What services, tools and systems am I using to power my web sites? Glad you asked … (You know this also means these are the ones I can safely recommend to you, right?) Don’t forget to bookmark this page!
Internet Activities Are Powered By . . .
I’ve compliled my favorite, most trusted resources into one easy-to-follow, reference-type manual. And I’m giving it away FREE.
These Are Solid Tools I Use to run my online and offline business activities.
Plus Access to 15+ Video Tutorials To Give You A Head Start. The less time you spend tracking down the best resources, the faster you can get to work on what really matters to you.
I‟ve already done the testing, evaluating, and question-asking, so you don‟t have to. (But you can still do some additional research if you choose to!)
You can read the rest of this page, there are some great, time-tested resources here. Or you can grab a copy of my Personal Swipe File because all the resources on this page are included there — along with lots more. Available from Local Business Coach Online. (The link is also at the bottom of the page.)
Web Hosting
Ready to Create A Website for Your Business or Personal Projects? I recommend the following web hosting companies:
I use HostGator for several of my sites. But what’s more important is I recommend my clients use HostGator because they offer cPanel, an easy-to-use control panel that has a picture for every task. And HostGator gives you so much help to get going, and keep going. I especially like their huge library of video tutorials that are free to anyone who hosts with them.
Planning on having more than just one website? Sign up for their Reseller hostingr if you have a lot of websites and only want to pay one fee.
For Geeks, Experienced Webmasters, and The Truly Brave . . .
I use Dreamhost for most of my web sites (I have about 10 hosted there now). Why two webhosts? I have numerous websites and I need a different kind of server environment for some of them. Plus, how can I recommend something I’ve never used?
Get your own powerful, feature-packed Web Space for $9.95/month. Even less when you use promo code “vernessataylor” to pay for your Yearly Plan or Monthly Plan.
Domain Names
Your domain name is your identity on the web. No need to wait to register one (they’re cheap!). Take time to register your personal name, your business name, and even names associated with future projects. Lock ‘em down!
Quick! Register your Domain Names before somebody else does. Most of mine are at GoDaddy’s because they’re inexpensive and you can easily find coupons to knock the price down. (I used to like their management tools. Oh, well, still a good deal.) (Heads Up: Dreamhost gives you a free name if you get your web hosting from them.)
Mailing Lists … Communications … Follow-Up . . . Automatic Responses
Don’t let your visitors get away! Stay in touch with customers, visitors, blog readers and potential buyers with an automatic system. Chances are you’ve used these services already if you’ve ever requested newsletter subscriptions or customer support from somebody on the web. Below are my favorites.
- AutoresponsePlus is my absolute favorite autoresponder software. It runs my major email campaigns, follow-up marketing, customer communications. Oops! Am I selling?
- Now recommending Aweber Monthly autoresponder system. I’ve been using it for a client’s email series and it works rather well. Aweber re-designed their site, added a blog that they post to regularly, and provides some excellent video tutorials to get you up and running fast.
- Another alternative is the GetResponse monthly autoresponder service. Try it for yourself when you request their free email series.
E-Commerce Payment Systems
You can’t get paid if you don’t have a hook-up! That is, unless you have your website hooked up to a payment gateway where customers can pay you for products, services, membership, all you can do is wait for the check to come in the mail. I hate to break this to you but people want to pay right away and if they have to pull out the checkbook, find a pen, get an envelope, buy a stamp … You get the picture.
Let’s make it easy for them and for you: Use an ecommerce payment system!
When you’re just starting out, you’ll need at least two … Why use more than one e-commerce payment system? Because each one has it strengths!
PayPal has “millions” of users. Some of them want to pay you using their PayPal account. PayPal lets you and me accept credit cards and electronic checks. No charge to sign up but you have to go through a bit of a process to get approved. It’s worth it.
Pulling eCommerce Together
The FastSpring ecommerce system was added to the line-up in late 2008. Here’s why: Almost every online marketer uses PayPal to process payments, but there is a serious drawback to PayPal: you can’t collect customer information to use for followup.
Using FastSpring, you can collect payments plus easily hook into some of my other management systems. FastSpring is B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L. It is comprehensive, product management is strong, and so is the customer management interface. Customer support is responsive (They called me on the phone to help me set up my account!) And, finally, the FastSpring service is free (no payment on the frontend, they take their fees when you sell your products).
Managing Online + Offline Connections
These services are online components that help me manage some of my offline activities. They were chosen out of sheer necessity, primarily because I needed the functionality but didn’t have a suitable — or satisfactory — offline (desktop) alternative.
Project Management
I am currently using BaseCamp to manage projects. Although there are a number of project management softwares available, I wanted something that wasn’t so timeline and chart intensive.
Basecamp also integrates nicely with my online invoicing tool (see below). If you’re juggling a number of projects, try Basecamp. (It took me over a year to decide to even try it! Now I like it enough I pay to use it, but they do have a free account you can sign up for and use forever.)
Invoicing
What good is an online invoicing system? I asked myself the same question and really avoided it until recently.
I do computer repair, upgrades and software installations — all offline activities. And while I can invoice my clients the old-fashioned way — using a desktop application, like QuickBooks, they can’t access previous invoices or pay their bills online. Thus I began to use FreshBooks so my clients could see payment history, past services, download their own invoices, etc. — all through their very own control panel. Really neat, and quite (ahem!) professional. Plus, FreshBooks has a time and billing feature which integrates with BaseCamp, so any project activity done in BaseCamp will automagically show up in FreshBooks for invoicing.
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