Digital resources to help you do better business online.
Below is a collection of websites, tools and resources you might find useful for your digital and business activities.
I have not tried some of them, so if you have feedback or would like to recommend other tools and resources, please drop me a line!
Apps:
- Any.do – great little to-do list for your mobile devices.
- Evernote.com – store all your thoughts, snippets, websites and way more.
- Mailbox – powered by Dropbox, a handy tool for keeping your inbox organized.
Audio:
- SpeechPad.com – convert audio to text for cheap.
Blogs and Digital Marketing
- MarketingTooklit.org – handy reference of marketing/SEO tools.
Browser Extensions:
- SEO Quake – browser extension for SEO.
- SEMRush.com – competitor analysis.
Business:
- FirstRound.com – blog on startups.
Copywriting:
- Copyblogger.com – website all about digital marketing and writing copy for web.
- Copyscape.com – check for plagiarism.
- iWriter.com – article writing service.
- MyWriters.com – article writing service, more expensive than iWriter.
- Problogger.net – website about blogging and related topics.
- HemingwayApp.com – writing app.
- PaperRater.com – editing app.
- GingkoApp.com – writing app.
- WriteOrDie.com – writing app.
- UlyssesApp.com – writing app.
Education:
- Udemy.com – learn code and other digital skills.
- Codecademy – learn code.
- Team Treehousee – learn html, coding etc.
- Lynda.com – learn how to use applications, code websites, etc.
Fonts:
- Skolar Serif
- Gibson – versatile font with a range of thin and heavy bold weights. See it in action on http://firstround.com.
- Helios Thin – beautiful, thin font.
- Roboto – a common Google font, used in Google’s Material Design. Looks good in thin and bolded weights.
Design:
- Canva – make simple, quick designs, free and paid.
- GraphicBurger.com – free graphics.
- Style Tiles – image placeholders for planning website layouts.
- Niice.co – design inspiration.
- Typespiration.com – font inspiration.
- Gridspiration – most popular Dribbble tags.
Digital Marketing:
- SproutSocial.com – digital marketing blog, long form blog posts.
- AlessandroZamboni.com – blog with tons of content about online marketing.
- Marketing Stack – a curated directory of marketing resources & tools.
Legal:
- Bonsai – web design and web development contract for Canada, USA and UK.
- Contract Killer – a pretty good starter contract for web designers/developers.
- LegalZoom.com – not a law firm, but provides legal services.
Payment Processors:
- Stripe – easy to use and light weight shopping cart.
People:
- Rafal Tomal – Rainmaker Digital designer/developer.
Podcasting:
- Simplecast.com – podcast hosting cheap.
- MidRoll – monetize your podcast with these podcast advertisers.
- Entrepreneur On Fire – interviewing entrepreneurs in a structured question/answer format.
Plugins:
- Beaver Builder Plugin – visual drag and drop page builder (for less-html savvy people).
- Click to Tweet – quickly create a link that tweets out any message you set.
- Instagram Image Gallery – just what it says – for WordPress.
- NinjaForms.com – create forms and more.
- Simple Share Plugin – the one used on copyblogger.com and this website.
- Soliloquy – lightweight responsive slider.
Search Engine Optimization:
- Moz.com – Definitive source for everything SEO
- Quicksprout – SEO
- Search Engine Journal – SEO blog
- Search Engine Land – SEO Blog
- SEOBook.com – use the keyword planner tool
- Screaming Frog – SEO spider tool and page crawler.
Social Media/Sharing
Themes:
- Themeforest* – themes for WordPress, static HTML and other content management systems.
- Studiopress.com – The creators of the Genesis Framework.
- Emma Theme* – wedding theme (nice design).
Tools:
- Placeit.com – place video into images and more.
- ChatRoll.com – chat services.
- IFTTT.com – If this then that automation tool.
- Plex.tv – all your media on all devices.
UX/UI
- SmashingMagazine.com – articles on design, especially ux/ui design, for web designers and developers.
- UserOnboard.com – all about user onboarding experiences.
Web-based Services:
- BoostBlogTraffic.com
- SocialCrawlytics.com
- OptimizePress.com – Easy sales pages
- KissMetrics.com – Analytics, marketing, testing
- Bounce Exchange – Expensive
- Basecamp.com – project management app
- VWO.com – A/B testing
- Newsle.com – hear about media mentions
- Nutshell.com – Learn about your customers
- SumoMe.com – a series of plugins to help increase leads, email subscribers and learn more about how people use your website.
- SalesLoft.com – find targeted leads.
- GetResponse.com – A/B testing for email.
- Freshbooks* – Cloud accounting software, perfect for service-based small businesses.
- Login Radius – build a login into your website using Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.
- Clarity.fm – get advice from the professionals (or use this to bill by the minute for your consulting business).
- New Rainmaker – learn about digital marketing and build a platform on their service.
Anything with a * denotes a referral link.