The Tools I Use to Run My Website Design Business
A list of all the software & tools I use to manage my Squarespace website design business.
I don’t know about you but I love being nosy and seeing what other business owners are using to help run their business, and I’m always jumping at any chance I see to streamline or make my life easier as a website designer! Which is why I wanted to share with you a list of tools I use in my web design business; I’m constantly thinking of more to add to this list so I will try and keep it up to date.
Table of Contents
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links where I get a small commission if you make a purchase, so thank you in advance for your support! Please know I would never recommend anything that I don’t personally LOVE myself.
General business admin tools
Xero - accounting
I recently moved from Quickbooks to Xero for my bookkeeping & accounting tool, as it has some more advanced tools to help me manage multiple currencies from affiliate & course income.
Starling - banking
I loveee using Starling for my business banking as it’s so easy to create savings pots for things like tax, profit etc.
Dropbox* - CLOUD STORAGE
For anything to do with cloud storage for the files on my laptop and backups, Dropbox has my back! I couldn’t live without it.
GOOGLE WORKSPACE - EMAIL ADDRESS, SHARED FILES & COLLABORATIVE DOCS
I use Google to host and manage my email inbox, and of course use all the Google Docs, Sheets etc tools to help me with shared & collaborative documents.
Chatgpt - Ai assistant
Of course I had to include my fave AI tool! I use ChatGPT for loads of things in my business, including content creation. Check out my Streamlined Content System course for a full bank of my AI prompts and usage in your marketing.
Zapier - AUTOmation tool
You can use Zapier to automate pretty much anything! It allows you to connect different apps and software from around the web (think banking, emails, project management… even the weather!) and automate them to do certain tasks. Eg. You can automate your website contact form to go straight into a Trello card etc. I couldn’t live without this.
Lastpass - password manager
This keeps track of all my complicated passwords and allows me to access them no matter what browser or device I’m using (unlike Google Chrome password manager, or iCloud chain).
Nordvpn* - vpn (internet security)
Keep your internet usage safe when accessing public wifis with a VPN! This is a must for any remote-working business owner.
AXA* - Business insurance
I use AXA to protect your business legally with insurance.
Slack - Communication for outsourcing
This tool is great for communicating with any outsourced team members, and we also use it in a few business groups/masterminds I’m in too.
Website design & other design tools
Squarespace* - website hosting & design
As a Squarespace website designer, obviously I use Squarespace to design and host my website!
Godaddy - website domain hosting
I use Godaddy to purchase and host my domain names, and recommend this to my clients too as it’s great value and very easy to connect with other tools.
Cookieyes* - Cookie management & privacy policy tool
To keep my website GDPR compliant, I use a cookie management tool and privacy policy generator from CookieYes*.
Accessibe* - Accessibility website widget
This awesome tool adds lots of additional accessibility features to my website, such as providing sizing/colour/content adjustments and keyboard navigation alterations for users’ individual browsing experience. Try out AccessiBe* for free or see how it works on my site (click the green man logo in the bottom left corner).
Canva - graphic design software
Even as a designer I use Canva every day for all most of my business graphics because it’s just so easy and quick to use!
Further reading: How to create social media graphics with Canva
Adobe CC (Illustrator & photoshop)* - Graphic design & photo editing
Because of I used to work with clients to create logos and brands, I have the Adobe CC suite for professional design needs, and photo editing for my travel blog.
Project & client management tools
Trello* - PROJECT & CLIENT MANAGEMENT TOOL
After trying loads of different project management tools on the market, I always come back to Trello due to its simplicity. I use to it to manage my client projects, monthly tasks, and content inspiration and social media calendars, and show exactly how (with all my exact templates!) inside my course, The Organised Designer’s Hub.
tidycal* - meeting booking calendar
I recently replaced Calendly with TidyCal* as my appointment scheduling software due to its great value and features! I’ve written a full comparison post between the two tools here.
Jotform* - Contact/client forms & questionnaires
I use Jotform* for my contact enquiry form and my client questionnaires now because I love that it has a ‘save draft’ feature for clients to come back to it later, and it connects seamlessly with Zapier and Trello too.
DROPBOX SIGN - DIGITAL SIGNATURE SOFTWARE
(Previously known as HelloSign), Dropbox Sign allows me to upload contract templates and send them to clients to digitally sign, which means no faffing around with printing and scanning; it’s a smooth process for both me and the client, and really easy to use.
Zoom - Video calls
For client video calls I use Zoom!
Marketing tools
Flodesk* - Email marketing
Flodesk* is so easy to use and such good value. I made the switch from Mailchimp a few years ago and never looked back, and recommend it to everyone. I’ve recorded lots of video tutorials and even made an online course all about how to use it - Email Marketing with Flodesk.
Further reading: My Ultimate Guide to Flodesk
Later* - Instagram & Pinterest Scheduling
I use Later to plan and schedule my Instagram posts in advance, and I love their additional analytics and grid planning feature. I also use it to schedule my Pinterest content, which I show how to do inside my course, The Pinterest Traffic Playbook.
Further reading: A tutorial and tour around my favourite Instagram management software
Manychat* - Instagram automations
Ever wondered how people automatically send links in Instagram DMs when you comment on their post? They’re using ManyChat!*
Tubebuddy* - YouTube analytics
Tubebuddy* helps me to see keywords and extra analytics on YouTube videos to help with my content.
Helloaudio* - private podcast hosting
I love HelloAudio* for hosting my private podcast - the Designer Diaries!
Online course tools
Screenpal* - Screen recording tool
To record my video tutorials for YouTube and for my online courses (and for tutorials for clients), I use ScreenPal*. There are other screen recording softwares out there but none of them can compete on price with this! It’s SO cheap and has all the features you need for professional videos.
Adobe CC (premiere)* - Video editing software
For editing my YouTube videos, course videos, and podcast episodes, I use Adobe Premiere Pro. It is a complicated piece of software though, so if you’re just starting out I’d recommend iMovie.
Teachable* - Course hosting platform
I use Teachable* to host my online courses, because of the professional appearance it gives the course modules, and because they sort out all the VAT stuff for you. I explain more in this blog post about Teachable!
Deadline funnel* - Genuine countdown marketing
Deadline Funnel* creates authentic countdowns and real deadlines that expire pages for you, creating urgency when selling my courses.
Thrivecart* - Checkout page tool
I use Thrivecart* to allow people to checkout & buy my courses, as it has some better features than Teachable’s native checkout tool and connects easily with Zapier.
