8 Must-Have Tools You Need To Run A Successful Online Business

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Managing an online business takes as much effort as it does to manage a home-based or mom and pop business. It’s a good thing there are a ton of tools to help you with the day to day to-do’s.

When I started my online business, I didn’t know all the tools that were available and I really couldn’t afford to go premium so I had to pick and choose which tools were worth the investment.

And out of all the available tools for entrepreneurs there are some the you shouldn’t run your business without.

8 Must-Have Tools You Need To Run A Successful Online Business

Like I mentioned earlier, there are a ton of tools to help you automate, outsource and analyze your biz. But here is a look at 8 must-have tools you should be using to run and manage your online business.

ClickMeeting

If you have a team working from their home in different locations it will be hard to get the team together for meetings.

ClickMeeting* lets you keep in touch with your team no matter where they are located. You can hold conference calls and meetings to keep the lines of communication open between you and your team.

You can also use ClickMeeting to host webinars with extra features to make a great impression on your audience.

There’s a free 30-day trial* so you can try it out for yourself.

Hootsuite

I use Hootsuite* to manage my social media accounts but now that I have a team of my own, I am looking at upgrading to their Team plan.

This plan has features to help small teams collaborate, track assignments and customized analytics.

It allows 3 users and you can connect 20 social profiles – virtual assistants, this is the perfect tool to manage your client’s accounts!

Anyway, you can also track URLs with customized content. But what I really like about this plan is the 150+ free and paid apps you can integrate on the dashboard like Tailwind and PromoRepublic. And you can get Hootsuite platform certified!

ConvertKit

If you want a successful online business you will want to start a mailing list to promote your business and other special offers.

ConvertKit was created especially for entrepreneurs running an online business with features that are specifically tailored to your needs.

Want to try ConvertKit for free? Sign up for their 14 day trial period here*.

Hostgator

Since your business is online you need a reliable host to support your website. The most popular hosting companies are:

• Hostgator
• Siteground
• BlueHost*

I personally use Hostgator and have been for about 6 years now. Thankfully, I haven’t had any major issues – and the little tech issues I did have, Hostgator was quick to help me resolve it.

WordPress

Your online business also needs a reliable CMS (content management system) for your website. WordPress happens to be the most downloaded CMS out there. How does 93,976,693 (and counting) sound?

There are two versions of WordPress. A self-hosted version where you would be in charge of updates and back-ups. And a free version in which WP provides free backups of your website.

A self-hosted WordPress platform has all the features you need for your online business and it’s the most Gonna sell some products on your site? You can use the WooCommerce plugin to build an online store right on your website.

If you want to find out more about the difference between a self-hosted WordPress and the free version, check out this post by MPR Studio: WordPress.org vs. WordPress.com (Free Version): Pros and Cons.

Get Paid

Now if you’re going to sell products or offer services to customers no doubt you’ll want to get paid.

Give your customers different payment options like Paypal or Stripe.

You can also send invoices outside of Paypal. Invoice Home is a free service that lets you create invoices, sales receipts, quotes and more.

Google Analytics

Out of all the tools you can use to run a successful online business, Google Analytics has got to be it.

How else can you analyze your website’s page view stats, site behavior and know your audience demographics to determine what kind of traffic is driven to your business?

Virtual Assistant

If you really want a successful online business you should consider hiring a virtual assistant. He or she can help you manage your online business, manage your social media profiles and other virtual services so that you can focus on more important aspects of your business.

Over To You

So those are the tools you should be using to run a successful online business.

Now let’s chat!

Are you using any of these tools? What are some of the other tools you use and what do you use them for? Tell me about it in the comments below!

And before you go, I hope you’ll share this post on social media so that other entrepreneurs know which tools are the best for their online business. Thanks!