SEO, Content Marketing & Other Business Tools of the Trade
Much like a general contractor needs tools to build a house, you need tools to build your website. Using digital marketing tools to help your website (and your business) succeed isn’t cheating, isn’t silly, isn’t lazy. It’s brilliant. Because building a website and creating content that works for it is hard. Why else would there be so many tools available to help you?
Digital marketing tools will save you loads of time, money, energy, and tears.
These tools make it possible for you to focus on your job while they cater to many of the needs of your visitors/patients/clients/buyers/etc., such as:
Sending out emails
Posting your social media posts
Helping you find your target audience
Helping you talk to your target audience
Telling you what content is working and what isn’t
Working out your buyer persona
Giving you keyword insight
Tell you how your site is performing
This list could go on for a very long time, so let’s stop here
Because we’re often asked about our favorite digital marketing tools, we thought we’d create a page dedicated to them.
We’re giving you our go-to tools, a brief description of each, and links to learn more about them, so you can use them to succeed online and off.
You may want to bookmark this page because it’s a good one.
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Please note: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, meaning Propel Marketing & Design may get a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of the links. Please note that no fees for these resources have been increased to compensate Propel. In fact, many of the tool creators have provided us with special discounts & we’re excited to share those discounts with you!
Digital Marketing Tool Categories
We’ll go through several categories of tools we love to love.
Note that some tools will be in more than one category because they offer an array of services.
The tool categories include:
After reviewing this page, we invite you to check out our free masterclass, the Five SEO Secrets to Owning the First Page of Google Without Buying Ads, for even more insight into thriving online.
Our Top-Pick Tools
Tools we love so much & use so much
These are the tools we depend on at Propel. We use them practically daily, if not every day, and we highly recommend them to our clients.
This cloud-based tool will help you with the basics like grammar and spelling for free; however, you can pay a small monthly fee and get full content reviews that provide insight on your clarity and engagement and even tone advice and sentence restructure.
Google’s free website tracking tool is a must for understanding your website's performance, who’s visiting, when they’re visiting, and what they’re doing once on your site. The intel allows you to better understand your users and take actions that align with their needs.
Google provides a free online word processor, complete with templates, so you can create and format documents however you see fit. Invite colleagues, managers, or anyone necessary to view, comment on, or edit the document. With Google Docs, you also get Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Drawings, Google Forms, Google Sites, and Google Keep.
With this free Google tool, you can do several helpful things: check conversion rates, see what your visitors are doing on your website, find out your bounce rate, resolve site loading problems, and tons more.
This platform allows you to connect with your audience through automated pushes. It’s perfect for email campaigns and helping you engage with your customers or patients. There are four plans to choose from, starting at just $15 per month.
You can create a free YouTube channel for your business and provide your users with the video content they’re yearning for. This will help you be found on Google, it’s great for SEO, plus it gets you in front of a wider audience. Paid plans offer more options.
Descript touts itself as “all-in-one audio & video editing, as easy as a doc.” And we agree. This editing tool is perfect for podcasting, transcribing, and helping with videos. It’s free to test out, so give it a go. Plans start at $12 a month, but you can create your own plan to meet your needs, and they’ll provide the pricing for your à la carte services.
Have lots of social media platforms? This fantastic repurposing tool will automatically push your content across all your channels: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook Live, and more. Try it out for free before you commit to a paid plan.
With Social Curator’s monthly subscription, you get tons of help with your social media campaigns: tailored caption templates, images, Instagram story sets, and a social media marketing plan every month. Try it for two weeks; if you like what you get, pay the yearly price of $499 or the monthly fee of $49.
This analytics tool tells you all you need to know about your website traffic, using historical data and real-time measurements. Plans start free, then go from $9.99/mo to $14.99/mo to $19.99 to sky’s-the-limit, depending on your unique needs.
We love this graphic design tool that will help you create amazing social media graphics, presentations, infographics, documents, and just about any other visual content you’d like. Pricing starts at $119.99 for annual and $12.99 for monthly payments.
This SaaS (Software as a Service) model allows you to create content that shows your knowledge through online courses, coaching programs, podcasts, subscriptions, and more. You can create, market, and sell your content using this tool. You have three plans to choose from, ranging in price from $149 to $399 a month.
We love this social media platform that allows you to schedule your social posts on any channel and connect with your audience. You can easily analyze your results, so there’s no guesswork regarding engagement and activity. Plans start at free and go to $100 per month.
A WordPress plugin, this tool gives you insight into your site’s performance so you can make the appropriate changes and optimizations to improve your SEO. If you’re hosted by WordPress and looking to provide the best content and SEO strategies, this is the answer. Start for free, then get you the premium plan for more SEO goodness.
