SEO software, email marketing, CRM, social media, and advertising tools to attract customers and grow your business.
The three marketing tools we'd recommend to any entrepreneur in 2026.
The most comprehensive SEO and marketing platform. Keyword research, competitor analysis, backlink auditing, rank tracking, and PPC research in one tool.
Try SEMrush Free →All-in-one CRM + marketing platform. Email, SMS, funnels, booking calendars, pipelines, and more at one flat price. Built for agencies and service businesses.
Try GoHighLevel →Best-in-class email automation + CRM. Build complex, behaviour-triggered sequences with the most powerful visual automation builder available.
Try ActiveCampaign →Industry-leading SEO suite. 55+ tools including keyword magic, site audit, backlink analytics, rank tracking, and competitor research.
Try SEMrush →Best backlink analysis and content research tool. Site Explorer, Keywords Explorer, Content Gap, and Rank Tracker. Loved by SEO professionals.
Try Ahrefs →The world's most popular email marketing platform. Free up to 500 contacts. Easy drag-and-drop builder, 6,000+ integrations, and basic automation.
Try Mailchimp →Built for creators. Free up to 10,000 subscribers. Clean subscriber management, automation sequences, and a built-in commerce feature.
Try ConvertKit →Social media scheduling and analytics for LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest. Free plan for up to 3 channels.
Try Buffer →Enterprise social media management. Schedule posts, monitor mentions, run ads, and analyse performance across all social channels.
Try Hootsuite →Heatmaps, session recordings, and surveys to understand how visitors use your site. Find friction points and improve conversion rates.
Try Hotjar →All-in-one platform for agencies: CRM, email, SMS, funnels, reviews, and booking. White-label option available. Replaces 10+ separate tools.
Try GoHighLevel →Most entrepreneurs try to do too much marketing at once. The result: mediocre results across six channels instead of excellent results from two or three. Here's how to build a stack that actually works.
Before spending a dollar on marketing, set up Google Analytics 4 and Google Search Console — both free. You need a baseline to measure against. Without data, you can't know what's working.
Email has the highest ROI of any marketing channel — an average of $36 for every $1 spent. Start collecting emails immediately, even before your product launches. A free tool like MailerLite or ConvertKit is all you need at first. Your list is an asset you own; social media followers are rented.
Organic search (SEO), paid ads, content marketing, social media, partnerships — all of these work. But trying all five at once spreads your effort too thin. Pick the channel that aligns with your strengths and your audience. Nail one before adding another.
Content that ranks on Google keeps delivering traffic for years. The investment in a tool like SEMrush or Ahrefs pays for itself quickly once you're ranking for valuable keywords. Research your target queries, write genuinely helpful content, and build links systematically.
Welcome email sequences, abandoned cart recovery, post-purchase follow-ups — these should all be automated. ActiveCampaign or GoHighLevel can handle these flows while you focus on growing the business. Set them up once; they run forever.
| Tool | Price/mo | Keyword Research | Backlinks | Site Audit | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEMrush | $129 | Excellent | Very good | Excellent | All-round marketing |
| Ahrefs | $129 | Excellent | Best-in-class | Very good | SEO & content research |
| Moz Pro | $99 | Good | Good | Good | Beginners to SEO |
| Ubersuggest | $29 | Decent | Basic | Basic | Budget option |
| Google SC | Free | Basic (own site) | — | Basic | Free baseline |