Recommended Tools
I’m constantly testing new tools and products to find what actually works. This list represents what I currently find to be the most effective for getting results. You’ll find a mix of tools I recommend for service business owners based on price and usability, as well as some more advanced products I use in my agency when servicing multiple clients.
All-Around SEO Tool:
Ahrefs: The best all-around SEO tool that does everything – backlink analysis, competitor research, keyword research, and more. The data is accurate, and the interface is clean. They don’t offer a free trial, but have a Starter plan at $29 USD/month with 100 credits – perfect if you’re just working on your own business, but if you’re an agency or consultant working on multiple clients, it often won’t be enough credits.
SEMrush: The second-best option with similar features to Ahrefs, and includes a free trial. The depth of data isn’t quite as strong, but I use both tools because SEMrush has a unique network graph feature that’s excellent for vetting backlink quality. It shows all inbound and outbound links for a domain, making it easy to spot toxic links before they hurt your rankings.
Content Optimisation Software:
NeuronWriter: Hands down my favourite content optimisation tool. I’ve re-optimised client articles and service pages with Neuron Writer and watched them jump 2-3 pages in the rankings, bringing in real organic traffic.
The subscription model can get expensive, but if you keep an eye on AppSumo, they often have lifetime deals for around $100 USD – that’s actually where I got the licence I use every day. AppSumo is a platform where SaaS companies advertise with lifetime deals to build brand awareness, so it’s worth checking regularly for deals on tools like this.
WordPress Plugins:
These are my 8 best free WordPress plugins that I install on all of my client websites.
Elementor: The easiest page builder for everyday people to use. The free version is completely fine for most users, but I use the premium version as it gives me everything in one plugin – page building, contact forms, and the ability to embed code snippets for Google Analytics tracking and more.
Yoast: The most simple and easy-to-use SEO plugin. I basically only use it for adding meta titles and descriptions to pages, not for the SEO recommendations it provides.
Duplicate Page: Great for duplicating existing pages and blog articles when creating new content. Saves heaps of time.
Wordfence: Every site needs a security plugin to avoid spam and hackers. This free one does the job brilliantly.
All-in-One WP Migration: Use this frequently to back up sites before big updates. You can revert the site if needed.
WP Code Snippets: The easiest way to install GTM code for GA4 tracking. Not needed if you have Elementor Pro.
Air Lift: A free speed plugin that works really well and you can use it across multiple sites. The page speed analytics difference before and after using this plugin is super noticeable.
Akismet Anti-Spam: Works really well at stopping spam contact form fills. Simple but effective.
Watch my YouTube video below which goes into more detail about all of these plugins for your WordPress website.
WordPress Page Builders and Themes:
Elementor + Astra: My favourite page builder is Elementor and the theme I recommend for service businesses is Astra. It has compatibility with a large range of website templates that you can easily install for your service business and look quite professional.
It’s super easy to use, relatively lightweight, and fast. For 99% of businesses this will be more than sufficient.
Link Building:
I do a lot of my backlink research and outreach manually, but there are two vendors that are quite reliable and have good website backlink access – Link Publishers and Link House.
Generally, going through a vendor will be more expensive than going directly to the site owner, but it’s less risky as you have money-back guarantees if the backlink source doesn’t follow through. Most of the time when I make a decision on where to purchase a backlink for a client, it comes down to available budget.
Speedy Indexer: This tool is used to force index URLs. It can be super useful when you purchase a new guest post backlink and the actual URL doesn’t get indexed, which means you get none of the benefits from the link. First-time users get 100 credits, but if you’re using it more than that, $30 USD will get you 5,000 credits which is more than enough for a number of years.
Technical SEO Tools:
Screaming Frog: This is what I use for technical SEO. There’s so much you can do with this tool – crawling sites, finding broken links, analyzing page titles and meta descriptions, checking redirects, and much more. You can use it for free for websites with less than 500 URLs, which is perfect for most small to medium-sized businesses.
AI Tools:
Claude: My primary tool for any sort of content creation. It’s the most human-sounding and just my favourite all-round AI tool. It also has the best code generation on the market if that’s something you use frequently. The Pro version is $17 USD a month and is more than enough for all of your needs.
ChatGPT: A great tool for everyday tasks including research. It feeds better into search platforms and delivers more detailed results. Another benefit is the AI image generation which can be handy for certain service pages and logos. The free version is often enough for most people.
Email/CRM:
OmniSend: I currently use this on Sparky Digital. It’s free up to 250 contacts and 500 emails per month, which is perfect when you’re just starting out. It’s purely an email/newsletter platform, and I’m actually looking to move away from it to a more complete CRM system. The main benefit is the cost though – hard to beat free.
GoHighLevel: A complete all-in-one CRM system that I’m transitioning my businesses to use. It includes CRM, email marketing, SMS, landing pages, funnels, appointment scheduling, website builder, and automation workflows. What makes it powerful for agencies is the white-label capability – you can rebrand it as your own and resell it to clients.
Zoho: A budget-friendly CRM alternative with solid automation features. It doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of GoHighLevel, but the pricing is what makes it appealing – especially if you’re a small team or solo operator looking for proper CRM functionality without the hefty price tag.
Free Google Tools:
I frequently use GA4, GTM, and GSC for analytics and tracking. You can also use Google Keyword Planner for keyword research. My entire agency and file system is set up through Google Drive where I use Google Docs and Sheets mainly.
Graphic Design:
Canva: For 99% of projects you won’t need the Adobe suite. Canva is great for resizing images, creating social media posts, designing thumbnails, and simple graphics. It has a massive library of stock imagery and templates. The free version is solid, but the paid version at $20 AUD/month gives you access to premium photo libraries, brand kits, background remover, and other features that speed up your workflow.
Video Tools:
I’m not a video editor, but these tools allow me to perform the basics.
Tella: I use this for most of my YouTube video filming. It has a super easy editing software powered by AI which allows me to edit simple tutorial videos in about 30 minutes. Perfect for quick content creation without the complexity.
CapCut: For more complex editing tasks, I use CapCut. It has free and paid versions with more functionality when you need to do something beyond basic cuts and edits.
Domains & Hosting:
Hostinger: I purchase all of my domains through here and also have business web hosting where I host a number of client websites. Super affordable pricing and great customer support if you ever run into any issues. I primarily work with WordPress websites, so if you’re going to use Shopify, they have their own web hosting built in.
Google Chrome Extensions:
Detailed SEO Extension: Provides instant on-page SEO analysis showing meta titles, descriptions, headings, schema markup, and technical SEO elements at a glance.
GMB Everywhere: Displays Google Business Profile categories, reviews, posts, and other local SEO data directly on Google Maps and search results for competitor analysis.
Wappalyzer: Identifies the technologies used on any website including CMS platforms, frameworks, analytics tools, and eCommerce systems.
EyeDropper: A colour picker tool that allows you to select and copy colour codes (HEX, RGB, HSL) from any element on a webpage.
Tag Assistant: Helps troubleshoot and verify Google tag implementations including Google Analytics, Google Ads, and Google Tag Manager.
Page Marker: Allows you to draw, highlight, and annotate directly on web pages, then save the marked-up page as a screenshot.