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Archive – Page 28 – Reginald Chan

Category: Archive

Best Mailing List Plugin – Optinskin vs Hybrid Connect
Update: Hybrid Connect has been renamed to Thrive Leads for branding purposes. Read more about it here.

How many of you heard about this saying “the money is in the list”? It doesn’t matter if you are running a small blog or a huge Fortune 500 company; You need a mail list.

The process of building a good mailing list is extremely hard and the word ‘extremely’ could easily be an understatement. Regardless how hard it is, you still need to start building one.

There are so many benefits a mailing list can offer and there is no better way to explain other than showing you some lovely slides below.

WordPress is home to over 20,000 useful plugins and when it comes to finding the best mailing list plugin, there could only be two choices which are OptinSkin and Hybrid Connect.

Both of these are used by both novice and professional bloggers because they are not just normal plugins … They are REALLY top notch and either one of them are eligible to be named as the best mailing list plugin.

I am lucky (and stupid) to have bought both plugins and I know how hard it is when it comes to deciding which plugin would give you a better ROI and improving your signup rates all together.

Therefore, I hope this review will help you decide which will be the ultimate mailing list plugin that you will use on your blog.

Of course, if you are using any one of these, hit the Reply button below and tell me what you think.

This comparison is done by dividing both of these fine mailing list plugins into several categories for judging:
1. Features
2. Placement and integrating autoresponders
3. Split testing ability
4. Look and feel
5. Price
Introduction to OptinSkin plugin

OptinSkin is created by Glen Allsopp and Graeme Boy. The plugin was developed to fulfill their own need to split-test opt-in forms quickly and easily, anywhere on a blog, to maximise conversions and make more money.

Hold on a second … did I just mentioned “Glen Allsopp”? The Glen Allsopp? Founder of ViperChill?

Yes, I certainly did!

Introduction to OptinSkin alternative – Hybrid Connect plugin

Hybrid Connect is created by Shane Melaugh and it is said to be the most advance mailing list building plugin for WordPress.

Ok, so who is Shane? If you do not know who he is, you better do … right now!

He is a renowned expert especially when it comes to marketing, traffic generation and online sales.

Note: It does sounds fun when you have two of the finest experts produced world class WordPress plugins just for us right? Yes, I felt very honored for that.

So, can Hybrid Connect stand up to it’s viral, OptinSkin … or … Can OptinSkin beat the newcomer who has nothing to lose?

OptinSkin vs Hybrid Connect

Who will be crowned the best mailing list plugin for WordPress?

Comparison #1: Features
OptinSkin features:
1. Split testing ability (A/B testing)
2. 20 awesome designs
3. Fade in optin form feature
4. Customizable colors and fonts
5. Impressions will only counts if the optin form is visible to the reader
6. Custom HTML and CSS codes
7. Multiple locations for optin form placements
8. Build in social media buttons on optin forms
9. Able to work with all autoresponders
A partial look at OptinSkin settings and features
Hybrid Connect features:
1. Split testing ability (A/B testing)
2. Over 40 awesome designs
3. Squeeze pages, lightboxes and slide in features
4. Customizable colors and fonts
5. Very detailed stats counter
6. Changes can be done easily to any optin forms without codes
7. Multiple locations for optin form placements
8. Users can select Facebook integration and even add on webinar option on optin forms
9. Able to work with all autoresponders
This is what Hybrid Connect looks like on its dashboard

Advantages of OptinSkin:
- Fade in features and build in social media sharing buttons which is absolutely great when it comes to increasing your social engagement level.
- Option to stick the optin form to the top is a great feature for those who do not want to use a floating widget or plugin
- Stats counter per impression which is great for obvious reasons.
- Create custom optin forms using CSS.
Hybrid Connect has also several advantages which are:
- More than 40 ready-made design templates compared to OptinSkin which has only 20 designs.
- Squeeze pages, lightboxes and slide ins which are extremely valuable when it comes to increasing the conversion rate for mailing list building
- Facebook integration where it makes sign up easier and faster.
- Integration Webinar account with optin form offers a great advantage
My verdict: Both the mailing list plugins are equal. OptinSkin and Hybrid Connect offer users huge variety of choices and are packed with rich features to help you build your subscriber’s list. Therefore, this would actually boils down to your personal preference and needs. Due to rich features, both of these plugins are given full points for that.

Score: OptinSkin (10/10) – Hybrid Connect (10/10)

Winner: Draw

Comparison #2 – Placement and integrating autoresponders

Setting up an optin form using OptinSkin is extremely easy and integrating with any autoresponder is really a brief. No codes needed and all you need to do is to link both of them together.

For the record, I did not believe it was THAT easy and I decided to try it out (signing up using my secondary email) and it works! Amazing right?

OptinSkin placement settings

OptinSkin offers easy optin form placement such as:
- After post
- Before post
- Below first paragraph
- Floated right of second paragraph
- Custom locations
- Below selected paragraph number
- Pop up after selected number of pixels
Hybrid Connect offers many features such as shortcode, widget areas, lightboxes, slide ins and squeeze pages

Setting up Hybrid Connect is also easy. All you need to do is to select the type of template or skin, change the words that appear, add in the your autoresponder codes and you are basically done. Just like OptinSkin, you can change anything from layout to font colours.

When it comes to optin form placements, Hybrid Connect does exactly what OptinSkin is offering with a little twist; The ability to add squeeze pages, lightboxes and slide ins.

