Business Tools I Use

As of this writing, my main source of revenue is from my niche websites that are monetized by Google Adsense. However, as you are well aware, the purpose of this blog is to discover new and different niche businesses. So, the tools that I use in these niche pursuits may be different than some of the tools I use for my online business. However, I think a great majority of you will find value (at least I hope so) in knowing what I use to run my online business. Also note that I am an affiliate for these products and will receive compensation if you use my link to purchase these products.

Web Hosting – Bluehost.com

One of the essential tools that you need to run your own website is a hosting service. I have used Bluehost for 5 or 6 years and have been VERY happy. Not only has their service been very easy to use and always kept up to date, but their customer service has been second to none.

In fact, I can compare Bluehost directly with HostGator.com (another popular hosting company) and can tell you that in my humble opinion that Bluehost is MUCH better. I used HostGator on some of my sites for a period of time. Here are some of the issues that I didn’t like about HostGator -

Customer service was okay, but not as fast as Bluehost.
You have to update WordPress installations one at a time. On Bluehost, you can click one button and ALL your websites get updated at once. If you have multiple niche websites, this is a HUGE time saver.
Sometimes Hostgator selects as the default on WordPress installations to BLOCK search engines…oh no! You literally have to go into every site and switch this so Google can find you.
File transfer are easier on Bluehost, because they use an unlimited browser file upload option that HostGator does not.
My Hostgator sites tend to load slower (my brother’s sites are slower as well on Hostgator).
Bluehost has several other built in tools that are kept more up to date than Hostgator.

Overall, I have personally used Bluehost and continue to use them. So if you are looking to host your own website, Bluehost.com gets my wholehearted recommendation.

Click Here to Get Bluehost at only $6.95/mth.

Keyword Research Tools - Long Tail Pro (obviously)

I have always stated and will continue to stress that if you are building niche websites (or any website) that you want free search engine traffic to, then you MUST get good at keyword research. In fact, I believe that once you have found a great keyword, the rest is just details.

There are a number of tools out there that will help you find low competition keywords. There is the Google Adwords Keyword Tool, which is free. This is a great way to get started and will give you all the data you need.

However, if you want to get serious about doing lots of keyword research, then I recommend my very own tool – Long Tail Pro.

I created Long Tail Pro myself because I was frustrated with other keyword tools on the market. Nothing really did exactly what I wanted it to do. I wanted to find lots of keywords quickly and to check for exact match domains automatically. So that’s what Long Tail Pro does.

To check out some Demo Videos of Long Tail Pro in action, go right here.

WordPress Theme – Niche Website Theme

I recommend the Niche Website Theme. Not only did I create this theme, but it truly provides you with the ability to have complete control over customizing the look and feel of your site. With this theme you will be able to:

Customize the layout, including sidebar locations, how many, and more without any programming.
Easily insert ads in several high converting locations (including the ever pesky link unit under the navigation bar).
Automatically rotate ad variations and test ad performance.
Auto-match Google Adsense colors to your theme colors. This blends your ads in seemlessly – increasing your overall click through rate!
Completely customize the site colors with a just a few clicks.
Check it out, its pretty sweet!

Web Design/Content Management – WordPress

I use WordPress on all of my niche websites and blogs. This blog is currently run on WordPress. If you don’t know what WordPress is, do a quick search on Google to get the nitty gritty.

In a nutshell, WordPress is a free backend management system that allows you to create blogs or other websites very easily. There are literally thousands of free themes (templates) that will help you get a professional looking website up in a matter of minutes.

Most Web Hosts have an option that will make it easy to install WordPress on your server. Usually all it requires is a click of the button and you will have WordPress installed. Its free, its easy to use, and its professional looking. I see no reason why you shouldn’t try it out.

WelcomeSplash – Increase Your Email Opt-in Rates

I created WelcomeSplash in conjunction with Chris Guthrie, in order to improve the opt-in rate on my sites. I went from an opt in rate of 1% on my blog to 7.9%. A pretty nice increase indeed.

Check out Welcome Splash.

Email Marketing

I use Aweber for all of my email marketing. I’ve been happy for several years. Check out Aweber Here.

Domain Names – GoDaddy.com

I currently use Godaddy.com to purchase all of my domain names. I really don’t like the CEO Bob Parsons (seems pretty self-centered) or the commercials or other marketing that they do; however, I have yet to find a domain provider that is as easy, reliable, and cost friendly as Godaddy, so I continue to use them.

Special Offer for Niche Pursuit Readers! If you go through my link here, you can register a new domain for only $7.49/year…(usually $10+).

Get $7.49 Domain Names from GoDaddy.com

How To Guide – Long Tail Handbook (free)

I wrote this free report to simply answer some of the basic questions that I have received on how to build profitable niche websites. This free guide discusses exactly how I make a full-time living online through building niche websites. It includes how I pick winning keywords, how I rank websites to get free traffic, basic tools I use, and how to have the right mindset to be successful in this business.

Get my Long Tail Handbook right here.

To Be Continued…

As time goes on, I’m sure I will add to this list of products that I use. However, these are the tools that I use most often in my day to day business right now.