Here are 14 useful web management tools that are either free, or affordable enough for small businesses to reasonably invest in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"start](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/470x60-Blog-Business.png\")
<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWebsite Management Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Creating and maintaining a website used to require learning coding languages like HTML or C++. Who\u2019s got time for that? Definitely not your average small business owner. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Website owners today can skip the programming lessons and use intuitive website management tools that make it easy for even the most inexperienced beginners to build a website, make updates to it, and maintain it over time. These are some of the most popular and easiest-to-use website management tools to consider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
1. WordPress<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"wordpress\"\/](\"https:\/\/s.w.org\/images\/home\/screen-themes.png?3\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWordPress<\/a> is the most popular content management system (CMS) <\/a>in the world. Around a quarter of all websites are built on WordPress. Its popularity is well earned. It combines ease of use with enough flexibility and functionality that organizations of all sizes can bend it to their needs. For small businesses, the main appeal of WordPress is that it\u2019s entirely free, and using it to build and maintain a simple website is easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBecause of how ubiquitous the CMS is, you can tap into a wealth of resources devoted to learning WordPress<\/a> from blogs to video tutorials to online courses-many of them free. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAnd while the CMS packs a lot of the most important functionality a small business needs, you can add to it with WordPress plugins<\/a>. With over 45,000 plugins available that offer features spanning security, SEO, spam blocking, social sharing and more, you can find just about any additional functionality you need for your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Gator Website Builder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
When starting a new website, the fastest, easiest, and cheapest option to get a professional-looking site off the ground is using a website builder.<\/a> With Gator<\/a>, HostGator\u2019s website builder, you can have a new website up within hours of when you first sign up for the tool. And each time you need to make an update to the website over time, minor tweaks can be completed within seconds. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat makes creating a small business website<\/a> with a website builder so easy is that you start with a template that gets the basic structure into place. Then you use an intuitive drag-and-drop menu to make changes to it that make the design uniquely yours. You can change out the colors for your main brand colors, upload your own images, and fill in the text on the page with a few simple clicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAll of the templates Gator provides are responsive, meaning you can be sure your small business website will look as good on mobile as it does on desktop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"gator](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/image-4-1024x559.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nAnd the service comes with access to free stock photography, which makes adding images to your website an easier process as well. The website builder also offers compatibility with many of the main programs small businesses use, such as all the main social media channels and G Suite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
3. cPanel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Most web hosting plans will come with access to the provider\u2019s control panel, commonly shortened to cPanel<\/a>. The cPanel is an intuitive website management tool that provides important functionality, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- Managing your website files<\/li>
- Managing your domain names<\/a><\/li>
- Creating and managing email addresses at your domain name<\/li>
- Setting up redirects<\/li>
- Managing website backups<\/li>
- Creating website databases<\/li>
- Installing basic security features<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
![\"HostGator](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Screen-Shot-2016-12-13-at-1.26.04-PM-1024x530.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWhat your cPanel looks like and how it works will vary based on the web hosting provider<\/a> you choose, but it\u2019s an important tool across the board for managing your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Google Analytics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Google Analytics<\/a> is a massively useful, entirely free tool for understanding your website\u2019s performance. It\u2019s rare that a recommendation applies to every small business website, no matter the type. But every<\/em> small business with a website should use Google Analytics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"google](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/image-5-1024x548.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThe information provided within the tool is surprisingly comprehensive considering what you\u2019re (not) paying. As a sample of the insights you can find, it includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Details on how people find your website <\/li>
- Which pages of your website get the most traffic<\/li>
- What devices and browsers your visitors use<\/li>
- Who your visitors are based on demographics and online behavior<\/li>
- How long visitors spend on your website<\/li>
- What their journey on your website looks like when they visit multiple pages<\/li>
- What pages they exit on<\/li>
- How many of your visitors convert, based on desired conversions you define <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
And that\u2019s not even a full list. The information within Google Analytics is invaluable for understanding how your visitors interact with your website, which is how you learn to make it more effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5. Joomla<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
While many small business owners that opt for a CMS will be best served with WordPress, another popular option is Joomla<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"joomla\"\/](\"https:\/\/docs.joomla.org\/images\/thumb\/8\/82\/Help30-Components-Banners-Banners-Edit-screen-en.png\/800px-Help30-Components-Banners-Banners-Edit-screen-en.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nJoomla\u2019s harder to use and requires more of a learning curve, but in some cases it\u2019s the better choice. In particular, Joomla<\/a> is considered a bit more secure, since it isn\u2019t targeted by hackers as often as its more popular counterpart. And it\u2019s the better choice for websites that will have more social components, where visitors create accounts to interact with each other on the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\nJoomla is free to use and open source, which means it\u2019s regularly updated and there\u2019s a library of modules you can use to extend your website\u2019s functionality within it. As with WordPress, you can find a lot of different resources to help you learn how to use Joomla. It does take more technical skill than WordPress does though, so small business owners with limited time and patience for working on their website may want to hire someone to help if they choose to use Joomla. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
