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Digital marketing has never been more important to businesses than right now.
With a whopping 31.1% growth on online shopping and a surge in Aussies starting new businesses, the digital landscape has never been more competitive — and more lucrative — than it is now.
But if you want to keep up with digital, you need to do it at lightning speed.
You need to be seen before your competitors. You have to get in front of consumers at the right time on the right device. Convert them with incredible offers. And, above all else, deliver a seamless, engaging user journey.
There’s SO MUCH to do.
Just typing it is exhausting.
Don't panic — this is where technology has your back.
With the right marketing platforms in your tool kit, you’ll reach more people with your campaigns, collect deeper insights, and grow, grow, grow.
These 50 digital marketing tools will help you build and optimise digital marketing campaigns and save you a heap of time and for your convenience, we've broken them up as so (you’re welcome):
Analytics tools
1. Google Analytics
Kicking off this list is one of the most powerful free digital marketing tools out there: Google Analytics. This essential tool helps you measure and optimise the performance of your marketing efforts with in-depth analytics.
Use Google Analytics to see your website traffic volumes, user behaviour, content's performance, referral sources, bounce rates, dwell times, most popular pages and blogs, and more. You can even access detailed information about your site visitors, such as their geolocation and demographics, or integrate it with your eCommerce platform for even more insights on your conversion rates.
The best part about Google Analytics is that all of this information is available absolutely free. Alternatively, you can go enterprise-level with Google Analytics 360.
2. Hotjar
Want to go beyond the numbers and understand how users really experience your site? Hotjar’s heat mapping tool will do the trick.
This tool visualises the content your users are interested in and where they drop off using heatmaps and scroll maps. It provides an added layer of context to your user interactions, so you can drill down into EXACTLY what’s grabbing their attention and what’s causing them to drop off.
On top of heat mapping, you can use Hotjar to watch live recordings of user behaviour on your website, collect feedback with a suggestion box, or launch a targeted survey. Start using Hotjar for free, or upgrade to one of their plans for access to more customer data.
3. Databox
Sometimes we digital marketers end up with so many different tools and marketing channels, it’s hard to keep track of them all. That’s where Databox shines.
In case the name didn’t give it away, Databox is literally like a ‘box’ for all of your digital marketing information. Plug in data from any tool, then use it to build dashboards that can then be accessed from any device. When all of your metrics are consolidated in a marketing dashboard like Databox, it’s faster and easier to build and share reports, keep an eye on trends, and understand how your customers behave across different channels.
Databox natively integrates with 70 tools. However, you can also send data from other platforms by connecting an SQL database, building an API, or using Google Sheets, Zapier, or Integromat.
4. Mixpanel
Product analytics are invaluable when it comes to converting, engaging, and retaining customers. That’s why Mixpanel is a top-notch digital marketing tool for any business looking to build better products.
Track events on your website, app, or product using Mixpanel’s self-serve analytics platform. You can get reports on the features that are most popular, who your power users are, and the behaviours that ultimately lead to your customers sticking around. There’s also the ability to build funnels and workflows to understand where people drop off along the path to conversion, or segment your data based on attributes, cohorts or actions.
5. Tableau
If you prefer to visualise your data, then Tableau is a no-brainer. This business intelligence platform makes it easier to consolidate and understand data, then use this to drive decision-making. Connect virtually any data source using Tableau Prep, then start exploring information in Tableau’s desktop or mobile dashboard.
Once you’re in, drag and drop to build your own interactive dashboards, map data to specific cities or countries, or replace Powerpoint presentations with live stories that bring your data to life.
Tableau is ultra-powerful and ultra-flexible, which means it’s ideal for teams that love to tinker with their own data.
Social media marketing tools
6. Buffer
It doesn’t matter if you’re a small business or a global company — every brand has to juggle multiple social media platforms these days, from Facebook to LinkedIn and TikTok. Buffer simplifies the process by allowing you to connect all of your social media accounts in one place to save time and build up your presence across major social media platforms.
Analyse performance, create and plan campaigns, schedule posts across social media channels, and respond to comments, all within the Buffer platform. You can also build your very own landing page for any upcoming campaigns or events using this social media management tool.
7. Buzzsumo
Every social media marketer loves Buzzsumo. After all, what’s not to love about a tool that allows you to analyse the best performing content?
With Buzzsumo's social media tools, you can uncover what your audience is interested in, then reverse engineer these topics into your social media and SEO strategy.
