Survival Tools

Today consider yourself very lucky because most marketers online will never do what I’m about to do. This is because people like to be secretive about what tools they are using online, and in my case, I call them my “Survival Tools” and the reasons for this phrase is because I can’t live without them.

There is no way in the world that I would be able to be as productive as I am without the tools I list below. I say being transparent is the best thing for your readers because they trust you and your judgment on certain tools online.

These survival tools keep me on the road to success, and for this reason, I’m sharing them with you today so that you can follow my footsteps. You see, I will be talking about this page a lot in the content I write on CMG, so take a minute or two to bookmark this page and come back to it when you want to add more useful applications, SEO tools, marketing tools to build your business model.

OH, By The Way – Most of the links on this page, which are around 95% of them, are all free programs you can use or download. There are a couple that I do make a small percentage off of, which covers my everyday living, such as paying for food, gas, utilities, clothes, website hosting fees, and all of the other fees I’m responsible for. Just know that if you buy something, then you’re helping me keep food on the table and clothes on my son and daughter’s backs.

Web Hosting

Bluehost – There are some web hosting companies out there, but the one I prefer is Bluehost. I switched to this company a couple of years ago, and I can’t tell you how much they have helped me. Their server is up pretty much 100% of the time, and the back office of C-Panel is filled with free services. If you’re looking for affordable web hosting, then Bluehost is the way to go.

SEO Tools

SEO in Practice – Yeah, learning SEO makes you smart — but doing SEO drives your site up. With this guide, you’ll be learning and doing SEO from the very first minute, and see exactly how you will take your site to the top of Search Engines, where the sweetest spot is.
Linkstant – Links are everything when it comes to ranking, so knowing who is linking to you and the second they link to you are essential. This free tool created by Rob and Tom is a lifesaver because now you can track your backlinks as they are created.
Link Search Tool – This tool is incredible, and to be honest, I can’t tell you why it’s free. Just type in a word or keyphrase, and it will spit back thousands of places that you can get a backlink from. This is, by far, one of the main survival tools I use more than anything.
Ahrefs – Check out this cool SEO tool where you type in a website and let the magic happen. Now you can see who links to your competitors with a click of the mouse.
Majestic SEO – When I’m in need to see what the top websites in a certain niche are doing to get links, then I go out and use Majestic SEO. I use their website a lot because they give you tons of information besides which links are pointing to your competition.
OpenSiteExplorer – Can’t say enough about what Moz does for the SEO community by providing valuable software we can use to get ahead of the competition. If you’re looking for an all in one backlink finder that comes with all the bells and whistles, then checkout OpenSiteExplorer.

Small Business Marketing Tools

Getresponse – I wouldn’t still be online today if it wasn’t for this software company. Getresponse is an email marketing software that allows you to build your readership. They have tons of customized templates you can use that fits your industry. What’s even better is that they give you a free one month trial just to test drive their software. How awesome is that?
Business Plan Pro – Business planning is by far the toughest thing to do for most small businesses, but this cool software makes that part of your life a little easier.
Wefollow – When you need to find people on twitter who share your same interest, then wefollow is the place to go. I use this site almost every day to find other small business marketers online to network with. Just search your niche by category, and the rest is history.
My Suddenlink Media – Years ago, to be able to create a 30-second commercial, you would’ve had to hire actors and rent studios and too many other things to list. Now, it’s really too easy because now you can make a cable commercial through Suddenlink by sitting at your home/office. Try it out because it is so easy that my ten years old can create a commercial of his own.
Uprinting – If you need business cards, poster cards, logos, company shirts, and more, then check out Uprinting.
LivePLan – LivePlan’s step-by-step process makes it easy to get your plan completed quickly with professional results. Over 500 sample business plans included.

Video Marketing Tools

VSnap – Getting videos hosted on your own domain can cost you a lot over time, so why not host your video on vsnap, which will save you money.
Screenr – How I love this video recording site, which will allow you to record your moments online. This is a screen recorder that gives you a full five minutes to record anything you want. I use it when I’m analyzing a client’s website or just doing a quick tutorial.
YouTube – Don’t have to say too much about this site because we all use it all day long. Set up an account and start making videos so millions can view them.

Applications

Mention – Create alerts on your name, your brand, your industry, and your competitors and be informed of any mention on the web and social networks
Roboform – Fully functioning RoboForm password manager on multiple computers and mobile devices, all in sync, for up to 10 logins. I have been using this for over eight years now, and every password I have is centered around this software. Thanks, Roboform
LibreOffice – This is Microsoft’s twin brother, but its 100% free. LibreOffice 4: The free office suite the community has been dreaming of for twelve years.
yEd Graph Editor – yEd is a powerful desktop application that can be used to quickly and effectively generate high-quality diagrams. Create diagrams manually or import your external data for analysis.
OpenOffice – Apache OpenOffice is the leading open-source office software suite for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases, and more. It is available in many languages and works on all common computers. It stores all of your data in an international open standard format and can also read and write files from other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely free of charge for any purpose
Signatureconfirm -Make your own custom contracts, send them by email, and get them signed faster.

Website Tools

Codeguard – Get a Time Machine for your website backup, monitor & undo changes.
Gumroad – Creating is hard; selling shouldn’t be. Upload your work, pick a price — and start selling in seconds.
Clickbank – Since 1998, ClickBank has helped tens of thousands of people gain more financial control and freedom in their lives by turning their knowledge, passions, hobbies and work experiences into an additional source of ongoing income.
Paypal – PayPal is the faster, safer way to pay and get paid online, via a mobile device and in stores. The service gives people simpler ways to send money without sharing financial information, and with the flexibility to pay using their account balances, bank accounts, credit cards, or promotional financing.

Submit Your Content

Bizsugar – BizSugar delivers the content that small business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs care about without all the noise: You share your business blog posts, videos, and other content so that others can learn from you. Benefits: you reinforce a reputation as a thought leader and bring online visibility to your content.
News – Know your network. When your friends make the news, we make sure you know.
Blog engage – Blog Engage is a blogging community where all bloggers submit their latest blog articles for exposure, backlinks, and traffic. All articles submitted are sent to the upcoming page where users read and vote on the submissions. When articles receive enough votes, they become published and are then found on the Blog Engage home page.
Pingomatic – Ping-O-Matic is a service to update different search engines that your blog has updated.
Pingler – Ping each of your links manually, it also ensures that pinging is performed frequently and in a timely manner.

Google Tools

Google Analytics – Google Analytics provides many educational resources. Whether you’re new to analytics or an experienced user, you’ll find videos and articles to help you get the most out of Google Analytics.
Google Webmasters – You want to be found on the web. We want to help. Get data, tools, and diagnostics for a healthy, Google-friendly site.
Google keyword tool – With Keyword Planner, we’ve combined the functionality of Keyword Tool and Traffic Estimator to make it easier to plan search campaigns. As you start to use Keyword Planner, you’ll likely notice some differences between Keyword Planner and Keyword Tool.
Google PageSpeed Tool – Fast and optimized pages lead to higher visitor engagement, retention, and conversions. The PageSpeed family of tools is designed to help you optimize the performance of your website. PageSpeed Insights products will help you identify performance best practices that can be applied to your site, and PageSpeed optimization tools can help you automate the process.