I am creating this page in order to help you decide which resources, sites, and tools I am using as I build and operate my websites. One of the most difficult things for me when I started out was sifting through all of the different options out there. I hope to simplify this process for you!

As I continue to building this website and others I will constantly update this page with the latest resources. So check back often!

Disclaimer: Please know that some of the links I am using on this page are affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a commission (it's how we all make money right?). Everything I have listed below are all products and services I have used and am willing to personally vouch for. 

 

Hosting

Namecheap

Namecheap is a great hosting and domain name purchasing company. It is nice that you can do both using one company and because of this I have used Namecheap for a majority of my hosting needs. Their prices are very competitive and offer a variety of options based on your differing needs. They are a very reliable hosting platform and I have yet to have any major issues with their services. Basically any desired content management system can be easily installed with Namecheap.

Bluehost

Bluehost is another hosting provider that I have used in the past. They have feature packed options that are relatively low priced; however, their hosting platform has somewhat of  a high rate of downtime which can be problematic at times. If you are creating a WordPress site you can install it through their easy 1-click installation service.

Hostgator

Hostgator is one of the more popular hosting companies and that is well deserved as they provide an excellent service for an affordable price. They have a relatively easy to use user interface loaded with many features to optimize your experience. Hostgator works exceptionally well with Joomla and WordPress content management systems.

 

Theme Provider

MyThemeShop

MyThemeShop offers three main types of themes: blog themes, magazine themes, as well as WooCommerce themes (optimized for eCommerce). They offer Premium and free themes, both of which are packed with nice features and very helpful plugins. Even the Premium themes are well worth their comparatively low costs. All of their sites are responsive and and a very simple user interface. They offer a unique Dashboard that makes management of the theme very simple and user friendly.

Elegant Themes

Elegant Themes is a theme provider that offers very beautiful and smooth themes. They tend to have a more aesthetically intriguing feel to them as there are lots of cool transitions and other effects applied; however, it is all done very “elegantly” and in a very pleasing and fun way. They offer their themes through a subscription model that gives you all of their themes for one yearly price.

ThemeForest

ThemeForest is an extensive collection (2,600+) of WordPress themes that offer a wide variety of functionality.  All of their themes are visually stunning and make for a very good looking and user friendly website. Their prices vary depending on the theme. In some cases they are very reasonably priced and in others they are a little on the expensive side.

 

Training

Wealthy Affiliate University

Wealthy Affiliate University is by far the most extensive training resource available for anyone who is looking to build a website with the purpose of eventually generating income. It offers training on literally every aspect of web-design, affiliate marketing, online marketing, etc. You are able to join for free and have plenty of information to get you started and if you feel you need even more resources you can pay for full access to the entire platform. Please see my extensive review to get more information regarding this amazing resource.

 

Email Marketing

AWeber

AWeber is arguably the most popular list building and email marketing service available. It provides extremely useful tools for building you email list. It also allows you to easily create unlimited amount of follow up emails, newsletters, as well as many other essential email marketing tools. Depending on the size of your email lists you can utilize their services for a relatively low monthly cost.

 

Analyzing & Tracking Results

Google Analytics

Google Analytics is by far the most popular tool to measure and analyze the visitors to your site. It is relatively easy to install and offers a huge number of metrics to analyze every detail of you website's traffic. At times it can be a bit overwhelming with all of the information it is providing. Possibly the best aspect of Google Analytics is that it is completely free to use.

Clicky

Clicky is one of the most popular alternative website traffic tracking services to Google Analytics. It isn't popular because it provides better or more data that Google Analytics but that is presents it in a much more aesthetically pleasing and easy to understand way. Clicky is free to use until you have over 3,000 daily views. After reaching this point you will need to pay a monthly or yearly subscription fee.

 

Keyword Research

Jaaxy

Jaaxy is one of the best keyword research tools available. It provides you with all of the information you will ever need regarding keywords and then some. It also provides you with many other features that will prove to be invaluable when you are building your website. Jaaxy offers you a free trial and then will cost a small monthly fee. In my opinion, given the depth of information and research you can do the price is well worth the investment.

Google Adwords

Google Adwords is Google's advertising service. Within this service is an extensive, free to use, keyword research tool. While it's free it is also not very user friendly and is quite complicated to figure out. It is especially useful if you are planning on doing Pay Per Click advertising. Again, it is free, so that is a plus no matter what.

 

Social Media Management

Hootsuite

Hootsuite is a dream come true for anyone who is managing more than one social media profile. It allows you to post to more than one profile at a time, schedule future posts, and will even auto schedule posts based on when they are most likely to be seen. It is very easy and intuitive to use and most of its features are available for free.

 

I hope these resources have been valuable to you! If you have any questions or comments regarding any of these resources or have any suggestions of quality resources I may have missed please leave me a comment below!