It’s as easy as typing in the topic (e.g. “content marketing”) and checking out the data.
The Question Analyzer tool is worth using to uncover the most popular questions related to a specific keyword that people are asking on Reddit, Facebook, Twitter, Quora and other discussion forums.
8. Biteable
Ever wondered how your competitors create slick visual content for social media, day in and day out?
They’re probably using Biteable.
Biteable is a fast and easy way to create short videos for your campaigns. And, given that video is the second most-used type of content for increased social engagement, this content format should be part of every brand’s content schedule.
Biteable is jam-packed with templates, footage, music and animated scenes that can be pieced together to create content and tell your story online. Plus, with a Free Forever plan, there’s no excuse not to give this one a whirl.
SEO/Content Marketing Tools
9. SEMrush
Don’t even think about doing paid search or SEO without SEMrush. This search engine marketing tool has been around for every Google algorithm update, core update and Ads update in recent history — and more importantly, helped digital marketers stay on top with their strategies.
The reason why SEMrush is such a time-honoured favourite is simple: it’s packed with built-in digital marketing tools designed to help you track and improve search rankings. Keyword ideas, content ideas, competitive analysis — it’s all there, in one handy platform.
Another brilliant function is the SEMrush integration with Google Docs, letting you can optimise content in the platform you use to create it.
10. Ahrefs
Ahrefs addresses all of your core search engine optimisation needs and more. It sidesteps the stress of monitoring your industry niche and competitors and makes it easier to get on top — and stay on top.
Ahrefs is brimming with awesome features for SEOs, including backlink research, content research and web monitoring. Plus, you can see newly discovered organic keywords each month and traffic estimations for all web pages ranking in the top 10 results on search engines.
What makes Ahrefs invaluable is its intuitive design, convenience and usability.
11. SimilarWeb
If you’ve dreamed about getting a peek under the hood of your competitors’ websites, it’s time to turn that dream into a reality with SimilarWeb.
Gain access to behind-the-scene analytics for every website online with SimilarWeb’s free TrafficMeter™ extension. Or figure out how your traffic, engagement and ranking metrics stack up against market competitors with its comprehensive digital research intelligence.
Need more convincing? With brands like Adobe, Adidas, and Google using this tool, you know you’re in good company.
12. KWFinder
Keywords are a big piece of any SEO and content marketing strategy — but how do you know what keywords to target?
Easy: use KWFinder.
KWFinder takes the guesswork out of figuring out which long-tail keywords you should be incorporating in your content plan.
Use this tool to figure out the search volumes and SEO difficulty for different search terms. Then pick the ones with low SEO difficulty and high search volume to quickly rise through the ranks.
KWFinder also has a competitor analysis feature and historical search volumes, so you can uncover trending topics or see what your competitors are ranking for.
13. Screaming Frog
While content marketing and keyword research are two massive pieces of the SEO puzzle, there’s another piece that comes first: technical SEO. If your site isn’t getting crawled and indexed correctly, you’ll struggle to achieve any meaningful SEO results for your site.
That’s where Screaming Frog comes in.
Screaming Frog is a website crawler that helps you audit your site for common SEO issues, from broken links and duplicate content to problems with your sitemap or robots.txt file. Start off on the free plan and crawl 500 URLs at no cost, or unlock premium features with the paid version.
14. Google Search Console
Without a doubt, any and every site owner looking to show up in SERPs needs Google Search Console. Search Console is brimming with tools and reports that allow you to measure how your site stacks up in search, as well as troubleshoot and fix issues.
With Google Search Console, you can see which keywords bring organic traffic to your site, submit URLs to Google to be crawled, and understand how Google’s spiders see your page. Plus, because it’s a tool from Google, Search Console is totally free to use.
15. Keywords Everywhere
Keywords, keywords, everywhere — that’s how you’ll feel when you use this keyword research tool. Keywords Everywhere is a browser add-on that displays monthly search volume, CPC and competition data for keywords across multiple websites. All you need to do is install Keywords Everywhere to Chrome or Firefox, then sit back and let the data roll in.
Keywords Everywhere also helps pull data from the ‘People also search for’ and ‘Related’ keywords section in Google and Bing, then displays this right in search results.
All of this means you’ll save time and unlock valuable insights to add into your SEO game plan.
Looking for more content marketing tools? Take a look at our list of 16 Content Marketing Tools For Extraordinary Results.