Note: OptinSkin wins if you love simplicity and speed of setting up an optin form but Hybrid Connect is given that extra 1 point due to the extra features it has.

Score: OptinSkin (8/10) – Hybrid Connect (9/10)

Winner: Hybrid Connect

Comparison #3 – Split testing features

Ask any Internet Marketer and they will tell you that split testing is a must. So, if you are not doing any split testing, you are missing something out … BIG TIME!

Both OptinSkin and Hybrid Connect offers split testing features but what makes them so different?

This is Optinskin split testing stats counter

OptinSkin:

To enable split testing, you need to place two or more optin forms on the same location and enable the split testing option. Results will be shown is a very simple layout which allows you to compare the results in one glance as seen above.

This is a great tool that shows which optin form is giving you the best conversion rate and when it comes to building a mailing list, this is extremely valuable.

Hybrid Connect split testing stats are more complete and organized compared to OptinSkin

Hybrid Connect:

This plugin works in a very unique way compared to OptinSkin. You need to create an optin form first and then, enable the split test feature.

Hold on … doesn’t that sounds the same?

The starting part is the same (duh) but here’s where everything goes differently. You can start and stop the split testing features with just a click of a button as seen on the image above.

Compared to OptinSkin, everything is started automatically as soon as you create it.

It does sounds easy compared to OptinSkin but here’s the down side of Hybrid Connect; Stopping the split testing means that you need to choose a winner. Selecting the winner and the less productivity form will automatically be deleted.

In terms of automation, Hybrid Connect certainly does a great job but the fact that it couldn’t save a copy of the less performing optin form is a rather disappointing feature for me.

Due of this, I would rather go for more ‘manual’ and give an extra credit to Glenn’s mailing list plugin, OptinSkin.

Score: OptinSkin (9/10) – Hybrid Connect (8/10)

Winner: OptinSkin

Comparison #4 – Look and feel

Generally, both the plugins are offering super dupper (stunning) skins which are absolutely great. Allow me to share some indepth review in terms of their themes and skins provided.

What I love about OptinSkin are:
1. OptinSkin themes or skins are very lightweight which helps in website loading speed
2. The skins looks professional and clean (I am a huge fan of simple things in life)
3. Built in skins are awesome which doesn’t need any additional configuration or customization
OptinSkin offers quick and easy autoresponder setup without any codes needed (plus integrates well with many autoresponders)

What I love about Hybrid Connect are:
1. Hybrid Connects offer a huge variety of themes to choose from (more than 40 for Christ’s sake)
2. There are themes which fit well for every location on the blog page
3. Built in themes can easily be customized from the types of button used to the font colour
You can integrate Hybrid Connect with autoresponders by copy-pasting the right codes

So, what I didn’t like about OptinSkin and Hybrid Connect? Do they really have their downsides?

For me, everything good thing has their bad part and thus, a review is not complete without any downsides and here goes.

Disadvantages of OptinSkin:
- Mobile view or mobile responsive doesn’t always work well and at times, it might look distorted (happens to larger optin forms only)
- Doing a new optin form would require some CSS knowledge
Disadvantages of Hybrid Connect:
- This mailing list plugin has the chance to break (not working properly) especially when there’s an update such as WordPress 3.6, Genesis 2.0 and HTML5. As much as this is very common for WordPress plugins, I have high expectations for premium plugins to push an update immediately after any new releases or updates.
- Hybrid Connect codes could be affected by minification (done by plugin cache) and website themes which could distort the layout.
Score: OptinSkin (9/10) – Hybrid Connect (9/10)

Winner: Draw

Comparison #5 – Price

This comparison could probably weigh the most especially pricing is always an issue for all of us.

OptinSkin currently selling at $67 for unlimited usage while Hybrid Connect has three different options; Single site usage at $49, multi site usage at $67 and professional package at $147 (after 25% discount).

Now there are two ways you can see this:
1. OptinSkin is a better deal since one price for unlimited usage
2. Hybrid Connect would be a better deal if you are running just one website only
Personally, I would choose OptinSkin since the one price for unlimited usage is an extremely good deal in my books.

Besides that, OptinSkin is offering a full 60 days money back guarantee compared to Hybrid Connect which offers only 30 days money back guarantee.

Therefore, OptinSkin plugin gets the one point for the last comparison done.

Score: OptinSkin (10/10) – Hybrid Connect (9/10)

Winner: OptinSkin

The best mailing list plugin for WordPress – My take

Let’s see how both OptinSkin and Hybrid Connect score in this comparisons, shall we?

Features – Draw

Placement and integration with autoresponders – Hybrid Connect

Split testing ability – OptinSkin

Look and feel – Draw

Price – OptinSkin

When it comes to points, OptinSkin scored extra one point compared to Hybrid Connect in my review and yes, this is a pretty darn close battle I would say!

Personally, both OptinSkin and Hybrid Connect are great mailing list plugins which you won’t go wrong with.

However, getting OptinSkin could be actually much easier on your wallet since it is a all-in-one package regardless for single or multiple sites.

Furthermore, I really love easy setting up (and a plugin that doesn’t affect my website load speed) which made me choosing OptinSkin over Hybrid Connect.

So, how about you? Do you have any experience with any of these plugins?

Wait! Hold on a second!

