Mobile Device Testing

mobiletest.me allows you to preview your website within the boundaries of popular smart phones and tablets.

www.google.com/webmasters/tools/mobile-friendly

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

seositecheckup.com is definitely the best resource that I’ve come across so far for completely breaking down every aspect of a website’s SEO. I have greatly expanded my knowledge of SEO by testing websites with this resource and learning how to improve every aspect of the web development process.

MOZ (formally known as SEO MOZ) is an excellent website for learning all there is to know about how to best optimise your website. They have a number of free resources for getting started and keeping on top of your website’s SEO.

I would also recommend that anyone who is interested in getting started with SEO should read Google’s Search Engine Optimisation Starter Guide.

Website Speed

tools.pingdom.com is a fantastic resource for testing a website’s speed and gives lots of helpful tips to improve areas in need of a fix-up.

Google PageSpeed Insights is another resource for testing not only the website’s speed but also how the website’s content is prioritised, the size of tap targets and font legibility.

Responsive Website Design

getbootstrap.com is a fundamental part of every website I develop and essential for responsive website design. It promotes clean, semantic code that encourages better coding from everyone who implements it.

Free High-Res Stock Images

unsplash.com is updated every ten days with new free, high-res stock images. The quality is excellent and they have an extensive library of photos touching on various themes.

Icons

FontAwesome  would definitely be my go-to icons for any website project. The font is available to download and install on your computer for use in Photoshop and there is also a web font available for use online. They are constantly updating the icon library.

roundicons.com offers a variety of premium icons that would suit every project. When purchased you will have access to PNG, EPS, PS and AI versions of each icon.

ionicons.com is another great website for free, open source icons.

Dashicons are very useful within the WordPress administrative screen when creating Custom Post Types.

Colours

brandcolors.net is great for ensuring you have the exact HEX value for Facebook, Twitter etc.

Adobe Kuler is a wonderful website for creating colour schemes.

flatuicolorpicker.com gives the HEX and RGB values for all of the colours within the flat colour scheme.

CSS

Less is my go-to CSS pre-processor at the moment. I find that it speeds up every project and keeps my files tidy.

HTML Newsletters

This tutorial is great for getting started with responsive HTML email newsletters. And this tutorial goes through creating a basic HTML email template from scratch.

JavaScript Libraries

masonry.desandro.com is a grid layout JavaScript library that places elements in vertically in a masonry wall style layout.

photoswipe.com is the best JavaScript image gallery that I’ve found so far. It works perfectly on mobile devices.

Books

How to be a Graphic Designer without losing Your Soul by Adrian Shaughnessy taught me so much about starting off as a freelancer, preparing for job interviews, writing emails and displaying my portfolio work. Although the book focuses on graphic design it is still invaluable to anyone who wants to learn how to make the most out of their skills and is keen to improve where they can.