Despite all the glitters, appeal and freedom people associate with the online business, developing one is quite a lonely job.
And like any other business, your success in digital marketing is highly depended on the company your keep. But in digital marketing, this companionship comes in the form of online tools and resources.
And stacking the right set of tools is highly critical for your online success.
Therefore I have listed the best and most reliable one I use my self. Use them with the peace of mind that your business is in safe hands.
Payment Gateways
. Payoneer
Payoneer is the most reliable and most used payment solution for this region. Due to the unavailability of other reliable payment gateways like Stripe and PayPal, we are only left with two options i.e. 2check2out, and Payoneer.
Due to unrealistically though criteria of 2check2out (especial at the initial stage of your online business, I have always preferred Payoneer. It works perfectly fine if you want to bill your client every month or want to connect it with Amazon, CJ or click bank for your affiliate sales.
With expectation easy to use interface the only limitation I fond with Payoneer is its direct integration with credit /debit card sale on your website.
. Paypal
PayPal is the most widely used online payment solution globally. And due to its reach and popularity, it is considered as the most trusted one.
Thought setting up a PayPal account isn’t essential to get you started in digital marketing, but at a later stage not have a PayPal account could hurt your growth.
Unfortunately, PayPal services are unavailable in the region however here is a link of the most legal and convenient way of getting a PayPal account video.
But still, I don’t advise you to go for it at an early stage of your business.
. Stripe
Another option for a globally accepted payment gateway is Stripe.
I use stripe more frequently then PayPal for 2 reasons.
- The dashboard is way more user-friendly.
- It has its payment gateway which is quite convenient to use, so no need of using another third-party solution.
Here is a link to get your stripe account legally. And again, like I've said before it is not advised to go for such a costly solution at the start of your digital marketing journey.
Web Hosting
It is understandable, in fact quite smart not to invest too much your hosting initially.
But from the experience, I would recommend you not to go for super cheap options.
Or the excitement of saving $10 to $15 per year would fade away in a matter of months when you would realize that your site security has been compromised or servers have got numb.
Therefore I will always suggest to go for reputable hosting companies and do a bit of research about their service.
Hosting is quite a compatible industry and i am sure you will be able to find a reasonable starter plan among them.
I wish hadn't reinvented that wheel. however, after trying out dozens of services now I am restricted to these three and have hosted all my sites and affirm that these 3 companies provided my best value for money.
. Site Ground
Siteground is the best of the “cheap” hosting tools available. Their servers are optimised for WordPress, hosted on full SSD hardware, support HTTP2, PHP 7 and have built in server level cache.
They also offer free SSL certificate, built in Cloudflare integration and excellent tech support. All of that for just $3.95/month which is cheaper than Bluehost. Siteground gets the crown for starter hosting.
. Name Cheap
We register all our domains on namecheap.com, the registrar is easy to use, domains as the name says are cheap. the site is easy to use, safe and all around everything you would want from a registrar. You can also register your SSL certificates and host your emails with them.
. Wpx Hosting
WPX Hosting is our number 1 recommendation for hosting because it’s scalable and affordable. It’s not the cheapest solution. BUT: it’s still very affordable and it’s orders of magnitude better than the typical budget hosting solutions.
Start with WPX hosting and you’ll have a blazing fast website, extremely good customer service, free SSL and solid security features. The value you get here is second to none.
Work Management
The pace of growth of any business is highly dependent on 3 factors:
When it comes to digital marketing this management/automation becomes highly critical and there are many paid and free tools available for the job.
However, among them, these 3 are my most favorite and most frequently used.
And the best part is all of them are free.
. Workflowy
Workflowy is a quite simple listing and scheduling tool. But if you used it properly it takes a lot of burden off your shoulders. The best thing about this tool is.
- Simple
- User-friendly
- And accessible.
No matter how big and overwhelming your project is, through this tool you can always break it down to small manageable and measurable chunks, share it with your team and track their progress through any device with an internet connection.
. Trello
Workflowy is best for planning but when it gets to the action Trello is by far the best project management I have encountered with. (even a lot better than lots of paid software). Regardless of your interest and priorities and you can get huge benefits from Trello.
The way I use Trello is, spread out my delivery/ value or process chains in steps, assing my team members for every step, track their performance and give feedback in real-time.
. Google Docs
Just like MS Office, Google docs is a set of office tools but by far more secure and accessible.
The best thing I like about it that it is easy to share and collaborate. which means you can give live feedback and work as a team on a single file without making 1 modified copies of the same document.
Keyword Research
if there is one skill which you should master to thrive in digital marketing is keyword research.
In simple words, the amount of money you are making online is directly dependent on the skill set of your keyword research.
For this, there are multiple free and paid tools available in the market and to be honest, there is no clear winner.
Some tools are good at something while others are great in different features.
