It doesn’t matter what type of online business you have, the truth is running and starting a business is hard. Managing employees, worrying about profits, and staying positive is something most business owners go through every day.
Thankfully things are a little bit different for the online business owner. Running an online business means that you have access to a variety of different applications and software that will make your job as a business owner a lot easier.
Why use applications and software?
The main reason why you should take advantage of this is because of the options you’ll have. You’ll have access to project management software, time-tracking software, online calculators, logo design tools, brainstorming tools, messaging apps, collaboration software, and so much more!
There are tons of tools out there but there 7 must-have tools that will increase productivity and save you a lot of time and headaches when dealing with your online business.
8 Must-have tools for your online business
1)Ccleaner
The first thing you have to worry about is yourself. If you can’t do a good job yourself, then how can you expect your employees and subordinated to do well in their jobs? This is true for every leader and you can’t do a good job if your computer is slow and laggy.
Ccleaner fixes this problem. It’s a software that cleans up unused space, files, and logs in your computer making your computer run faster. Sadly Ccleaner only works on Windows and Mac. If you’re using a Chromebook, then you might want to check some tips for speed-up your Chromebook.
2)Instapaper
Instapaper is an online tool that allows you to save anything from the internet and read it anywhere. It’s a very handy tool for very busy people who may not have the time to read everything they browse on the internet.
Additionally, Instapaper has some other interesting features as well. One that stands out is that it’s able to highlight quotes, comments, and statements on the articles you’ve read. So you can save up any really good quotes that you see for those rainy days where you need to make a motivating speech.
3)Slack
Slack is an instant messaging platform that allows your workers to coordinate with one another. You can assign different workers to different channels allowing you to create your very own virtual workplace.
This app is especially useful when your handling remote workers who live all around the world. Lastly, Slack allows for third party integration making it very versatile. So can even integrate games, calculators, and other useful and fun external applications that your employees can use.
4)ExpressVPN
As a business you should prioritize securing sensitive data and VPNs will do the trick.VPNs will protect your network from malicious attacks and from hackers trying to steal data. It also speeds up your internet making it easier to browse and contact clients online.
One VPN we recommend is ExpressVPN. It’s considered one of the best VPNs on the market with over 3000 servers all over the world. You can check out a list of other similar quality VPNs right here.
5)Asana
Asana is currently one of the best project managing applications on the market. Thankfully there is a free version where you can manage up to 15 people. This makes Asana a good project management app for small businesses and startups.
The app allows you to view your project timeline via Gant charts and assign tasks to each employee. It also allows employees to comment on each other’s assigned tasks making it easier to give direct and organized feedback on the project. Lastly, Asana can also integrate with third-party applications to make up for the other features that it lacks.
6)Hubstaff
One of the biggest problems for online managers is tracking productivity and ensuring that their remote workers are doing their jobs. Hubstaff removes those worries since it tracks the amount of time your workers have committed to a task. It takes a random screenshot every 10 minutes which discourages your employees from doing unproductive things.
It also keeps tabs on background applications so you can tell whether an employee is listening to music in the background or listening to podcasts. This app works well with Asana since these two can be integrated creating project management and time-tracking software combo.
7)Google Trends
SEO is very important when you’re running an online business since it helps determine your page ranking on Google’s page ranking. And one of the more underutilized SEO tools out there is Google Trends.
Google Trends allows you to search for trending topics and ideas on the internet. It will help you create relevant and important content that will get lots of traffic and focus. The app also allows you this data via a line chart that keeps on updating. It also allows you to narrow down on topics based on location as well so if you’re targeting a local market, then Google Trends has you covered.
If you want to learn more about SEO, then check this article out. It’s a comprehensive guide that online business owners can use to promote their website to improve their site’s SEO.
8)Xtensio
Xtensio let teams to create, manage, share and present beautiful living content together. You can create landing pages, sales sheet, personas, templates, and use it as an online presentation tool. Besides, you can copy or merge folios, add notes to the versions, save the templates, keep every on up-to-date, and bring efficiency to the business communication with this.
It is an amazing platform that will vanishes all your team collaboration problems and make you free from hassle. No matter where your colleagues are, you entire team can work under one place with Xtensio. Simply integrate Xtensio with your existing tools, and you can manage your business easily working remotely.
