Reginald Chan

Category: Blog

  • 12 Most Important Tips To Improve WordPress Security

    12 Most Important Tips To Improve WordPress Security

    Recently. WPTemplate shared an infographic on WordPress security issue. The figures were shocking. Each year, thousands of websites are compromised and the figures keep increasing every year.

    In year 2012, more than 170,000 WordPress sites were hacked and that’s crazy!

    The million dollar question could easily be, “Are you doing enough when it comes to securiting your website security?”

    Source: WordPress Templates

    So, what you can do to improve your WordPress security?

    Did you notice two of the biggest contributor to WordPress security are hosting companies and WordPress themes? And heck, most of thought that WordPress security has always associated with weak security password.

    WordPress is one the biggest blogging platform in the world and thus, it is not something new that it is targeted by hackers every single day.

    Being said that, you should not take WordPress security for granted and therefore, you should act now.

    Yes mate, right now … by doing these easy steps!

    1. Practice frequent updates

    When was the last time you upgraded your WordPress or plugins? Usually, the latest updates are the one that has security patches or even newer features. If you have yet to get them updated, do it now. It wouldn’t take you more than 5 minutes.

    At least, do it for the sake of your website security. Seriously!

    2. Perform housekeeping and clean up on your website regularly

    Good website maintenance could keep hackers away
    Safety first when it comes to website security

    Do you know that it is best to delete or uninstall those unwanted plugins you have on your database? Yes, even though they have been deactivated, you should … and by all means remove them immediately. Having lesser plugins also provide a better website loading speed and not to forget, leaving a better experience for readers as well.

    The main reasons is because there are many plugins which might pose a threat especially to WordPress. You have to remember that even though you might have deactivated them, they are still accessible in your website database.

    3. Avoid using Admin username

    This is the same mistake everyone does. You should never use Admin as your administrator ID. I know some WordPress sites advice users to create Admin username without any administrator access. For me, it is best to leave Admin untouched.

    The first thing a hacker would try is to brute force login using Admin or Administrator ID. If you are using either one of those username, then you are basically making their life (of hacking) easier!

    It is always best to have a mixture of words, symbols and numbers. Of course, you can further boost your WordPress security by adding capital letters as well.

    4. Turn off membership registration

    Controlling the number of registrations could easily avoid hackers
    Proper ‘security check’ for members is vital to improve your WordPress security

    Yes, I don’t allow open registration at all for my sites. Instead, I’ll manually add members myself. This is to ensure that I have complete control over security matters. Small security actions goes a long, long way when it comes to securing your WordPress site.

    If everyone is able to register on your site freely, then you might have problem when you’ll find spam bots and potential hackers trying to break the website security.

    I truly understand that adding membership manually might be a real pain but it is worth it for those who really cares about security matters. Of course, if you are running a big company, uses WordPress and has a full list of members, Premise might be the best WordPress membership for you.

    5. Changing table prefix

    This is one hell of efficient method when it comes to WordPress security. Better WP Security plugin makes it sound easy with just a press of a button. No, it isn’t that easy!

    You got to learn how to change the prefix correctly or else, you are going to destroy your website … literally. I changed the last round and I accidentally ‘destroyed’ my theme.  Ouch!

    6. Backup, backup and backup

    Nothing goes more important than backup … when it comes to website and stuffs. Lucky for you, there are some seriously good backup plugins and programs that work perfectly for WordPress. Why backup you may ask. Well, imagine you are being hacked or something bad happen to your site today. You can easily restore everything in a very short period since you have a backup file. What happens if you have no backup files? Then you would need to start back from scratch!

    Real case scenario. Three months ago, I had several websites running and when ‘something’ bad happened to them, I practically lose hundreds of articles. Yes, I do backup but I only did once a month which is clearly, insufficient! However, it was good that at least, I still have a month old backup. If not, I would be doing everything from scratch … and for over five websites!

    7. Security plugins could help

    Installing security plugins will increase your WordPress security level
    Hello, you’re being monitored.

    Let’s say you are less geeky and need help with securing your website. There are WordPress security plugins such as WordFence and Better WP Security which could provide above average security features with just a few clicks of the mouse. Can’t decide which to use? You may find my review here, Wordfence vs Better Wp Security plugin.

    Basically, these plugins will boost your WordPress security level and even provide you the well needed security notifications. Definitely worth a shot for those who prefer to be on the safe side.