Not using any of them or still deciding? You can check both the plugins out using the links below:

OptinSkin – Must-try and probably the best mailing list plugin for bloggers

Want to give some love to Shane’s plugin instead? Click here –> Hybrid Connect – The most advance mailing list plugin for WordPress
January 5, 2024
5 Insights You Should Know About Make Money Blogging
According to one source, there are about 60 million blogs out there and the number is increasing every day.

You might be asking why there are so many bloggers out there and the answer is simple; They believe that they can make money blogging.

Your mind might be playing tricks on you right now, wondering if it is really possible to make a living out of blogging.

And the truth is yes, it is very possible to make a living out of several blogs … which leads to my second question.

So, why there are so many bloggers who failed to make money?

Here are a few reasons. Yes, dive in and enjoy 🙂

Could it be caused by:
- Hundreds of ‘myths’ that successful bloggers are making thousands of dollars monthly?
- Lack of earnings in the first 6 months?
- Not so promising stream of blog traffic?
Honestly, I could list down a dozen more but does the above seems obvious to you?

Most bloggers are too obsessed with making money blogging. Seriously.

Before we proceed further, here’s a quick video I had done in regards to make money through blogging.

Is it possible to really make money blogging?

The answer is yes. There’s no doubt you can make money through your blog or website but the biggest question is “How?”

Question of the day: How do you make money through blogging?

Let’s see what other successful bloggers say about this:
- Darren Rowse (ProBlogger) – Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income
- CopyBlogger – Why you can’t make money blogging
- Jeff Bullas – How to Make Money from Your Blog: 11 Powerful Case Studies
- Ana Hoffman (Traffic Generation Cafe) – The Truth About Making Money Blogging
- Jane Sheeba (ProBlogging Success) – Make Money Blogging
So to recap, yes it darn possible to make money through your blogs.

I too make money but I am no where close to them … honestly 🙂

Okay. This brings to the next part of our discussion; How to make money through your blogs?

1. The relationship between traffic and blog earnings

Fact 101 – Traffic and blog earnings are inter-related

A blog is nothing without traffic and a low traffic blog doesn’t really make a lot of money.

Now, how much do you agree with this?

…

…

…

Debate all you want but the truth is, you can make money through your blog with both high and low traffic. It all boils down to your own ‘blogging game plan’.

Don’t worry. I know you are pretty confused now but let’s head over to the next part to make things … clearer.

High traffic but low blog earnings?

Let’s assume you have a blog and it is doing very well. You are getting like 1,000 visitors a day but you are not able to convert them into successful sales.

So, what’s wrong?

The problem could probably lies in you and your plan.

Conversion rate has a long history with bloggers and even myself. I could get 500 traffic a day but at times, zero sales or very less sales.

And what did I learn from this?

High traffic doesn’t guarantees a good blog earnings but … good amount of traffic does increase the chances of you landing a sale, click etc on your blog.

Make sense to you?

I am not saying that high amount of traffic doesn’t help in blog earning and I am saying it absolutely does!

However, if you are not focusing on the right visitor or traffic, you are wasting your effort.

My recommendation: Have a read what Steve Scott wrote in his eBook, 8 Simple Steps to Get 100,000 Blog Visitors without Working 8 Days a Week.

Low traffic but high earnings?

Now, let’s say you want to go the Mexican style (okay I made that up) and aim for low traffic instead.

Why not? Chances is that you may earn more money with low traffic compared to a high traffic blog.

This is extremely useful when it comes to building a niche website. The trick here is to focus on specific traffic and not general traffic.

Personally, I would rather have just 50 traffic a day (who are very determine to buy something) instead of 500 traffic who are here for shopping.

Ever heard about targeted traffic? There you go.

To wrap this up, imagine you have 50 traffic a day which is highly optimized and targeted. This means that you would have an idea on what they are looking for.

Here, you need to provide them with the right solutions and you would have a high chance of closing the sale.

2. Monetizing a blog

I could discuss about this the whole night long when it comes to monetizing. When we talk about make money through blogging or monetizing a blog, there are several ways you can go with such as using advertisement banners, affiliate sales and providing a service.

There’s no trick on this! Really.

You just got to know what is your goal, who are your potential customers and of course, not putting all your eggs in one basket.

Google Adsense and other advertising companies

In early stages of a blog development, Google Adsense and these advertising banners really help when it comes to generating income.

This is a good way to start to earn few dollars a day but nothing more unless you are doing a very specific niche blog.

For example, blogging niche has a superb low payout of less than $0.50 per click while some other niches could fetch up to $25 per click and maybe even more.

You could monetize a blog using Google Adsense or ad banners but unless you are having a high traffic blog, you won’t be earning a lot.

Remember that you cannot control what advertisements are shown on your site and all you can do is to specify the categories of the advertisements shown.

Tip: Don’t place too many banners on one page but instead, focus on placing them on hot spots to increase click rates.

Affiliate sales

This is actually my major contributor when it comes to monetizing my blog. When it comes to affiliate sales, providing a solution will potentially lead to a sale.

Affiliate sales offer huge monetizing chances for blogger but the reason behind so many failed bloggers is because they focus too much on closing the sales or making money out of their blogs.

C’mon guys. Let’s face it.

It is always great to see the extra money in your account from affiliate sales right?

Yup, I know how that feels like ~ Felt like jumping around especially when you are getting $100 or more per successful sales.

