8 Tools Every Online Entrepreneur Needs

When running an online business, large or small, it is essential to be organized and have the right productivity tools.

The good news is that there are many tools, platforms and expertise available to ensure you keep everything where it needs to be and keep your business moving forward. Whether you are an established business or just starting out, you Need these eight things in your life.

Programs and Tools Every Online Entrepreneur Needs

The great thing about running an online business is that you have the potential to reach millions of people. However, to do this successfully, you need to have everything in place. Let’s talk about the eight tools and skills that will help you be your best self.

1. Project Management Tool

As you grow and employ more people, a project management tool is essential. This is especially true if you have remote workers, which is more than likely if your business is online in nature. We’re talking about tools like Slack, Asana, ClickUp, and Trello, to name a few.

These tools help you manage your workflow efficiently and keep communication in one place. You can assign tasks to individuals and stay updated on their progress, without having to constantly check in and find out what’s going on. A tool like this is also great for planning, as you can see your current state of affairs laid out in front of you.

When it comes to sharing information, these tools are helpful. You can attach documents and files with work processes included, so everyone knows what they need to do. In general, a project management tool should be one of the first things you download as an online business owner.

2. SEO knowledge

When it comes to standing out, SEO is the number one helper to get there. If you don’t know, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, and it’s a method of ensuring that your site ranks high in search engine results, especially Google.

When you build your website, write your blog, or create any marketing materials, SEO should be present in all of it. It means using high-ranking keywords naturally throughout your work so that when someone searches for that term, your site is more likely to appear in front of them. All you have to do from here is hope they click through and buy whatever you’re offering.

SEO can be complicated, but it is something worth learning. If you find it too complicated, you can hire a freelancer with SEO experience to help you cover all the bases. It is definitely worth the extra money to get it right. To learn more about SEO read our article here.

3. A quality and updated website

This may seem obvious, but it’s surprising how many businesses don’t focus on the basics. A high-quality, up-to-date website is vital to any online business. For comparison, if you had a brick-and-mortar store, you’d want it to be clean, easy to navigate, and full of cool stuff, right? Your website is the online equivalent.

Taking the time to design (or have someone else design) your website means you’re laying the right foundation. However, it doesn’t stop there. Once you’re online, it’s crucial to continually update your site, make sure all your links are up and running, and, as before, use SEO to keep your site as high in the rankings as possible.

Again, if you find it difficult to design a website, you can outsource this work to an expert. However, you will find many website builder tools that make the job easier.

☞ If you’re looking to give your current website a makeover, or if you want a new website built from scratch, we’ve got you covered! In our Creator Kickstarter program, we build a custom website for you from scratch. You can learn more here. Or, if you’re not interested in the full coaching program and want to build a site yourself, you can learn how to do it here.

4. Analysis tools

Whether your business is established or brand new, you need numbers to see how you’re doing and to highlight areas where you can improve. Google Analytics is a great option for this because it gives you all the information you need in one convenient place. From how much traffic your site gets to where that traffic is coming from, you’ll have a lot of data to work with.

The good thing is that compared to many analytics tools, Google Analytics is really easy to use, which is great for new entrepreneurs. You can also break down traffic data into longer or shorter periods of time and look for trends and changes.

Overall, a good analytics tool, whether it’s Google Analytics or another option, will help you understand how your business is doing and where you can make changes.

5. Regular online meetings

Most online businesses have remote employees, ranging from one to a few hundred. It is important to stay connected and communicate regularly to keep your business running smoothly. The project management tool mentioned above will help you achieve this, but regular meetings are key.

Zoom and other meeting software options, like Skype, are great for regular check-ins with your team. Of course, they don’t have to be too regular (otherwise, no one will get work done), but regular meetings help you check in and make sure everyone is on the same page.

Scheduling team meetings once a week, at the same time every week, is a good idea and helps everyone get into a routine. So, have an agenda that keeps your team members informed about what’s going on. You can also have Q&A sessions at the end and go around the room to let anyone raise a question or something they want to discuss.

6. Document storage

All businesses have documents that they need to keep safe, whether for tax or legal reasons or just to have something to refer to. Thankfully, the days of bursting filing cabinets are long gone and would never work for an online business. When it comes to saving key records, using cloud storage and options like Dropbox are ideal.

If you have a team working for you, everyone can access the files with a password, keeping everything safe and accessible only to those who need it. It is a good idea to regularly review the files you are archiving to delete or archive any documents you no longer need, but remember that some documents need to be kept for a certain period of time.

There are numerous cloud storage options to choose from, so it’s worth exploring a few and finding the amount of storage that suits your needs and budget.

7. Email marketing

Once you have attracted customers, you need to retain them. Retention is an invaluable part of the online business process and yet it is something that many businesses overlook. However, it is as simple as using email marketing.

When a customer buys something from you, be sure to collect their email address. If you have their consent, you can send them periodic updates about your business and products. This could take the form of newsletters, which are very effective at keeping the focus firmly where you want it.

MailChimp is a great tool for archiving emails and creating newsletters to send to your contacts. The newsletter design tool helps you create eye-catching documents that keep your current customers interested, meaning you can expect a steady flow of business while trying to attract new customers at the same time.

8. Strong social media presence

Finally, we have the obvious. Social media is extremely important for online businesses because you can interact with millions of people around the world and reach new customers 24/7. Find Facebook groups that fit your business niche and advertise your services, comment on posts, and drive attention to your business. Posting regularly on your social media pages is a great way to keep people informed and up to date with everything you are doing.

However, it is important to know where your customers usually hang out. Don’t waste time developing a strong presence on X (ex Twitter) if your customers don’t typically use that platform. Instead, focus on the sites where they engage the most, like Instagram or Facebook.

Building and maintaining a strong social media presence takes time and effort, but it’s more than worth it for the attention it can generate. Of course, you hope that attention translates into repeat business and purchases, but it’s a great way to engage your customer base, help build loyalty, and increase awareness of your niche.

In short

Running an online business can often feel like juggling multiple balls in the air at once. That’s why having a solid library of resources and expertise can help you stay organized and avoid missing out on anything important. From developing a quality website to having a strong social media presence, the eight tools we’ve covered in this feature will help you direct your attention and focus where it needs to be.

Maybe you already have several in place, or maybe you need to look at some of the suggestions and implement them. Either way, having a range of tools and skills in your arsenal helps you prevent competitors from identifying your weaknesses and potentially jumping in to take advantage.