Disclosure: This article includes various affiliate links. We only promote products we have used in our own work.
The technology stack and digital tools that an agency or digital product studio chooses to employ are the foundation of its operations. These elements play a large role in determining how well a studio can support their clients. That's why experimentation is so crucial to longterm success in this business. Tech stacking is something to continue iterating on over time, and the evolution of the larger digital tools market is nothing to sleep on either.
Why? Because every other day it seems there's some new (and slightly more efficient) way to optimize or solve an issue. That's not to say tried-and-true doesn't count for something, but an open mind to progress is undeniably indicative of long-term success in a hyper-saturated industry.
With that in mind, here are 20 digital tools that we've leaned on over the years to overwhelmingly positive effect.
20 Digital Tools to Bolster Your Technology Stack
1. GitHub
Main Purpose: Pull requests
Our clients depend on a quality product the first time. That means when changes go live, they need to be bulletproof. GitHub lets us make sure we provide that level of consistent quality.
Utilizing pull requests within the service allows our developers to change and fine-tune code with confidence. Our team can compare, communicate, and look over file histories all within a manageable system. When it's time to implement code on one of our sites, we know it's been properly reviewed by more than one set of eyes.
Key Features:
- Code scanning analysis checks for errors
- Github Codespaces provides a supportive interface to work on code
- Github Mobile allows for on-the-go access
2. Appolo.io
Main Purpose: Lead Generation
Long gone are the days of call-sheet-dominated lead generation. This is the era of smart tech, and Apollo is a wonderful resource for defining and streamlining your customer prospect search. When an organization is starting out, lead generation is, if not the most important priority, right at the top of the list. Apollo offers data packages, starting at COMPLETELY FREE for the starter plan with which you can send 30 emails/day. Upgrading to the basic package, however, will get you unlimited emails and more than four times the filters for audience targeting. With that kind of firepower a startup has the capacity to expand their customer base exponentially.
Key Features:
- Access to 200 million viable business contacts
- Access to 10 million organizations
- Integrates with LinkedIn, Salesforce, Gmail, and much more to amass leads and build enormous contact lists.
3. Xero
Main Purpose: Customized billing
Does your business offer multiple services? Xero allows for customizing multiple billing options for different clients. This accounting software uses a deep Stripe connection for simple, secure customer invoicing. A mobile app also provides functionality on the go for all those times you're pulled away from your desk.
Client invoicing often depends on a variety of factors. For digital product studios like ours, a digital tool that allows our billing structure to reflect the diverse needs of our client base is critical. Xero makes that a breeze while still fitting in the palm of a hand. Hard to beat that!
Key Features:
- Flexible accounting and expense management tools
- Comprehensive online payment options help streamline invoices and bill payments
- Easy payroll integration with Gusto
4. Jira
Main Purpose: Issue tracking for software development
When it comes to dev-based digital tools, Jira is a clear winner. From tracking issues to shipping releases and no-code automation, this powerful software empowers developers to work efficiently at speed. A critical element of our technology stack, Jira also allows for visual reporting, which is great for keeping a large dev team on the same page.
Key Features:
- Sprint reporting helps identify process inefficiencies
- Customizable workflow boards
- "Auto-assign" forces accountability for unassigned issues
5. Loom
Main Purpose: Demoing products
Loom is to Zoom as Slack is to Gmail. This speedy video tool is great for demoing products, walking through dashboards, and sending other one-off messages to clients and internal team members.
Key Features:
- Screen record on all mobile and desktop devices
- Allows for CTAs, tasks, captions, and more in your videos
- Upload custom video thumbnails
6. Zoom
Main Purpose: Video conference calls
Zoom became a household name during the pandemic, with everyone from professionals and teachers to your grandmother learning how to join a video call and add their favorite goofy backgrounds. But on the other side of a worldwide crisis, the need for quality team and client connection isn't going anywhere. Whether kicking off the mornings with team stand-ups, meeting with clients, or touching base with a contractor, Zoom has become a worldwide go-to for audio and video.
Key Features:
- In-call chat
- Virtual whiteboard
- Universally recognized platform
7. Figma
Main Purpose: Design
Designers the world over have joyously sung the praises of Figma for some time now. Figma outperforms other digital tools for collaborating on designs with team-wide transparency and streamlined organizational capabilities.
One of the most promising evolving aspects of Figma is the overlap it shares with development. The software's "Dev Mode" is still in open beta, but the growing possibilities for moving design to code are enticing.
Key Features:
- "Multiplayer collaboration" facilitates non-linear (but well organized) team brainstorming and feedback
- No-code prototyping tools
- "Shared visual language" capabilities allow non-designers to collaborate with ease
8. Notion
Main Purpose: Sharing documents
Notion is one of those digital tools that actually just feels satisfying to use. It's an easy way to communicate with colleagues and clients both, and the organized nature of the platform ensures that all documents, schedules, and important information is accounted for.
