Resources – The Tools of the Trade
I thought it would be a good idea to list out the tools I use to earn money online. I have tried hundreds of others, but these are certainly the cream of the crop. Disclosure: On many of these below, I do make a small commission when someone purchases through my links. This is the nature of affiliate marketing. But, I recommend these not for the small amount I receive, but because they are helpful and useful – not just to me, but to many entrepreneurs, professional bloggers and successful businesses with a presence online.
Most Recommended:
MoversTech is a specialized CRM software designed exclusively for moving companies, streamlining their operations and customer management. With its user-friendly interface and powerful features, it helps moving businesses efficiently organize bookings, track inventory, and enhance customer relationships, all in one comprehensive platform.
Bluehost is where I host most of my websites. They have phenomenal customer service via chat or telephone and you can host multiple domains under one account. I highly recommend them for your first website. Additionally, they have an easy to understand interface with a “one-click” WordPress install. Click here to begin at only $3.95
WP Engine has by far the fastest performance for FULLY OPTIMIZED commercial WordPress websites. If you’re looking for performance on a commercial enterprise scale and don’t want to share a server with other companies and possibly be diluted by the “bad neighbor” negative SEO effect, then WP Engine is your answer.
They have super fast object caching built-in with outstanding support and Daily Backups.
We have tested them all, and WP Engine is by far SUPERIOR!
I also have a handful of websites on HostGator’s Reseller package. They also have a one-click install for WordPress and most of their support guys are pretty good. Additionally, they offer unlimited bandwidth and diskspace.
TIP: You can also receive $100 coupon for Google Adwords, which is nice to get some immediate traffic to your website with 99.9% Uptime Guarantee.
GetResponse leads the Net in slick-looking emails and autoresponders. The money is in the list and don’t trust your list to just any email marketing platform.
GetResponse also has the highest delivery rates, has the easiest to use system and fantastic support team. Check out the free trial.
Blogging Tools
This site is built on WordPress – a free, but widely used and publicly support website building (and blogging) platform. There are thousands of “plug-ins” to enhance and secure your website or blog. I learned WordPress over years of trying things (failing, regrouping) and so on. If you want to get a jump on your learning curve, here is a great Udemy instructional video course – WordPress for Beginners.
– Free LIGHTNING FAST Themes and Plug-ins
On top of my WordPress, I have installed a Theme from MyThemeShop. A theme is a collection of files that work together to present a professional unified experience when visitors come to your website or blog. This can save you hours or days of configuration and requires zero CSS or HTML knowledge. The work is already done for you – graphics, fonts and more. There are countless themes to choose from and new ones added frequently.
MyThemeShop offers the most efficiently coded WordPress themes available. After switching to them, my page load speeds reduced drastically. I was able to shave over 2 SECONDS on my page load speeds and this is fantastic for SEO. They offer a myriad of free themes and free plugins. I opted for a premium theme, but tested their free ones first. Be sure to check them out.
Products to Earn Residual Affiliate Commissions
The first dollar I earned online was through Clickbank. It was an incredible feeling when I made my very first sale. Now, MOST beginners will lose their shirt nailing down a domain name, hosting and throwing up an affiliate mini-site. Don’t make the same mistake. Clickbank University can teach you how to effectively market their products. See my review here.
Tip: In the Clickbank Marketplace, sort on Recurring commissions.
Additionally, I have earned quite a bit of money from several of the Market Health products. Market Health is now the world’s largest integrated online marketing company in the health and beauty industry. The Market Health Affiliate Program allows you to market and promote the world’s leading health and beauty offers on the net. Choose from over 50 offers which include herbal supplements, skin care, vitamins, beauty products, health care, weight loss and more.
Tip: Many health customers will be repeat customers and this creates recurring commissions for you. Also, if you invite other webmasters to join, you gain a 5% commission on their sales.
PRIVATE LABEL RIGHTS
Private Label Rights products are huge. You can get them inexpensively and modify them as you wish. I have used them several times in the past to drive website traffic, branding and more.