Here’s the ‘not-so-good’ part about affiliate sales. You could probably go weeks long without earning a single cent.

When I wrote my blogging journey in the first 60 days, I shared my earnings and many readers (some emailed me) said that it was great to see that I am able to earn like well over $200 thanks to ShareASale (which you can sign up for free) in just 60 days on a fresh blog.

Some said it was good planning but for me, affiliate sales is all about luck. You could probably write a damn good article but without luck, you might not even close a sale.

Of course, unless you are a very successful blogger with thousands of followers, we are on the same boat 🙂

Make money providing a service

You could probably earn money by serving ads and doing affiliate sales but those earning (in my honest opinion) are mainly due to luck.

When you are popular or having the right type of blog traffic, you might decide that “Hey, it’s time to venture out to the open sea”. You know … stepping out of your comfort zone.

That’s when you can start deciding if you want to provide a service instead.

Providing a service could actually turn out to be a very lucrative profession if you have the skills.

Okay guys, before you grab a piece of paper and pen to write down your brilliant idea, this ‘service’ is harder than you think.

Let me ask you these:
1. Do you think you have the expertise to provide such service?
2. Are you experienced enough to provide one hell of a service?
3. How many times have you done that before? (providing that service of your choice)
Now, you are not ready if your you have these terms in your answer: “I think”, “probably”, “may be” etc.

Yes. If you are going to provide a service, do not have the plan that sounds like this; “If A doesn’t work, I will think of B.”

You need to tell your potential clients like “Hey, I know what I am talking about and this is my advise” sort of thing.

Sound harsh? Not really.

Here’s another example which I received from Facebook two days ago. This dude was asking if I need any SEO service for my website (duh).

Doesn’t sound like a problem? It was disastrous … for him and here’s why.

The problem is he didn’t have a tiny piece of clue what SEO is! He just wanted to sell his ‘how to SEO’ to me.

Do you think he made the sale? Obviously not.
- Firstly, he targeted the wrong person.
- Secondly, he didn’t know the product he is selling.
- Lastly, failing the first two and he basically lost his chance to sell.
Do you have any tricks when it comes to make money blogging?

I am always very interested to learn new ways to make money online or more specifically through my blogs. The truth is, 9 out of 10 times of trying would leave us nothing but disappointment.

When you find the momentum you are looking for, you need to learn how to ‘plug’ that into your blogging business and grow it from there.

Do you have any tips and tricks when it comes to monetizing your blog? Let’s discuss it using the comment form below.

If you like this article, could you please share this for me by clicking on the red and shiny button?
January 5, 2024
6 Easy Ways To Choose The Best Genesis Child Themes
A good WordPress theme offers not only mobility and rich features but it also plays a crucial role when it comes to SEO and website security matters.

If you are looking for a great WordPress theme, you don’t have to look any further as Genesis framework and Genesis child themes are already a household name when it comes to premium WordPress themes.

StudioPress (the company behind Genesis framework) offers more than 40 breath-taking, eye-catching and mouth-watering themes. With over 96,000 website owners using Genesis themes, I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t.

Before we choose Genesis or it’s child themes, we got to know what is Genesis all about right?

So, what is Genesis framework all about?

Genesis framework offers not only one but 8 different features for bloggers

1. Genesis framework and child themes are search engine friendly – This means that every child themes are SEO ready out of the box. All you need to do is to choose the right child theme to work with and you are basically ‘ready for battle’.

2. Great looking turn key designs – This means that changing the looks of your website is extremely easy and you don’t need a designer or developer to do it. Change it every day or week, the choice is in your hands.

3. Genesis gives you unlimited everything – Unlike any other premium WordPress themes, there is no such thing as ‘Developer Option’ for Genesis. This means that all you need is to pay once and you get unlimited support plus updates … for life.

4. State-of-the-art security features – With thousand of websites being hacked yearly, you need to know that your websites are secure … and Genesis can offer you that. With Mark Jaquith, the security expert and core WordPress developer working closely with StudioPress, you know that you are in good hands.

5. Hassle free and instant upgrade – Forget about calling your developer or webmaster to perform the upgrades as with Genesis framework and child themes, you can easily update them with just a few clicks of the button.

6. Customizing Genesis themes are incredibly easy – From auto-sizing images to advertising ready, the guys behind StudioPress had thought about them. All you need to do is to spend an hour or so in customizing your own child themes and NOT a few hundred dollars for hiring web developers to do the customizations for you.

7. Custom widgets and layout options – Need some customized widgets and layouts for different pages? It is easily doable when it comes to Genesis framework and its child themes.

8. Availability of trustworthy Genesis developers – Let’s say you still need help and want to build your own custom theme. Well, there’s a truckload of skilled and trusted Genesis developers at your disposal.

Now … take a moment and have a closer look at StudioPress’s theme gallery. I know you will be impressed!

Related article: Advantages Of Genesis 2.0 and How To Convert To HTML5?

Brian Gardner, the strong man in StudioPress and Genesis Framework

Choosing the right Genesis child themes – How?

Welcome back! Glad you made it back here 🙂

When I first saw Genesis framework and its child themes, I was mesmerized and I had absolutely NO IDEA where to start.

If you are at the same spot with me right now, then you definitely got to read what I have to say below.

