The following are the tools and resources I use in my SEO business. This list will be updated as I continue to test more tools, and my recommendations may change over time.
I use these regularly and can recommend them all day long. I would not recommend anything to my readers that I don’t personally use myself.
1. Hosting
I’ve used several dozen hosts over the years. This includes Hostgator, Siteground, MDD, Inmotion Hosting, WPX, Godaddy and several others.
One host that particularly stands out for its blazing speeds and affordability is Bluehost. Since hosting the sites with them, from the ease of use to daily managed backups to fantastic support, it has been a breeze.
(I use and recommend)
I get it. If you’re just starting out and have a lower budget, get Hostinger. I use Hostinger cloud – it’s inexpensive and can host 100 websites in one plan without hogging up the server resources.
I use it to host most of my smaller sites. This includes my personal blog and some smaller affiliate sites that generate $100-200 per month.
Hostinger is one of my favorite web hosting providers as of late. I have been using them for nearly 7 years and couldn’t be happier.
(for those on a budget)
2. Domains
For picking domains, I prefer Namecheap as it’s affordable and user-friendly. The prices are better than Godaddy plus there are a lot of Namecheap discount coupons around that actually work.
Overall, I like the platform more but this can be a personal choice.
(domain registrar of my choice)
3. WordPress Website Themes
If you wondered, we use WordPress for building 100% of our websites. Website theme can make or break your business. While not necessarily true, if you get a dozen of organic traffic to your website on a daily/monthly basis, you might as well make the most out of the site visitors. Isn’t it?
I prefer high-quality themes that are not only SEO-friendly but great for user experience as well. Divi is one of my top picks for a few reasons. One – it’s a one-time payment if you opt for the lifetime plan, and two – Divi offers exceptional website designs and support. Can’t really go wrong with it.
(one of the best WordPress themes)
Looking for more customization? I got your back. I get it if you’re one of the heavy hitters who wants to milk your website even more and make it conversion-focused. If that’s your thing, you should seriously consider Thrive Themes. Although not my top recommendation here as it can be an overkill for most people, it easily surges ahead when it comes to features and other stuff.
From premium themes to conversion-focused elements like opt-in forms, visual page builder to A/B split testing, Thrive Themes is truly a marketer’s delight.
(top quality themes/plugins built for conversions)
If you want outright performance and don’t care much about eye candy and other elements, go the classic route – Generatepress. Well, the page you’re seeing right now is built on the same platform.
It’s fast, user-friendly and offers everything under one hood minus the clutter.
(classic WordPress theme you can’t go wrong with)
4. Website Backups
Don’t ever take backups lightly. Just in case your site goes down for reasons unknown, backups will save you when you need them the most.
This is even more important when you have a traffic generating website as downtime will cost you money. I use and recommend Duplicator Pro as it makes the process of creating/restoring backups seamless. Oh, and if you wondered, you don’t require any technical skills to use it.
(my recommended backup plugin)
5. Page Builder
For several years, I have been using Elementor. Page builders have come and gone but this is one piece of software I can’t get enough of.
It’s visual, easy to use, drag and drop, and it can help you create that design you’re dreaming of. Not just pages like the one you’re seeing right now, but it’s good for creating posts too. Oh, and a Elementor – Generatepress combo is like a match made in heaven.
If you picked the Thrive Themes membership (see the Theme section above), skip this as Thrive offers a page builder which is better in my opinion.
6. Forms
Web forms are important. Since this is local lead generation, more than half of the inquiries can come over email forms. If overlooked, this can cost you a lot of money in the long run.
While the free version of WPforms is good enough for most people and offers a lot of features, I use WPforms pro – it offers a lot more visual elements, animations and eye-candy.
(my favorite form builder)
7. Call Tracking
It wouldn’t be wrong if I said this is the heart of the local businesses.
You essentially need a phone number where people will call you. Once you have the call, forward it to the business owners with a whisper message or collect voicemails if you want to keep it simple. This can help track your SEO efforts.
Twilio is one of the best platforms for acquiring and managing tracking phone numbers. It has the features you need most – call tracking and forwarding with a whisper message. You will need some technical know-how, though.
8. Autoresponder
Building an email list is one of the most important tasks in any online business. No matter what you promote, you need to start building your targeted list now! To be able to do this, you need an autoresponder service where you will be able to collect leads and market to your audience.
I’ve been using AWeber for almost a decade and can’t recommend it enough.
(my favorite email marketing software)
9. Funnel Builder
ClickFunnels is a funnel builder plus autoresponder (Actionetics variant).
It’s one of the more reliable autoresponders for building your email list. I’ve tested a dozen funnel builder tools, including Systeme, BuilderAll, and others, and ClickFunnels is one of the most complete software suites out there. It will let you create:
- Standard Squeeze Page
- Funnels
- Automated Webinar Funnels
- Product-Launch Funnels
- Sales Funnels (and integrates w/ your favorite shopping carts!)
- Membership sites and a WHOLE LOT MORE!
I recommend you start with ClickFunnels because you will cover your whole online business with one tool.
(my favorite funnel builder)
10. Link Tracker
ClickMagick is the next-gen click tracker and link manager that not only tracks all your clicks, I also recommend you to use it from the start; otherwise, you will be lost in the dark, must always know your numbers when you’re into affiliate marketing.
(link tracker I use & recommend)
11. WordPress Speed Booster
WP Rocket is a great little plugin that can speed up your WordPress website without writing a line of code. If you’re struggling with improving your website’s speed/performance, this is the only solution you need.
Just get the plugin, get it installed with one click, and it’s done. If you care about better PageSpeed/GTMetrix scores, again WP Rocket can help.
Fast loading times are crucial for SEO; it’s a well-known ranking factor.
(speed up your WordPress sites)
Feel free to ask for additional information by commenting below.
So, these are pretty much all the tools I use now, and they cover all my needs. 🙂