The interface is wonderful for disseminating project information as well as keeping track of organizational necessities like employee benefits and time off. User activity is tracked so that details never slip through the cracks and your team's hard work can remain on display. It's also an easy space to collaborate on reporting for clients and document best practices, evolving knowledge banks, etc.
Key Features:
- Organized workspaces for breezy collaboration
- Task tracker for maintaining accountability
- Workflow sidebar for managing projects and breaking them down into schedules, reference points, and other relevant aspects
9. Eventbrite
Main Purpose: Event calendars
There are a bunch of event calendar platforms and digital tools to choose from, but Eventbrite is consistently a top contender. Its streamlined presentation and intuitive editing features help make it the calendar powerhouse it is. The attention to detail is what ends up making life easier with this particular digital tool. Check out Eventbrite's Help Center to learn about specific ways to implement this tool for charity events and fundraisers.
A mobile version of the platform, called Eventbrite Organizer, lets you take your show on the road to monitor your event in real time, handle ticket details, and more.
Key Features:
- Donation options (suggested ticket price donations AND general financial gifts)
- Integrates with nonprofit-focused Fundraising apps like Kindful and Fundly
- Easy ticket creation for in-person and virtual events
10. Unsplash
Main Purpose: Free photography
High-quality photography is extremely important. Still, this is often a space where companies like to save money. That's where Unsplash comes in — making high-resolution photographs accessible at no cost through an open-source platform. But don't make the mistake of thinking "free" means low quality. The platform may not charge for most images, but each of the snapshots in their massive database are of an extraordinarily high professional quality.
Key Features:
- 1 million+ hand-selected images, all with impeccable resolution
- Search categories save you time
- Easily download and add to your site
11. Typeform
Main Purpose: Surveying customers
A business owner is wise to routinely check-in with existing customers.With this in mind, we recommend using Typeform to survey user bases. This digital tool helps in identifying any aspects of a marketing strategy that may have worked, and those that perhaps did not. Typeform facilitates a clean, satisfying survey experience for customers, empowering you to glean the data you want from the folks who can tell you... without needlessly annoying your email list.
Key Features:
- Mobile and tablet friendly
- Modern minimalist design
- Integrates with Slack, Hubspot, Google Sheets, and more
12. Slack
Main Purpose: Internal communications
Slack is like a digital water cooler. We use it for internal questions, conversations, and... for memes. Despite the lightheartedness of the interface and afunctionality, Slack is a formidable digital tool for any technology stack.
Slack helps keep communications straight. It can be used in conjunction with each of the four other tools on this list along with Google Drive, DropBox, and more. For instant info sharing, Slack remains one of the best digital tools in the game.
Key Features:
- Channel creation feature for segmenting discussions
- Speedy and satisfying "Huddle" chat functionality
- Link up with external partners through Slack Connect
13. Convertkit
Main Purpose: Email Automation
Ah, Convertkit. Without this handy little email marketing tool, we'd be doing a lot more grunt work for clients. We love Convertkit for developing drip campaigns and creating succinct landing pages that drive clicks and conversions.
Creator empowerment is the goal at Convertkit. The features page reads, "You're a creator, and you want to create…. Grow your email list, build your business, and get back to creating." This is not a complex platform. Convertkit is a powerfully automated email marketing tool to help the creative business owner streamline their email marketing and get back to working on the fun stuff.
Get a free Convertkit account with up to 100 subscribers here.
Key Features:
- Text-based emails help you stay out of recipient spam filters
- Powerful platform support, including a simple migration process if you're switching from another email marketing tool
- Over 80 integrations including WordPress, Shopify, and Zapier
14. Trello
Main Purpose: Visual project management
If you're a visual person like me, you might like seeing your projects, milestones, and schedule laid out ahead of time. This software lets you do that in an intuitive way with boards, cards, and lists for planning and sharing. Trello's visual board features help companies maintain an organized digital workspace, and ultimately, everyone's sanity.
It's free to test out on an individual basis, but digital tools like Trello really shine as a team-based tool. Expanded board capabilities, larger file sizes, speedy support, and more can be had for as little as $9.99/month. Totally worth it.
Key Features:
- "Boards, cards, and lists" system keeps data organized and digestible
- Workflow templates let teams hit the ground running
- Dozens of powerful integrations and the ability to add "power-ups for specific tasks.
15. Basecamp
Main Purpose: Task management
Basecamp became our go-to digital tool for several years after Trello. It should be noted that, we still respect Trello and believe it will be the right choice for many agencies out there (hence its inclusion on this list!). But we were convinced to make a shift for a few reasons. For our purposes, Basecamp's task scheduling and consolidation capabilities, along with technology stack integrations with the likes of Figma and Github, proved a better fit for us at the time.
