensure my emails are delivered. They have a variety of account types and I recommend signing up and rerouting your emails through their servers.
- Mozilla Thunderbird – I manage over a dozen websites and anywhere from 6-10 client websites at a time. They each need their own email address and Thunderbird is a fantastic, free solution for this.
- Google Apps – Get a Google Apps account and get an email address at your domain name. Then route it through Thunderbird and route your outgoing email through SendGrid’s servers.
Making Money
- Google AdSense – Pay Per Click. You get paid everytime someone clicks. I used to make around $200/day with AdSense, but I’ve since swapped it out for other monetization options. You will, too, once you get creative.
- Chitika – Same as AdSense. I’ve seen Chitika pay better in some verticals than AdSense, but not many.
- Avantlink – They are my favorite affiliate network. The best user interface, superior tools, and the best customer service.
- PepperJam – I used PJ for a while, but they’ve gone downhill since being acquired by Ebay.
- Google Affiliate Network – GAN is a great network and I have nothing but positive things to say about GAN. About 15% of all my affiliate links are routed through GAN’s program.
- Commission Junction – Too big to care, too big to ignore.
- Share a Sale – I hate their interface, but they have a lot of good programs.
Outsourcing
- Amazon Turk – A tremendous tool for gathering data, contact info, linkbuilding etc. You basically crowdsource tasks.
- 99 Designs – Need a logo? This is the best place to go (I got Brighter Vision’ logo designed here). It’s expensive, but not as expensive as a non-crowd sourced graphic designer.
- 48 Hours Logo – Don’t want to spend a few hundred bucks at 99Designs? I don’t like to either anymore. 48 Hours Logo is cheaper, but I haven’t found the final products to be as good as 99Designs.
Domaining
- DomainBoardRoom – DomainBoardRoom is a private community of like-minded, professional domainers. I was fortunate enough to be invited and accepted. If you are serious about domaining and hold your business up to high moral and ethical standards, I’d recommend applying.
- FreshDrop – I use FreshDrop to scan domains dropping everyday. The interface isn’t pretty, but it gets the job done.
- BuzzStream – I use BuzzStream to research potential sales prospects and create a large marketing list in no time. My Virtual Assistant handles all of the research and I just review his work before reaching out. It’s a phenomenal tool that I can’t live without.
Don’t Buy These Tools
- Unique Article Spinner – This tool ‘rewrites’ articles so that you can submit those ‘unique’ articles to article directories. It’s a waste of time and money. All you’re doing is spamming the search engines. It MIGHT work for you today, but it won’t work forever. I prefer to build long lasting brands, not house of card style websites. And if you’re serious about making money online, you should focus on building brands, too.
Jeremy says
I’m sorry, but getting your design work from crowd-sourcing entities is exactly what is WRONG with the world of web and graphic design these days. SEO is fine and all, but without good, conscious design, it’s all for nothing.
Supporting and endorsing websites/companies that spit out inferior design to the masses destroys the creative process that is required in order to attain positive results.
As Frank Chimero says – “People ignore design that ignores people.”
Perry says
Hi Jeremy,
Thanks for your thoughtful comment. Here’s why I feel crowd sourcing graphic design is completely legitimate:
First, please understand that I never suggested getting a website crowdsourced. Crowdsourcing a website would not work for a multitude of reasons… Well, on second thought, I don’t see why crowdsourcing a wireframe wouldn’t work…
Regardless, claiming that crowdsourcing ‘spits out inferior design’ is a little too over-reaching. That’s essentially saying that designers in Peru, or India, or the Philippines, or a 20 year old college student in America, are incapable of producing a creative design that meets a company’s needs. There’s the cream of the crop, and then there’s the bottom of the barrel–just like stateside companies.
In the end, no matter where you choose to have your graphic design work done, it is your responsibility to effectively communicate what you are looking for. 48HoursLogo and 99Designs are collaborative projects. You provide a detailed description and work with the designers to create a design that meets your needs. If you fail to communicate and contribute to the creative process then it doesn’t matter if you crowdsource or hire a stateside company–the end result will be one you are unhappy with.
~ Perry
Jeremy says
Perry,
Thanks for your quick response. I agree that talented people do submit work to crowd-sourcing websites and companies. My issue isn’t with the quality of the work (although you definitely get what you pay for, most of it is pretty bad), it’s the fact that these companies cheapen the product and process by setting customer’s expectations very low. If you can get a logo for $100 from a site that does 100 logos a day, where does that leave independent designers like myself and my colleagues trying to make a living? My time is worth money, just like every one else. What about the dozens of designers who submit logos only to not get picked?