eCommerce Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
An eCommerce website<\/a> requires distinct features and tools that other business websites can make do without. For that reason, any online business will need to consider additional web management tools that provide eCommerce functionality. These are some of the top eCommerce tools to consider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n6. WooCommerce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
WooCommerce<\/a> is the most popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress, making it one of the most widely used eCommerce software options, with over 74 million downloads. It\u2019s owned by the same company as WordPress, so you can count on consistent compatibility. And it makes setting up an eCommerce store intuitive via a set-up wizard that walks you through each of the steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"woocommerce](\"http:\/\/learnwoo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/Setup-Wizard-initial-page.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nLike WordPress, WooCommerce is free and open source. And there are a wide variety of modules that extend the tool\u2019s functionality, some of them free and some of them for a fee. Some highlights of what you can do in WooCommerce are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- Creating product pages<\/li>
- Setting up your preferred payment method<\/li>
- Automatically calculating tax based on your visitor\u2019s location<\/li>
- Selecting your shipping options and rates<\/li>
- Organizing your products for discoverability with categories and tags<\/li>
- Letting customers set up accounts<\/li>
- Offering and redeeming coupons<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The interface for WooCommerce looks a lot like WordPress, so using it doesn\u2019t require learning anything new. It\u2019s a free, easy option for managing your web store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
7. <\/strong>Magento<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"magento\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/image-6-1024x624.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nMagento<\/a> is another popular open-source eCommerce software. It provides the most important functionality you need for an eCommerce website, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n- A shopping cart<\/li>
- Check-out functionality<\/li>
- The option to let customers create accounts<\/li>
- Guest check-out options<\/li>
- Ability to create product pages and automate inventory tracking for each<\/li>
- Integration with the most popular payment-processing options <\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n
In addition to the core functionality Magento provides, you can take advantage of a large extension marketplace that includes an array of options for adding to your ecommerce website\u2019s functionality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The open-source version of Magento is technically free, but many users invest in the paid version of the software for additional functionality. And for many small business owners, building an eCommerce website with Magento involves a level of skill that will require hiring help. That can make the price tag of using Magento higher. But for businesses that want the level of functionality that Magento provides, the cost of using it can be worthwhile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online Marketing Management Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Creating and maintaining your website is important, but none of that work will amount to much if people can\u2019t find it. To drive traffic to your small business website, you have to do online marketing<\/a>. To keep your online marketing organized and efficient, having the right online marketing management tools is important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n8. HubSpot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
HubSpot<\/a>\u2019s marketing software helps you connect all your marketing efforts to each other and better track your success as a result. The company offers a free version of the software that provides lead capture forms, email marketing, and analytics that provide insights into the customer\u2019s journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"hubspot](\"https:\/\/www.hubspot.com\/hubfs\/assets\/hubspot.com\/parrotdad\/overview-pages\/MarketingOverview-4.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nThey also offer a more comprehensive paid version of the product that provides advanced features like marketing automation and more personalization options. For small businesses, their paid versions can be costly. But as your business grows, the added functionality may be worth the upgrade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
9. Buffer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Social media is a great opportunity to connect directly with your customers and grow awareness of your brand. At the same time, it\u2019s an overwhelming medium with an array of different channels that are each difficult to navigate on their own, much less figuring out how to use them all together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Social media management tools like Buffer<\/a> can help. You can manage all your profiles in one place, schedule updates in advance, and gain better data on how your social media posts are performing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"buffer\"\/](\"https:\/\/d33v4339jhl8k0.cloudfront.net\/docs\/assets\/56e8039cc697911471461d2c\/images\/5cf7eef42c7d3a383713271c\/file-8DWxEZbaDU.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nBuffer offers a basic free plan that allows you to connect up to three social accounts and schedule a maximum of 10 posts in advance. For the ability to manage more accounts and plan your social scheduling further out, you can upgrade to one of their paid plans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
10. Hootsuite<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
HootSuite<\/a> is a similar tool that allows you to control all your social media management in one dashboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"hootsuite](\"https:\/\/hootsuite.com\/uploads\/images\/craft\/components\/hero\/business-hero.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nHootSuite\u2019s free plan allows management of three accounts and scheduling of up to thirty posts. Paid plans allow you to add more social profiles, schedule more updates at a time, and also let you manage some of your paid social advertising within the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