PPC Marketing Tools
16. SpyFu
Search marketing can feel like a competitive sport at times. That’s why one of the best ways to get ahead is to know your opposition’s strategy, then use it against them.
With SpyFu, you can conduct competitor research for any domain and get intel on their entire SEO and SEM game plan. It gives you historical data on every keyword they've bid on in Google Ads, as well as all of the ad variations they’ve used over the past 15 years.
Beyond analytics, SpyFu also offers up smart recommendations to help you increase clicks to your campaigns.
17. Google Ads Editor
Access and edit Google Ads anywhere, any time with the Google Ads Editor tool. All you need to do is download the free platform and your accounts to get started. After you’ve done this, you can use Google Ads Editor to make any edits, manage campaigns and ad groups, or view ad performance even when you’re offline.
Google Ads Editor is a time-saver for most advertisers, but it’s particularly handy if you need to make changes in bulk.
18. Google Keyword Planner
Google Keyword Planner is a go-to keyword research tool for search campaigns. Use Keyword Planner to discover new queries that your customers are looking for, and plan your campaign budget with suggested bid estimates.
Keyword Planner isn’t just handy for PPC campaigns. You can also use it to find keywords for your SEO strategy as well. This tool is free, but you will need a Google Ads account to get started.
Video tools
19. Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Premiere Pro is a must-have if you want to make professional-looking videos for your business. This software is incredibly versatile for all video editing needs, from editing a quick snippet for social networks to creating a full-blown YouTube video. You don’t need to be an editing whiz either to use Premiere Pro: Adobe includes professional templates to help you start creating content sooner.
The greatest thing about Premiere Pro is that it integrates seamlessly with the Creative Cloud. That means you can use Photoshop, After Effects and Audition to really bring your vision to life.
20. Final Cut Pro
Final Cut Pro is Apple’s video editing software. If your business mainly exists within the Apple ecosystem, then this is beyond doubt the best option for your team.
Offering up editing features, organising tools, motion graphics, audio, and so much more, Final Cut Pro literally is a one-stop shop for video creation. You can also shoot 360° videos from your iPhone, then import them and edit them in Final Cut Pro to give your audience an immersive next-level viewing experience.
Searching for a free video tool for your business? Give these 13 tried-and-tested video tools a go.
Design tools for marketers
21. Canva
Good design and effective marketing are undeniably linked — and Canva makes it easier to put the two together without needing fancy design software. Canva is robust in solving endless design requirements, saving time, effort and money for small and medium businesses alike.
Canva comes packed with multiple formats and layouts for every marketing platform, from social media posts to email headers and more, as well as drag-and-drop functionality for easy editing. The platform also makes it easy to collaborate on designs with an open to edit and comment feature.
Plus, there’s a free option available, so you can try before you buy.
22. Figma
Whether you’re working on a website, social media content or an app, Figma makes it easier for teams to design and collaborate. With Figma, marketers, designers and developers can work together on the same prototype — making for smoother workflows, better feedback loops, and ultimately, a better finished product.
The nifty thing with Figma is that you can prototype an entire website from the tool without needing to code it all from scratch. Test different user journeys, then iterate them to make the user experience as good as it can be.
23. InVision
With COVID-19, we’ve all had to adapt to working remotely. InVision makes that online collaboration process much, MUCH easier with its suite of digital tools.
InVision has a robust suite of tools that help teams work better together: its Freehand digital whiteboard tool is a blank canvas for collaboration in the cloud, while Cloud gives you the ability to prototype entire websites, apps and interactions without needing to code anything up.
There’s also a product for designing and animating prototypes, a design system platform, and enterprise-level solutions for big teams.
24. Sketch
In case you didn’t gather it from the name already, Sketch is a digital design platform for collaborative design online. It comes with a comprehensive design toolkit brimming with options for icons, vectors, fonts and more — all to make it easy to create good-looking experiences in less time.
Sketch also offers real-time collaboration for content creation and feedback, and reusable Styles and Symbols that automatically scale to different content formats. With teams like Facebook and Google using Sketch, you know it’s a good one for the toolkit.
25. Balsamiq
UI can either make or break your business in the online world. That’s why Balsamiq helps anyone and everyone build wireframes quickly and easily, from product managers to marketers and developers.
Lay out your ideas with rapid low-fidelity prototypes, then share these with your team using interactive PDFs or images. With a deliberate lack of detail, Balsamiq helps everyone focus on structure and content first — the groundwork for any truly great user experience.
