40+ Must-Use Tools For Marketers, Website Developers, Graphic Designers & Writers
Originally Published June 2020
Writers’ Block. Creative Slowdown. Work Paralysis. Lack Of Inspiration. Stuck At A Crossroads.
Any of these apply to you? Whether you’re trying to find keywords for you next Google Ads campaign, figure out what colors to make your website, or come up with a name for your business, we have gathered some AMAZING tools to make your creative and analytical life easier. 40+.
40+ TOOOOOOOLS
That’s right. 40+ Must-Use Tools For Marketers, Website Developers, Graphic Designers & Writers, right here, right now, just for you.
Look through the list, find what you need to get your juices flowing, and get back to the task-at-hand. Or browse our list some more. Your choice.
Hot links to jump you right to the TOOOLS section you need.
Meeting Tools
Zoom
The year is 2020. 51% of the human population is using Zoom video conferencing for work . . . and to chat with their grandma in the nursing home under quarantine. It’s easy to set up and has a number of features available for free.
Tool Link: https://zoom.us/
Calendly
Tired of going back and forth in emails trying to set up a meeting time? Meet Calendly. Efficiently set up your desired meeting windows, and let people choose one online.
Tool Link: https://calendly.com/
Google Meet
Prefer the Google Suite of tools? Don’t want to bother setting up Zoom? Google has you covered for video conferencing with Google Meet. Some basic features are free, so you can start meeting right away.
Tool Link: https://meet.google.com/
Writing Tools
Grammarly
Whether you’re the reincarnation of William Shakespeare himself – or Gomer Pyle – Grammarly is a great spell checker and grammar check to keep you on track. And the basic package is free.
Tool Link: https://app.grammarly.com/
Thesaurus.com
Is your writing feeling bland, or boring, or dull, or banal, or insipid, or tedious, or wishy-washy, or blah, or flat, or flavorless, or ho hum, or monotonous, or uninspiring, or weak, or vapid, or humdrum? You need Thesaurus.com.
Tool Link: https://www.thesaurus.com/
Typosaur.us
Just need a quick and easy spell checker for pages on your website? Use Typosaurus. Just copy and paste in the page link.
Tool Link: https://typosaur.us/
WordHTML Converter
Never learned HTML? Not sure what HTML is? But, you need it to style the text on your website? Copy and paste that Microsoft Word or Google Doc text into WordHTML and it’ll spit out the proper HTML for you. Just make sure to preview your page before posting. It is a free service after all.
Tool Link: https://wordhtml.com/
LibreOffice
Feeling a little anti-establishment? Prefer to keep your privacy? Hate Microsoft and Google? For your word processing needs, and more, check out LibreOffice, the open source word processor and office suite.
Tool Link: https://www.libreoffice.org/
Design Tools
FreePik | IconFinder | Undraw
Find free icons for your website like arrows, little people, social media icons, symbols, and more at the following links.
Tool Link: https://www.freepik.com/
Tool Link: https://www.iconfinder.com/search/?q=&price=free&license=1
Tool Link: https://undraw.co/illustrations
MapStyle
Tired of green and brown and yellow Google Maps on your Contact or Home or About page? Add your own branding, or switch it up completely with MapStyle! You can make your Google Map any color you want, and set different levels of detail as well.
Tool Link: https://mapstyle.withgoogle.com/
YouTube Free Music Library
Find free audio, music, and sound effects for your next video here.
Tool Link: https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UCeXRYJguTKo1KGBkfs3u-XA/music
Photopea
This is easily the number one replacement for Photoshop if you don’t have access to that Adobe product. It’s free, and works in-browser.
Tool Link: https://www.photopea.com/
Color Wheel | Color Picker | Gradient Creator
What the f*** is a complimentary color? Don’t worry. With Canva Color Wheel, Adobe Color Picker, or the UI Gradient Generator, you don’t have to know anything about art to find colors that look good together for your next branding project.
Tool Link: https://www.canva.com/colors/color-wheel/
Tool Link: https://color.adobe.com/create
Tool Link: https://uigradients.com/#Wiretap
Website Analysis Tools
Google Search Console
Control how your website appears in Google search results by submitting a sitemap and removing outdated content through Google Search Console.
