Because we’re here to help you, we thought it would be appropriate to create a resource page where you can find out more information on your own. Whether you decide to use the services of The Internet Business Provider or not, these resources can help you in your journey towards a better small business website.
Please note that most of these links are affiliate links, which means we receive a commission when you purchase through these links. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, and we only recommend affiliate resources that we use and love ourselves!
WordPress Resources
WordPress is the #1 blog publishing platform in the world, and you can also use it to create a website with static (non-blog) pages. If you’re designing your own website, WordPress is the simplest platform to learn, so we definitely recommend this option. Once you start generating revenue from your business, you can always reinvest some of that into a virtual assistant or designer who can help you polish up your business’s WordPress site.
ThemeForest:
While many WordPress themes are free, using a paid, custom theme can help your site stand out from the crowd. Plus, these themes often come with better security. We highly recommend the themes from ThemeForest, which are detailed, have loads of extra features, and contain excellent graphics.
Elegant Themes:
This is yet another place to get great paid themes for WordPress. As their name states, these themes are truly simple and elegant, and feature great graphics and creative designs.
Hosting
We’ve used Bluehost on many different occasions, and it’s an extremely reliable hosting service. They also offer one-click automated WordPress installation, which is quick and efficient. They also have outstanding customer service!
Images and Photos
The images at Flickr with a Creative Commons license can often be used for free on your website. But there are rules about when, where, and how you can use these images. Check out the rules for using Creative Commons licensed photos here. * Remember that no matter where you get your photos, you’ll need to ensure that you’re following all applicable copyright laws. Some sites allow you to purchase a license to use photos, but there are always rules that go with copyrighted photos. Going against these rules will get you in trouble!
Keyword Tools
Market Samurai:
This is the best keyword research tool out there. It analyzes competition for keywords, helps you figure out how to monetize them, and even helps you choose a domain name that will automatically increase your search engine rankings. If you want the best SEO keywords for your site, this is it.
Long Tail Key Word Search:
This is another highly recommended tool that helps you find, especially, long tail keywords – those that are very specific and usually several words long. Many people think it’s easier to use than Market Samurai, even though they’re both excellent tools.
Email Marketing
This is the best email marketing tool out there, and I definitely recommend it. I actually use it myself! Aweber can help you put an opt-in email newsletter form on your small business website, built various email marketing lists, and generally get the word out about your business and any special promotions you might be running.
Affiliate Ads and Shopping Carts
If you want to retail digital products like ebooks – or even help sell them and promote them for others as an affiliate – Clickbank is the way to go!
Paypal makes it easy and secure to take online payments – or to receive payments from customers or affiliates for whom you market. It’s easy to use and easy to set up.
Advertising
This is the tool you use to start a pay-per-click marketing campaign through Google. You can pick relevant keywords, and you’ll only pay when someone actually clicks on your advertisement.
With Adwords, you advertise your business, products, or website on searches and on other people’s websites. With Adsense, you can generate income on your own content-based or retail website by putting advertisements on your own pages. When they’re clicked on, you get paid. It’s a free service to use, but using Adsense well is an art form!
Analytics and Tracking
Once again, Google makes the top of the list for its products. Google Analytics will help you track everything from visitors to click-throughs on your website, and it’s an essential (free!) tool to have.
This Google tool helps you create an A/B test of different web pages. Basically, you’ll tweak content, design, or other elements on one page. Some visitors will see the original version, and others will see the tweaked version. Google Optimizer will tell you which page is getting the best results.
This is an easier-to-use analytical tool. You can see how many people are on your site and what they’re doing. It’s free for the first site, but it’s a paid service for any site after that. Definitely worth looking into, though!
Site Optimization and Security
Matthew Horne of the DIYWPBlog:
Matthew is an expert in making your WordPress site as optimized as possible. He’ll help with faster loading times, among other common issues for WordPress site owners. He’s definitely worth the investment, especially as your site gets more traffic and loading times become more important.
Sucuri:
This paid service allows you to see if anyone tries to tamper with your site, and it automatically helps take care of any security problems. You can also sign up for notifications to let you know in real time if there may be issues with your website.
Video
Camtasia:
This screen capture service allows you to take videos of what you’re doing on your screen, so you can create helpful videos for your web videos.
SplashEO:
This is a fantastic service to use for video intros and outros. The great part is that they have good turnaround time, and you may only need to create one standard intro and one standard outro to brand your videos for your business.
Legal Items
If you don’t already have a legal service you use as a small business owner, Legal Zoom is an affordable place to start for the basics. Incorporate, become an LLC, or take care of other basic business and personal legal tasks for only a small fee.
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