21 Sep 8 Useful Websites for Online Startups
From crowdfunding to content idea generation, there are apps, tools, resources and websites that will make the life of any entrepreneur a little less hectic and a lot more productive. Here are eight sites that will prove useful for any startup:
Unless you’ve already raised funds for your startup, you’re probably in penny-pinching mode. Rather than paying steep fees to consult with a lawyer about setting up your business, you can try to do it all yourself with the help of Startup Company Lawyer. This site is a compilation of answers to the most frequently asked questions, including incorporation to stocks to financing. So before you pay a lawyer to give you the same answers, check out this site to see if you can handle it all on your own.
Struggling to think of a memorable, snappy, and easy-to-remember domain name? Nominus takes care of all the laborious research and gives you tons of options to choose from. All you have to do is enter the name of your business or a few associated keywords, and this tool will display hundreds of options, including uncommon top level domains, like .learn or .grow. You can also create an account and save some of your favorite domain names to look at later.
Getting great press for your new startup doesn’t have to happen at random. Why wait around and hope that a journalist will stumble on your site and then write a rave review, when you can contact journalists on your own? Press Farm gives you access to contact information (including social media channels) for hundreds of journalists for a small monthly fee. You can find someone who writes for a publication you’d like to be featured in and then introduce yourself directly. It’s a great way to jumpstart your online marketing ventures and improve your web presence.
Besides contacting journalists, you’ll need to make it easy for anyone interested in startups to find you. Using special directories is an excellent way to get your name out there, and MyStartupTool provides a list of directories meant for startups. Some directories are paid, and others are free. You’ll be surprised at the sheer number available to you! And if you feel overwhelmed by the quantity, you can pay MyStartupTool to list your company in these directories for you. However you decide to go about it, this is a simple but crucial step for any startup.
Without investment, your startup can only go so far. There are many things you need to do before you can secure your first customer and get a good return on investment. And unless you’re already sitting on a nice pile of cash, you’re probably working a day job while trying to get your startup running on the side. You need donors and investors! That’s where Angel List comes in. This site is designed to facilitate connections between startups and investors. You can also use this platform to recruit new hires.
Once your marketing efforts start to gain some traction, you need a way to analyze your audience. How are they finding your site? Which pages of your site do they spend the most time on? How can you retain more visitors? KISSmetrics is a comprehensive tool that will let you take charge of customer sales funnels, conversion rates and more. It takes complicated data and presents it in a way that is easy to understand, which is perfect for busy entrepreneurs who are wearing a dozen hats at once.
There are thousands of apps, tools and widgets that can help you streamline your day-to-day workflows and be ever more productive. Startup Stash has compiled an easy-to-browse list of resources that are perfect for entrepreneurs. Find help with design, market research, surveys, customer support and analytics, plus so much more.
It is time to establish yourself as a thought leader, and the best way to do so is to put your thoughts into writing. LinkedIn and Medium are two popular and free platforms that will allow you to publish your blogs or articles and reach an audience of other professionals without taking up space on your clean and polished startup website. But what should you write about? Don’t waste time staring at a blank page. Use Portent’s Content Idea Generator to brainstorm a fresh topic that will be of interest to readers.