This is WordPress hosting for your business. It will improve your website’s performance and protect your business with excellent safety features. Outlined plans start at $20 and go to $50 per month, but you can design your own plan with a WordPress agent and get the pricing for the items you need.
Calling all podcasters! This tool is designed to support your podcast, helping you start it, promote it, and track it. It has tools within that provide another level of service, so it can grow with you. Pricing starts at just $5 a month.
Tools for Website Hosting and Website CMS Platforms
Your host matters, and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Some hosting platforms are very DIY; others hold your hand throughout. Some are great for help with SEO; others don’t offer any SEO guidance. Here are some that are designed to help you succeed online.
WP Engine is a WordPress hosting platform for your business that improves your site performance and speed, and protects your business with excellent safety features. Plans start at $20 per month and go $50 per month. You can also design your own plan.
WordPress is a platform that helps you design the perfect website and blog for your brand. You can choose from hundreds of options, templates, fonts, sizes, and images and get content management that surpasses many others. Expect to pay an initial signup fee, then choose from various plans.
WordPress offers several awesome plugins that will strengthen your website’s performance, so if WordPress is your host, take full advantage!
Another powerful WordPress tool is the WordPress Themes which allow you to improve the appearance of your blog or website. You can do everything from layout to color scheme to graphics with this tool. Each theme is around $59.
Like WordPress, Wix is a website developing (or building) platform that will host your site. Generally thought of as less challenging to work with than WordPress, this host offers a myriad of excellent templates that even the layperson can create a masterful website with. Wix has several plans starting at free and going up to $500 per month.
Our Wix SEO Guide is another fantastic resource to help you with your SEO campaign, so if you’re using Wix (or planning to), don’t miss it.
This website builder and host is another way to design and implement your unique website vision. The templates allow you to drag and drop, so building your site pages is quick and easy. You can start with a $14/month plan, and if you need, move it up to the Commerce Plan that’s only $49 per month.
We’ve created a Squarespace SEO Guide to further enhance your SEO execution; head on over and check it out.
This web host and site builder is designed specifically for clinic owners, understanding that most don’t have the time to learn how online marketing works. Clinic Sites takes the guesswork out of website building so you can get patients to your site, then through your doors. Pricing starts at $39 per month and goes to over $1500 monthly for uber-targeted customization.
This host is great for those just starting out and looking for an inexpensive way to get your site pushed live. Starting at just $2.99/month, you can get your email, domain name, and SSL (Secure Sockets Layer). Hostinger works with WordPress seamlessly, so if you build your site with WP and decide to host with Hostinger, migration is super simple.
If you’re interested in creating online courses, coaching plans, podcasts, and more, Kajabi is the place to do it. Let them take care of the technical aspects; you can do what you do best and “turn your knowledge into income.” Try for free; if you love it, choose from one of three plans.
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Tools to Maximize Your Writing
Writing isn’t for all of us, so if you need a little extra help, there are some excellent tools to ensure you get it.
Grammarly is one of our favorite tools. You not only get spelling and grammar corrections but also help with tone, formality, sentence structure, and more. Start with their free plan and move up to Premium or Business for more guidance.
This free cloud-based writing platform is perfect for those who have at least one team member. Every invited party has access to a variety of documents (templates provided) and can review, make comments, or edit as the doc owner deems necessary.
Tools to Maximize Your Email Marketing
No time to send out loads of emails to your ever-growing email list? That’s okay. Email tools will help you create and schedule your emails so you can stay focused on your work.
Active Campaign is a software platform that initiates email sends so you can automatically engage with your customers. This tool works behind the scenes so you can connect with your audience even when you’re busy, helping with customer relationship building. There are four plans to choose from, starting at $15 a month.
This is an automated email sending platform that provides users with email list management, email creation, and email activity data. It’s a scaled-down from the offerings of ActiveCampaign, with fewer options; however, if simplicity in your email marketing campaign is what you’re looking for, this is perfect. From $0-$299 per month.
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Tools to Maximize Your Content Marketing & Social Media
Content marketing and social media are necessary for today’s competitive working space, no matter your industry. Engagement, relativity, uniqueness, and authority are all components of good content. Sound intimidating? It’s not when you get the right help.
Content is vital to your online marketing, so it’s vital you do it correctly. Grammarly is the tool to help ensure your writing is up to par. You have a few plans to choose from that will help you generate copy that’s error-free and in the best form. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation checks are always free.
If you’re looking to grow your social media marketing campaign, this is a great way to do it. You’ll get several images and customization templates, as well as insight into the world of social. Need help? You have access to coaching, too. Free for two weeks; if you want more, pay the yearly price of $499 or $49/month.