However, as a beginner, I would advise focusing on three basic qualities:
Here are a few tools I consider best to start your journey in keywords research.
- 1Not overly priced for your current workload.
- 2Have a user-friendly interface.
- 3Easy to Automate. (Means through it you should be able to get your desired keywords by following the similar step and at speed)
Here are a few tools I consider best to start your journey in keywords research.
. Answer The Public
Answer the public is my goto tool when it comes to coming up with content ideas of any given keyword.
This tool generates 1000s of google autosuggest variations with different modifiers. And many times you would find true gold in the form of long-tail variations.
. Moz Bar
Though I am not a fan of Moz as a keyword research tool. But for competitor analysis, Moz Bar is a great resource.
This tool basically calculates and displays website and pages authority scores of any given URL. Higher the score harder it is to compete with them. So this tool basically enables to choose your battlegrounds wisely.
. Google Ads | Keyword Planner
When it comes to barebone keyword research Google Keyword Planner is by far the best to do it. Though it has been criticized by lots of SEO professionals and mostly unjustified.
The only drawback I fond in it is, that it doesn't have any metrics to calculate keyword difficulty score and its interface is a bit complex for beginners.
But if you know how to use it I don't think there could be any other resource that could provide more authentic google search data other then google itself.
. Uber Suggest
Uber suggest is hands down by far the best free keyword planning/analysis tools on the market. It provides you features like domain analysis and back-link analysis which other tools charge around $45 to $100 per month.
. Ahrefs
If you have a budget and workload Ahref is the best investment you can do in your digital marketing, provided you have the resources to execute based on data you get from it.
The collection of tools they offer are best in class, whether it is keyword research, content brainstorming, back-link data, site health, rank tracking or competitor data you are looking for, you will most likely find it in
Recommended Books To enhance your Productivity
The 5 Second Rule
A great actionable power pack which alone is enough to turn your life around.
There are ample of other books available on similar topics like habits, willpower, productivity and so forth. But none of them has been able to provide a unique, simple and doable approach.
Miracle Morning
A great read which tells you how to get extra productive hours no matter how busy your all-day schedule is.
It also gives you a road map to take out time for yourself more effectively and without selling your soul.
Getting Things Done
Managing an online business especially as a soloprenure is not an easy feat. Sometimes it feels like juggling with 5 to 7 balls (you can hold only one or two at a time yet can't afford to drop any).
GTD provides you a superb management system that helps you to get more done and be less regretful.
Recommended Books to make you better entrepreneur
Good to Great
A great strategy book which gives you better direction on how to lead your team and company.
Lean Startup
If you have to read only one book before starting your online business, make it this one.
This one shatters lots of myths regarding starting a business and gives you not only a reality check but also a ray of hope.
Lean Startup offers so many golden nuggets for starters that you cannot afford to miss.
Rich Dad Poor Dad
If you also think that entrepreneurship is a mindset you are damn right.
And if you wanna know what actually entrepreneur mindset is this one is highly recommended.
Recommended Books To Make You Better Marketer
Tipping Point
In my opinion, the Tipping point is the best non-marketing, marketing available.
The idea shared is so powerful that it can actually blow your business.
Purple Cow
Seth Godin is widely considered as a guru of the marketing age.
In this book, he took a new approach towards marketing which is miles apart from traditional marketing.
If you are interested in product development in your online business this one is a must-read.
Building Story Brand
You will find tons of marketing books suggesting complex strategies on how to deliver your message more effectively.
And very few in make your message more effective.
Among them, Building Story Brand is a gem. It guides you on how to make your message more irresistible through the power of storytelling.
Recommended Books To Make You Better Writer
Influence
When it comes to content marketing it's not all about giving your reader some well-crafted pieces on a regular basis.
In fact its all about persuing them to taking desired actions. and this is where this book comes very handy.
On Writing well
Being a content marketer/ creator, one skill which is most critical for your success is writing well.
This book provides very effective guidelines to follow to acquire this skill.
Everybody Writes
Being a content marketer/ creator, one skill which is most critical for your success is writing well.
This book provides very effective guidelines to follow to acquire this skill.
Recommended Books To Make You Better Person
Alchemist
To be a better person you need better inspirations, better stories, and better legends.
With over 65 million copies sold and being the compulsory the part of the academic curriculum in various countries. Alchemist is one of the finest read... period
How Win Friends & Influence People
There is hardly anything you can achieve in life without creating and maintaining a good relationship with people.
How To Win Friends And Influence People is one of the oldest, finest and an ultimate guide over the topic.
4 Hour Work Week
Well, I can safely say that Digital Khanabadosh is an actual manifestation of this book.
If you wanna join the club of "new rich" through "New Business" by implementing "New Marketing" in this "New World", this book is a must-read.