Even if you don’t have a website yet, you can earn money as an affiliate Private Label Rights (PLR) products via document sharing sites, Joint Ventures and more.
Here are some fantastic resources for PLR products.
OTHER AFFILIATE NETWORKS
(some offer residual affiliate income, some are one-time commissions)
ShareaSale – Has been around for over 15 years and has a solid reputation. They have several vendors within a multitude of niche markets. The percentage of your commissions will vary and you can filter for some that offer residual payments (recommended).
Commission Junction is definitely one of the largest, if not, THE largest affiliate networks around. They have thousands of retailers. Some of the commission are quite small, so you would have to have a ton of traffic and make lots of sales, but they’re definitely worth checking out. They also offer video training and have some great tools for their affiliates.
PAYMENT GATEWAYS, SHOPPING CARTS, STOREFRONTS, INVOICING and ORDER FORMS
Paypal
Paypal.com – Definitely the way to go to begin.
You can use it for free and take credit cards immediately. Also, tons of folks use Paypal to send/receive money online. It is a bit cumbersome and the transition between your site and theirs isn’t very smooth, but again, great for beginners.
Step up to InfusionSoft
When you’re ready for a professional and extremely powerful customer relational management system with all the bells and whistles, InfusionSoft is top-shelf.
With full analytics, shopping carts, storefronts, invoicing and more, this package will make you look good!
Download FREE E-book “7 Steps to Complete Small Business Sales & Marketing Plan”
KEYWORD RESEARCH
One of the best tools to find popular long tail keywords for just about any website. Check out the free videos to see how easy it is to use.
If you are not using longtail keywords for building organic traffic, you could very well be leaving money on the table, and lots of it. Keyword Researching can help you build a massive list of quality keywords in a few quick minutes, not hours.
I have used just about every SEO tool online and I have to say, this is my favorite.
The interface is intuitive and everything is neatly in place at a quick glance. The export features are sweet and the learning curve is cut way down in comparison to so many others listed at higher prices! SEM Rush totally rocks!
Tip: Get the FREE version and try it out. You have ZERO to lose! Upgrade only if you wish.
SEO Book has been around for as long as I can remember. This is truly a foundation for anyone beginning to learn Search Engine Optimization, on-page or off. They have hundreds of modules, a fantastic community area and some great tools, absolutely free.
This is where I first learned my SEO skills and their tools were my mainstay before fully researching SEM Rush. Take the tour and be sure to sign up for the free 7-day SEO course.
Email Marketing
GetResponse
AWeber
Email marketing can deliver up to 4,300% return on investment when done correctly. AWeber has been in the business for 14 years and has a very intuitive interface with a click-and-drag scheduler. When you’re building your list, AWeber will grow with you.
OUTSOURCING
In the beginning, I created all the content, graphics, coding and Ad copy on all of my websites. As I’m sure you’re aware, although enjoyable, it’s very time-consuming. If you keep at it and follow my lead, you will soon be able to begin outsourcing some of the more mundane tasks. Here’s a list of the best sources for Freelancers and businesses that can assist:
Elance – great rating system by clients like you and me. Also, your funds are held in an “escrow” account and you can create “milestones” for which partial payments are made.
Odesk – another solid performer to locate freelancers for just about any online activity or task that comes to mind.
Virtual Assistant – I’ve hired a few virtual assistants in the past. Some good, some not so good. If you’re in the market for a virtual assistant, this is the place to go. They are well-vetted and rock-solid.
WEBMASTER TOOLS
Getting web traffic to your affiliate site begins with being listed within the search engines (thereby, Search Engine Optimization or SEO). You can pay a service for the initial inclusion to to search engines, but I prefer to do this manually. Here are the three majors you should be concerned about:
Pingdom.com is a free website monitoring tool. Check how fast your page loads, test your caching times – advantageous if checking out and comparing WordPress caching plugins OR moving your website to another webhost.
Nothing to install.
URL Shorteners
When using Twitter, every character counts. So, a URL shortener is a great little tool.