15 Free Tools To Add To Your Online Business Toolbox
In my recent article, How To Get Your Business Online With A Shoestring Budget, I revealed how affordable it can be to take your business online.
After your essential purchases (domain name, hosting etc) you may be wondering what else you might need?
Below you will find 15 free tools (some can be upgraded for a fee) that will give you a great resource toolbox that you can tap into for your online business.
Whether you work from home, are a budding blogger or have a small business with an online presence, you will find something here that will save you money and make your business easier to manage. Enjoy!
1. FileZilla
FileZilla is a free FTP client. You’ll need this to upload your website to your hosting account from your desktop, saving you the hassle of always logging into your cPanel.
You can download FileZilla directly from their site.
2. GIMP
Adobe Photoshop is another must have resource for those who can afford it, but if you cannot, you can grab the free Gimp software that is every bit as powerful and has a die-hard following. You can download it directly from here.
3. Jing
Camtasia is an essential purchase when you have the budget to purchase the brilliant screen capture software but if you are just starting out it is a pricey piece of kit.
For now, the guys behind Camtasia have also released a free tool called the Jing Project. You can download it right now and start making professional videos to promote your business online.
Also try: Screenr and ScreenToaster (thanks to Ms Ileane)
4. Google Analytics
One of the first things you should do when you have your website online is add a website visitor analytics package.
It is important to know how people are finding your website and what pages they are visiting while they are there. Google will track your visitors for free over at Google Analytics, you will need a Gmail account so you can log in and register your website(s).
5. Polaris Desktop Analytics
It can be a chore to log into your Google Analytics account to track your latest visitors so why not download the powerful Analytics desktop application (uses Adobe Air) called Polaris; you’ll wonder how you ever survived without it.
6. NVU
Again, if you are just starting out you may find the expensive HTML editors to be out of your price range. NVU is a free HTML editor that is not lacking in features and almost as good as the paid for editors (some will argue that it is JUST as good).
Also try: PageBreeze
7. Office Suite
Microsoft’s Office has a great free rival in Open Office. Creating PDF reports and e-books to giveaway or sell online is made a doddle with the Open Office Writer.
You can download the whole suite of applications that are every bit as good as Microsofts offerings or just choose the specific applications that you need.
8. Free Digital Photos
You can get royalty free images from the amazing I-Stock Photography website for as little as a dollar. For a free alternative you should give FreeDigitalPhotos a try.
In exchange for getting a great looking image for free you will have to display an attribution link to the photographers page on your site.
Paying for your images will give you more freedom in what you can do with them; read the licences on the sites given.
9. Web CEO
Web CEO is a free desktop application that will help you to optimise your website.
This tool is brilliant for a ‘newbie’ to jump in and learn more about search engine optimisation and how their site can be improved.
Web CEO also comes complete with a built-in directory and search engine submission tool saving you the time of filling out your details over-and-over again.
If you are an absolute beginner then you will get a lot out of using Web CEO.
10. Mozy
“Every week 140,000 hard drives crash in the United States” – as seen on the Mozy Website.
Data-lose is a serious pain. By using an online back-up and storage service you can be sure that your important data is safely stored away in the event that your computer decides to pack-up on you.
You can get a basic home account with Mozy and use up to 2 GB 100% backup space for free.
For more space and a business account please visit the Mozy website and take a look at their packages.
11. RoboForm
I previously wrote about Roboform and you can read that here.
If you visit a lot of websites that require you to log-in or complete a registration form then RoboForm can save you a lot of time.
Download the software to your desktop, complete all the required fields and now enjoy 1-click log-ins to your favourite sites and 1-click web form-filling.
With Roboform you’ll never have to worry about forgetting your passwords again.
You can use Roboform for free but will be restricted to a limited number of saved passwords (30 I believe). Upgrading to the Pro version will cost you only $29.95 and removes any limitations.
12. Paint.net
Paint.net found at GetPaint.net is a very powerful Photo Editing and Manipulation software that is the perfect solution for quick photo editing.
I use Adobe Photoshop for my intensive graphic work but for quick image resizing or for adding in a few arrows on my ‘how-to’ articles then I use Paint.net.
13. SpringPad
SpringPad is a great website that allows you to organize your life online.
You can assign tasks, create to-do lists, set alarms and much more in one convenient place.
Grab your free account from here.
14. Skype
I’m sure you’ve heard of Skype by now. Tell your friends, family and clients to download Skype and then you can talk to them for free from your Skype application.
15. Zip Genius
ZipGenius is a free zip utility.
“It not only zips and unzips but also offers support for 21 compression and encoding and decoding formats, ZIP encryption and decryption, Pocket PC support via ActiveSync, drag-and-drop support, integration in the Windows shell, the ability to send archives via e-mail, and Web publishing of archives and files via FTP and TWAIN devices.” – Download.com
That’s it! Some tools to get your started in the online world.
What software or websites do you use in your business?
To your success,
Karl Foxley
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Some good stuff here bro, I will be checking out the desktop Analytics gimmick, Polaris
Hey John, I have to say I really like it for getting a quick stats fix.
Photoshop is only available for me at the office where I work, so at home, GIMP works just fine for my basic editing needs (if I really can’t wait to edit something, or it’s a weekend).