When it comes to deciding a Genesis child theme, you got to know a few basic information which are:
1. What that your website is all about?
2. The basic layout you are looking for?
3. Minimalistic or colourful?
4. Corporate or leisure?
For me, choosing the best Genesis child themes is actually easy as long as you know what you really want.

I have listed down several top child themes which I truly love and I classified them in a very logical manner which is … according to your niche.

What is your ‘type’?

1. Balance website themes between images and words:

Genesis child theme: Magazine

Genesis child theme: Metro

2. Business and corporate genres:

Genesis child theme: Agency

Genesis child theme: Corporate

Genesis child theme: Executive

3. General genres:

Genesis child theme: Blissful

Genesis child theme: Pretty Pictures

4. Photography genres:

Genesis child theme: Crystal

Genesis child theme: Landscape

5. Very specific genres:

Genesis child theme: Education

Genesis child theme: AgentPress

6. My personal favorites:

Genesis child theme: Eleven40

Genesis child theme: Focus

Genesis child theme: Going Green

Genesis child theme: Mindstream

Genesis child theme: Prose

Genesis child theme: Genesis Framework

Are you an outgoing and adventurous blogger?

It is no secret that I am extremely picky and choosy when it comes to choosing a theme.

And for those who know me, there is a tendency for me to change my website theme nearly every month.

If you are looking for unique themes for customization, I would recommend you to try using either Prose or Genesis Framework (most basic).

Currently, I am using Genesis Sample child theme with some customization on this website (as you can see now) with the help of Genesis Extender Plugin.

Help! I still can’t find the right Genesis child theme that suits me!

With so many child themes, you are having a hard time to decide (plus getting a Pro Package for all child themes does not fit into your budget).

Don’t freak out and no fuss. I get it!

Have you ever thought of creating your own Genesis child themes instead?

If you are doubting your ability about creating a child theme, you shouldn’t.

I came across Dynamik Website Builder which offers more than 800 options to build your website theme from scratch.

So, what’s the catch?

You don’t need a type a single line of code … EVER!

The plugin is also highly recommended by StudioPress team (and myself since I have a copy of it).

If you are interested, check out my review on the Dynamik Website Builder here.

What do you think?

I hope you enjoyed reading and looking at the images here. Regardless how many times I see Genesis themes, I am still thrilled!

So, are you a Genesis user already? Share with me what you like about Genesis and do you have any favorite child themes using the comment form below.

Wait! You are NOT a Genesis user yet?

Take Genesis for a spin or have a look at StudioPress can offer by clicking the banner below. Don’t worry, no string attached and no obligations.

If you like this article, could you please share it for me using the red button below?
January 5, 2024
What is SEO? Understand what SEO is all about in 521 seconds
Recently, I read an article about SEO written by Brent Carnduff, CEO of Echelon SEO which you can find it here.

That article … struck my mind about search engine optimization.

Let me ask you something.

What do you know about SEO? Go on … think about it for a moment.

Let’s learn SEO today!

What is SEO all about?

Search engine optimization (SEO) is indeed very simple but why on Earth, everyone is saying that SEO is hard?

Like what Brent said, it is us who confuse ourselves and when I think about it, it make sense.

Let me tell you why.

I had been doing search engine optimization research and practicing multiple techniques over the years (since 2005 to be exact) and it is no secret that we get all our SEO scoop from no other than … other blogs and websites.

There are some reputable SEO sites out there like Moz and Search Engine Journal. However, we usually don’t get enough from these sites and we venture out to the open sea looking for more sources.

I bet you do right?

And there comes other so-called SEO blogs that we assume are providing valuable insight on the matter. The question here is … how many of these sites are trust worthy?

I am not saying that my blog is 100% correct but at least, they worked for me (ding!).

Extra reading: Find out why SEO 2013 And Beyond written by Dr Andy Williams got more than 97 satisfied customers!

Understand what SEO is all about … in just 521 seconds

This time around, I am going to cut the chase. Good by wall of text (do I hear the crowd cheering?) and hello Youtube.

I am a good story teller so … do bear with me alright?

Search engine optimization is rather huge and therefore, I am keeping the video as simple as possible (plus as general as possible).

Basically, search engine optimization (SEO) could easily be divided into 4 very distinct categories which are:
1. Traditional SEO (some call this white hat)
2. Black hat
3. Content marketing
4. Social SEO
For more, watch this video:

I hope you enjoyed watching the video and remember to like it as well on Youtube!

Now, tell me what you think simply by replying using the comment form and could you please share it for me using the red button below?
January 5, 2024
CommentLuv Premium Comment Plugin: Love It Or Hate It?
Leaving constructive comments is a great way to boost blogger’s authority and an undeniable way to build backlinks.

So, how do you actually leave a comment and at the same time, placing a link within the comment without being labelled as spam?

This is where a great WordPress comment plugin called CommentLuv Premium comes into the limelight.

CommentLuv is a WordPress comment system that is widely used by bloggers

What is CommentLuv Premium?

CommentLuv is a WordPress commenting system (plugin) and it is used by thousands of blogs out there.

For every comment submitted, commenters are able to share one link in their comment which is good especially when it comes to search engine optimization.

CommentLuv Premium allows blog owners to control the number links shared in the comment, placing a DoFollow or NoFollow option and many more.

Due to this indirect link building method, CommentLuv is used by many major blogs and gained a lot of popularity among bloggers.

For more information about this lovely WordPress comment system, you can have a look at their official website here.