26 & 27. Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator
No list of design tools would be complete without the big one: Adobe. Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator are two must-have tools if you’re looking to create professional-looking images for your website. Modify images with Photoshop’s powerful editing capabilities, or build imagery from scratch with Illustrator.
Photoshop and Illustrator also work with other tools in the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite.
Email marketing tools
28. Klaviyo
49% of marketers consider email marketing an important lead generation tactic, so it’s important to get this channel right. And one of the best ways to do this is to use Klaviyo.
Klaviyo is an email marketing tool with ultra-powerful targeting and automation features. This tool enables you to personalise your communications based on individual user behaviour, preferences, and workflows. It also has a comprehensive analytics dashboard and customer profiling to identify your most engaged subscribers. There’s even SMS support, so you can reach customers however they prefer to be contacted.
29. Mailchimp
If you want a powerful, easy-to-use email platform, you can’t go past Mailchimp. Use this tool to send out email blasts or set up automated campaigns, then track traffic and conversions across all of your platforms such as Shopify, Squarespace, and Stripe.
Mailchimp also has a thriving community and a hub of resources — making it a go-to for any marketing looking to level up their email marketing.
30. Active Campaign
Great marketing is about reaching the right people at the right place using the right marketing messages — and Active Campaign helps you get this right with its marketing automation platform. Active Campaign combines email marketing, marketing automation, sales automation, and customer relationship management together to create an all-encompassing tool for outstanding customer experiences.
Active Campaign has features for every stage of the customer journey, from reaching people effectively to nurturing the relationship, converting subscribers into customers, and growing loyalty.
31. Mailshake
Email automation campaigns rank in the top three tactics used by email marketers to improve and measure performance. And Mailshake? It takes automation to a whole new level for email, social and phone.
Mailshake automates prospect communications with an AI email writer, personalised cold emails to prospects, and fully automated follow-ups. It’s a great way to put your sales outreach on autopilot, and free up time to focus on other less repetitive tasks.
Conversion rate optimisation tools
32. Sumo
Sumo is a simple tool to help you capture more emails on your website, all in under a minute. Just install Sumo email capture, activate the form, and you’re good to go. The tool also has Wordpress, Shopify and Google Tag Manager plugins — and the best bit is, it’s free forever.
33. Crazy Egg
The key to optimising your conversion rates is to understand how website visitors are currently using your site, tweak and test different approaches, then see the impact of these changes. Crazy Egg allows you to do all this, and more.
Crazy Egg’s built-in A/B test tool is invaluable for helping marketers make data-backed decisions on website design. The platform also comes with heatmaps and recordings of user behaviour so you can figure out precisely what’s hot and not on your site.
34. Google Optimize
Google Optimize is a CRO tool built on your existing Google Analytics reports. Using Optimize, identify the areas of your site that need improvement, then use its statistical modelling feature to evaluate the real-world outcomes of different experiments.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg though. Optimize also allows you to customise your website experience based on different audience segments, or create custom landing pages for your Google Ads.
35. Optinmonster
Optinmonster is a lead gen tool designed to help you grow email subscribers, generate leads, and boost sales. There are a ton of lead capture options available through the tool, from lightbox pop-ups to exit intent detection, scroll boxes, gamified wheels, and more.
What we love about Optinmonster is there’s absolutely no coding needed. Simply build your offer directly in the platform with its design tool, then add these directly onto your site.
Workflow automation tools
36. Zapier
Zapier is one of those tools you never knew you needed. But once you use it, you’ll never go back.
Save time by connecting all of your apps together and automating workflows using Zapier. Just pick a trigger action (like receiving an email in Gmail), outline the action you want to take, and let it do its thing. With support for 3,000+ apps and a forever free plan, there’s no reason not to give it a go.
37. Kissflow
With so many complicated updates to keep track of in digital marketing, we love things that make life simple. That’s what Kissflow does: it makes workflows, projects, and collaborations easier and more effective.
Use Kissflow to automate processes, develop apps with no code, or manage all of your digital platforms in one space. You can also manage and grow your online community using Kissflow’s Community platform, or use its flexible procurement software.
Project and Campaign Management tools
38. Monday
You’ll never hate Monday again (at least, not the tool!). Monday.com is a beautiful, clean workspace for managing team projects in one place. We’re a huge fan of the intuitive interface and colour-coding, which makes it easy to see how things are tracking at a glance.
Automations, document storage, status updates, and app integrations are also part and parcel of Monday.com’s offering.