There’s a reason logos cost more than $100. A good logo requires hours of research and collaboration (something I do with each and every one of my clients). It generally takes me about 15-20 hours to make a logo. So are you telling me that I am only worth $5-6 per hour? I’m pretty sure that’s below minimum wage. I should never have quit my job flipping burgers.
Sure, there will always be someone willing to do the work for cheaper, but then it just becomes a bidding war and completely loses sight of the end goal. I also agree that the client is responsible for communicating their needs, but a GREAT designer sees the needs the client might not have even thought of. It’s about the bigger picture.
I might come off as heated, but this is a topic I feel quite strongly about. This is just friendly banter, and offering a designer’s point of view.
Kudos on setting out there on your own. I know from experience it can be quite daunting.
Perry says
Hey Jeremy,
I understand your frustration with sites like these and why you’re so passionate about this topic. If you didn’t have this kind of passion, you wouldn’t be in business 🙂
I own over a dozen websites in my portfolio. Each one needs a logo designed. For $1,200 I can use 48HoursLogo to get 12 high quality logos and move on. My fixed cost is a little less than 100 bucks a logo plus my time (usually about 30-45 minutes overall). Or I could spend 6-12k to go with a designer that doesn’t participate on these crowdsourcing sites. This would also involve me dedicating 1.5-2 hours per site. That’s half a week of work lost, a lot of extra capital and a lot of money lost due to the extra time spent on developing a logo.
For me, to spend an extra $500+ per logo isn’t worth it. That money can be better spent on content development. After all, a great design is useless if nobody arrives on your website.
For clients, I’ll refer them to 2-3 graphic designers, as well as 48HoursLogo and 99Designs. All my clients have chosen 48HoursLogo and everyone has been very pleased with the results.
Cheers,
Perry
Jeremy says
Agree to disagree, I guess.
It saddens me to think people regard being at the top of the search results as being more important than a consistent, clear and concise branding effort. A bad design at the top of google still won’t get the same recognition of a good design 5 hits down.
Perry says
Design is important. I don’t want to give the impression that I believe design doesn’t matter (because it definitely does). Especially with bounce rates and user engagement a factor in Google Panda. But you can have a great logo made by anyone from any country. Remember, $100 to someone in the Philippines means something different than $100 to someone in NYC. And they can be equally as talented designers, but just live in different economies.
In a global economy, you must leverage your assets to be successful and determine the best use of your capital. For many, a crowdsourced logo works perfectly well.
Jeremy says
Agreed. Just as SEO is important. They both have a very important role in the online marketplace.
I’m not arguing that people from other countries aren’t good designers (Brazil is full of amazingly talented designers, to name one). My beef isn’t with outsourcing to companies oversees, it’s with crowdsourcing, which is different. Crowdsourcing pits dozens if not hundreds of designers against each other in the off chance that their work will get chosen. It seems like a waste of talent and time for those who participate.
Case in point, JCPenney: http://www.storm-from-the-east.com/2011/02/new-jcpenney-logo-thats-not-the-way-to-do-it.html
When a global giant like JCPenney has a “design contest” for their new branding effort, it is a slap in the face to all of the firms and schools they “hire” to do the work.
I want to stress that I am in no way attacking your business model or how you choose to handle your company and clients. Again, I’m just offering one designer’s opinion. An opinion which many share with me, but that doesn’t make it the only viable school of thought. At the end of the day, I’m just happy to see both of us out of the restaurant world and doing something we clearly are passionate and knowledgeable about.
Cheers,
Jeremy
Chromatic Studios
Perry says
Gosh, that is a hideous logo 🙂
For a company the size of JCPenney, where budget is clearly not an issue, I don’t see why they would go down that route.
I understand and agree with your gripes regarding crowdsourcing from a designer’s standpoint. For my projects and for clients it is oftentimes a viable route to get a very good logo made for cheap. But from a stateside designer’s perspective, it, well, sucks.
Glad to see your business is going well, Jeremy! Be sure to keep in touch.
Jeremy says
Here is my final thought on this, written by someone else. 🙂
http://thedeependdesign.com/why-crowdsourcing-is-bad-for-design/
Enjoy your day!
Chester Yates says
Thanks!
Lingkan Sarkar says
This is an outstanding article. The tools you are using also best. Really helpful. Thank you.