Best Digital Tools for Charleston Businesses
Helpful platforms to build, grow, and market your business online.
Why Digital Tools Matter for Local Businesses
Running a business in Charleston is a full-time job (and then some). The right digital tools can help you save time, improve visibility, and reach more customers — without hiring a full team.
Whether you’re just starting out or growing fast, these tools are used by real businesses to manage their websites, improve SEO, run email campaigns, and measure performance. And when the tools aren’t enough, we’ll point you toward trusted local help too.
Recommended Tools by Category
We’ve grouped tools by what they do. All of them are beginner-friendly, budget-conscious, and trusted by local businesses and agencies alike.
Website Builders & Hosting
These tools are best for businesses building or managing their own sites — or hosting a site that someone else built.
- WordPress – The gold standard for small business websites. Flexible, scalable, and great for SEO.
- Shopify – All-in-one platform for selling products online. Easy to use, mobile-friendly, and great for retail and eCommerce businesses.
- Cloudways – Affordable managed hosting with strong performance and security.
- Bricks Builder – A lightweight visual builder for WordPress that allows for custom design without bloat.
Not sure if you should build it yourself or hire someone? Here’s what to look for in a Charleston web designer →
SEO & Keyword Tools
If you’re trying to show up on Google, these tools will help you track rankings, find keywords, and understand what people are searching for.
- Google Search Console – Free tool to monitor how your site performs in search and fix issues.
- SEMRush – Keyword research, site audits, backlink audits and traffic analysis.
- Screaming Frog – Technical SEO tool to crawl your site and find broken links, duplicate tags, etc.
- Surfer SEO – Helps you write content optimized for specific keywords.
Want someone to handle SEO for you? Check out Charleston SEO Services or Holy City Web Design’s SEO plans
Email Marketing Tools
Stay connected with your customers, promote new offers, and send automated follow-ups.
- Mailchimp – Popular and easy to use. Great for simple newsletters or product promos.
- MailerLite – Clean interface, great support, and generous free plan.
- ConvertKit – Ideal for service-based businesses that want to automate email sequences and segment their audience.
Analytics & Performance
Don’t guess what’s working — track it.
- Google Analytics 4 – Free and powerful, but more complex than older versions. Essential for tracking visits, behavior, and conversions.
- Clarity by Microsoft – Free heatmap and session recording tool to understand what users are doing on your site.
- PageSpeed Insights – See how your site performs and get suggestions for improvement.
- GTmetrix – In-depth site speed testing and waterfall breakdowns.
Bonus Tools We Use All the Time
- Canva – For quick graphics, social posts, and basic design work.
- Grammarly – Catch typos and polish your writing before publishing.
- Notion – Great for organizing marketing plans, website content, and project checklists.
- Calendly – Let people book appointments or consultations without email ping-pong.
What If You’d Rather Not DIY It?
These tools are great — but only if you have time to learn and use them. If you’re running a busy business and want help building, optimizing, or marketing your website, a good partner can save you hours (and mistakes).
Holy City Web Design works with Charleston businesses to:
- Build clean, fast custom websites
- Set up SEO properly from the start
- Help choose and configure the right tools for your business
- Offer ongoing support and maintenance when you need it
Whether you want a little help or a full-service partner, they’ll help you make smart, local-friendly digital decisions.
Final Thoughts
The right tools can help you punch above your weight as a small business. But when things get too technical, or when your site is ready for the next level, it helps to have someone local in your corner.
Explore the tools above, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you need help making sense of them.