    8. Increase your security features with Content Delivery Network (CDN) services

    Heard about Cloudflare and Incapsula? If not, you should definitely use one. Seriously!

    Content delivery network or CDN could provide minimal security especially when you are using a free service. Well, some security is always better than no security right? No? 🙂

    I always consider CDN to work very well especially when it comes to preventing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and also improving the website loading speed. Personally, if you are using a CDN for security, Incapsula has a very good security background while Cloudflare is much better of with improving website loading speed (with some security features).

    9. Know your WordPress plugins

    We all talk about WP everyday.

    Now, ask yourself a question. How much do you know about your plugins?

    I used to download and try all types of plugins last time and without even bother to check the reviews. Now, I do check their reviews first and even a little bit of Google-ing before installing anything. Some malicious plugins could be hacker’s backdoor to your admin area and protected files. So, always have a good grip of what you are installing and decide if they are really worth the time (and your website security).

    Nothing is too personal when it comes to website security!

    10. The last level of security comes from you

    You are the one in charged of your website security
    Me? Seriously?

    Yes this is true! Who is your best, most accountable and trusted watch guard for your website? It’s you for Christ’s sake! You got to be on your toes and at least, check on basic changes done that you should be worried about. Let’s take a simple example below.

    I had Better WP Security installed on one of my niche website and every time changes are done to my site, I”ll receive an email notification immediately. Imagine small changes such as uploading an image to my gallery and it triggers an email notification. Good? Excellent I would say!

    Thing is, you got to at least know what’s happening on your website. Well, you might not have the technical skills to know what to do but at least, you’re still able to alert your hosting provider or developer to check on that.

    And when you think that are all …

    Hold on there tiger! The above are 10 important security tips when it comes to WordPress and I still have two more under my sleeves!

    11. Choose the right WordPress theme for your website

    Do you know that 29% of security problems originated from using the wrong WordPress themes? There’s absolutely no denial that there are thousands of free WordPress themes out there. My personal advice?

    Ditch those free themes for crying out loud! Jesus! Don’t you see it? These themes might have some codes inside which could compromise your security. Not all, but certainly, I know a lot of them who actually are!

    I don’t get it … I really, really don’t get it on … you know … free WordPress themes.

    If you are willing to buy premium WordPress theme, you have to be careful as well as not all themes are coded properly. Badly codes one will actually affect your website in many ways.

    Here are two of the best WordPress themes I would recommend any day; Genesis Framework and Thesis theme.

    Personally, I’m a huge fan of Genesis because:

    • Genesis 2.0 says out with the old (XHTML) and in with the new (HTML5), and if you want your website to be future-compatible it needs to use HTML5
    • Genesis 2.0’s support of Schema.org code — used by Google, Bing, Pinterest, and many others — allows you to incorporate microdata into your site’s code, further enhancing your SEO
    • Genesis 2.0 has code that, if you can believe it, is even cleaner and more lightweight than ever before — which means less bloat and faster load times for readers
    • Genesis 2.0 is responsive, and thus most of the child theme are as well
    • Genesis 2.0 is backwards-compatible (which makes update a brief)

    Don’t take my words for that. Check them out yourself and decide which is best using the links below:

    Genesis Framework | Genesis Child Themes | Thesis Theme

    12. The importance of hosting companies

    Last but not least, the infographic provided by WPTemplate proved that hosting companies play a huge role in terms of WordPress security. With 41% of website hacks originated from website hosting,  I bet the figure explains it all.

    Personally, I know there are so many hosting companies that are offering cheaper than usual hosting packages. I totally get it that hosting is a competitive industry but have you ever thought that cheap hosting might not provide even the slightest security features for your lovely website?

    Let’s take some ‘stats’ for example, shall we?

    • Yoast SEO, Chris Brogan, Jay Baer and Chris Pirillo uses Web Synthesis hosting
    • HTC, FourSquare, SoundCloud and Balsamiq uses WP Engine hosting
    • Volkswagen, Samsung, Sony and dribbble uses Media Temple hosting

    Now, does all these makes any logical sense to you?

    The above are examples of big brands trusting their hosting companies. Do you see why they don’t go for cheaper corporate hosting? C’mon, give me a guess and I’ll wait! Yes, you got it right mate. It’s all about security.

    When it comes to WordPress security, it is best to leave it to the pros if you have limited expertise.

    Obviously, these brands are having a much bigger package but it doesn’t mean that you can’t join the big boys’ club. There are packages below $20 which could work very well on your budget and most importantly, a piece of mind 24/7.

