The Best Digital Marketing Tools for Small Businesses

Launch Your Online Business in Just 7 Days

Digital marketing is an essential element of business.

With so many online marketing tools available, you could waste much of your time (and money) trying to figure out which ones work for you.

Reading the features and pricing pages of every tool could drive a person crazy!

Save yourself the effort and check out our list of the 43 top-ranking tools used for online business.

1. eCommerce tools

As a business owner, you’re probably familiar with the phrase ecommerce.

If not, e-commerce refers to electronically buying or selling products over the internet.

2.14 billion people shop online — an ecommerce platform will give you access to those people and help you convert them into customers.

Here are our favorite tools to use for eCommerce:

1.1. Systeme.io

We have to mention systeme.io first — our platform goes above and beyond your ecommerce needs.

Systeme.io is an all-in-one solution to building sales funnels, promoting your offers, and selling physical and digital products via your ecommerce store.

Your email marketing, online courses, website building, and funnel automation are also fully supported by our tool.

Running your online business is easy with systeme.io, and the functionality of our platform speaks for itself.

Systeme.io offers a Freemium Plan as well as three price options starting at just $27/month ― and we’ve added a 30% annual billing discount to sweeten the deal.

Choose the perfect plan for your business or get started with systeme.io, completely free.

1.2. Shopify

Shopify is a simple tool that allows you to start, sell, market, and manage an online store.

You have instant access to themes and can create the perfect storefront, online presence, and business branding.

There’s a 14-day free trial available, and Shopify’s paid plans start at $29/month for businesses new to e-commerce.

They also have ShopifyPlus plans that are scaled to high volume stores and Shopify Lite, for $9/item if you’re just looking to add some products to your blog.

1.3. Squarespace

If you’ve been on YouTube lately, you’ve probably seen several sponsored adverts — many of them are from Squarespace.

This platform lets you create your own domain, website, and online store with its easy-to-use tools.

There’s a 14-day free trial available with Squarespace, and the paid plans start at $12/month.

You’ll have to opt for the $18/month Business plan if you want access to all their ecommerce features.

1.4. Oberlo

Oberlo is a great option if you’re into dropshipping.

The tool provides a browser extension so you can add products to your online store and get direct-to-supplier orders from your customers.

Oberlo has a free option available for up to 500 products, and paid plans start at $29.90/month or just purchase a ready-made store.

There are several free tools on their site, like name and slogan generators and profit calculators — use their nifty freebies and invest your cash in an all-in-one solution.

2. Marketing automation tools

Marketing automation tools and platforms are designed to make marketing more effective.

These tools help you create multiple online channels and automate repetitive tasks — saving you precious time.

2.1. Hubspot

HubSpot is a household name in online business.

It’s one of the most popular marketing software tools available.

Hubspot’s Marketing Automation performs repetitive tasks, like email marketing, social media posting, and ad campaigns, automatically.

Hubspot’s automation accomplishes this without harming the personalized experience you want for your customers.

What makes this tool unique is its smooth integration with all other HubSpot services and products.

The free plan includes up to 2,000 sent emails a month, a drag-and-drop email builder, ready-made templates, and contact lists.

Hubspot’s paid plans start at $50/month but for just 1000 contacts and are quite limited.

Automation and custom reporting are only available from the Professional plan, which costs $890/month.

2.2. Zapier

Zapier is built to connect the apps you use for business and automate your workflow.

With this tool, you can connect two or more apps to automate repetitive tasks, without coding or relying on developers to build the integration.

Zapier has a simple free plan available with very basic abilities, and its paid plans start at $20/month for multi-step automation and webhooks connections.

2.3. Respona

Respona is an all-in-one blogger outreach platform with tools to help you set up and launch an email campaign of any kind.

It’s integrated with Google’s search engine for streamlined prospecting and pulls metrics like domain ratings and Ahrefs ranks directly from Ahrefs.

With their easy-to-use email finder, you can get hold of the right person’s contact information, without needing to rely on any other tools.

The intuitive interface guides you through launching your outreach campaigns, tracks your performance, and reports on the status of your conversations with each prospect.

Respona’s pricing starts at $99/month and includes unlimited campaigns, workspaces, and users. There’s also plenty of automation, relationship management, reporting, and content discovery features included.

