Resources I Personally Use and Recommend

I’ve been involved in online marketing since 2002. And during that time, I’ve used a LOT of products and services to help build my business and the businesses of others. With that in mind, here are a few of the ones I personally use and recommend.

Note: Some of these resources are paid; some are free. Some are my affiliate links; some are not. Nevertheless, I hope you find these tools useful in your business.

Article Submission

Unique Article Wizard – When I first started writing articles to get traffic, I only used EzineArticles.com. I didn’t realize there was a faster, better way to distribute articles. I only discovered Unique Article Wizard earlier this year from Ray Edwards. Since then, I’ve used it to submit articles for both me and my clients. Believe me: It’s an amazing tool. You can have dozens of quality “back links” within 24 hours of submitting your first article. Tip: I’ve found an easy way to use this tool is to take an old blog post and rewrite it using the Wizard.

==> Click here to learn more about Unique Article Wizard.

Audio Recording & Streaming

Audio Acrobat – The most cost effective and user-friendly tool I’ve found for recording and streaming audio on the web is Audio Acrobat. I’ve been using it for a couple years now. The only downside: When recording directly to Audio Acrobat, it can make you sound like you have a lisp. Other than that, I’ve been very happy with the service.

==> Click here to learn more about Audio Acrobat.

Banner Ads

Hey Banner Banner – Have you ever run banner ad campaigns on large network sites? If so, then you know the importance of having quality banner ads that actually get clicked. That’s the hardest battle — getting people to click on the banner ad. Anyway, my clients have on occasion needed banner ads. Of course, I didn’t create them myself. I hired Darrell and his team of designers to do it for me…

==> Click here to learn more about Hey Banner Banner.

Blogging Software

WordPress – For the first four years of my blogging career, I used Typepad. It’s a good system. But then I switched to a WordPress blog. And I love it. There’s so much flexibility, especially when you consider how many free plug-ins are available. If you’re starting a blog, and you’re willing to learn how to install and use WordPress, then I highly recommend it. (And if you’d rather pay an expert to do the installation and set-up for you, contact Ken Gary.)

==> Click here to learn more about WordPress.

Conversion Boosters

HONESTeOnline – If you’ve ever split-tested a sales page, then you know “credibility seals” can boost conversions significantly. For instance, Eric Graham says ScanAlert’s Hacker Safe logo works like magic on an order page. Well, one seal I’ve personally tested and continue to use is the HONESTeOnline web seal created by my friend and client, Jimmy Sweeney. On one page, I achieved a 7.14% conversion rate when I placed the HEO web seals by the primary order link. When Terry Dean read about my success, he modeled the sales letter I had written and joined HONESTeOnline himself. The result? Terry achieved a 26.7% conversion rate!

==> Click here to learn more about HONESTeOnline.

Email Marketing

Aweber – I’ve either used or been exposed to every major email service on the market, including self-hosted solutions like AutoResponse Plus. Out of all of them, I recommend Aweber. It has incredibly high deliverability, an easy-to-use interface, and extra features that nobody else has (like Blog Broadcast).

==> Click here to learn more about Aweber.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol)

FireFTP – If you do any online marketing at all, you’ll have to FTP files from your computer to your web site server. My favorite (currently free) FTP software is called FireFTP. It installs directly into Firefox and opens in a separate tab when you’re browsing.

==> Click here to learn more about FireFTP.

Link Building

3-Way Links – Since Fred Black ranks so well for the phrase “internet business,” I decided to follow his recommendation and signed up for 3-Way Links. This automated link building tool has been instrumental in my ability to get solid first-page rankings for multiple search phrases. I recommend it without hesitation.

==> Click here to learn more about 3-Way Links.

Link Cloaker

LinkTrackr – I’ve been looking for a good link cloaker and link tracker for years. I’ve tried multiple solutions, and none of them have worked well for me… until now. LinkTrackr lets you use a branded domain for all your affiliate link redirects and gives you consolidated reporting of all clicks by day, week, and month. FACT: The same week I started using LinkTrackr I began to earn more affiliate commissions. This is by far one of my favorite online business tools.

==> Click here to learn more about LinkTrackr.

Merchant Account

iPowerPay – I got my first merchant account through a popular shopping cart provider. Unfortunately, I never did get the merchant account connected to my shopping cart, and the customer service was terrible. So I canceled both the merchant account and the shopping cart account. I got my second merchant account through iPowerPay because of a recommendation. This company understands how online businesses work, and are familiar with product launches (which means less risk of your account being frozen when you make a lot of money). They’re an easy company to work with, and the customer service is excellent.

==> Click here to learn more about iPowerPay.

PPC Management

Rocket Clicks – If you do any kind of business online, chances are you’ll at some point do pay-per-click advertising (PPC) using Google Adwords, Yahoo, or MSN. The thing is, with the frequent changes in the PPC industry, it’s difficult to monitor your PPC campaigns and keep them fully optimized. That’s why Glenn Livingston started Rocket Clicks — the only PPC management company that’s been endorsed by both Perry Marshall and Howie Schwartz, the guys who literally “wrote the book” (two books, actually) on Google Adwords. When you pay for a $75 consultation with Rocket Clicks, you’ll get a full in-depth analysis of your PPC campaign — definitely worth the money.

==> Click here to learn more about Rocket Clicks.

Screen Capture Software

TechSmith’s SnagIt – I originally bought SnagIt on the recommendation of Harlan Kilstein. It has turned out be one of my best software purchases… ever. I use SnagIt to save online sales letters I like (just use the “scrolling screen capture” function); to send split-testing stats to clients; and to create online content like my Ad Copy Samples page. If you want to try it out, you can even get a free trial.

==> Click here to learn more about SnagIt screen capture software.

Split-Testing

Google Website Optimizer – The easiest way I know of to set up a split-test is to use Google Website Optimizer. If you have an Adwords account, then you have free access to GWO. In most cases, you can set up an A/B or multivariate split-test in less than 30 minutes, and sometimes as few as 5 minutes (if you’re really fast). Also, GWO is usually the best way to set up split-tests for copywriting clients. (To use GWO, click on “Website Optimizer” under the “Campaign Management” tab.)

==> Click here to learn more about Google Website Optimizer.

Stock Photos

SXC – One way to spice up a blog or article is to include a photo that illustrates the main idea of what you’ve written. But if you were to purchase a photo every time you needed one, you’d spend a nice chunk of change. That’s why I like SXC. It’s a site that includes royalty-free stock photos for download. And you’d be surprised — the quality of the photos is usually as good as the paid sites.

==> Click here to learn more about SXC royalty-free stock photos.