Tools
Tools for getting found nearby
A tool earns a place here if a local business can set it up in an afternoon and still afford it in year two: a fair renewal price, monthly billing, no long contract, usable on a phone, and a free plan wherever a good one exists.
Each link goes to the maker’s own page. When we join a maker’s affiliate program, its links may earn us a commission when you sign up; the price you pay is the same, and a commission never decides what is listed here.
Local SEO Ave5 tools
Map listings and local SEO
Claim and complete the free listings first; the paid tools are for tracking and tidying them once that is done.
Our pick
Google Business Profile
The free listing behind your place in Google Maps and the map pack: hours, services, photos, posts and replies to reviews.
FreeWeb, Google Maps app
Visit Google Business ProfileApple Business
Apple’s free business account, which replaced Business Connect in April 2026. Claim your place card in Apple Maps and set the logo, hours and photos.
Free
Visit Apple BusinessBing Places for Business
Puts you in Bing search and Bing Maps. It can import your Google Business Profile, so setup is quick once the Google listing is right.
Free
Visit Bing Places for BusinessBrightLocal
Tracks where you rank in the map pack across your area and audits your listings; citations are pay-as-you-go. 14-day free trial, cancel anytime.
From $41/month; $31 billed yearly
Visit BrightLocalWhitespark Local Rank Tracker
Checks your rankings in the map pack, Google Maps and organic results by zip code, on desktop and mobile. The cheapest plan tracks weekly.
From $17/month; 14-day free trial
Visit Whitespark Local Rank Tracker
Reviews St4 tools
Reviews
Google’s own review link costs nothing; pay for software only when asking by text is taking time you don’t have.
Our pick
NiceJob
Sends review requests by text and email after each job and shows your best reviews on your website. Built for trades and home services; no contract.
From $75/month; 14-day free trial
Visit NiceJobGatherUp
Review and feedback requests by email and text, review monitoring across 100+ sites, and customer surveys. Month-to-month plans are offered.
From $99/month, billed yearly
Visit GatherUpNextdoor
A free business page where neighbors recommend you, plus free posts in the local feed. Matters most for home services, trades and neighborhood shops.
Free; ads are paid
Visit NextdoorTripadvisor
Claim the free listing, reply to reviews and keep photos and details current. Worth the time for cafés, restaurants, hotels and attractions.
Free
Visit Tripadvisor
Websites Way6 tools
Website builders and hosting
Pick a builder you can afford at renewal, and register the domain in your own name so you can move it later.
Our pick
Squarespace
Polished templates and an editor that is hard to break. Annual plans include a free domain for the first year; bookings come from Acuity, its sister app.
14-day free trial; paid plans
Visit SquarespaceWix
Drag-and-drop builder with bookings and payments from the Core plan up. The free plan runs on a Wix address; your own domain needs a paid plan.
Free; paid plans for your own domain
Visit WixWordPress.com
Hosted WordPress, so there is no server to look after. Every paid plan allows plugins, and the site can move to another WordPress host later.
Free; Personal $4/month billed yearly
Visit WordPress.comCarrd
One fast page with your hours, services, map and a call button. Free for up to three sites; Pro Standard adds your own domain and contact forms.
Free; Pro Standard $19/year
Visit CarrdCloudflare Registrar
Registers and renews domains at the price the registry charges, with no markup, and includes free WHOIS privacy, DNS and DNSSEC.
At cost, no markup
Visit Cloudflare RegistrarGoogle Workspace
Gmail on your own domain, plus Calendar, Drive and Meet, managed from one admin console. Staff use the phone apps they already know.
From $7/user/month, yearly plan
Visit Google Workspace
Marketing Tools Dr5 tools
Booking and payments
Choose by trade: salons and studios need staff calendars and reminders, trades need quotes, scheduling and invoices.
Our pick
Square Appointments
A free booking site with reminders and unlimited staff calendars, on the same account that takes card payments in person and online.
Free; card fees per paymentWeb, iPhone, iPad, Android
Visit Square AppointmentsSetmore
Free for up to four staff, with unlimited appointments and email reminders. Takes payments through Square, Stripe or PayPal; text reminders need Pro.
Free up to 4 users; Pro is paid
Visit SetmoreCal.com
Open-source booking pages, free for one person with unlimited event types and calendars, Stripe or PayPal payments, and email and text notifications.
