Essential Digital Marketing Tools for 2025: What We Use and Why

The tools don’t make the marketer. We know this because we’ve watched plenty of companies tank their budgets on flashy software that ends up gathering digital dust.

That said, when in the right hands, technology can simplify life and enhance digital marketing strategies.

These are the tools our team uses every day. Not necessarily the flashiest or most expensive ones, either—just the ones that consistently help us deliver results for our clients.

Tools For Copywriters

Grammarly

Will this AI-driven tool “take your writing from good to great,” as Grammarly claims? That’s debatable. It will, however, help you articulate yourself with more confidence and clarity.

While we have mixed feelings about relying too heavily on Grammarly’s full-sentence rewrite feature and AI suggestion tools, our team does use the platform as a secondary safety net. It catches pesky grammar, spelling, and sentence-level issues that might slip through initial edits—especially when you’re too close to the content to spot them yourself.

ChatbotGPT

Open AI’s writing assistant is smart, fast, and efficient. Our team uses it to research topics, outline articles, solicit feedback, or work through a difficult first draft. While it’s remarkably capable, we use ChatbotGPT thoughtfully and with restraint.

Here’s why:While Google’s Spam Guidelines do not forbid content creators from using AI, they do penalize websites that:

• Publish AI-generated text without human oversight
• Scrape copy from competitor sites and minimally modify it using automated tools
• Create keyword-stuffed pages without demonstrating experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (EEAT)

More importantly, AI cannot truly understand your brand’s unique voice, replicate human context, or experience empathy.

That's why our content always starts with humans. We use AI as a tool—not for quality writing—not a replacement. If you have more questions about the future of AI-powered content, stay tuned. We’ll be tackling this topic in January.

Headline Capitalization

Which words should be capitalized in the headline of a press release? When memory fails, we lean on Headline Capitalization, a free tool that correctly capitalizes titles according to Associated Press, APA, Chicago, and MLA styles.

These small but critical details signal professionalism and industry expertise to readers. Even a small capitalization error can make a well-written piece appear amateur.

ToTheWeb

During the website build process, we often need to scrape copy from a client’s old website to edit or revamp it. Doing this manually can take hours. ToTheWeb’s free HTML-to-text converter does it in seconds.

CoSchedule

Writing a winning email subject line is just as much an art as it is a science.

When inspiration and technical know-how fall short, try CoSchedule’s free email subject line generator. It’ll bulletproof your titles, generating higher open rates while keeping you out of spam folders.

Tools for Designers

Figma

We rely on Figma to develop everything from initial sitemaps to polished website prototypes. Unlike traditional design tools, Figma's cloud-based platform allows real-time collaboration between SEO, designers, copywriters, developers, and clients.

For team members, that means real-time access to the latest designs. For clients, that means direct involvement in the design process.

Not only can clients test prototypes and review designs at specific milestones, but they can also provide immediate feedback directly within the platform. This ensures smooth handoffs and a seamless workflow for everyone involved.

Adobe Stock

When it comes to sourcing high-quality images, graphics, icons, and illustrations, Adobe Stock is unrivaled in terms of quality control and variety. Rather than relying on overused free stock images, Adobe Stock gives our design team access to professional-grade visuals that align with each client’s brand identity.

Tools For SEO Specialists

Screaming Frog

Our clients often wonder why their website is underperforming in search results. While Screaming Frog is no substitute for a manual website audit conducted by an SEO expert, it is a useful starting point. Our SEO team uses this tool to crawl websites, analyze metadata and headers, and locate broken links. This is the first step in diagnosing technical SEO issues that could be hurting search performance.

Microsoft Clarity

At face value, your website may seem user-friendly—yet high bounce rates, low clicks, and stalled conversions tell a different story. To fix these common issues, you need to understand how customers experience your site.

Our team relies on Microsoft Clarity for insights into how users interact with your website, where they engage, where they struggle, and what needs improvement.

SE Ranking

Want to get users to your site? Then you need to appear in search results. Our team uses SE Ranking to:

• Monitor local keyword rankings across Google Search and Maps
• Identify trending and underperforming keywords
• Audit your site to find and finesse technical SEO issues

Tools For Paid Media Specialists

Google Ads Editor

Google Ads Editor is a free desktop application that revolutionizes how our paid media team manages advertising campaigns.

This essential tool enables bulk editing, offline work, and advanced filtering—all from your desktop. Additionally, you can draft and review changes before publishing, plus quickly import and export files for mass updates. In terms of convenience and efficiency, no other tool even comes close.

Google Keyword Planner

This powerful research tool allows our team to tap into Google search data and uncover overlooked keywords. Beyond that, it gives us insight into monthly search volume, cost-per-click estimates, and competition levels—all the essential data we need to understand market demand and plan targeted ad campaigns.

ClickCease

Every dollar our clients spend on ads should go to reaching real potential customers—not fraudulent clicks from bots or competitors. ClickCease is one of many tools our paid media team uses to protect clients' budgets, ensuring ads reach real people and deliver real results.

Get More From Your Digital Marketing Tools

Want to accelerate your growth in 2025? Having the right tools will help. But if you want to get more out of your technology, lean on our Inc. 5000 award-winning team. From brand identity and content creation to paid media, SEO, and design, we cover every aspect of your brand’s digital footprint. Schedule a complimentary 15-minute consultation to learn how our expertise and digital marketing tools can help you accomplish your business goals.