Free For Your Site

For SEO enthusiasts, knowing the statistics of their site is second nature. And to accomplish that, web analytics tools are employed, one of which is phpMyVisites. The name may sound a bit weird, but don’t let that fool you. This software is crammed with features. Downloaded as a zip file, you just extract the files in your web server. Installation is totally automated, and once you are done, a code will be generated which you need to paste in the site you want to track. Once you have pasted the code, the reports will start coming in.

The beauty behind the phpMyVisites is the ease of operation, the depth of the reports, while being free all at the same time. The interface of the site is very simple and easy to understand. It gives you a wealth of information: where the user came from, what OS was he using, what browser was used, among others. The newest feature of phpMyVisites is the ingenious ‘ClickHeat.’ Viewed as an image, it shows you where the clicks on your page are most concentrated. If you are looking for a comprehensive web analytics tool and you don’t want to fork up loads of cash, phpMyVisites may just be the thing for you.

phpMyVisites requires a web server with PHP 4.3 or greater and a MySQL database. Basic knowledge of copy and pasting scripts in HTML and MySQL database details are required.

Go to phpMyVisites

Whenever designing a web site, it is important to see how it would display on different browsers. After all, no two browsers are made the same. However, manually checking every available browser how it displays your site is almost impossible. Sounds trouble? Not with BrowserShots.

BrowserShots is an Internet service that lets you view your website using different browsers available. With 21 available browsers for Linux, Windows and even the Mac, it can give you great insight on how your site looks from any angle. And what’s even better, the service is free of charge. Taking advantage of BrowserShots is very easy: just enter the URL of the site you want to test and it will be immediately added to the job queue. Once the queue reaches the limit, the URL will be opened by a certain number of distributed computers and a screenshot of the browser displaying the site will be added in the main server of BrowserShots. You can now view the screenshots and see how your site appeared in a certain browser. Despite the drawback of having to wait for quite a while for popular browsers such as the Firefox, the results are definitely worth it. If you want a painless way to check your site on 21 browsers without having to install them all, BrowserShots.org is ready to give you a hand.

BrowserShots.org works on most browsers.

Go to BrowserShots.org

The words “vector graphics” usually bring to mind images of graphic design artists with lots of talent - and rightly so. Working with vector graphics is no easy task. What sets vector images apart from normal images is that you can easily increase the size of the image without losing quality. That is why when these great looking works of art are offered for free, you just need to have a look. One place you shouldn’t miss is Vecteezy.

Vecteezy showcases creations of different artists around the world who are kind enough to put up their work for free. The homepage shows the latest submissions, which are based on important web site elements such as RSS feed icons and the like. Clicking on a thumbnail will bring you to an image’s download page, which lets you look at detailed previews, as well as the usage limitations for each image.

A handy search bar and filter option allows you to search for a particular vector image. To open and edit the downloaded vector image, you must have an application that is capable of doing so, such as Adobe Illustrator. With these free, yet high quality images, you can change the way your web site looks. With Vecteezy, searching for new and trendy vector graphics is simple.

Vecteezy works on most browsers. You need a vector graphics program such as Adobe Illustrator, Freehand, or Inkscape to open some files.

Go to Vecteezy

The Internet has become a large venue for discussions for almost any topic under the sun. If you want your site to get a piece of the action, you might want to have your own chat program. And if it’s chat programs you are after, give PHP Free Chat a test run.

Free Chat is a PHP script that allows the creation of a chat system in your site. Getting the script running is very simple and only involves copy and pasting a few lines in your source code. No need to setup an SQL server as the chat system uses files to store nicknames and messages.

Worried about bland and rigid designs for your chatroom? The program lets you design your own. You can fully modify how the chat room looks by creating your own CSS style sheets. With the featured AJAX system, gone are the worries of delayed and eye-straining window refreshes. Controlling the chat’s environment is also a breeze since all chat functionalities are customizable. Since it’s an open source program, there’s no need to shell out a single buck.

Whether you want to be a host for lively discussions or you need a chatting system for a collaborative project, the PHP Free Chat will get you up and going in no time.

PHP Free Chat requires a web server with PHP 4 or later installed. Knowledge of copying and pasting lines of code in your site is needed.

Go to PHP Free Chat

Clever use of animation in your site can bring in the traffic. However, not everyone is well-versed with Flash or other animation software. If you are blogger or a budding web designer with little or no knowledge in Flash animation, then the Advanced Effect Maker is for you.

Forget about stages and frames, Advanced Effect Maker makes creating animations for your site effortless. The freeware version offers 40 applets while the paid version offers 70 or 234 applets, depending on the package you paid for.

For the freeware, just download the executable file, install and having animated graphics in your site is just a few clicks away. All you have to do is choose what kind of animation you’d like to work on. There are 3-D images, animated menus, and other available choices. Once you have chosen your animation, click on it and new options on customizing it are revealed. If you are done with the customization, click ‘Create Applet’ and a browser will pop-up, containing the HTML script that you can paste in your source code. It must be noted that some of the available animations are quite outdated, leaving only a few worthy to add in your web site. But for those who are in need of a quick fix of animations, the Advanced Effect Maker won’t let you down.

