This list will be changing sometimes. I’ve tried and used hundreds of tools, few of them I used regularly during my marketing career; some of them I stopped using because I started doing something else (I’ll have to check them again before listing here); some of them are quite new to me but I find using them again and again…
So here you go (Documenting those I am currently using and recommending. Some of the links below are affiliate but none of these tools are listed for any reasons other than me using and loving them!)
Blog Set-up
- Genesis Framework [aff]: This is what this blog runs on. I am in love with beauty, speed, customization options and helpful materials. I needed no tech support to set it up (which I did on purpose to test how able I will be to set things up myself and it was easy!). I am also using its child theme called Kickstart Pro
- For WordPress I recommend WP Engine [aff] simply because it’s super secure and takes WordPress security seriously too. Also their support is just awesome
- If you want to select more hosting options, use Site Geek : Hosting rating and stats aggregator. It’s easy to find suitable hosting for any needs there
Content Creation
- Keyword research (I use all three because they all have awesome features and let me discover new content opportunities. If I had to choose / recommend one, I’d have a very hard time):
- Canva : Create eye-catching professional visuals to go with your content… for free
Social Media Promotion
- Viral Content Buzz : Even though it happens to be co-founded by me, it’s still my favorite tool (yes, unless you combine the two, you can’t build a useful platform!). I love VCB because it increases my content exposure and builds my social media presence… For free!
- Sumome [aff]: Create lead generation forms, contact forms, social media sharing buttons, call-to-action, etc. all for free! This is my favorite WordPress plugin these days.
- DrumUp [aff]: Awesome tool for easily scheduling, auto-tweeting from RSS and creating recurring tweets to gte more exposure.
- Paper.li: My favorite curation tool. It let you create a powerful brand asset!
Reputation Management
- Cyfe : Huge productivity booster. Create a dashboard to monitor ANYTHING.. Here’s how to use Cyfe to build an ultimate social media dashboard!
- BuzzSumo : LOVE their alerts feature. It’s the only one I am currently using to track blog mentions of my brand(s)
Honorable mention: SEO chat tools (I am not using them daily, but whenever I need anything, I can rest assured it’s there…)
Please contact me if you think I may be interested in your tool
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I am Ann Smarty, owner of SEOsmarty.com and co-founder of Smarty.Marketing. I've been in the SEO industry for two decades and I am now reporting on search and AI news over at annsmarty.com