Recommendations
On this page I detail the best tools and services that I highly recommend. Using the right tools can really make a big difference to your SME or agency business – such as increasing productivity, quality and customer satisfaction.
This page contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase via these links, I may earn a commission (at no additional cost to you).
Automation Software
If you’re wanting to do automation for your business (e.g. AI automation), you need a solid automation platform. For a few years now, I’ve been using Make as main automation platform and found it to be really good and reliable. They offer a free plan, which for small businesses can sometimes be enough and let you improve your business efficiency without paying for a monthly plan.
Sales, Marketing & Automation
For any company (even a one man band) serious about growth, having good CRM software can really make a difference. Often it’s best to have an all-in-one platform for handling, sales, marketing and related automations. A great option is GoHighLevel, who offer a completely free 14 day trial. I’ve been using it in my agency for the last few years.
Another option is HubSpot – this is good as it offers a free version, ideal for start-ups and small SMEs. As you grow, they offers various paid plans with more functionality – the . It has a great user interface and works as well as it includes marketing, sales, service, content and operations tools. I used HubSpot about 10 years ago – it’s improved a lot since then.
Project Management Software
For many types of businesses you need project management software to manage tasks on multiple projects for multiple team members.
In 2021 I led the evaluation of project management tools for our main business, as it was felt the existing ‘Accelo’ system was hindering us. After our detailed analysis we chose ClickUp. We’ve been really happy with it and love the way you can very quickly do things (e.g. create a task), whilst also having a lot of customisation and power with features such as automations. It’s possible to use it for more than just project management – for example you could manage leave with it and even use it as a basic CRM if you wish.
SEO Tools
If your business is a digital agency creating websites or doing search engine optimisation for your clients, having a great SEO tool is critical. Equally if you have an internal marketing team or skilled individual, you may required an SEO tool to use for your own business.
I’ve used SE Ranking for almost 10 years now, across multiple businesses. It’s got a wide feature set from keyword tracking, through to on-page audits and keyword analysis. It also includes reporting and they often improve features and add more functionality.
Website Hosting
Whether you’re an agency hosting sites for your clients, or you want to host your own business websites, quality website hosting is critical.
I’ve used SiteGround for over 10 years now, across multiple businesses. They have been extremely reliable, with good quality hosting and responsive support.
No-Code App Builder
If you’re an agency or small business and want to create web-based apps with no or low code, WeWeb is a great option. It allows you to develop apps much faster than coding ‘by hand’ and also supports AI assistance to built things even faster. Use our WeWeb sign up link to get 10% off on all price plans. You can start with a free plan if you wish!
Website Analytics
Seeing who is on your website is critical. Google Analytics used to be king, but with ever changing data privacy laws, it’s no longer the preference for many.
I researched and chose Fathom Analytics in 2021 and use it on our own business websites, client websites and also this site! It’s privacy first and therefore doesn’t use cookies – so for small sites that don’t use other cookies it means don’t need any cookie consent popup. Whilst it’s a lot simpler than Google Analytics, it still has the key features you need.
