As someone who manages websites, people often ask me about what online tools I use. Here are 10 online tools I use on a daily basis that help with all the webmaster tasks I perform.
WhatTheFont :: Sometimes you need to figure out what font is used in a logo or graphic. This tool is pretty good at figuring out what font is used and gives options.
(Item Removed) The tool we had here no longer has a secure connection, so we removed it
Sauce Labs :: I used to like Adobe’s Browser testing. But they shut it down. Sauce Labs is picking up the slack and you can see how your site looks at in many different browsers.
Character Counter :: If you write several tweets at once, it helps to make sure you stay under that magic 140 number. This simple tool counts for you, so you don’t have to open up word or other software.
Convert Case :: Many times clients send me docs, or emails all in upper case. This tool lets you convert to various cases, such as lower case, sentence case, etc.
Lorem Ipsum Generator :: When you are building a website, you often need placeholder text. This allows you to grab some text, based on how many words, paragraphs, bytes, etc.
Sucuri SiteCheck Malware Scanner :: Malware is the plague of our time. It is often hidden where you can’t find it. This tool identifies if you are infected. And the company can assist cleaning your code.
Google Translate :: For those of us who manage websites in multiple languages, the Google Translate tool comes in handy. While the translation isn’t perfect, it is pretty good and handles the chore well enough for most instances.
SSL Checker :: This tool tells you if a server has a secure certificate, who issued it, and when it expires.
Network Tools :: This tool allows you to perform many tests, such as: Traceroute, Ping, Domain Name Server (DNS) Lookup and WHOIS.
Added Online Tools :: 5/28/23
We have some more online tools we have now added to this list:
Embed Responsively: :: this tool allows you to embed videos, images and content that will respond to the size of your visitors’ screens.
Optimizilla :: This free online image optimizer uses the best optimization and lossy compression algorithms to shrink JPEG, GIF and PNG images to the minimum possible size while keeping the required level of quality.
ChatGPT :: We’ve all heard about AI, and this tool can be very helpful in website management. While we don’t recommend you have it write all your blog posts and use it word for word, it does come in handy when you’re looking for things like hashtags for posts, or for generating ideas.
Twitter Fonts Generator :: Spruce up your social media post with this fun little tool. Despite its name, it works on other social media outlets as well.
As we are always discovering new online tools to help make our job more efficient, we will be updating this post. Please check back. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
When you build a small business website these are the things you absolutely must-have. All should have the following:
About Page – One of the most visited pages on most websites. This is where you tell people about your company, the history and what you do. This is also called, Who We Are, Our Story and other names. Whatever you want to call your page, this is one of the most important of the must-have pages.
Sub Page – Team Page – Depending on whether or not you’re an individual contributor or have employees, you may want to have a page for your team. This isn’t necessary for smaller firms.
Services Page – Tell People What Services You Offer. When people surf the web they are looking for something. Make it easy, list out all your services. This page is sometimes called What We Do, and as with About, it doesn’t matter what you title the page, as long as you clearly list what it is you do.
One thing I like to do is include a line saying if you don’t see a service listed, contact us. There may be things you don’t do normally but that you would do, or at very least recommend someone else.
Contact Page – Let people know how to reach you. Make sure you include the following:
Phone
Email
Contact Form – Keep it simple, people are leery about giving too much information
Map/Directions
Blog/News Page – One of the most important areas from an SEO standpoint. If you want to grow your online presence, there is no better way than to be constantly adding quality content. And there is no better way than by blogging.
Testimonials Page – REAL Testimonials. Don’t have fake or fake sounding testimonials. If possible include the person’s full name, position and company. Then the testimonials carry weight.
Call To Action – Very important to have a call to action. What do you want visitors to your website to do? Contact You? Make an Appointment? Buy Something? Have a clear call to action. We blogged about this way back in 2011, in post entitled: Clear Call To Action: Keep your eye on the prize and that post is still accurate today.
Two Level Navigation Menu – If possible, all your pages should be no more than 2 levels deep. I recently saw a small website and the page I was looking for was 5 levels deep. Ridiculous and unnecessary.
Responsive Design – If your website isn’t mobile friendly, STOP and get someone to build you a new site. Over 50% of the visitors to your site are getting having a poor user experience. Responsive design is where your website adjusts to the user’s screen size and looks good everywhere. More on Responsive Design »
Unique Logo – Logos set your brand and the design of your site. Best of all it isn’t all the expensive to have a custom logo designed.
These mainly pertain to informational websites. Depending on your business, we’d also recommend:
Ability to pay invoices online
Ability to sell online
Ability to make appointments online
BOTTOM LINE: There are of course many other things you can add to your small business website. These are just the must-have pages and elements we think are crucial, especially when you are just starting out. Of course, you can always contact us and we can go through your individual requirements and make recommendations tailored for your particular business and industry.
Update: I am adding a few more items to this post:
High-quality images: Your website should have high-quality images that showcase your products or services. This can help build trust with visitors and make your business look more professional. If you use stock photography, try to use some that haven’t been used 1 million times on the web. I always point to the picture of the operator that 10 million people used on their websites! If possible, use a professional photographer especially when taking pictures of your team. Otherwise today’s cell phones can take a wonderful picture. I always just recommend that if you’re taking pictures of your team, that you are all standing against the same background, from the same distance, etc.
Clear and concise information: Your website should have clear and concise information about your business, products or services, and contact information. It should be easy for visitors to find the information they need.
Easy navigation: Building on the above point about navigation, your website should have a clear and intuitive navigation menu, so visitors can quickly find the information they need.
