When I do my local business marketing workshops, people often ask me about the services that I use and recommend, so I decided to compile all the information in one place as a handy resource I could easily direct people to. I’ll continue to add to this page as I come across additional tools that I think would be of benefit, so feel free to bookmark it for your convenience. Hope it helps!
*In the interest of full disclosure* know that some of the links below are affiliate links and, at no additional cost to you, I may earn a commission if you decide to make a purchase. Please understand that I have personally used all of these services, so I recommend them because they have been helpful and useful in my business, not because of a small commission I make if you decide to buy something.
Certainly, do not spend any money on services that you don’t need. You should only invest in tools that can have a direct impact in helping you achieve your goals. Always do your own due diligence when purchasing tools, education & resources to grow your business. Ok, I’m stepping down off of my soapbox now…enjoy:)
Aweber: This is an email opt-in service and email marketing/broadcasting solution. I used Aweber for years as a tool to build my email lists and found it to be really user-friendly. It really is the best email marketing service I’ve used thus far and their customer support staff is very helpful, always responding to my requests in record time. Knowing how critical customer service can be when you’re in a crunch, this can oftentimes justify the monthly investment in and of itself. They offer a free trial if you’d like to give it a test drive…
NameCheap: This is the site that I use to register all of my domain names. They’re the most cost-effective
registrar that I’ve come across thus far.
TaxJar: I recently signed up for TaxJar and am feeling the benefit already. It has taken such a load off of my shoulders with regards to tax compliance. They make it simple for me so that I can focus on creating products which is what I do best. Total peace of mind.
Sucuri: If you’ve been hit by malware (or don’t want to run the risk of your site exploding), consider checking these guys out…they saved my proverbial butt and I’ve been a faithful customer ever since.
In the wee hours one panic-stricken Friday night (more like before dawn one Saturday morning), I submitted a support ticket and nervously went to bed after learning that my site had been blacklisted. When I checked my email later that day, I’d received a response to my malware removal ticket saying they couldn’t get in with the access details I’d provided. So I quickly double-checked and gave them updated details that afternoon. By Monday morning, I had an email in my inbox from Sucuri saying the malware had been removed. After confirming that I’d been ‘un-blacklisted’ in my Google Webmaster Tools account, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. My site was back up and all was well.