Recommended Products

Because I build a lot of web sites, I hear from many webmasters who are interested in the tools I use to create them. I’m happy to share this info. If you are buying because of my recommendation, I’d appreciate it if you’d click on the link I provide on this page to get there…as I stand to make a couple bucks for the referral. But NONE of these recommendations are motivated by money. I actually use (or have used) these products pretty extensively in my web building efforts, and I am happy to give them two thumbs up for those looking for helpful and dependable tools. And, for those of you seeking web design services…I no longer design sites for others…but I have a couple referrals for you to quality people that I trust and feel very comfortable recommending.

I use NameCheap as my domain registrar. Their domain push service is a lifesaver.

When I discovered web templates, it truly transformed my web building. I stopped wasting time on something for which I have no skill (visual design), and was able to focus more on the content of the site. My first real foray was with Boxed Art, which was terrific. Then I also found Design Load, but can’t recommend their sister site, ProCartoonz.net. They never add new templates, and their customer service for the site was weak when called upon, as well. Another very cool resource is CMS Skins at Themestock , which has complete themes all ready to go for whatever content management system you’re using, including WordPress. Pay once, and grab whatever you need during your membership to any of those great sites! For creating Facebook fan pages, I’m using fbPage911.

For logo creation and programming , I’m most likely to head over to Elance, GetAFreelancer or Scriptlance and hire someone to do work for me.

One product that has paid for itself many times over is Xara Webstyle. It produces the cleanest web graphics I’ve ever seen. I love it and use it constantly…especially for buttons and site navigation.

I used to use Dreamweaver for web design, although I am migrating all my sites over to WordPress over time.

Need a web hosting recommendation?

Are you looking for a GREAT font for some design you’re working on? Then I’d recommend that you check out DaFont.com…it’s got a SUPERB font preview feature that really raises its value for me.

In terms of strategy, promotion and SEO…Aaron Wall’s SEO Book is also very good. If you’re looking for a solid authority on “getting ranked”, Aaron is one of the most respected guys around. I also like the work of Rand Fishkin and the folks at SEOmoz very much. I sometimes use my copy of IBP – Internet Business Promoter for keeping track of my progress in the search engines. And, once upon a time, I didn’t understand the first thing about RSS feeds, but when I decided it was time to wade in, RSS Content Builder had me up and running almost immediately. And now I have RSS feeds on most all of my sites. Very convenient.

I get a lot of inquiries from those seeking web design services…be it for music, entertainment or gaming sites (such as online bingo sites)… and while I’ve stopped doing sites for others, here are links to some friends who are really good at what they do. I heartily recommend them if they’re available when you need them!