Some
of our Favorite Tools
You can't market a Website without some powerful tools. Without
the proper tools you'll just be wasting tons of time with trial
and error. In addition to proprietary tools that we have purchased
with hefty licensing fees, here is a list of some of the tools
that we like -- many are free. (We are not an affiliate of any
of these services or sites, we simply feel they offer something
of value.)
MARKETING TOOLS
COPY WRITING
I think we've talked quite a bit about the importance of good
copy writing for your Website for both high rankings and visitor
conversions. This site offers a WeWe calculator that can take
your site's body copy and tell you how customer focused it is
(or isn't). http://www.futurenowinc.com/wewe.htm (Sometimes the calculator doesn't want to perform, please be
patient.)
SEO TOOLS
For the do-it-yourselfer, this site offers a good variety of
basic tools needed for search engine optimization of your Web
site. From keyword research (we love the Keyword Difficulty
Tool) to site analysis and more, this site has an impressive
collection. http://www.socengine.com/seo/tools.php
SEARCH ENGINE RELATIONSHIPS
For those of you trying to keep up with who owns who or who
shows who's database, this chart will be of great interest. http://www.bruceclay.com/searchenginerelationshipchart.htm You will need to check it often since the cyberspace environment
changes frequently.
SEARCH ENGINE NEWS
This bi-monthly newsletter is a MUST for all SEO professionals.
Danny Sullivan has been reporting on search engine changes since
1996, when he was forced to investigate why a client's site
wasn't ranking well in the search engines. As editor of Search
Engine Watch, he always shares the latest information in a professional
and unbiased format. SEO professionals and Webmasters value
his reporting. http://searchenginewatch.com/
SEO ADVICE
This site has a monthly newsletters and archived articles that
talk specifically about the search engines and site optimization.
Jill Whalen is a well respected SEO expert in her field and
a colleague of ours. http://www.highrankings.com
DIRECT MAIL
This service offers full color postcards and will even mail
them for you. All site promotion is not done online. Offline
site promotion of your Website can be extremely effective. http://www.verticalresponse.com/products
EMAIL MARKETING
We've had good input from others who have used this program
and it is quite cost effective. Again, it is for the do-it-yourselfer
-- you must be able to copy and paste code into your pages. Http://www.mailermailer.com
SITE & DESIGN TOOLS
MERCHANT ACCOUNTS
If you'd like to offer credit cards at your site without the
expense of a merchant account, we've heard good things about http://www.2checkout.com.
There is a small setup fee and then they take a small percentage
of each sale. The balance of the sale funds is deposited directly
into your bank account. Very easy to use for anyone familiar
with HTML and supports most shopping cart software.
WEBSITE GOODIES
If your Website is just a hobby or a hobby that you hope will
someday become your main source of income, you'll want to check
out http://www.bravenet.com.
They offer tons of "goodies" for your site from chat
to online polls and much more, and you don't have to write a
line of code.
JAVASCRIPT
We turn to this site first whenever we look for a script to
perform a specific function. The scripts are easy to copy and
paste into your Web page and usually very easy to customize. Http://www.dynamicdrive.com
PERL SCRIPTS
Some functions require something more powerful than JavaScript.
This site offers Perl Scripts with upload functions so that
you can have a form on your site where the visitor can Email
you with an attached file. This is just one of the available
"goodies" you'll find here. You will need to customize
code. http://www.perlscriptsjavascripts.com/perl/attachment/index.html?am
WEB TEMPLATES & IDEAS
We don't buy Web templates, but we do like to look at them to
get ideas. However, if you're looking to design your own site,
a template may be helpful in providing you with a "professional"
look. This site has been offering free templates for many years
now and has quite a large selection: http://www.freesitetemplates.com
FLASH TEMPLATES
You will need to have Macromedia Flash to edit these or you
can ask them to create a custom design for you - for a fee. http://www.free-flash-template.com We do not recommend that you use a splash page with Flash
if you want to be found by the search engines, but some Flash
can add interest to your site, if used properly.
E-COMMERCE
Got a new product but not sure how successful it will be online?
Yahoo Small Business offers very affordable E-Commerce solutions
starting at $39.95/month. You will need to do some work to configure
the look of your store and add each of your items, but the price
is exceptional for an entry level online store. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/merchant/