This software solution is perfect for link-builders and other outreach specialists.

2.4. Power Automate

Microsoft Flow has recently been rebranded as Power Automate.

This platform aims to boost productivity, automate tasks using robotic process automation (RPA), and create workflows — giving you more time to focus on what’s important.

A free trial is available with Microsoft’s Power Automate, and the paid plans start at $15/month, but the RPA capabilities are only included from $40/month.

2.5. Pardot

Pardot enables organizations to track and measure the effectiveness of their communications.

This marketing automation tool by Salesforce also allows insights into user behavior and provides personalized content across campaigns.

Like Power Automate, Pardot uses some artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze and recommend ways to improve your content.

There’s a free trial available for Pardot, and paid plans starting at $1,250/month with add-ons from $50.

AI marketing is only available with their Advanced Plan, which costs $4000/month.

3. Collaboration tools

Collaboration tools support a group of people in achieving their common goal.

These tools could be analog, but who has the time to send office memos in a technology-driven world?

80% of businesses use online collaboration tools to support and improve their communication processes.

Listed below are our favorite collaboration tools.

3.1. Slack

This wins the prize for the best collaboration tool!

Slack is a powerful messaging app that allows you and your teammates to quickly message back and forth without the hassle of email.

With its ability to send direct messages, create channels, and use slack bots, it’s the ultimate tool for collaboration.

The powerful features and integrations make it possible for you to integrate other necessary tools (like Trello and Gmail) into what you're already using.

You can start channels between different teams or just chat with specific colleagues — making remote work possible and all work easier.

Slack has a free plan, and their paid plans start at $8/month for each active user.

Luckily, the free plan already has a ton of features to get your team off the ground — you can scale up and pay up later if needed.

3.2. Dropbox

Dropbox for Business is the perfect tool to keep your team organized and your files under control.

As a cloud-based software service, your files are accessible via Dropbox to you at any time and any place.

There’s a free trial available, and the 3 Dropbox paid plans start at $15/month/user or $19/month if you’re a solo user with no team members.

3.3. Google Drive

Google Drive allows you to use all your favorite applications, from wherever you are.

They do this by providing secure cloud storage for individuals and businesses.

This is the perfect tool if you’re looking to build a team from the ground up without having to pay a fortune for access to collaboration tools.

There’s a free trial available for Google Drive’s Workspace, and paid plans start at $8/month.

If your team is larger than 300 people, you can contact Google’s sales team to scale their Enterprise plan according to your needs.

3.4. MS Teams

Microsoft Teams offers workspace chat, videoconferencing, file storage, and application integration to its users.

If your business is already using Microsoft Office applications or their Power Automation, then Teams might be your best solution!

A free option is available, but it has no integrations.

Microsoft Teams’ paid plans offer a 1-month free trial and then start at $5/feature/month. Monthly plans with extensive features require an annual commitment.

3.5. Trello

Trello is a project management solution — you can organize tasks, manage workloads, and build team spirit.

It’s a collaboration tool and a marketing tool that aims to simplify and manage your content.

A free option is available on Trello for smaller teams, and their Business Class plan costs $12.50/month but is limited to a team of 100 users.

Trello’s Enterprise plan is scalable and includes all of its more advanced features.

4. Online branding tools

Consistent branding can increase your revenue by up to 23%.

Your business’s branding evolves, and so does the technology you use to create it.

This is why we believe that you should have access to only the best online branding tools.

4.1. Rebrandly

Rebrandly is one of the leaders in branded link management.

The platform is created to easily track, manage, and create shorter URLs with a custom domain name.

Rebrandly allows you to showcase your company’s brand name in every short link that you create — improving click-through rates by up to 39%!

This tool makes it easier to share links on social media and printed materials because the links are shorter and easier to read.

It’s a simple tool, but sometimes simplicity is key.

Rebrandly has a free plan available with 4 paid options starting at $29/month.

4.2. WiseStamp

WiseStamp is a tool that generates a professional email signature for businesses or individuals.

You can use this to showcase your brand by adding company details and social media handles to the end of your emails.

Wisestamp has a free plan available, and their Pro version costs $5.80/month.

4.3. PixelLogo

PixelLogo helps you create amazing logo designs for your business.