Graphics, images, videos- all are essential to an excellent digital marketing strategy, but many are scared to implement them because it all sounds rather technical, doesn’t it? Not anymore. Canva helps you design top-notch graphics. Choose a paid plan that fits you best.
We love this social media tool that will schedule your social posts on any channel for you. While you’re focusing on your job, it’s connecting with your audience. Read all the data on performance so you can make educated decisions in the future and enhance your engagement. Plans start at free and go to $100/month.
Looking for a one-stop-shop for all your creative needs? This is the place for you. With millions of resources, from templates to images to font, you can work with artists worldwide to truly define your unique brand. Creative Market is the liaison between you and your designer, they’ll take a small platform fee, and the artist you work with will charge based on your needs.
This platform has all you need for your content marketing organization. CoSchedule makes calendaring, collaborating, and managing your content simple. Marketing calendars can get complicated; this tool will hold your hand, so you understand what you need to create your successful, tailored project planning calendar. Basic calendars are free, but you can contact them to design a more precise and collaborative calendar system for you.
This social media scheduling platform has an easy-to-understand dashboard, allowing you to post to all the major social channels quickly. Manage all your posts in this one place and monitor performance. Trials are free for 30 days, then choose from any of their four plans.
This reliable content marketing tool will help you come up with great ideas that meet the needs of your target audience. You can analyze your data and know what content works best for you. Want influencers to help get your brand some recognition? BuzzSumo is here for that. Base your plan on the size of your organization, starting at free and going up to $299 per month.
Have lots of social media platforms? This fantastic repurposing tool will automatically push your content across all your channels: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook Live, and more. Try it out for free before you commit to a paid plan.
Tools to Maximize Your Photos & Graphics
Graphics can significantly influence audience connection and engagement, so don’t get scared of them; use them to generate more visitors, leads, customers, patients, sales, and that vital Google edge.
Use templates to design the best graphics and images for your brand on Social Curator. You’ll get all the help you need to create messaging that speaks to your buyer persona on the social platforms of your choice. You get two weeks for free, so test it out; if it’s a go, pay $49 per month for continued insight on your graphic social strategy.
Find royalty-free images, videos, graphics, and music for your content here and pay subscription pricing if you use a lot of images; if not, pay on demand. With thousands of stock items to choose from, you’ll find exactly what you need to meet your brand’s style.
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Tools to Maximize Your SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the name of the game. Without it, your users won’t find you because Google hasn’t found you. SEO tools are plentiful, thankfully.
Propel offers you the free Five SEO Secrets to Owning the First Page of Google Without Buying Ads course. This course delivers valuable insight into creating a finely-tuned SEO campaign to get your organic (free) website traffic.
Propel has a free ultimate guide to finding SEO success. From beginners to sophisticated users, all can benefit from the SEO guidance and insight provided. Grab your free SEO Guide & Checklist after you read this!
Ready. Set. Rank! Chiropractor Bundle
This program created by Propel is designed with chiropractors in mind. It gives you all you need to make your clinic get recognition online through a well-optimized website. It’s loaded with bonuses that will help you reach the next level of success. Get it all for the one-time price of $697.
This 3-step program will help you maximize your brand’s online presence in 12 weeks. No matter your industry, if you’d like to get the Google recognition you’re seeking, Propel’s course is here to give you our SEO guidance. There are three payment options to choose from.
Google’s free website tracking tool provides data regarding website performance. Understanding who’s visiting, how they’re getting there, what they do there, and more, you can optimize your SEO strategy to meet the needs of your target audience.
Another free Google tool, Google Search Console, gives you tons of metrics about your website and tells you how to go about resolving problems, so you get the most out of your SEO campaign.
A WordPress plugin, this tool gives you insight into your site’s performance so you can make the appropriate changes and optimizations to improve your SEO. If you’re hosted by WordPress and looking to provide the best content and SEO strategies, this is the answer. Start for free, then get you the premium plan for more SEO goodness.
The analytics tool provides you with all you need to know about your users based on real-time and historical intel. You can start with a free plan, then move up to plans starting at just 9.99/mo. Clicky lets you create your own unique plan, too. Just contact them to design services based on your needs.
We love this site because it’s so easy to use and gives you information on keywords being used just about anywhere in the world. Just type in a word you’re looking to expand on and get dozens of quality words and phrases back. Get a few searches for free, then sign up with a plan starting at $99 a month.
This keyword tool will ensure you’re choosing the best keywords and keyword phrases in your content, minimizing your time spent on keyword research. It’s free, but the keyword intel is valuable, so you’ll definitely want to use this when generating new content.