Free for 1 user; team plans paid
Visit Cal.comAcuity Scheduling
Client booking with intake forms and payment through Stripe, Square, PayPal or Venmo. Made by Squarespace but works on any site; texts start on Standard.
From $20/month; $16 billed yearly
Visit Acuity SchedulingJobber
Quotes, scheduling, invoices and online payments for trades and home services, with online booking for customers. Core covers one user.
From $49/month; 14-day free trialWeb, iPhone, Android
Visit Jobber
Email & SMS Ln4 tools
Email and SMS
Marketing texts need each customer’s written consent, and US carriers require business numbers to be registered before you send.
Our pick
MailerLite
Clean editor with sign-up forms, automations and a landing page on the free plan, which covers 250 subscribers and 2,500 emails a month.
Free; paid plans from $12/month
Visit MailerLiteMailchimp
The familiar newsletter tool, with templates, sign-up forms and automations. The free plan covers 250 contacts and 500 sends a month; texting is an add-on.
Free; paid plans from $13/month
Visit MailchimpSimpleTexting
Texts offers and reminders to customers who opted in, with keyword sign-ups and help registering your number. No contract; change plans anytime.
From $39/month for 500 texts
Visit SimpleTextingEZ Texting
Text marketing with a local textable number included on the entry plan, so customers see a local number. Pause or cancel anytime; a $5 telecom fee applies.
From $25/month for 500 credits
Visit EZ Texting
Branding & Print Rd5 tools
Design and print
Best free
Adobe Express
Templates for social posts, flyers and menus, with free stock photos and Adobe Fonts. Works on a phone; Premium is monthly, with no annual commitment.
Free; Premium $9.99/monthWeb, iPhone, Android
Visit Adobe ExpressAffinity
Design, photo editing and page layout in one desktop app, free for individuals. Suits print-ready signs, menus and price lists; AI tools need Canva’s paid plan.
FreeMac, Windows
Visit AffinityVistaprint
Business cards, flyers, signs and banners from a template or your own file, with a 3D preview before you order. Papers run from matte to cotton and kraft.
Visit VistaprintMOO
Thicker card stocks and finishes. Printfinity prints a different back on every card in a pack, handy for showing a different photo of your work on each.
Business cards: 50 from $23
Visit MOOSticker Mule
Custom stickers, labels and magnets for packaging, bags and giveaways, with free online proofs and free shipping.
Visit Sticker Mule
Marketing Tools Dr5 tools
Tracking and reporting
Count calls, bookings and direction requests, not followers; your Google Business Profile performance report shows all three for free.
Our pick
Google Search Console
Shows the searches that bring people to your site, which pages Google has indexed and what needs fixing. The first thing to connect after launch.
Free
Visit Google Search ConsoleGoogle Analytics
Counts website visits, where they came from and what visitors did next, such as tapping the phone number or sending a form.
Free
Visit Google AnalyticsPlausible Analytics
Simple website stats on one page, without cookies, from public open-source code. Starter covers 10,000 pageviews a month.
From $9/month; 30-day free trial
Visit Plausible AnalyticsCallRail
Tracking numbers that show which listing, ad or page made the phone ring, with call recordings and transcripts. Lead Tracking includes five local numbers.
From $50/month; 14-day free trial
Visit CallRailData Studio
Free dashboards that pull Search Console, Analytics and spreadsheet data onto one page you can share. Google renamed it from Looker Studio in April 2026.
Free
Visit Data Studio
Social Media Blvd3 tools
Social scheduling
Schedule a week of posts in one sitting; one or two platforms kept up steadily beat five left half-finished.
Our pick
Buffer
Schedules posts to Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads and your Google Business Profile. The free plan covers three channels, ten queued posts each.
Free; Essentials $5/channel/monthWeb, iPhone, Android
Visit BufferMetricool
Scheduling and analytics side by side, with Google Business Profile alongside the social accounts. The free plan covers one brand and 20 posts a month.
Free; Starter from $25/month
Visit MetricoolLater
A visual planner built around Instagram and TikTok, with a drag-and-drop calendar and a link-in-bio page. Starter covers eight profiles.
From $18.75/month billed yearly
Visit Later