They offer an extensive collection of 3D and animated logos that can be downloaded and used moments after purchasing — as well as many ready-made options.

PixelLogo has some free logo templates available along with other varied pricing options that differ based on the intricacy of your design needs.

4.4. Mention

Mention is a tool that allows you to monitor your brand’s online perception by tracking where it’s mentioned across the web.

They have added some social media management capabilities.

Mention has also created a limited free plan that’s now available while the paid plans start at $29/month for individual users and $99/month for marketers and small businesses.

Some other brand tracking tools exist as alternatives to Mention.

5. Design and imagery tools

Graphic design is one of the most important aspects that affect user interaction.

Impressive graphics highlight the best elements of a business and make your brand stand out.

Great graphics build brand awareness, create a professional atmosphere, and subconsciously influence the customer’s choices.

Here are some of our favorite visual design tools:

5.1. Canva

Canva is a web-based design tool that you can use to create a variety of content for your business.

It’s simple to use and requires little to no experience with digital design — you can create stunning images, posters, video presentations, social media posts, and more with no training!

Canva offers a multitude of free templates, elements, and text — purchase a membership to access more specific content.

You can use Canva to create unique images from scratch or polish up what you have on hand with their user-friendly drag-and-drop interface.

Graphics have become a quintessential part of marketing growth, and Canva is one of the best free marketing design tools around!

The free plan has plenty of range, and Canva’s paid plans start at $12.99/month giving you access to more templates, advanced settings, and more storage.

5.2. Lumen5

Lumen5 is a video creation and social media marketing platform that allows you to create video content within minutes.

Lumen5 is the ideal solution if you are looking to spice things up and drive growth by creating visually interesting business designs using existing content.

There’s a free option available for casual enthusiasts, and Lumen5’s 4 paid plans start at $15/month with an option to create your own custom payment plan if you work with video on a large scale.

However, there are other social media marketing platforms as alternatives.

5.3. Piktochart

Well-made infographics alone can increase your web traffic by up to 12%, and they’re the fourth most used form of content marketing.

Piktochart will help you develop beautiful and engaging infographics without needing prior design experience.

The free plan is free forever, and the team plan starts at $26/month.

Piktochart also has different pricing available for those in education and non-profit organizations (NPOs) — check with their sales team if your business falls into either niche.

5.4. InVision

InVision is a digital product design and development platform that navigates the different stages of the design process.

Create a streamlined design workflow, design product prototypes, and collaborate across your organization with this tool.

InVision lets you get started for free with paid plans starting at $9.95/user/month for multiple, cross-collaborative teams but no advanced features.

5.5. Storydoc

Storydoc is an interactive presentation software, ideal for B2B use cases. It comes with an array of business templates that will enable you to truly stand out in front of your customers or investors.

Unlike usual static slides, Storydoc allows you to create scroll-based presentations populated with interactive infographics and other data visualization elements that help your audience digest one piece of information at a time, instead of being overwhelmed by blocks of data or text.

You can embed different types of content into your decks and even integrate sign-up forms or schedulers.

Additionally, you know when and how your presentation is being read, thanks to the software’s tracking analytics.

Sign up and get a free trial of 14 days, and you can keep your created presentations forever. Paid plans start at $40/seat.

6. Blogging tools

Blogging is still the most effective content marketing tool — companies who blog generate around 67% more leads.

Through the use of blog posts, you can generate these new leads for your company, while getting insight into your customer base.

Below are some of the best tools that you can use if you want to write blog posts to increase your sales.

6.1. WordPress

WordPress is probably the first thing that comes to mind when you think of blogs.

It’s pretty simple to get started on the platform, and you can choose from over 350 available themes to build your website.

You’re also able to customize your WordPress blog to your preferences and edit it whenever you want to change things up.

The interface is simple to use, and there are endless amounts of WordPress plugins available.

This is a great tool to start working on your blog without having to wait for a developer to set it up for you.

WordPress has a limited free plan available, but paid plans and add-ons begin at around $36/year.

6.2. Grammarly

Grammarly is a browser extension, Microsoft add-in, mobile app, and desktop app writing assistant capable of web editing.

Grammarly helps you to write clearly and concisely, improving your written communication overall.

The free plan includes the most basic grammar corrections.