Get 10 free queries monthly and explore the best keywords based on your industry. You’ll get keyword analysis, suggestions, and more. If you like it, pay for a plan and get additional SEO tools starting at $99 a month.
This free tool tells you if you have some tainted links floating around that are harming your SEO efforts. Looking for more backlink knowledge? Get paid-for plans that allow you to monitor your links for further assistance and understanding of performance.
A significant component of SEO is backlinking, so you must know what links are working, providing value, and helping you improve your rank. Semrush Backlink Analytics offers up great insight. Analyze 10 URLs for free before signing up for one of their plans.
SEMrush is a platform that lets you do research, find keywords, measure your SEO performance, and market to your target audience in one place. Armed with data, you can improve your optimization for a better Google ranking. Plans start at $119.95 per month.
Ahrefs has various SEO tools to get you optimized to perfection so you can get more and better traffic to your site. They’ll give you an audit to measure your current performance and tell you how to improve it. Plans start at $99 a month and go up to $999 a month.
This free tool from Google lets you understand what your visitors are experiencing when they come to your site. It’ll diagnose your performance and give you valuable insight into fixing issues.
Slow loading sites on either computer or handheld devices are a big problem. With some optimizing, you can get that taken care of. Find out how fast your pages load for free, but if you need more help, they have paid-for services to support you.
If you’d like to learn how your website performs SEO-wise, this is a great resource. It’ll tell you how you’re doing for free, but with a paid subscription, you can find out how to fix your SEO issues, learn about your competitors, get regular data on site performance, and much more.
If your website isn’t mobile-friendly, that’s not good. Head over to this handy tool, type in your URL, and find out for free. If you’re not mobile-friendly, it’ll give you feedback to ensure you make the correct changes.
Writing for SEO One-Page Checklist
Propel’s free SEO writing checklist helps you determine whether your content meets the needs of Google’s SEO algorithms. Get the checklist, and write quality SEO-friendly copy.
Your SEO campaign is only as good as your target audience. If your target isn’t determined correctly, you’re talking to the wrong people. Propel’s free Buyer Persona Workbook will help you find out exactly who you should be designing your content around, so you know where they are and when they’re there, making connection easy.
Tools to Maximize Your Podcast
If you’ve got a podcast or are thinking of starting one, you may feel a bit anxious about how to get the best support possible. We get it; we felt that way when we started ours. Tools help!
This tool lets you edit your previously recorded media, or you can record directly in the platform itself. You can get your file accurately transcribed into text, edit the text, and edit your media here. Try for free, then get yourself a plan starting at just $12 a month.
This podcast host provides all-hands-on-deck services, removing doubts about whether you’re doing it right. Plans range depending on the number of hours you need hosted monthly; expect to pay anywhere from nothing (two hours or less and hosted for 90 days) to $24 a month (12 hours and hosted indefinitely).
This is a SaaS (Software as a Service) model that allows you to create and distribute your podcast, helping with insight, marketing, gaining revenue, and finding sponsorships. You can choose from three plans, ranging in price from $149 to $399 a month.
Have lots of social media platforms? This fantastic repurposing tool will automatically push your content across all your channels: YouTube, TikTok, Facebook Live, and more. Try it out for free before you commit to a paid plan.
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Tools to Maximize Your Business Organization
You’re wasting time, money, and other valuable resources if you're not organized. Get organized! There are several smart ways to make work easier.
We use Dropbox and have seen firsthand the ease with which we can collaborate on files, provide our team with editable video and graphics, store all of our files, create a calendar, and so much more. The best part is that you can get to all of these things from a computer, mobile device, or web browser. Prices go from $9.99/mo to $30/mo.
Google Docs is a free tool that enhances collaborating, editing, and managing needs. With an array of templates, graphing capabilities, easily inserted graphics, and so much more, your team can work together in one place. Give different types of access to the people who need it.
We rely on Asana daily. It’s a time-saving, complexity-easing workplace organizing dashboard, streamlining projects and communications for your teams. Members can indicate edits, message each other, provide timeframes, communicate when projects are complete, and more. Customize as required to meet your needs. Find your perfect plan from free to $29.99 per month.
Propel’s Market Budget Spreadsheet is a great way to keep your finances organized. This is a free document, all you do is fill in the blanks, and you can determine a budget that fits into your goals.
Please note that all pricing is subject to change, and we’ll stay as up-to-date as possible. Also, many of the monthly rates you see above become less expensive when paid in full annually.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. The content is ours, but we may be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on one of the links. Propel always appreciates your continued support!