Advanced Effect Maker is compatible with Win98/ME/2000/XP. Basic copy/pasting knowledge in your source code is needed.

Go to Advanced Effect Maker

In the arena of SEO, getting listed in a directory is one thing. Having your own directory is another. If you decide to get up and purchase a link indexing software for your own directory, the first thing you should check out is Chipmunk Directory.

With commercial link indexing software in the market easily fetching up to hundreds of dollars, getting one free of charge is no laughing matter. Chipmunk Directory is a PHP script designed to create your own link index. Installation is straightforward, with the directions written in the only form of documentation available, the readme.txt file.

Apart from your own web space, you need to have basic knowledge of SQL as it requires an empty database for storage. Once you are done with the installation, you are now ready to add links in your directory. Visitors can easily add links as well, and, if validation is enabled, you can review submitted links before they are displayed in your directory.

Changing the colors of different site elements is as far as you can go in terms of customizing how the directory looks. For web designers, bloggers, and SEO fans looking for a free, fully-functional link indexing software with minimal design needs, Chipmunk Directory may just be the thing for you.

Chipmunk Directory requires a web server with PHP, SQL and requires knowledge in database creation.

Go to Chipmunk Directory

Finally, an application that allows you to create great looking textures without having an ounce of artistic prowess. Too good to be true? It’s not hard to imagine with a program like Texture Processor.

The Texture Processor is exactly that: it creates textures. Since it’s freeware, you can create great looking texture without the need to shell out for a high-end image processing tool or even the expertise to manipulate images. Just download the zip file, extract and run the installation. After a few clicks, you’re on your way to creating eye-catching textures that can be used on your web site, your blog, or even as the wallpaper for your computer.

The mechanism behind the Texture Processor allows for an unlimited number of textures that you can create, even if you lack the artistic eye. Creating your own texture is just a point and click affair. Sliding bars to adjust settings are available for each setting. Use blobs, points, lines, curves, and a plethora of other available commands. Use a combination of settings and what do you get? Unlimited possibilities.

Despite the fact that exporting allows only for BMP files, the Texture Processor is a great addition to the arsenal of tools for any blogger or web designer.

The Texture Processor is compatible with Win9x/ME/2000/XP

Go to Texture Processor

You’ve been looking at the same icon for years. You’re tired of seeing the same boring animation in your web site over and over again. Need something new to look at? How about a lively addition to your site? Adobe Flash can help you in that department.

High quality icon sets from Adobe Flash are all yours for the taking. Just choose what format you’d like to download, then extract and customize away. Adobe Flash provides downloads for both PC and Mac users.

You can download the icons for personal use, such as replacing the ones you have in your desktop. But if you need icons for a website, icon sets under the PNG format are also available. These icon sets can be imported in your Flash stage to create stunning animations. Take note though, you have to ask permission from the artist if you want to use the icon sets for commercial purposes. In exchange for free, high quality icon sets, the deal is still a bargain. Whether you are a web designer, a blogger, or a simple PC or Mac user, a new look is just a download away.

Adobe Flash works on most browsers and offers downloads both for PC and Mac systems.

Go to Adobe Flash

It might be easy for big businesses to invest in advanced mailing lists software that sends thousands of e-mail everyday. But for the small entrepreneurs, it’s still the old-fashioned way of manually sending to multiple recipients. Tired of the old type-the-address, click-on-the-address-book routine? Then you might want to check out Vallen E-Mailer.

Vallen E-mailer is exactly that: a freeware e-mailer. The simple interface of Vallen gets the job done without the fancy visual frills. You can choose to send an e-mail written in plain or HTML text. You can even attach files if the need arises. To use Vallen, you just need to have in hand a list of e-mail addresses written on a text file. (You remembered to get their permission, right?) Create your e-mail, choose the text file containing the e-mail addresses, and press “Send.” You can send e-mail to hundreds or even thousands of recipients with a single click of a button. Need categories? Then create as many lists as needed and choose which list is appropriate for your e-mail. This is perfect if you want to publish a newsletter about new products and services.

If personalized e-mail isn’t much of an issue, then Vallen E-mailer can do the job for you.

Vallen E-mailer is compatible with Win9x/2000/XP.

Go to Vallen E-mailer

Baffled by the mystery of broken links? Then hire your own private eye to check it out. Xenu Link Sleuth is available anytime of the day and will accept any web site to investigate… for free.

Xenu Link Sleuth is a freeware application designed to check your web site for broken links. It spiders your site to create a comprehensive list of links and it alerts you if any broken ones are found. Finding where the break is also easy as you can sort the list through its multiple columns. It even provides an explanation why the link broke down. Downloaded as a setup file, just a few double clicks and you are ready to launch your private detective. Just key in your URL and wait for the process to be finished. Thanks to its multi-thread feature, the time to map the site is greatly reduced. It took the program just 4 seconds to check-out 45 URLs. The number of threads as well as what to output can be configured for greater speed and efficiency. Once you are done with the spidering, you can save the output as a text file for later evaluation. With Xenu Link Sleuth, cases of broken links are easily closed.

Xenu Link Sleuth is compatible with Win9x/2000/XP.

Go to Xenu Link Sleuth