What I really love about CommentLuv Premium?

Ms Ileane from Basic Blog Tips is the ambassador for CommentLuv and thus, it is a no brainer to try it right?

As for the record, CommentLuv Premium has more than 24 features which is extremely great for both bloggers and blog owners.

Before going deeper into why I actually decide not to use some of CommentLuv’s functions, let me tell you why I love this WordPress plugin so much.

I am a huge fan of social engagement (huge could very well be an understatement). I wanted my readers to drop me a comment and leave valuable insight. Yes this is great especially when the blog is new and you need boost your engagement level.

Having CommentLuv Premium enabled on my blog are able to convince readers (and spammers ~ ouch) to leave comment and in return, getting a backlink from my site.

You might think, “Hey, that’s a good deal right?” … and so do I!

I wanted to do something extra and I added some spice into it by allowing an automatic DoFollow if the commenter share the article on social media.

What did I get in return? 320 comments and counting. Not bad for a figure right?

Related article: My blogging journey after 60 days and 7,977 blog traffic.

The moment of truth – Turning CommentLuv Premium plugin off (partially)

Why did I decided to turn CommentLuv link sharing feature off?

I am quite well verse in SEO and I know one day, this will back fire. And by saying ‘this’, I mean the ability to link out through CommentLuv plugin.

Now, here’s a few bad thing about linking out:
1. The links might return a 404-error which means the page is not found or down
2. The links could be from a penalized website or blog
3. The links could be redirecting too much
4. The links might originated from a site which has very less information
5. And probably a few more down the road
Thought it was very real at the back of my head, I wouldn’t really bother thinking about it since my blog is like 60 days old. No biggy right?

Here was where I was so … W-R-O-N-G!

I am a big fan of Adrienne Smith’s blog and I recently came across her latest article, Blog Maintenance: The Essential Guide written by no other than, Tim Bonner.

In the article, he said about broken links and immediately, it struck me like a thunderbolt straight through my heart.

As recommended by Tim, I used Broken Link Checker (web version) to find for broken links on my blog. I let it run and after sometime, the numbers keep increasing.

Yes! The numbers of broken links. From 10 to 20 to 30 … and finally 60. I thought that was it but again, I was wrong. The process was still running! I ended up with over 160 broken links.

That was bad … real bad. With rumors of coming Google update, I can’t afford to do any mistake now. I basically slapped myself multiple times (virtually) as I been seeing the alert on Google Webmaster Tool on 404 errors and I thought they weren’t important.

Lesson learned!

After some quick checking, majority of these broken links comes from CommentLuv plugin (remember the link building feature?). The thing is even though the broken links were coming from CommentLuv commenting system (indirectly), it doesn’t mean that the plugin is at wrong.

What really happened to CommentLuv Premium?

Honestly speaking … nothing.

So, what contributed to the broken links on the comments?

The answer would be the commenters themselves. From time to time, we change our permalinks, URL etc. And this is very common for new blogs. Let’s say you are visited by these users and they share a link.

Through GASP which comes with CommentLuv Premium plugin, all URLs basically go through some sort of filtering before it goes into your comment box awaiting for moderation.

*If you are interested to read more about GASP, Ana Hoffman from Traffic Generation Cafe wrote about something about it here.

Now it all starts when these URL’s go bad. This means that if the URL changes or goes into 404-error, there is no way to get notified automatically.

Unless you are using a link checker tool, then you would probably find the answer. Otherwise, you are left with … nothing more than just plain dead links.

If broken links on your blog doesn’t sounds bad for SEO, I don’t know what else will!

Obviously, this isn’t a problem with CommentLuv plugin but instead, the problem lies (as said above), on the commenters and the blog owners.

As a blog owner, we got to ensure that those links on our websites are good and therefore, we can’t be lazy (like me).

My new CommentLuv Premium settings

After several discussions with my web host and an hour searching for the answer on Google, I decided that I am going to remove CommentLuv highly-rated feature; the link sharing ability … for at least, a couple of months for some testing reasons.

I am absolutely sure that this is going to leave a huge impact on the my blog and the number of comments is going to drop rapidly.

In my point of view, I got to consider the SEO ranking and what Google actually sees on my blog. It is suppose to be a good website that shares quality content and NOT a site for linking out.

I even went the extra miles by setting the number of words and the duration before posting to further reduce the chance of spammers.

Why am I still using CommentLuv Premium?

Should I or should I not use CommentLuv Premium for my WordPress site?

Basically, disabling the link sharing could mean that I could easily ditch the comment system right?

Yes, I could but I choose not to because I wanted the GASP and ReplyMe features. GASP is the shortform for Growmap Anti Spambot Plugin which is great to control the number of spam on your blogs.

As a blogger, it is a known fact that spam is definitely your number one enemy.

On the other hand, ReplyMe is great to create a chance of engagement with both first time and repeat readers who leave comments. Don’t forget, a simple ‘hi’ or ‘hello’ could go a long way when it comes to relationship building!

Related: Read more about CommentLuv Premium plugin here.

How to overcome these ‘obstacles’?

If you are using CommentLuv Premium plugin like I do, then you probably might not want to face the same issue.

The way out is actually very simple. Here are a few methods:
1. Use broken link checker plugin
2. Use broken link checker web version
3. Using Google Webmaster Tool
4. Ensure that links are automatically NoFollow using CommentLuv setting
Here’s a few thing you SHOULD know.

