There is not a moment in your work as a Web professional that you do not in some capacity interact with software.

Just imagine how different your work life, as someone responsible for your company’s digital success, would be without it. You are likely working now with a marketing automation platform, a customer relationship management (CRM) system, as well as a seemingly infinite variety of software product types including live chat solutions, social media tools or even cloud-based billing offerings. And these in addition to content management systems, email marketing solutions and analytics vendors. Software is integral to your success.

Web workers used to (and many continue to) struggle with the wide variety of software that was necessary to gather intelligence, engage in all manners of Web marketing and online advertising management, and communicate digitally. That’s a lot of responsibility, but thankfully it’s getting simpler. If there is one trend that will define 2012 and beyond, it is that of a more unified platform.

And that trend has already been set into motion. Designers/ developers, marketers and management are, slowly, getting on the same track. One of the reasons that Website Magazine pays attention to mergers and acquisitions, as well as integrations between different software systems, is because these activities perfectly satisfy what we want from software on the whole — ease of use, better data and a means to move our websites and businesses forward.

One of the most aggressive software providers throughout 2011 has been Adobe, which has effectively connected its design and development offerings with that of its marketing and analytics suite (courtesy of its acquisition of Omniture). It, more than any other, is changing software for all Web workers — capturing the first position on Website Magazine’s 50 Top Software Solutions to Explore in 2011.

In this list readers will find companies that are innovating and disrupting their respective industries. You’ll likely be familiar with the likes of SalesForce (#25) and SugarCRM (#22), for example, but other CRM providers such as Commence (#44) are gaining traction. Software providers in the live chat and customer engagement space are also enjoying continued success, including Who’s On (#20) from Parker Software and LivePerson (#50). Meanwhile, software vendors such as HubSpot (#26) and Marketo (#12) are earning the respect of serious Internet businesses.

Software is everywhere, but remember this — to benefit, you must explore its possibilities.

ABOUT THIS RANKED DATA: Website Magazine’s Top 50 rankings are a measure of a website’s popularity. Ranks are calculated using a proprietary method that focuses on average daily unique visitors and page views over a specified period of time, as reported by multiple data sources. The website with the highest combination of factors is ranked in the first position. Conducting research, making formal comparisons and talking to existing clients and users before making any purchase decisions is always recommended.

1. Adobe.com
2. infusionsoft.com
3. zoho.com
4. rackspace.com
5. vertex42.com
6. carbonite.com
7. silverpop.com
8. 37signals.com
9. freshbooks.com
10. successfactors.com
11. woopra.com
12. marketo.com
13. wordstream.com
14. brightedge.com
15. Mozy.com
16. rightnow.com
17. egnyte.com
18. ibusinesspromoter.com
19. taleo.com
20. whoson.com
21. onestat.com
22. sugarcrm.com
23. outright.com
24. Crashplan.com
25. salesforce.com
26. hubspot.com
27. netsuite.com
28. atinternet.com
29. webtrends.com
30. coremetrics.com
31. dynamics.com
32. getclicky.com
33. webceo.com
34. ektron.com
35. eloqua.com
36. crazyegg.com
37. clicktale.com
38. piwik.org
39. clickdensity.com
40. 10gen.com
41. xero.com
42. engineyard.com
43. commence.com
44. blinksale.com
45. zuora.com
46. adaptiveplanning.com
47. aprimo.com
48. Sendible.com
49. salesboom.com
50. liveperson.com