For advanced features you’ll need to subscribe to one of the paid plans, starting at $11.66/month.

6.3. BuzzSprout

If you're looking for a platform to help you kickstart your podcast, then BuzzSprout is the perfect tool for you.

You can create, host, and track everything podcast-related with this tool.

The free plan is limited, but Buzzsprout’s paid plans start at $12/month for 3 hours of content monthly.

You also have the option to add Magic Mastering for an extra $6/month and simplify your sound editing.

6.4. Medium

Medium is like the Youtube of the writing world.

It’s one of the only websites where different writers and bloggers can post their content and get paid for it.

You can read free articles or share your own with multiple audiences.

A free plan is available, and Medium’s paid plans start at $4.99/month whether you want to read or publish on the platform.

7. Website design tools

Your website design has a huge impact on your entire digital marketing strategy!

A good design positively influences user experience (UX), boosting your brand and social media reach.

These are some of the best tools you can use to create and improve your website design to increase your sales.

7.1. Optimizely

Optimizely combines several features on their platform that cater to your business needs.

The tool combines A/B testing, landing page creation, and CTA buttons.

Your website can interact with your visitors.

The company has an impressive number of partners, so it’s easy to centralize and test customer data.

This makes it a common tool for website creation, lead capturing, and conversion.

What makes Optimizely unique is the simple-to-use performance monitor and a large curation of articles and blog posts if you ever have any questions.

The price is different for every business and completely tailored to your needs — there’s no free plan though.

7.2. JotForm

JotForm allows you to create online forms, collect responses directly in your email, and create fillable PDF forms.

Using this tool, you can create a variety of forms to suit your exact needs — you can even use it for some basic ecommerce actions!

There’s a free plan available, and JotForm’s paid plans start at $29/month with 25 forms and 10GB of storage.

7.3. Sleeknote

Sleeknote is a tool that you can use to create popups without the need for a separate designer to do it for you.

You can create different popups depending on your niche and then directly integrate with several other digital marketing platforms.

There’s a 7-day free trial available that gives you access to everything on the platform.

Paid plans start at €62/month with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

The plans scale based on the number of visitors and how many custom campaigns you can create.

7.4. Sumo

Sumo is a powerful tool that you can use to increase your traffic, collect emails, and track your customers’ behavior across your website.

You can do this by installing their software and activating their lead capture form.

They have a free option available, but you’ll need to opt for the Pro Plan that starts at $49/month if you want continued access to advanced analytics.

7.5. Unbounce

Unbounce is a drag-and-drop builder that allows you to create landing pages.

It’s an easy way to increase your conversions from your user traffic.

Unbounce offers a free 14-day trial, and paid plans are scalable and start at $80/month for 500 conversions.

8. Analytics tools

Digital marketing analytics give you a way to assess your business’ progress.

Data-driven marketing can increase your return on investment (ROI) up to 8 times over.

These tools are great to use if you want to analyze content performance, where you’re reaching your target audience, and how people travel down your sales funnel.

8.1. Google Analytics

Google Analytics is arguably one of the most powerful tools available for digital marketing strategy.

It gives insights into your website, audience, and strategies.

The tool is simple, yet powerful and will help you find where you can improve your strategy to increase your conversion rates.

It takes minutes to add the Analytics code to your website.

Then you can track every action taken by every visitor.

Other than website tracking, Analytics also tracks specific business goals using various metrics.

Analyze how your customers are working through your sales funnel and what they do on your website in real-time.

Google can give you insights into your customer analytics without using complicated code.

Whether your business is small or large, Google Analytics will be able to help you see what’s working and fix the things that aren’t.

Try their free demo as paid plans vary based on your business’s size and needs

8.2. ClickMeter

ClickMeter allows you to monitor, compare, and optimize all your marketing links in one place.

The tool records all activities that occur in different channels and provides a full report about the status of the links.

There’s no free plan, but ClickMeter offers a 30-day money-back guarantee, and the paid plans start at $29/month for a ‘medium-sized’ business.

8.3. Heap

Heap captures customer touchpoints and automates data.

While other tools require the user to tag events manually, Heap does it automatically and documents the full customer journey.

Heap offers a demo to potential customers, so contact their team to see if this tool is for you.