What I’m jumping to check out as soon as I’m done with this comment is the Polaris Desktop Analytics desktop app. It does sure looks like it’s going to make my monitoring activities easier.
.-= James Moralde´s amazing last blog ..H-a-ck-ed! =-.
Karl, you shouldn’t have bothered posting those links but I’ll give them a go and let you know if it works out. Jing’s still a cool tool though. Thank you.
.-= Rob Cubbon´s amazing last blog ..Automation and small business development =-.
@Rob
It’s okay, it only took me a minute to add the comment.
@James
I’ve just gotten so used to working with Photoshop that I end up being so slow when I’m using GIMP, but it is a great piece of kit for those getting started.
@Sire
Open Office is instantly familiar to those that have used MS versions. Another great feature is that, taking Open Office Writer for example, you can save your documents in MS Word format eliminating any compatibility issues.
I have either used most of these or am still using them to this day. One that I haven’t seen is The Office Suite. That looks really cool and would be great for those who do not have Microsoft Office.
.-= Sire´s amazing last blog ..Winners, Those Who Never Give Up =-.
These are great Karl, some of them I was aware of for example I am in love with Roboform, but many I was not.
I will be trying some of these out especially Jing, have you used it and like it?
.-= Jenny´s amazing last blog ..Redoing and Rethinking the Blog =-.
@Jenny,
I use Jing to make quick video tutorials where I want to show people something over and over again without having to do it in person.
@John,
I love my Photoshop and wouldn’t be with out it. I have so many add-ons to Photoshop that I love to play around with (probably spent way too much money on some of them but playing around with graphic design is a real passion).
@Dave,
I’ve not gone Pro yet (use Camtasia for most things) but a lot of people that I talk to who use it really rave about it.
I really liked this post. There were a few good ones there and I had to check out Jing. Unfortunately it only recorded SWF so I looking how you can edit that in order to upload to YouTube, etc.
.-= Rob Cubbon´s amazing last blog ..Sync up your Social Media and increase your Tweets =-.
Hi Rob, I cannot verify whether this software is any good but you can give this a try http://www.avi-swf-convert.com/.
Stoik also has some cool file transfer features but not .swf (that I could find) http://www.stoik.com/products/svc/.
Good afternoon, Karl.
That’s a good list of tools.
Although I use Photoshop for editing my graphics, I have friends who swear by the free photo editing available at picnik.com. (Note the non-standard spelling of their domain.)
I’ve tried it once or twice to see how it works and was satisfied with it.
I still prefer editing photos locally on my computer, but with my recent move from dial-up to broadband, I can probably take advantage of online tools more efficiently, now.
Act on your dream!
JD
.-= John Dilbeck´s amazing last blog ..Broadband makes a huge difference! =-.
Excellent list. I went ahead and paid for the Pro version of Jing, good investment.
.-= Dave Doolin´s amazing last blog ..When B.L.O.G. Turns into J.O.B. – Downshift and accelerate =-.
Excellent list.
NVU – some argue that it is better even then most paid. I however thought it was no longer supported?
I’m not sure but you can also download Kompozer that is similar and apparently irons out the bugs in NVU (I haven’t come across any bugs though and still us it).
Another one you can try is PageBreeze.
Nice list of tools Karl…. I am using most of them… I like filezella, gimp and google analytics very much.. I like to try paint.net in this…
.-= Deepika´s amazing last blog ..How To Lead Stress-Free Blogging Life =-.
Thanks Deepika.
Hi Karl, thanks for updating the post and the nice shout out!
@Ileane
.-= Ileane´s amazing last blog ..Fun Twitter Promotions for Your Blog =-.
Great list Karl! Some of those I use(d) but hadn’t heard of a couple, downloading a few as I am typing this comment!
Oddly enough the only programs I use are Gimp and Filezilla! I swear by the ftp program it’s simply amazing. I have tried many and when I finally installed that one I was in heaven.
.-= bbrian017´s amazing last blog ..Get Notified when someone Unfollows you on Twitter =-.
@Brian
I paid for SmartFTP (it was free until about a year ago) before I came across FileZilla. Both are ace but you just can’t beat free sometimes.
Thanks for dropping Brian.
Excellent list of tools.
I have used some of these and Google Analytics is my favorite from the list. I was not too fond of Jing when I realized that you can’t record audio with the free tool. I prefer ScreenToaster or Screenr because they have a nice audio interface and you don’t need to download anything.
I’ll check the others out soon.
Thank you.
@Ileane
.-= ileane´s amazing last blog ..From Screencast to Podcast =-.
@Ileane
Cool. I forgot all about ScreenToaster and haven’t tried ScreenR but I’ve updated the post and given credit to you. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
I use Jing for quick tutorials and these don’t require me to speak (hate hearing my own voice) but, you’re right, if you want audio then this may limit the desirability of the application.
Great list of resources. Google Analytics is vital to any blog and Gimp is an excellent open source photo editor. Voted at BE and RT at Twitter.
.-= Rose´s amazing last blog ..Using Keyword Phrases =-.
Thank you Rose. I love Gimp but have gotten so used to Photoshop that I don’t use it as much as I would like.