11 best free tools and resources for the small businesses owners

By utilising the right resources, emerging entrepreneurs can greatly increase their efficiency. Several companies are extending their online classes, resources, and tools to small business owners, many of whom are affected by the pandemic.

Starting any business is expensive, and most founders think twice before spending any money. Most small business owners carefully choose the software for their businesses due to the costs involved. But at the same time, they want to grow their businesses.

Fortunately, there are many free online tools that they can use to improve the efficiency and productivity of their business. Small business owners know how to stretch a dollar, and make it go as far as possible. The free business tools given below are available on the internet and just might change the way you run your business:

1. LastPass

As an entrepreneur, you must have business accounts with Amazon, Shopify, or Etsy. When was the last time that you forgot the password for any of these accounts? It’s really a chore to remember them, right? Well, not anymore.

LastPass is a tool that remembers all these passwords so that you don’t have to. You can share the login information with your employees, and they can use it on any device, anywhere. They do have an upgrade for $ 3, but you might not need it.

2. Raven SEO Tools

Marketing is one of the biggest challenges which small business owners face. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a marketing tool that they often use in the digital world, to generate website visits. Link Building is a strategy commonly used to improve website rankings in organic search results. Raven SEO Tools provide tools for Link Building and are an intuitive interface that you can use to queue links for outreach.

This software program focuses on rank tracking, reporting, and site audit, and will help you to compare your site with a competitor’s. Its Link Manager tool works by integrating with Site Finder and Backlink Explorer and providing backlink sources. It also has a Keyword Research Tool, where when you type in a keyword, you will get such data as Google ads local and global trends.

3. Trello

It is an all-in-one project management software that lets you organise your website and enhances team collaboration and communication. It is ideal for small businesses because their free plan is more than sufficient to streamline your project management. You can copy your workflows, brandings, and testimonials from different platforms, all on your own website.

Trello breaks down your projects or workflows into three categories: boards, cards, and lists. Boards can be projects or team departments and are created for teams working on a specific project. Boards can be broken down into cards which are used to identify each stage of the particular project. Within the cards, we have lists that identify task descriptions, checklists, and due dates.

4. Business Name Generator

Branding experts and marketers stress the importance of having a catchy and unique business name. Business name suggestion tools automate the process of creating the perfect business name, and Business Name Generator is one such tool. All you have to do is enter your brand keyword, and it will throw out potential brand names.

The Business Name Generator will check trademark databases and that the domains are actually free. If you try to do all this manually, it will take a lot of time, and this useful tool will help you to speed up the process. One tip is to insert medium length keywords because a website with a short keyword will tend to be more expensive.

5. Pencil

In these tough economic times, efficiency matters for a small business. That is why business analysis tools are so crucial for the small business owner. Pencil is an open-source tool for business analysts for creating prototypes and mock-ups.

Making a prototype helps to get confirmation from the customer on requirements. It also helps the customer to understand the look and feel. You can incorporate any changes and input based on the customer feedback into the final product.

6. ActivTrak

Business intelligence tools have analysis and artificial intelligence features that can extract valuable insights from huge volumes of data. ActivTrak is one such tool for team behavior analytics. It tracks and measures work activities without relying on human inputs.

This unbiased data set includes user names, application title bars, website URLs, etc. to monitor employees and give a deep insight into their work. You have to download the ActivTrak Agent on any desktop operating system. It is necessary for properly collecting the data on your employee’s activities.

7. Gmail

If you have an MSN, AOL, or Yahoo account, it is time that you got yourself a Gmail account, simply because those email service providers have simply not updated themselves. GoogleDocs is the best part of the Gmail account, and you can upload pictures, documents, files, and anything else that you would need for your business.

Instead of having to write an email and upload a big file, you can just send a link to your GoogleDoc. With Gmail, you can also create a business email account. So, instead of using an account like ‘abc@gmail.com’, you can have one email id like ‘your name@your site.com’, which will look more professional.

It is said that for an entrepreneur, learning never ends. Here are some free resources that will help you grow as a businessman:

8. Coursera

Coursera is the leader in online education with thousands of courses. The topics are vast-ranging from computer science to math and logic. But is this platform worth your time and money in 2021? Let’s find out.

Basically, Coursera is a video-based online learning platform. It works with popular universities like Yale and John Hopkins and is most popular for its computer science programs. They are very useful to software developers. As a small business owner, you can take courses on entrepreneurship, or invite your staff to take classes on information technology.

9. Google Maps

Google Maps can help small businesses like yours with marketing, by making it easier for people to find you. Potential clients can connect to your business, and can gain access to information like phone number and address. They can also get directions just by clicking on their phones.

Suppose you are in the dry cleaning business, and you register your business on Google Maps. When a customer in your locality searches ‘dry cleaning s services near me’ on Google, he will get a list of similar businesses in the locality with yours’s included. Google Maps platform offers a free $ 200 monthly credit, so a vast majority of small businesses find their end uses completely free.

10. WordPress

Having a business website allows people to window-shop your products and services, and get you, new customers. You can use WordPress which is the best platform in the world to set up your own website. It will give your website a stunning theme without you having to write a single line of code.

Bitnami native installers will allow you to install the WordPress program absolutely free. You have to choose the right WordPress theme to ensure that you don’t have to change it each time your website changes or grows. The best thing about it is that you will get access to thousands of pre-made website templates, add-ons, and extensions.

11. Yelp

If you run a local small business, it would be a wise decision to get on Yelp. It is one of the more popular business directories where people can review your business and recommend it to others. It’s a great way to reach new customers and claim your listing and online presence.

You can go to www.yelp.com, and see if your business already exists in the Yelp system. If you can’t see it, you can just add your business, and type in all your information to create the initial account. Also, put in the regular hours that your business stays open so that people can come.

Running a small business solo is not easy. But help is at hand! There are a huge number of free websites and apps that will help you in your content marketing, design, social media, and other endeavours. The free online business tools and resources that we have described above will give the right boost to your business.

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2) How To Stay Ahead of Your Competition?
3) How To Create Business Cards?
4) How to Claim LTDC for Your Business?
5) How To Find The Average Price Of Your Business Product In The Market?