As I strive to make my online business a success, I find that the tools you use will help determine that success.  Many people online use a variety of services for their business and as I come across successful websites, I take the time to see what tools and services they use so that I can eventually duplicate their success.

Below you will find essential tools that I use to create products for my online business.  You may use some of the same tools or you may have something else that works better.  I am always open to new suggestions so your comments will be appreciated.

Essential Tool Number One:

Web Hosting:  For the past five years I have been using Host Gator for all of my website hosting needs.  I pay only $9 a month for unlimited websites and I have never had any problems whatsoever.  I do not register my domains through them as they are expensive but their hosting plans are unmatched.  I was glad Alex Jeffreys recommended them as I was already using them.  Many hosting companies try to duplicate them so I know they’re good.

Essential Tool Number Two:

Domain Register:  I use Blue Wire Domains to register my new domain names.  They have a fabulous back end where I can manage all of my domains and they even have an auto renew option so I don’t accidentally loose any of my domains.  This has happened to me before.  Just point your domains to your web hosting company and you’re good to go.  They are very easy to use and that’s what I like about them. New domains only cost me $9 a year

Essential Tool Number Three:

Autoresponder:  I use Aweber for my autoresponder service.  They have complete tutorials and videos to help you get up and running fast.  They also have live webinars to get your questions answered and see exactly how they work.  An autoresponder is crucial in building a mailing list of people who visit your website or blog.  If you do not have a way of capturing names and email addresses, massive money is being left on the table.  It took me months to finally use an autoreponder.  They are only $19 a month.

Essential Tool Number Four:

PDF Creator:  I use Open Office to create my reports and ebooks.  They are a free open source software that is absolutely awesome.  The most current version is great and creating ebooks is only a fraction of what Open Office is all about.  They are the alternative to the very costly Microsoft Word program.  This is a great choice if you are on a budget like myself.

Essential Tool Number Five:

Video Creator:  Camtasia Studio 6 is the newest version of this fantastic on screen video creator.  You can download this for 30 days free and test it out.  I won’t make videos with anything else and you can create separate audio of  your videos with the push of a button.  With the way digital media is growing, why not have separate video, mp3, and ipod versions of your products?  They are a little costly at about $200 but well worth it.

Essential Tool Number Six:

Graphics Creation:  Adobe Photoshop CS4 is the newest Adobe graphics product.  I use this software to create the graphics for my ebooks, reports, videos, and just about everything else.  If you have a learning desire such as myself, you can create your own graphics too.  I also use the Web Graphics Creator for many projects.  They are way cheaper if you are on a low budget and it gets the job done.  I used this primarily before investing in Photoshop CS4.

Essential Tool Number Seven:

Website Tracking:  Google Analytics is free from Google and you place a small piece of code into your website.  It tracks pretty much anything you can think of from the number of visitors to their geographical location.  There is too much to list about this service but it’s safe to say you need it so you can see how well your sites perform.

These are just my basic seven essential tools for running any online business.  Of course there are many more tools available to do any variety of things so you have to get to searching for the ones that work for the needs you have.  Like I said before, this is in no way a complete list so if you are using other tools that are essential to your online success, feel free to let me know about them.  Until next time…