Recommended Webmaster Resources

WordPress

The best content management system in the world. WordPress is used to build every single one of my content websites.

Genesis

I’ve tested dozens of WordPress frameworks however Genesis is my favourite by far. It also has the largest selection of child themes available to it.

VaultPress

Peace of mind for my WordPress websites with hourly backups. It’s a must-have service for every WordPress user, with prices starting at only $5 per month per website.

ThemeForest

The largest premium WordPress directory on the web. I purchase a few designs from their store every year. There’s around 3,000 WordPress designs to choose from, with prices ranging from between $30 and $60.

Elegant Themes

A WordPress theme membership that offers great value. Over 85 unique WordPress themes and quality support, for only $69 per year.

Gravity Forms

The best form plugin for WordPress. It is amazing what it can do. Advanced forms are very easy to set up and it integrates with lots of third party services such as PayPal, Aweber and MailChimp.

BlueHost

I have used cheaper hosting packages a few times in the past for small projects and for hosting friends websites. BlueHost was one of the best solutions I tried. It’s a good solution for those of you who only have one or two small websites or blogs. Packages start from only $3.95 per month.

KnownHost

I have hosted all of my WordPress websites with KnownHost since June 2013. They are well known for having great uptime and support and their prices are very competitive.

HostGator

I used HostGator for a website I developed a few years ago and was pleased with the support I received when I used them. Basic shared hosting packages start from only $4.95 per month. You can get 25% off your first order by entering the discount count kevinmuldoon25, and you can get $9.94 off your first order by entering the discount code kevinmuldoon994.

SiteGround

I have always criticised managed WordPress hosting solutions as doing nothing to justify their price. This is an area where SiteGround is very competitive. Their managed WordPress plan for 100,000 visitors costs less than $17 per month. When you consider other companies in this niche charge $99 per month, you realise how affordable SiteGround are. Recommended.

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MaxCDN

MaxCDN is an established content delivery network with servers in over 90 countries; including the USA, Europe, and Asia. They used solid state drives to cache static copies of your web pages.

Their basic plan retails at $9 per month for 100GB of bandwidth. Using them will greatly reduce your bandwidth and significantly reduce your page loading times. Their service is also designed to handle large traffic spikes. Therefore, the risk of your website ever going down because of a traffic spike is very slim.

Tutorial: How to Setup MaxCDN in WordPress with W3 Total Cache

PeerFly

A great affiliate network that has offers from many online companies. Support is really good and they actively show which ads are converting best. Ads can be promoted via social media, search engines, PPC and email.

Long Tail Pro

One of the most effective keyword research and analysis tools for search engines. It is a fantastic tool for analysing yourself against the competition and seeing where you can improve. A ten day free trial is available if you want to try it out.

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Market Samurai

Market Samurai is a popular keyword research tool that many marketers use instead of Long Tail Pro. It includes many great features such as keyword research, domain checking tool, rank tracker, and your SEO competition.

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Rank Cracker

Rank Cracker is a free software tool from Matthew Woodward that analyses the links that point to your competitors’ websites. It then shows you how you can duplicate these links for your own website. This can help you outrank your competitors for their own tools. It is a fantastic tool and one which every website owner should try out.

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99Designs

One of the most popular design marketplaces online. By offering a defined amount of money as a prize, you will get dozens of entries from professional designers. You can then choose which one you prefer and award them the prize.

Freelancer

The largest freelance marketplace online. It is a great place to find work and to hire writers, designers, and developers. It’s free to sign up, however if you use it regularly, it may be worth upgrading your membership in order to get reduced fees.

Flippa

Like it or not, Flippa is the best place on the internet to buy and sell websites.

BuySellAds

BuySellAds is by far and away the best advertising network available for bloggers. They take a 25% cut of all earnings, however their marketplace is huge, so they will bring lots of advertisers to your website.

LinkWorth

A great advertising network that I have used to monetize lots of content based websites in the past. The sheer number of advertising options available is astounding.

GetResponse

I migrated to GetResponse in the early part of 2013. It has a user-friendly interface and good support. Their prices are similar to most other email marketing services such as Aweber.

Aweber

Before migrating to GetResponse, I used Aweber to handle all of my newsletters and weekly broadcasts. It’s a great service and offers amazing support.

Safe Swaps

A great place to buy, sell and swap solo ads for your email list. Some people have built their list from a few hundred to a few thousand using this service in a matter of months. Check out their partner website Udimi too. It’s a new place to buy and sell email solo ads.
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Dropbox

All my important files are backed up in the cloud instantly with Dropbox. I’d be lost without it. It means everything I need can be synced to any computer and I can access files via their website too.

Humble Nations

James from Humble Nations designs all of my book covers. He’s a fantastic designer and his prices are very affordable. He occasionally sells off pre-made book covers for as low as $30. You can commission him for unique designs from as low as $200.

Polgarus Studio

The guys at Polgarus Studio handle all the formatting for my books (printed and digital). They offer fast turnaround times, great support and their prices are very competitive.