The first two methods have loopholes such as not able to detect broken links completely (possibility). For example, method #1 told me that I have 60 broken links but method #2 told me I have 80 broken links instead!

So here, you just got to be a little hardworking and double check from time to time.

On the other hand, Google Webmaster Tool is great and its track record is squeaky clean. Here’s a little problem: It only detects broken links on indexed pages.

Method #4 is strictly to avoid sharing your link juice. All you need to do is to set all URL’s shared to be a NoFollow and you would be fine. This method is great when it comes to URL control but it doesn’t help in checking for bad URL’s.

Question: Should I get CommentLuv Premium plugin?

YES … Yes … and yes!

I would still recommend CommentLuv Premium plugin to anyone who asked. It is one hell of a WordPress commenting system and I am sure it will always be that way.

Remember that CommentLuv doesn’t only helps you control the number of spam comments but as well as the rich features of ReplyMe and it increases the chances for readers to leave comments on your blog.

Personally, I am not a hardworking person and thus, checking thousands of links monthly isn’t really my cup of tea. After all, anything could happen anytime right?

What I am trying to say is that CommentLuv Premium is a very sweet plugin that you should get for yourself if you want to boost blog traffic.

Many bloggers are already using it and I see no reasons why you shouldn’t.

Want to try out CommentLuv Premium plugin? Hover and click on this link to see what it is all about … or simply click on the banner below!

*Important update: CommentLuv link sharing is enabled back to the site on 26th August 2013 after some short testings done for 72 hours.

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January 5, 2024
7 Most Influential Social Media Platforms For Bloggers
Since the previous Google algorithm update, social media isn’t just an option. Instead, social media had transformed into a necessity which will impact your website traffic and SEO ranking.

And this is no secret either. The right social media platforms will help you build authority and web traffic to your site.

I had written an article on why social engagement is more important than SEO and if you have yet to read it, I suggest you do it right now.

There are more than 30 social media sites that you can choose from nowadays and you don’t have the time to find the best ones.

I get it … totally.

That’s why I have compiled the top 7 platforms for social media that will not only increase your blog traffic, but as well as assist you in terms of building authority as a blogger.

Note: Thanks to Adam, I would like to emphasize that the criteria used to determine the standings is no other than the number of users it has. Yes, I am fully aware it is debatable but I believe this could be a good guideline for bloggers to determine which social media platform is the best for them.

Before you start reading, here’s a quick video recap on this topic. I hope you liked it and please share it! *p/s Do accept my apologies for the ‘loss of words’ towards the end of the video.

The countdown for the top 7 social media platforms

Focusing on the right social media platforms will increase the chances of gaining web traffic

There are probably so many social media sites that you can choose from but the trick here is to ensure that every involvement or social engagement done have a high chance of success. Some call it ‘Return Of Investment’ aka ROI.

You know, taking into consideration of the time spend and the traffic gained.

An important tip I would like to share is that each social media platform works in a very different way. Therefore, you need to have the proper game plan in order to really stand out from the crowd.

Here, I would highly recommend you to have a look at what Dave Kerpen wrote on Likeable Social Media which gained over 300 satisfied readers on Amazon itself.

The 7th most influential social media platform: Pinterest

Alike Tumblr, Pinterest is extremely popular with its ‘pins’ and ‘boards’.

With over 70 millions users world wide, Pinterest has proved to be a great competitor to Tumblr especially in the photography world.

How to do build web traffic through Pinterest?

Alike Tumblr, Pinterest is a great social media tool for everyone if you uses it correctly.

Pinterest works in very similar ways when it comes to attracting readers.

Here’s a simple example: The hottest girl in the class will always get the most attention from boys.

Does this makes any sense to you?

You have to remember that Pinterest is another social media tool that could deem very useful. Before you can actually earn some traffic and money from Pinterest, you got to practice the right techniques to display your ‘artworks’ like what Maddie Alexander said.

The 6th most influential social media platform: Tumblr

The right social media strategy need to be practised in order to gain traffic from Tumblr

Tumblr as we all know is a great social media platform in terms of photography and images.

It is doing extremely well especially by having more than 216.3 million visitors a month and 108.9 million blogs on the site.

If you want to generate enough web traffic from Tumblr, you need to change your social media game plan … completely (almost).

Tumblr is rich with images … and images only. You could do well in terms of text but the results wouldn’t be (at most times) that great.

If you are looking for a trick or the ultimate Tumblr guide, you definitely came to the right place.

Here’s the trick: There … isn’t … any trick!

What?!

Before you grab your 12-gauge shotgun and take an aim on me, spare me a moment to think. Tumblr is all about images and does that make sense that you need to focus on that (just) one thing?

And yes, you are most welcome.

Take a look at some of Tumblr’s popular blogs. You will see that they have great images and basically, that’s it!

So the social media lesson here is —> If you want to gain traffic from Tumblr, start focusing in marketing your images. Ensure that these images are on high resolution and there’s a link back to your website.

Again, remember that majority of the readers are looking for great images and NOT text. So, play the right social media game correctly and you will see a steady flow of traffic.

The 5th most influential social media platform: LinkedIn

LinkedIn could be very social media tool if you are targeting corporate users

Until date, there are about 238 million active users and this makes LinkedIn, the top 5 social media site in the world.

I don’t use LinkedIn that much and I got to admit that.