39. Asana
Asana was the O.G. of project management tools, and it’s still going strong today. This one platform is perfect if you want to track projects, assign tasks or manage campaigns online while cutting down on emailing and busy work.
One of our favourite things about Asana is the ability to organise tasks by list view, timeline, or project boards. No matter how you like to manage your projects, there’s a way to do it in Asana.
40. Trello
Trello is simple, but this simplicity is also what makes it incredibly powerful. With Trello, you can create boards and cards for different tasks, then drag and drop them as needed based on shifting priorities or needs.
Trello also comes with Butler, the company’s built-in automation tool. With Butler, you’ll get even more done by automating common actions like moving lists, scheduling assignments, and more.
41. Basecamp
Basecamp is an online project management app that’s dependable, intuitive, and easy to use. Unlike other tools that are constantly rolling out feature after feature, Basecamp sticks to its tried-and-tested formula for digital collaboration because it just works.
Use Basecamp to split work into projects, then use its built-in message board, to-do list, and schedule feature to make sure everyone stays focused on the task at hand. With Basecamp, you’ll be zipping through work and running fewer meetings before you know it.
42. Airtable
As the name implies, Airtable is like a virtual war table where you can connect your data, workflows, and teams into a powerful custom solution — all without needing to know a lick of code.
Some team members prefer boards. Others prefer viewing things as a timeline or gallery. With Airtable, you don’t need to compromise. It’s incredibly flexible, with the option to custom interfaces based on a team member’s role and preferred way of working.
CRM / Communication Integration tools
43. Slack
Slack is one of those tools that’s gone from being a niche app that’s loved by tech whizzes to an instant messaging platform that’s used by millions around the world.
The great thing about Slack is that it makes communication easier for everyone — with the ability to quickly shoot a message to anyone in your workplace, you’ll communicate more fluidly than you ever could over email. It’s also easy to create individual channels for different tasks or teams to keep relevant content in one place.
44. Hubspot
Hubspot is the gold standard in inbound marketing software, and for good reason. With HubSpot's all-in-one solution, your marketing team will be able to get full visibility on their sales pipeline, including detailed reports on prospect activity, individual performance, and customer relationships.
Contact information is also enriched with other valuable marketing data, such as email opens or website visits, so you know exactly when and how to follow up with your prospects and close the deal.
45. Zoom
Despite all the jokes about Zoom meeting fails and Zoom fatigue, Zoom is still one of the most ubiquitous video conferencing platforms out there today. Use Zoom to set up virtual meetings between your team, host webinars, coordinate online events, and send instant messages — all from the same platform.
Data collection tools
46. Typeform
Customer surveys are a must if you want to really get to know your audience and personalise your products and services to their needs. And if you want to make your surveys look great and on-brand, Typeform is the way to do it.
Typeform’s beautiful and engaging surveys inspire participants to give their feedback — rather than deter them. Best of all, it’s crazy easy to use.
47. Survey Monkey
If you need a robust free online survey tool, Survey Monkey is your go to. This platform is as comprehensive as they come: use one of their existing templates, or build your own survey from scratch, then blast it out and review the responses with its powerful analytics suite.
Beyond building surveys, Survey Monkey also allows you to collect responses from its global consumer panel, run NPS surveys to gauge consumer sentiment, and even run internal surveys.
Onboarding and activation tools
48. Wistia
Want to create videos and podcasts that truly feel like they’re from your brand, instead of uploading them to YouTube or Vimeo? Then you, like thousands of other businesses, need Wistia.
Use Wistia’s brandable video player, lead generation features, and embeddable channels to get more out of your content. Then, harness this video engagement data via marketing integrations with your CRM or ad platforms.
49. Userpilot
Userpilot is a product growth marketing platform that helps you understand exactly how your customers are using your app or service. This tool gives you the ability to automatically capture how different user segments interact with your features, so you can deliver better experiences and encourage more conversions.
On top of Growth Insights, you can also create personalised in-app experiences for customers with the Engagement Layer or send out surveys at scale.
50. Appcues
Anyone who has a digital product knows that onboarding is just the beginning of the customer journey. What really matters is how a user or team adopts that product, because that’s the real measure of if they’re going to stick around.
Appcues makes it easy to build in-app experiences without the need to hire a dev. Just install it, create your flow, set your target audience, then publish it straight to your website or app. Once it’s live, you can measure usage and adoption straight within Appcues, then make changes to improve in the future.
