Small business often means small budget. When it comes to our marketing we limited resources to spend and need to make sure they can go as far as possible. This is why I love utilizing free online tools.
As you get more and more intentional with your business knowing what’s working and what’s not will be integral to your strategy. Website analytics, email campaign results, SEO, all of it comes into play to help you make confident decisions and keep moving your business forward.
For each and every client I work with, I suggest setting up these tools. They’re free and easy to install (a simple Google search will tell you everything you need to know), but most importantly they’ll help you see deeper into your business so that you know what steps to take next.
Google’s Marketing Tools
When it comes to marketing tools it all starts with Google. Google offers a variety of tools that I love to use to gain insights around my website. Each tool has a different purpose and you by no means need all of them so I’ve put them in order of importance here.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the go-to for all marketing tools. This will allow you to see what pages perform best on your site as well as the demographics coming in. If you sell through your site you can also set it up to track products so that you get the full insights into what’s selling and how are people getting to that page to buy. Install Google Analytics and see just how your customers are using your site.
Google Search Console
Google Search Console allows you to see what people are searching for in order to find your site, what landing pages they hit, and how many people are finding you through search. It’s the first look into your SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
Google Data Studio
Google data studio allows you to create a dashboard of information that connects all the different Google tools in one place. Review your google ads and google analytics in one place. Choose what data you want to see and organize it in a way that works for you. I talk about customer profiles ALL. THE. TIME. and this tool is a great way to put all your demographic data in one place to see what profile type is actually coming to your website.
Free Online Marketing Tools
Google isn’t the only one with free tools to use for your business. These are a few more marketing tools that I’m always referencing.
Microsoft Clarity
Clarity allows you to see how people interact with your website so that you can create a better landing page experience. See where dead clicks are taking place, how fast people are scrolling through, and anywhere that might be slowing down the user experience.
Later
If you are using social media in your marketing and like to schedule things out, then Later is the tool for you. The free version allows you to schedule out 30-posts per channel, per month. It creates an image library for you so that it’s easy to find and re-use content. You can save captions, add a link in bio, and pretty much do all that you need to do to keep your social strong without having to be in-app every day!
Toggl
I love to track my time so that I know where it’s going. Whether I want to know how much time I’m spending on a personal project or needing to track hours for a client, Toggl is the tool to do it all. Get organized and know where your time is going with Toggl.
Be Intentional With Your Time
You by no means need all of these tools in your business. Google Analytics or some form of analytics is the most important to have, everything else can be helpful. Figure out what questions you need the answers to and decide if one of these tools will help you get that answer, or save time and energy so you can focus on those questions. Being an intentional business means that you have a purpose for every tool you download.