Depending on your niche, investing time into building a social authority with this social media platform could be a complete waste of time.

What?!

LinkedIn is great if you are running a business but if you are just a blogger or anything else that doesn’t really relate to business and the corporate world, you will probably not get much return from this.

In order to benefit most out of LinkedIn, you got to know:
- How your product could attract others?
- What makes them (potential readers) to click on your link?
As you can see above, you can’t just do the usual ‘social media techniques’ that never fails with LinkedIn.

In order to ‘sell’ on LinkedIn, you need to think like a corporate user. Bear in mind that you are going to reach out to many corporate members.

That’s why you got to change the tone and the approach methods in order to gain promising results.

LinkedIn has quite an upper hand advantage especially when it comes to social media authority and traffic. Since the platform evolves around the corporate world, each social shares are taken seriously by others.

Does this ring any bells?

You are bound to get more authority and potential traffic if you are able to get social shares from large organizations. And you can probably find most of them ‘lurking’ away in LinkedIn.

Facing problems with managing multiple social media accounts? Try Socialoomph for free today!

The 4th most influential social media platform: Google+

Google+ brought social networking to a whole new level

Google+ is trailing closely behind Twitter with 343 million users and this makes everything more interesting.

Some people say Facebook and Twitter are for the masses while Google+ is for specific audience. Personally, I got to agree with that.

So, what makes Google+ so different from the rest?

Unlike Twitter and Facebook, Google+ brings social media to the next level. There are Google+ communities where you can join and these are very specific community.

Let’s take this community for as an example:

Sharing related article or blog post in the right community will guarantee a good chance of traffic

Sharing a related blog post or article here could mean having over 900 of targeted traffic

You might be wondering right now that 900 plus active users isn’t going to make the cut right? Think again.

What you have here is 900 plus of active users who are (and possibly) very interested with the related topic you are going to share.

Does this makes any sense to you?

There you go; Google+ is a social media platform where you are able to target very specific audience for your blogs, business, niche and probably, anything else you can think of.

Related read: Get Traffic From Google Plus

The 3rd most influential social media platform: Twitter

Share information with thousands of readers with just 140 characters

This is my favorite social media platform … ever. For the record, Twitter is the third largest community for social networking with over 500 million users.

Sending out a highly optimized tweet could easily reach hundreds if not thousands. And, we have not even count on the total number of retweets and favorites.

Twitter is a great social media tool if you are looking for:
- High possibility of huge traffic (quantity over quality)
- Wide range of recipients
- Word of mouth (thanks to retweets)
You see, Twitter is for the masses. The goal is to reach out (not send out) to as many readers as possible with the hopes of reaching the right audience.

Generally speaking, you can’t really specify who you are reaching out due to the above factors. This is definitely something you must consider if you are trying to make an epic appearance on Twitter.

For me, Twitter isn’t a very good source if you are looking for specific traffic (as I call) but with the right tune up and social media plan, you can turn that weakness into a huge marketing success.

Social media management techniques for Twitter are rather easy and straight forward. You got to:
- Compose a tweet that is highly optimized
- Within 140 characters only
- Possibly with one #hashtag
Now tell me. Are you doing the above?

The 2nd most influential social media platform: Youtube

A video goes viral on Youtube will drive thousands of traffic to your website

Let’s take a look at the stats. 1 billion users and over 4 billions views a day <– Oh wow! That’s epic!

I would be speechless if the stats aren’t able to say anything for themselves.

Honestly, I had just involved myself in this Youtube business recently. Until date. I had only filmed and published less than 5 videos which you can find the list of videos here.

Doesn’t seem like a world record to you right?

The biggest question is, “Can we classify Youtube as a social media platform?”. Probably yes and no but for me, my answer would be a definite yes (hint: watch the numbers).

People talk about how to get a Youtube video go viral or how to make a video that attracts. Truth is, there isn’t any logical way to achieve that since it depends solely on us (readers and viewers).

Now, how do you make Youtube works for you?

There’s a few ways I could think of which are:
- Create a good quality video
- Make sure the audio is clear
- Provide annotation if possible
- A killer title
- Video descriptions with a link back to your site
I am very curious here. Are you using Youtube as a social media platform?

The MOST influential social media platform: Facebook

Facebook is an excellent platform for both leisure and business matters

Facebook is the world’s leading social media platform with over 1.15 billions users world wide.

Oh Lord, I really hate Facebook! It all started out with by facing problems accessing my account etc and … okay I’ll stop it now. 🙂

Regardless how much I hate Facebook, it is still an extremely important social media tool for bloggers.

Look at the stats again, kid. Over 1 billion users and counting … yes there are 9 zeros at the back.

Do you see the potential that lies within it?

You should use Facebook if you want to build a strong authority in social media and with the number of users using Facebook, I don’t think I would need to explain it’s advantages.

Social media technique for Facebook is not that straightforward because:
- You need to know who your target market (audience) is
- What to promote and when to promote
If you think that Facebook marketing is all about composing a message, placing a link and press the submit button, you are absolutely wrong!

There isn’t any point sharing information to readers who aren’t interested with the topic. Therefore, make sure every shared information are craved exactly to and for the targeted audience.

Over to you

Out of these 7 social media platforms, which are your favorite(s) and are you using any of them?

Tell me what you think simply by replying using the comment form and could you please share it for me using the red button below?
January 5, 2024