Tool Link: https://search.google.com/search-console
Google Analytics
Find out which pages people are visiting on your site and learn what they find value in with Google Analytics.
Tool Link: https://analytics.google.com/
Google Lighthouse Website Audit
Find out how fast or slow your website is, what SEO problems you can fix, accessibility issues for those with disabilities, and more with Google Lighthouse Audits.
Tool Link: https://developers.google.com/web/tools/lighthouse
BuiltWith – Website Software Checker
Forgot who’s hosting your website? Or want to check in on what a competitor’s website was built with? This is the perfect tool for you. Just paste in the URL and off you go!
Tool Link: https://builtwith.com/
Pingdom Website Speed Checker
Find out how fast or slow your website is with the Pingdom Website Speed Checker.
Tool Link: https://tools.pingdom.com/
DFEOJM – Website Up-Time Checker
Is your website not working? See if it’s a problem with your local computer/browser, or if it’s a really big problem on the server side by seeing if it’s down for everyone or just you at Down For Everyone Or Just Me!
Tool Link: https://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/
Securi – Website Security Checker
Worried there might be malware on your site? This free scanner can check most common malware, though since it’s free it can’t check everything. Use it as a first resource before digging deeper.
Tool Link: https://sitecheck.sucuri.net/
Broken Link Checker
Haven’t updated your website in a while? There might be a bunch of broken links on it which are making for a bad experience for your visitors. Check which links are broken with this checker, and then fix them manually.
Content Planning Tools
Google Ads Keyword Planner
Find the volume of people searching for specific keywords in Google. Requires a Google Ads account.
Tool Link: https://ads.google.com/
Google Analytics
Find what pages people are visiting, and where they came from – Google Search, social media, email campaigns, etc.
Tool Link: https://analytics.google.com/
Answer The Public – Longtail Keyword Research
Find some long keywords and key phrases searchers may be using that relate to your business. Be sure to select “US”, not “UK”. Unless you’re in JOLLY OLD ENGLAND, then by golly do it.
Tool Link: https://answerthepublic.com/
Canva
An easy way to “photoshop” some images for social media. It even shows you what size to make your image based on the platform you’re using.
Tool Link: https://www.canva.com/
Crello
An easy way to “photoshop” some graphics and animations for social media.
Tool Link: https://crello.com/home/
Facebook Image Text Checker
If you’re planning to run a Facebook Ad, your image can’t have too much text in it. Check if it falls within Facebooks guidelines by using this image text checker.
Tool Link: https://www.facebook.com/business/help/980593475366490?id=1240182842783684
File Sharing Tools
WeTransfer
Need to send a large file, image, or presentation but can’t fit it in an email? Send it via WeTransfer without even making an account. We can’t vouch for the security though, so don’t send anything too sensitive.
Tool Link: https://wetransfer.com/
DropBox
DropBox allows for shared storage so you can set up an account and store things for consistent sharing over time.
Tool Link: https://www.dropbox.com/
Google Drive
Prefer the Google Suite of tools? Don’t want to bother setting up DropBox or WeTransfer? Google has you covered for file sharing and simultaneous file editing with Google Drive.
Tool Link: https://drive.google.com/
Programming Tools & Resources
CodePen
Need to know if your code will work? CodePen offers front-end code testing online in your browser.
Tool Link: https://codepen.io/
Business Research Tools
Minnesota Business Listings Search
Need to find some info on a Minnesota business? The state has a directory made just for that, if they’re registered with the state. Not in Minnesota? Tough luck sugar. JK, your state may have the same registry, check with your Secretary of State.
Tool Link: https://mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us/Business/Search
Minnesota Contractor License Search
Need to find some info on a Minnesota contractor? The state has a directory made just for that, if they’re licensed by the state. Not in Minnesota? Tough luck sugar. JK, your state may have the same registry, check with your state’s Department of Labor or equivalent.
Tool Link: https://secure.doli.state.mn.us/lookup/licensing.aspx
Cohlab
Social Media Tools