11. Yoast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Yoast<\/a> offers WordPress SEO plugins<\/a> to help with managing the parts of your website that contribute to on-site optimization<\/a>. That includes making it easier to fill in all the meta fields of a page that influence SEO, such as the title tag and meta description. It also automatically reviews each page and provides insights for how well optimized it is based on factors like the frequency of your target keyword and the page\u2019s readability level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"yoast](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/yoast-post-setup.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nYou can use the Yoast free version to get basic SEO functionality, or upgrade to the premium for some added features like internal linking suggestions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Online File Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Our last category of web management tools that can make your life easier as a small business owner is online file management programs. The ability to seamlessly share files between different devices and people, while still controlling permissions of who has access, can vastly simplify the process of collaborating on content, planning, and organization within your business. These tools all offer useful features for doing that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
12. Google Drive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/image-8-1024x455.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGoogle Drive<\/a> is a free set of tools provided by Google, and also comes included as a part of the G Suite<\/a> product. Within Google Drive you can create and share a number of types of files, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can define who\u2019s allowed access to each file you create, and whether they can simply view or also edit them. <\/p>\n\n\n\nGoogle Drive\u2019s collaborative features make it easy for different people to see each other\u2019s edits and comments, making it a powerful tool for your team to work together on your website, business plans, and any content you create for marketing purposes. And because it\u2019s accessible on any device type, it also makes it possible for you and your team to access important documents from your phone or home computer, as well as your main work device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
13. Dropbox<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nWordPress<\/a> is the most popular content management system (CMS) <\/a>in the world. Around a quarter of all websites are built on WordPress. Its popularity is well earned. It combines ease of use with enough flexibility and functionality that organizations of all sizes can bend it to their needs. For small businesses, the main appeal of WordPress is that it\u2019s entirely free, and using it to build and maintain a simple website is easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Because of how ubiquitous the CMS is, you can tap into a wealth of resources devoted to learning WordPress<\/a> from blogs to video tutorials to online courses-many of them free. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And while the CMS packs a lot of the most important functionality a small business needs, you can add to it with WordPress plugins<\/a>. With over 45,000 plugins available that offer features spanning security, SEO, spam blocking, social sharing and more, you can find just about any additional functionality you need for your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When starting a new website, the fastest, easiest, and cheapest option to get a professional-looking site off the ground is using a website builder.<\/a> With Gator<\/a>, HostGator\u2019s website builder, you can have a new website up within hours of when you first sign up for the tool. And each time you need to make an update to the website over time, minor tweaks can be completed within seconds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n What makes creating a small business website<\/a> with a website builder so easy is that you start with a template that gets the basic structure into place. Then you use an intuitive drag-and-drop menu to make changes to it that make the design uniquely yours. You can change out the colors for your main brand colors, upload your own images, and fill in the text on the page with a few simple clicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n All of the templates Gator provides are responsive, meaning you can be sure your small business website will look as good on mobile as it does on desktop. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And the service comes with access to free stock photography, which makes adding images to your website an easier process as well. The website builder also offers compatibility with many of the main programs small businesses use, such as all the main social media channels and G Suite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Most web hosting plans will come with access to the provider\u2019s control panel, commonly shortened to cPanel<\/a>. The cPanel is an intuitive website management tool that provides important functionality, such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n What your cPanel looks like and how it works will vary based on the web hosting provider<\/a> you choose, but it\u2019s an important tool across the board for managing your website. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Google Analytics<\/a> is a massively useful, entirely free tool for understanding your website\u2019s performance. It\u2019s rare that a recommendation applies to every small business website, no matter the type. But every<\/em> small business with a website should use Google Analytics<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The information provided within the tool is surprisingly comprehensive considering what you\u2019re (not) paying. As a sample of the insights you can find, it includes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n And that\u2019s not even a full list. The information within Google Analytics is invaluable for understanding how your visitors interact with your website, which is how you learn to make it more effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While many small business owners that opt for a CMS will be best served with WordPress, another popular option is Joomla<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Joomla\u2019s harder to use and requires more of a learning curve, but in some cases it\u2019s the better choice. In particular, Joomla<\/a> is considered a bit more secure, since it isn\u2019t targeted by hackers as often as its more popular counterpart. And it\u2019s the better choice for websites that will have more social components, where visitors create accounts to interact with each other on the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Joomla is free to use and open source, which means it\u2019s regularly updated and there\u2019s a library of modules you can use to extend your website\u2019s functionality within it. As with WordPress, you can find a lot of different resources to help you learn how to use Joomla. It does take more technical skill than WordPress does though, so small business owners with limited time and patience for working on their website may want to hire someone to help if they choose to use Joomla. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An eCommerce website<\/a> requires distinct features and tools that other business websites can make do without. For that reason, any online business will need to consider additional web management tools that provide eCommerce functionality. These are some of the top eCommerce tools to consider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n WooCommerce<\/a> is the most popular eCommerce plugin for WordPress, making it one of the most widely used eCommerce software options, with over 74 million downloads. It\u2019s owned by the same company as WordPress, so you can count on consistent compatibility. And it makes setting up an eCommerce store intuitive via a set-up wizard that walks you through each of the steps.