You can sign up and start free with Heap, but their paid plans vary, so get a quote based on your needs.

8.4. Funnel.io

Funnel.io allows you to automate marketing reports and other manual processes like gathering advertising data.

You can start with a free demo from Funnel.io and then their paid plans start at $399/month (billed annually).

If you want a data guarantee or more connectors, you’ll need to opt for the $999/month Plus Plan.

9. Social media management tools

There are 3.78 billion social media users worldwide, making it an essential part of any online business and its marketing strategy.

Social media management platforms help you connect with your customers, increase brand awareness, and boost sales.

Here are some tools you can use to manage your social media.

9.1. Buffer

Buffer is a tool that manages your social media schedules.

We all know how much effort goes into staying on top of keeping social media pages updated — especially if you run multiple accounts.

With Buffer, you can manage all your social media platforms from one dashboard.

With all your social media pages in one location, you can also view post analytics and see how they’re performing across all your platforms.

You can choose between Buffer’s posting or analytics focussed plans, to ensure you’re only paying for the features you need.

Buffer offers a 14-day free trial, and their posting plans start at $15/month, and their analytics plans start at $35/month.

9.2. MeetEdgar

MeetEdgar is a social media scheduler that helps you to build a library of evergreen content under various categories.

You can publish these posts on your social media platforms in a loop at prescribed times.

MeetEdgar has a free trial available, and their Edgar Lite plan costs $19/month for 3 social media accounts.

If you’re managing more than 3, even if they are for a single brand, you’ll need to opt for the full Edgar plan at $49/month.

9.3. SocialPilot

If you want to post in bulk, then SocialPilot is the perfect tool for you.

They offer client management features, customer URLs, and Facebook branding.

With Social Pilot you can request a demo, use their 14-day free trial available, or opt for a paid plan, starting at $30/month.

9.4. Crowdfire

Crowdfire helps you to grow your social presence, establishing yourself in the industry, by suggesting relevant articles, providing tips, and scheduling posts for you.

You can discover relevant content, schedule your posts and manage multiple accounts with this tool.

A Crowdfire free plan is available, and paid plans are available for between $9.99/month and $49.99/month if you want full access to the tool.

10. SEO tools

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) can help you to build a better relationship with your audience.

Google is responsible for 70% of all global search traffic, so following SEO best practices can give you an edge over your competition.

SEO can improve your customer experiences and increase site traffic.

Fortunately, there are a variety of SEO tools available to help you.

10.1. Google SEO tools

Google undoubtedly offers some of the most powerful tools that you can use to improve your SEO.

Tools like Google’s Search Console help you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google’s search results.

Google Keyword Planner helps you research keyword traffic and optimize your diction.

You simply have to research which tool you want to use and sit back as your SEO improves — the 2 we’ve mentioned are especially useful.

The best part about Google’s SEO tools is that they’re completely free.

10.2. CopyScape

We all need a good plagiarism detector in our arsenal to ensure that we aren't posting SEO-damaging content.

Copyscape is a tool that will have you covered with features like Copysentry that actively searches for and tracks copies of your content

There's a free version available on Copyscape and then payment is scaled: 3c per search (up to 200 words), 1c per additional 100 words.

10.3. Ahrefs Webmaster

Ahrefs Webmaster Tools allow you to monitor your SEO health, browse your website’s backlink data, and see which keywords bring you traffic.

Ahrefs Webmaster is a free tool that you can use in combination with Google’s Search Console to fill in any gaps that you might have in your SEO.

There’s a free option for the Webmaster Tools, but the full Ahrefs package plans start at $99/month with a trial for $7 available as well.

10.4. GTMetrix

GTmetrix is a simple tool that allows you to test your website’s page speed.

The tool gives you a complete report on how your website is doing, and what you can do to fix any underlying problems!

Run speed tests across platforms, countries, and browsers — so you can optimize your website for everyone.

GTmetrix offers a free plan, and paid plans start at $10/month (billed annum).

11. Conclusion

Fortunately, many of these platforms offer free plans or trials without needing much information from you — meaning that you’ve got nothing to lose.

Businesses big and small need an easy-to-use platform to support digital marketing strategies and tools to optimize performance.

Use our comprehensive list and give a tool or two a try — your metrics and ROI can only go up!