1. E-mail
The best free email service G-mail from Google. You can create a free account quickly and easily and even send e-mail from G-mail to another email account.
Because of the volume of spam email that plagues the internet, it is best to offer a Gmail account when you subscribe to a service. That way you will not clog up e-mail space as your ISP.
2. Social networking sites
There are 2 main social sites I use to network and communicate with people:
Both these places are hot. Create a free account right now and start inviting your friends, etc. participate. You may end up developing network of thousands of people and keep them updated with the click of a button. Best of all, its free.
3. Roboform
This handy little password tool saves lots of time. There is a free version (may contain up to about 10 passwords) and a paid version (unlimited access). It is installed on your PC and create a new toolbar in your browser.
When you go t
o a site that you must enter a username and password, RoboForm will automatically enter the information for you by clicking on a button! I could not imagine life without it.
4. Domain Name Registration
I use the name Cheap for me to register domain names. As the name suggests, the prices are competitive. Also, they have an easy-to-use domain management interface.
5. Web Hosting
While Name Cheap offers web hosting services, instead I use Kiosk.ws.
The main reason I use Kiosk is their understanding of internet marketing businesses. If I have a few complaints about spam, etc., Kiosk will not close my domain, and seize possession of it - like other hosting companies have done and will do.
Another reason I choose Kiosk is their excellent support. I live in
Also, they have a generous referral compensation program that you can use to your advantage, as you recommend them to friends and acquaintances.
6. FTP Software
Once you have your own domain and a hosting account is created, you need FTP software to easily upload / download content to your site.
I use Filezilla, a free open source solution that is the most common FTP software available today.
Note: Be sure to download the "client" version.
7. Content Management System (CMS)
WordPress is the best (and it's completely free) content management system to your website. WordPress is easy to install and very user friendly.
WordPress makes it easy for you to write and maintain content for your website. Also, it is very search engine friendly which means you will have a greater presence in Google and Yahoo! and therefore more free visitors to your site!
You can install Wordpress includes cPanel (in your web hosting account) under the "Fantastico Deluxe" section which is the easiest way to install WordPress, or you can download it directly from Wordpress.org and follow their setup instructions.
8. Webpage Design (HTML Editor)
Because I own Microsoft Office FrontPage I use for my basic web page design, such as landing pages. There is a free, comprehensive alternative called Nvu. Nvu allows you to create and edit your own webpages.
You do not need any programming skills, so do not worry if you're brand new at this.
9. Auto responder
If you want to build a subscriber list for a newsletter or otherwise, I highly recommend AWeber.
AWeber is easy to use, highly customizable, and has a high delivery rate. It is considered the industry standard and used by most of the big players in internet marketing.
Technical support is excellent. My requests have always been answered within 24 hours, and they even have a live support chat feature.
10. Keyword Tools
Keyword research is so important to build an online business. There are 3 major keyword tools that I use:
i) Google Keywords Tool
This is an awesome, free tool that those who know best keywords; Google. With this tool you can find out how many people are looking for a specific keyword, and how competitive a keyword is with advertisers. Google keyword tool is the best keyword tool.
ii) The Keyword Elite
Good tool if you want to easily generate keyword lists of hundreds or thousands of keywords (Google keyword tool will only give you back a maximum of 150 results per search).
With one click of a button, Keyword Elite will search Google, Yahoo, Ask, FreeKeywords, meta tags, misspelled words, Word Tracker and Keyword Discovery.
You can easily filter out keywords based on positive or negative keywords.
iii) Keyword Spy
Keyword Spy is a weapon that I have only recently discovered and added to my arsenal. With Keyword Spy you can search any website or affiliate offer and find out exactly who is promoting it, and what keywords they bid on. Very powerful tool.
11. Payment Processors
Clickbank makes payment processing easy if you have a digital product you want to sell.
ClickBank takes care of everything that they handle credit card payments and also refunds. Also, they handle affiliate commissions.
To create a merchant account with Clickbank, to register as a seller.
PayPal is a great free alternative for payment processing.
12. Office software
For my word processing, spreadsheets and databases, I use Microsoft Office mainly, but there are a few free solutions that are equally good:
i) OpenOffice
ii) Google Docs
OpenOffice works like Microsoft Office and is even compatible with it. You can share and edit documents with other Microsoft Office users.
Google Docs is awesome. You can use an online word processor, spreadsheet and calendar, just as you would use Microsoft Office. One big advantage of Google Docs is that you can access the program and all your documents from anywhere in the world, as long as you have an Internet connection. You can also assign all permissions to view and / or modify some or all of your documents!
13. PDF Creator
If you create reports like this, you must have a PDF printer to convert your Word documents to PDF files. There is a free one that I use is called PDF995.
There are a few free PDF converters out there, but I would like PDF995, because you can download the free add-ons that allow you to create custom hyperlinks in your PDF document.
14. Paint Program
Editing images can be a big part of creating an online presence. An excellent free image editing program called Paint.NET.
15. Screen Capture
Capturing screen images is a great resource, especially when you are preparing a how-to guide. Screen Hunter is a free program that is easy to install and use.
16. Video Creation
Creation of videos are a must in those days. We all know how to create videos with our video cameras, but to create screen recording videos are very helpful.
The most popular screen capturing video software is Camtasia Studio. This is not cheap, but it is a fantastic product. I have a copy, and used it to create a video eCourse and other projects.
There is a free alternative, but I have not used it myself so I can not comment from personal experience. It's called CamStudio and it comes highly recommended by those who use it.
Creation of screenshots are a great way to teach others how to do something. You can then use this knowledge to drive traffic to your website by sending your video online. Which brings us to the next resource I use ...
17. Video Hosting
The most popular video-hosting service on the Internet today is YouTube. YouTube membership is free and it costs nothing to send as many videos as you want. The only restriction is that the video length can not be more than 10 minutes (unless you're willing to pay for another flight).
YouTube is a great source of free traffic. Videos are so popular, and they will only continue to attract more and more visitors in the coming years.
Even better than hosting your video on YouTube is just to get it on 20 + sites, all with the push of a button ... how can you make it? With an awesome free service called Tube Mogul.
