If you’re running an online business, it doesn’t need to cost a fortune to run! There are many high-quality free tools available today that can help you build your website, communicate with your customers, create content and grow your brand, without spending a penny.
Whether you’re just starting out or improving your processes, these tools can be time-saving, productive, and increase the chances for success for your online business.
1. Project & Task Management
As an online business, it’s important to have a productive and organized team. With the free tools below, you can plan and assign tasks so that everything gets done when it should.
🔹 Trello
- Trello is a visual way to organize your projects and tasks.
- Trello is easy to use with a drag-and-drop function to move cards around.
- Trello works perfectly for independent owners or small teams.
🔹 Asana (Free Plan)
- Asana offers an outline of each task and has a place for all of the following: project timelines, deadlines, and the ability to collaborate with your team.
- Asana’s easy-to-use interface makes it a great tool for managing projects and allowing you to keep to the deadlines set.
2. Communication & Collaboration
An effective team is one that communicates effectively. With these free tools for communicating and collaborating, you can keep your team members aligned and productive.
🔹 Slack (Free)
- Slack has individual and group chat channels for teams.
- You can easily share files in addition to having conversations with your team.
🔹 Zoom (Free Tier)
- Zoom enables you to have video meetings with your team members, as well as clients, and also allows you to screen share.
3.Website & E-Commerce
Your website is your online presence and should establish your online identity.
🔹 WordPress.com (Free Plan)
- Creating your blog, site or online presence with WordPress.com is easy.
- WordPress.com offers a variety of themes and templates that can be used to tell your story and improve your site’s SEO.
🔹 Websites
- An Easy to use Drag and Drop Builder
- Great for Portfolios or Informative Pages.
4. Marketing & Social Media
Promote Your Business for Free.
🔹 Canva (Free)
- Makes creating graphics for social media, banners and ads as easy as a click of the mouse.
- Includes thousands of free templates.
🔹 Mailchimp (Free Tiers)
- Provides Email Marketing for your Business.
- Great for providing newsletters and updates to current and former customers.
🔹 Buffer (Free Plan)
- Allows you to schedule posts to your social media accounts at a future date.
- Helps you keep your business social feeds updated each day without needing to post each time.
5. Analytics and SEO
Helps you get to know your customers better and helps you to improve your website’s visibility online.
🔹 Google Analytics
- Tracks website visitor statistics along with behavior on the site and any conversions. Assists in determining what content is performing well on the site and how to improve or change it.
🔹 Google Search Console
- Monitors a website’s ranking in the SERP and will alert you of issues related to search engine optimization.
6. Password Managers and Security
Protecting your Business’ Data and Accounts.
🔹 LastPass Free
- Securely Stores and Auto-Fills Passwords
- Enables your business accounts to be protected through the use of strong passwords.
🔹 Cloudflare (Free Plan)
- Increases your websites Speed and Security.
- Reduces the risk of your website being compromised because of Denial-of-Service Attacks and Downtime.
7. Storage/Sharing
Share Files Easily with a Team or Customers
🔹 Google Drive (Free)
- Cloud Storage Solution. Provides cloud-based Document, Spreadsheet and Presentation functionality.
- Great for uploading and storing files electronically.
🔹 Dropbox Basic.
- Easily store files and share files with team or customers.
- Works across all devices.
8. Video & Content Creation
Use video to engage & connect with your audience through testimonials, reviews, and other social media content.
🔹YouTube-Upload your videos for free.
- Upload your video(s) on YouTube as an online tutorial, product demo, or branding.
🔹Loom (Free Version)-Record your computer’s display as well as your voice.
- This tool is great for recording tutorials for customers or clients.
Practical Advice on How to Use Free Tools
✔ Use the free tools that are absolutely essential for your business; do not overwhelm yourself with too many tools.
✔ When it is practical to do so, connect two or more free tools together (ex., Google Analytics and your website).
✔ Only upgrade to a paid version of a particular free tool when your business has expanded and outgrown the free version’s capabilities.
✔ Master a single free tool at a time before moving on to another one.