Key Features:
- Automatic visual lineup calendar for all project timelines
- Automatic team check-ins allow management to schedule written prompts for team members
- A "Don't Forget" tab makes sure your important tasks don't get lost in the shuffle
16. SmartCrawlPro
Main Purpose: SEO Health Scans
It may help if your website shows up in search engines, right? Pretty tough to convert traffic that never finds you. SmartCrawl Pro and Beehive Pro (below) are two plugins that exist within the WPMU Dev universe. Each brings a list of abilities you won't want your site to go without.
Positioning is everything in terms of the digital search landscape. Amazon, for instance, is a giant competitor in the ecommerce space because of the behemoth's search relevance. Staying relevant to Google is a top priority when you're talking about generating website traffic, and SmartCrawl Pro was built with this in mind.
With this digital tool, you can set SEO checkups to scan your site at intervals, convert more visitors to buyers by being seen, and make a free Moz account to receive WP dashboard reports designed to help boost visibility and performance.
Key Features:
- Automatic keyword links let you create backlinks and set up affiliate revenue instantly.
- One-click optimization saves time and cuts operational costs
- Control your social media presentation with OpenGraph and get credit for social media shares by linking your accounts
17. WPForms
Main Purpose: Rapid Lead Form Iteration
How do you set up a site to manage lead generation? WPForms consolidates all your scattered leads and displays them on a straightforward entry management platform. Where you go from there is up to you.
WPForms also lets admins generate forms at lightspeed. Because life moves fast! Pop-up events, new product developments, breaking news... Your hours are valuable when you're getting everything together for that press release or company newsletter. Don't waste them on rebuilding lead forms. Want the ability to offer signup options on the fly? Give WPForms a try.
Key Features:
- Choose between Paypal and Stripe
- Link forms to Salesforce, Trello QuickBooks, HubSpot, and more than 6,000 web apps with the Zapier add-on
- Customize instant lead notifications to trigger emails and/or switch notifications off for specific leads
18. Beehive Pro
Main Purpose: Visitor Insights
To run a successful ecommerce site, one must continually analyze user patterns. Depending on the business, a single high-ticket lead could mean hundreds of thousands of dollars or more. Testing fresh tactics is indispensable to growth and success. Conversion rates and origination points are particularly crucial to understand. Beehive Pro lets admins keep tabs on site metrics while harnessing the considerable might of Google Analytics. The best part? It presents all that information and viewership data in one manageable space on the WordPress dashboard.
Key Features:
- Get individual post and page traffic breakdowns for some nitty gritty data analytics. Beehive consolidates performance data over the month in the editor to save you from jockeying between multiple screens for the info you need.
- The "easy-connect wizard" will be a particular godsend for anyone new to the WordPress arena. It's a quick and simple means of linking Google Analytics to your WordPress site so you can get rolling with GA almost instantaneously.
- Analyze key SEO factors like who visits your site, when they do it, and where they come from.
19. Rankmath
Main Purpose: On-Page SEO
Dare we say it's the end of an era in SEO land? For many years, Yoast was king of the freemium on-page SEO market for WordPress. No other SEO plugin seemed capable of challenging that crown. But when Rankmath hit the scene a few years ago, it became clear that this digital tool is in a league of its own.
With a more pleasing interface than Yoast, Rank Math offers greater customizability, rich snippet access, multi-keyword targeting capabilities, an easy setup wizard with robust customization options, and more. If you're after the best, (and why shouldn't you be when it's free?) you really can't beat what is, in our estimation, the very best SEO plugin for WordPress.
Key Features:
- Target multiple keywords at once
- On-page SEO checklist helps users prep posts/pages for the SERP
- Run sitewide SEO checks from the WP dashboard
20. WP Mail SMTP
Main Purpose: Email Lists
For anyone still sleeping on email marketing, it's time to wake up. The well-established benefits of WP Mail SMTP are nothing to sneeze at. As a digital tool, it lets businesses leverage email lists with total peace of mind that their blasts will always go through without a hitch — no more crossing fingers and hailing Mary. So if you currently fear spam folders, MAILER-DAEMON messages in your inbox, or getting blocked by Google, don't give up hope.
This digital tool ensures that every email you send is adequately authenticated and delivered via a trusted third party.
Key Features:
- Route emails through different providers and set backups
- Experts available to handle installation/configuration
- Save individual email details in WordPress
Need Support for Your Technology Stack?
Streamlining your remote capabilities doesn't have to be a headache. Why make it one? We trust these digital tools will prove as useful to your growth as they have to ours. If you feel overwhelmed or just don't have the time to invest, reach out to Chek Creative for a free web partner consultation. We look forward to hearing from you!