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Like WordPress, WooCommerce is free and open source. And there are a wide variety of modules that extend the tool\u2019s functionality, some of them free and some of them for a fee. Some highlights of what you can do in WooCommerce are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The interface for WooCommerce looks a lot like WordPress, so using it doesn\u2019t require learning anything new. It\u2019s a free, easy option for managing your web store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Magento<\/a> is another popular open-source eCommerce software. It provides the most important functionality you need for an eCommerce website, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In addition to the core functionality Magento provides, you can take advantage of a large extension marketplace that includes an array of options for adding to your ecommerce website\u2019s functionality. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The open-source version of Magento is technically free, but many users invest in the paid version of the software for additional functionality. And for many small business owners, building an eCommerce website with Magento involves a level of skill that will require hiring help. That can make the price tag of using Magento higher. But for businesses that want the level of functionality that Magento provides, the cost of using it can be worthwhile. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Creating and maintaining your website is important, but none of that work will amount to much if people can\u2019t find it. To drive traffic to your small business website, you have to do online marketing<\/a>. To keep your online marketing organized and efficient, having the right online marketing management tools is important. <\/p>\n\n\n\n HubSpot<\/a>\u2019s marketing software helps you connect all your marketing efforts to each other and better track your success as a result. The company offers a free version of the software that provides lead capture forms, email marketing, and analytics that provide insights into the customer\u2019s journey. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They also offer a more comprehensive paid version of the product that provides advanced features like marketing automation and more personalization options. For small businesses, their paid versions can be costly. But as your business grows, the added functionality may be worth the upgrade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media is a great opportunity to connect directly with your customers and grow awareness of your brand. At the same time, it\u2019s an overwhelming medium with an array of different channels that are each difficult to navigate on their own, much less figuring out how to use them all together. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Social media management tools like Buffer<\/a> can help. You can manage all your profiles in one place, schedule updates in advance, and gain better data on how your social media posts are performing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Buffer offers a basic free plan that allows you to connect up to three social accounts and schedule a maximum of 10 posts in advance. For the ability to manage more accounts and plan your social scheduling further out, you can upgrade to one of their paid plans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n HootSuite<\/a> is a similar tool that allows you to control all your social media management in one dashboard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n HootSuite\u2019s free plan allows management of three accounts and scheduling of up to thirty posts. Paid plans allow you to add more social profiles, schedule more updates at a time, and also let you manage some of your paid social advertising within the product. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yoast<\/a> offers WordPress SEO plugins<\/a> to help with managing the parts of your website that contribute to on-site optimization<\/a>. That includes making it easier to fill in all the meta fields of a page that influence SEO, such as the title tag and meta description. It also automatically reviews each page and provides insights for how well optimized it is based on factors like the frequency of your target keyword and the page\u2019s readability level. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You can use the Yoast free version to get basic SEO functionality, or upgrade to the premium for some added features like internal linking suggestions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our last category of web management tools that can make your life easier as a small business owner is online file management programs. The ability to seamlessly share files between different devices and people, while still controlling permissions of who has access, can vastly simplify the process of collaborating on content, planning, and organization within your business. These tools all offer useful features for doing that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Google Drive<\/a> is a free set of tools provided by Google, and also comes included as a part of the G Suite<\/a> product. Within Google Drive you can create and share a number of types of files, including documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. You can define who\u2019s allowed access to each file you create, and whether they can simply view or also edit them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Google Drive\u2019s collaborative features make it easy for different people to see each other\u2019s edits and comments, making it a powerful tool for your team to work together on your website, business plans, and any content you create for marketing purposes. And because it\u2019s accessible on any device type, it also makes it possible for you and your team to access important documents from your phone or home computer, as well as your main work device.<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Gator Website Builder<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n3. cPanel<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n4. Google Analytics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n5. Joomla<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\neCommerce Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
6. WooCommerce<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n7. <\/strong>Magento<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nOnline Marketing Management Tools<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
8. HubSpot<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n9. Buffer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n10. Hootsuite<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n11. Yoast<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\nOnline File Management<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
12. Google Drive<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n13. Dropbox<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Image](\"https:\/\/aem.dropbox.com\/cms\/content\/dam\/dropbox\/blog\/files\/2017\/04\/screenshot3_1300x760.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"box](\"https:\/\/www.hostgator.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/image-9-1024x541.png\")
<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n