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Further
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Customers - What They Really Want - 6 Secrets of Customer - Alan Fairweather
What customers really want can be divided into two areas. Firstly - they want the core service of your business to meet their needs. They expect your product or service to work. If you say you're a plumber, then the customer expects you to fix their...
The Business Autopsy: A Fact Of Life - Tim Knox
Last week we discussed the importance of performing an autopsy on a dead business. No, I haven't been watching too many of those wonderfully graphic, TV forensic investigation shows. The reason I recommend you do a business autopsy is to uncover the...
Two Steps To Gain Free Website Traffic - Tina Barraclough
There are many ways to get free traffic to your website. I have tried most of them, and was diappointed with the results that I had. I have found only two guaranteed methods that have brought traffic to my website, and best of all they are "Free"!I...
Quick Guide to Starting a Home Based Business - Charles Fuchs
For years now, starting a home based business has been your dream. The problem is you really don’t know how to get started. Most people don’t, believe it or not. This brief guide, though, will walk you through the initial steps of starting a home...
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List Building vs. Search Engine Optimization: Which One Really Works Better?
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Written By:
Robert Gwuzd
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It seems the excitement about search engine optimization fades in and out from time to time. The more people talk about search engine optimization (SEO) the more it seems to be the logical choice for bringing customers to your site. However, there are some points that I haven’t seen anyone else make as of yet about the effectiveness of SEO versus the effectiveness of building a responsive list. I think you’ll be surprised to see which one comes out on top.
Rules and Regulations
There are rules and regulations for almost everything in life. List building and SEO are no different.
Rules for SEO: Your HTML coding has to be just so in order to rank highly on the engines. Your copy (text) also needs to include specific keywords a certain number of times in specific places or you might not be accepted. And if you are accepted, unless you follow all the “dos” and “don’ts” of SEO, you’ll likely not see the top 10… or even the top 50.
Rules for List Building: Offer a good product or service; notify your list about it, and watch the sales come in.
The Only Constant Is Change
If you do get accepted in the search engines, you might be tempted to rest easy. Don’t! As we’ve seen in recent months, search engines can change their policies and ranking orders at the flip of a switch. If you depend on search engines for all your traffic, such a change could leave you completely out of business. Not good!
Lists on the other hand are built from loyalty… not rules and regulations. The people who subscribe to your list, ezine, or newsletter are there because they want to be. They’ve come to you because you offer them something of quality… something unique.
If you change the design or copy on your site, it won’t matter one bit to the members of your list. They’ll still be there for you. If the search engines decide they’re only going to list sites that use the colors blue, green, and purple… it won’t affect - continued below ...
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you at all.
Sales vs. Leads
Truth be known, SEO only drives “leads” to your site… not sales. On the other hand, list building puts your offer in front of those who have already checked you out, decided they liked what you had to say, and chose to stick with you. These are loyal, pre-qualified individuals who are waiting to receive your next mailing and purchase your next product.
Free, Automatic, and Viral
Lastly, list building can be done at no cost. List building can happen automatically and can (and should) be a viral process.
If you produce a quality list that offers something of value, others will want to tell their friends about you. This process of automatic, viral marketing costs you nothing whatsoever and works like a dream because your subscribers are making unsolicited recommendations to those who trust them.
This process not only drives new subscribers to your list, but also ultimately makes new sales for you.
Search engines, on the other hand, do not operate virally. While some are free, many charge for the “opportunity” to be reviewed for inclusion. Still others charge on a pay-per-click basis, which can get very costly without ever bringing in one sale.
When all is said and done, which one is better? Lists or search engines? While both can have an important role in your marketing plan, if what you’re looking for is the generation of more sales… building a responsive list simply can’t be beat.
How - exactly - do you build a list that delivers an automated, consistent, monthly income? Robert Gwuzd and Ian Herculson have teamed up to offer you “The Opt-In Strategy,” a powerful, FREE EBOOK designed to show you specifically how to build a list of thousands who will consistently buy from you. Best of all… this ebook COSTS YOU NOTHING. Download it now at http://www.opt-insolution.com
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Poverty in America: Over 35 million living below the poverty line - Ofer Shoshani
Copyright 2005 Ofer Shoshani The problem of poverty in America comes as a surprise. How can a wealthy nation experience poverty? Though the rate of poverty is lower in a developed nation like America than in Africa, the problem of poverty is...
I can't afford a publicity/public relations campaign . can I? - Todd Brabender
I can't afford a publicity/public relations campaign . can I? Todd Brabender-Spread The News PR, Inc. www.spreadthenewspr.com It's a phrase I hear over and over again from many entrepreneurs, small businesses owners and inventors: "I'd love to hire...
Get an Auto Loan the Smart Way - Joel Walsh
Most people really get taken for a ride on their auto loan. Did you know that differences in the total cost of different auto loans can run into a thousand dollars or more? Here’s how you can get the lowest rate: Make a list of...
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