Online marketing tools (or lack thereof) won’t make or break your business.
And they won’t make you more money.
But the right marketing tools WILL make your online money making efforts more effective and efficient.
The following list of internet marketing tools have been tested by me personally and got my seal of approval.
My BIG THREE Marketing Tools
The triple-power punch, knockout combination that makes Traffic Generation Café a winner is this:
- SEMrush
- WPX Hosting
- Aweber
Let’s start with Semrush: before I even invest one second writing a blog post, knowing what keywords people are searching for is ALL IMPORTANT.
SEMRUSH
SEMrush is a one of a kind keyword and competitive research tool that does in seconds what used to take me hours, even days to try and figure out, and it does it more reliably.
If you are a blogger who actually wants their posts to be found on search engines, SEMrush is key.
? ? ? TRY SEMRUSH
WPX HOSTING
Why would an A-list blog like Traffic Generation Café be hosted on a “smaller” hosting company like WPX Hosting?
Because their customer service exceeds all expectations, their loading speed is blazing fast, their uptime is one of the best in the industry, and their plans will fit any needs you may have.
They’ll migrate your site(s) completely free, hold your hand every step of the way, if you are a non-techie, set you up with a free SSL certificate…
They even have their own CDN!
Bottom line is I’ve NEVER been with a hosting company that did so much for their customers! AND Traffic Generation Café is definitely the fastest it’s ever been.
Hands down, the best hosting company ever.
? ? ? SEE WHAT WPX HOSTING CAN DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS!
AWEBER
If you intend to monetize your blog, like, EVER… an email autoresponder is non-negotiable.
As a matter of fact, an email list of subscribers interested in what you have to offer is the most valuable asset your business could have.
And the best part?… FREE is Aweber price for 30 days.
? ? ? START BUILDING AN EMAIL LIST WITH AWEBER TODAY
Full disclosure: my current email list is with ActiveCampaign. Took me years to grow out of Aweber, but regretfully, I finally have.
Why do I still recommend Aweber then?
ActiveCampaign is an extremely robust marketing system with many features an average business owner would ever need or use. So, why pay for it, right? ??
It’s perfect for this stage of my business, and I highly recommend to look into ActiveCampaign if you feel your business needs more than what Aweber offers.
? ? ? GET MORE EMAIL MARKETING AUTOMATION WITH ACTIVECAMPAIGN
There you have it. All the ingredients that you need to brew a successful internet biz, and nothing you don’t.
Now there are a few other things that amp up the traffic squeezing, conversion getting, social sharing POWERHOUSE that Traffic Generation Café is. I’ll write a bit about them below.
But these first “Big Three” are the power base of TGC. You won’t want to leave any out if you’re serious about building your internet income.
Other Internet Marketing Tools/Resources
I believe in keeping things simple and sticking with the best.
So these next few online marketing resources are what give Traffic Generation Café that ‘little something extra.’ Your needs may be different, so it may make sense to write me about what you need… or not.
The “Big Three” above are the best and most affordable solutions I’ve found for ANY content marketing/blogging/internet business site. To go the next mile, consider the following:
GENESIS WORDPRESS FRAMEWORK
A wordpress theme framework to your blog is what walls, floor, ceiling – you know… ‘the bones’ – are to a house.
And a wordpress theme is your interior design (furniture, rugs, curtains, etc.)
Traffic Generation Café is built on Genesis Framework.
I love Genesis – it’s simple, clean, SEO-friendly, mobile-responsive, and flexible.
It also offers a number of wordpress themes to set your blog apart from others. Good to go out of the box or could be customized to your taste.
Unfortunately for me, I learned the hard way how important a good theme is to a success of a website. Don’t waste your precious time and resources like I did.
To take the guesswork out of making your blog stand out….
? ? ? GO FOR THE SIMPLE. THE BEST. THE GENESIS.
Wondering what theme Traffic Generation Café is currently using?
You are welcome. ??
Want to know how to use Genesis? Click here to download The Genesis Guide for Absolute Beginners (PDF – 1.4 MB)
Keyword Research: MARKET SAMURAI
Market Samurai is the BEST KEYWORD RESEARCH TOOL I’ve ever used, bar none. Still.
Goes way beyond simple keyword research with competition research, rank tracking, domain research, and more.
Don’t get me wrong: SEMrush is my favorite all around SEO tool. However, if you are looking for a one-time purchase at the moment, then Market Samurai is it.
Video Creation: CONTENT SAMURAI
Marketers who use videos make more money. Period.
However, creating videos is a sticky point for most business owners – too big and complicated of a skill to master. But it doesn’t have to be.
Content Samurai is a web-based video system that allows you to create full-length videos, from scratch, in minutes WITHOUT complicated editing software, a steep learning curve, and without paying someone thousands of dollars to do it for you.
I’ve done it. You too can kill it in video marketing with Content Samurai by your side.
And yes, it was created by the team behind my favorite keyword research tool above, Market Samurai.
To get an idea of what Content Samurai can do for your business, read my full Content Samurai review and tutorial.
SPECIAL OFFER for Traffic Generation Café readers:
set up your CONTENT SAMURAI account through my link
and get 53% off your monthly subscription – for life!
Social Sharing Buttons: SOCIAL WARFARE
Have you noticed those snazzy-looking social-sharing buttons throughout Traffic Generation Café? That’s Social Warfare – my favorite way to add social sharing buttons and Click-to-Tweet calls to action throughout my blog posts.
These buttons make it silly-simple to share your content and viralize the best parts of your message… boosting engagement with your followers and giving your message exponential exposure…
Not only does it look good, but it’s also extremely lightweight and plays nicely with most other plugins you might have.
Bottom Line
Though Traffic Generation Café is an A-list destination for bloggers and authority on driving traffic, conversions, and all things content marketing… we don’t sell any of our own products (YET).
So the way Ana makes the bacon to go with her morning coffee is through these affiliate links.
These are all actual tools that I’ve vetted personally and use daily. My opinion can’t be bought… but I HAVE worked to get you the best deals you will find anywhere, on the best tools you’re going to NEED.
To quote Oscar Wilde,
I have the simplest tastes. I am always satisfied with the best.
Yep…
So whether you’re getting the best tools in the first place or switching because you know better now ? … you should know that I TRULY appreciate you getting these tools by clicking the links on this page.
Go ahead… grab what you need now for the particular point in your blogging journey. Bookmark this page because you’ll want to come back. And do be sure to drop me a line!
And when you pick up what you need here, it comes with sincerest thanks and with “Dr. Ana’s” personal prescriptions for blogging success.
PS Please read my Affiliate Disclaimer
(or don’t, either way… as long as you know it’s here…)
Yes, I own/use/recommend all the products/services above and hope that you will as well.
Gasp!
My recommendation is ALWAYS based on my belief that the product and its author will provide excellent and valuable information or service.
In some cases, I will be compensated should you decide to purchase that product based on my recommendation.
In some cases, I will receive the product for free for review purposes.
Always, always, always do your OWN due diligence before making any purchases.
Never purchase anything you cannot afford.
Most people don’t do anything with the products they buy, so most of the time, their typical results are zero.
Don’t do drugs, stay in school.
There is no such thing as a Silver Bullet.
I bet this disclaimer would make a good rap song…