A Few of My Favorite Things – Web Tools

I’ve been a web designer for several years, and I’m always asked what tools I use. Questions vary from design to invoicing.

So, I thought I’d put a quick post together to share what tools I use. Unlike some other bloggers, the links below are not affiliation links – in other words, I don’t get a percentage of money if you buy or sign up for the products listed.

Adobe Dreamweaver CS5.5
Undoubtedly, it is the cream of the crop for WYSIWYG editors. I’ve been using Dreamweaver since November of 2000 (back when it was a Macromedia product). Dreamweaver is an excellent tool for the beginner and the advanced. It cuts down a lot of time in creating designs.

Photoshop Elements 8.0
I know I should have Photoshop CS5.5, but I’m too cheap. Photoshop Elements is a perfect image editor tool. Not as hefty as Photoshop, but as the name implies, it has elements of its bigger sister. It can do all the basics, which is just fine for me.

Color Cop
Have you ever wanted to know what colors are being used on websites? Simply drag the eyedropper control to any location on the screen and release. The hex color code for the selected color will be automatically copied to the clipboard. You can store up to 7 colors from the quick access area and several more from the color pallet.

Hootsuite
I use Hootsuite for clients and my own social media interaction. Hootsuite enables me to organize all the different social media outlets into one place. You also have the Google Analytics and Facebook Insights integration. It’s a handy tool. All for $5/mo.

Constant Contact
I was a Constant Contact user several years ago. I started using Aweber a few years ago and recently switched to Constant Contact. CTCT (short for Constant Contact) has excellent social media integration, webinars, and instructor-led seminars that I have found very useful. If you want a simple form system, use AWeber, but I’m sticking with Constant Contact.

Freshbooks
I use Freshbooks for all my invoicing. You can create pre-defined tasks like Maintenance or Development and PayPal integration. Clients are sent a link to review the invoice via email. Additionally, Freshbooks has a handy little time-tracker tool that can be applied to an invoice. I use the free account and highly recommend you check it out.

GoDaddy
I have been using GoDaddy for several years and haven’t had a problem until this month. My blog went down for 40 minutes, and GoDaddy had no idea why – a little disconcerting. Despite that little setback, I don’t have a problem with GoDaddy. However, it might behoove me (yep, I said behoove) to investigate other options. A web hosting provider is like a cable company – once you sign up, you keep paying the bill. I want your thoughts and experiences with GoDaddy – please post in the comments below.

Google Analytics and Webmaster Tools
If you aren’t using these tools for your website or your client’s websites, you are doing both a disservice. Google Analytics is a fantastic analytic reporting tool. It records everything from visitors to what mobile devices the visitors are using. Shame on you if you are in web development and are not using Webmaster tools. A cornucopia of information about your website including sitemaps, 404 errors, robot.txt files, etc.

Camtasia Studio 7
I use Camtasia Studio for all video editing. I have been a TechSmith fan for a long time and have slowly progressed from SnagIt to Jing this year with Camtasia Studio.

WordPress
I love WordPress! The saying for Apple is, “There’s an app for that.” Well, for WordPress, it is “there’s a plugin for that.” WordPress plugin developers are great, and if you get the chance, be sure to thank them or even donate. Aside from the plethora of plugins, WordPress is easy to use and set up and, from a web designer’s perspective, easy enough to manipulate the php code and CSS to make WordPress into something more substantial than just a “blog.”

Twuffer
I recently came across this site while researching the ability to schedule tweets. I know, I know, that’s a big no-no. Well, lots of folks in Twitterville use such tools. Don’t be fooled. I do real-time tweets, but I like the flexibility to schedule a few tweets throughout the day. Several website tools allow you to schedule your tweets – for pay and free. I use Twuffer because it is simple to use.

So there you have it. A few of my favorite tools that I use on a daily/weekly basis. What are your famous web designer/developer or social media tools?