    You may be using a package say $5 per month but you have to do all the job and maintenance yourself. Simply by adding $15 a month, you would can leave all the maintenance work to the pros … for free.

    With proper web hosting, you can forget about spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on webmasters who will take care of your websites (no offence though).

    Last time, I was with GoDaddy and then, moved over to HostGator. Even though I was happy with my money spend with them, I wasn’t too happy about the support. What can you expect from a $4 or less web hosting package right?

    Again (and like what I always say), don’t take my word for it. Go have a look at their websites have to offer.

    Recommended high end web hosting companies: Web Synthesis | WP Engine | Media Temple

    You may also take a look at my review on why BlueHost is my top choice for affordable web hosting service.

    Over to you…

    If you think that SEO and all those blogging tips are important, think again. WordPress security is much more important nowadays. Thousands had done them wrongly and I certainly do not hope that you are one of them! Remember that hackers are always out there and you need to be ready for them.

    Do you have any other WordPress security tips to share? If you do, drop me a comment below and let’s discuss it over.

    **If you find this article interesting, I would be very grateful if you could share it using the red button below.

  • Top 8 Link Building Strategies That Work For Search Engines

    Top 8 Link Building Strategies That Work For Search Engines

    Since the last Google algorithm update, there are many rumors about link building and the white hat SEO strategies. I recently wrote about the importance of social engagement in contrast to SEO and it became a pretty hot topic. I believe the biggest question nowadays would be the important the the old school link building method.

    Before we go any further, this is a snippet from Google Webmaster Tool:

    Previously, Google said …

    ‘In general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by increasing the number of high-quality sites that link to their pages.’

    And everything changes now with …

    ‘In general, webmasters can improve the rank of their sites by creating high-quality sites that users will want to use and share.’

    Source: Google

    Does this really means the end of link building techniques in search engine optimization? Of course not!

    This doesn’t prove that link building is no longer in use. In fact, this makes link building even richer and more valuable! And at the same time, this new Google algorithm makes link building … yes, you got it right … harder but definitely not impossible.

    Important disclaimer: This article is more than 2,000 words and I dare you to do read it in just one go. If not, bookmark this page right now and come back anytime when you are ready!

    What did we learn from the latest Google update?

    Google update affects many SEO techniques
    Oh no! Another Google update?

    Every time an update takes place, there are many things Google are showing us … or at least, hinting us. Here are some things that I had learned which are the number of backlinks, using the right link building techniques and even using the right search engine optimization methods. And the only way to learn this is by watching those videos posted by Matt Cutts and his team.

    So let’s discuss on the proper link building strategies that work for search engines today.

    1. Using the right SEO tools for link building

    For those who really into SEO, it’s a very known fact that you probably need at least one SEO tool to help you with those ranking and link building tactics. Seriously.

    I know many people who uses paid SEO tools like this one are having crazy time trying to create more quality backlinks to their articles. I would say, maybe they are having the time of their lives! 🙂

    You might be thinking that, “Hey, take that you !@#$ paid SEO tools!”. Here’s the reality check. These SEO tools will actually … and still be rocking like any other days.

    Yes! Let me repeat; link building isn’t dead but it just got tougher. That’s all.

    For those who are using various link building tools, well, you just got to play smarter. You need to change the game plan but slowly.

    Why? Google still loves quality backlinks and this doesn’t mean that you can’t get the best out of ‘virtual assistance’.

    Thinking of going white hat SEO to be on the safe side? Maybe this tool might help!

    One thing for sure is that using SEO tools will not make you any safer from Google updates. You need to use SEO tools the right way and focus in your strategies. Always remember that misusing these SEO tools will actually destroy your traffic and your SEO ranking.

    *p/s Looking at this article length, I’m going to write the so call ‘SEO game plan’ on another post.

    2. Write articles for readers and not for bots

    The right link building techniques goes further than just plain SEO
    Optimize your website for your readers and not for search engines

    Link building isn’t really link building only. For me, link building also means website marketing and communications. The more visibility people has on your website, the better chances you are going to create the ‘brand awareness’.

    And with that (assuming you write great articles), people are going to share your articles even more!

    More shares = More love from Google.

    There ain’t any trick about link building and content sharing if you ask me. Write good stuffs, get your name out and let the people (readers) do the rest for you.

    What you really need to learn about link building is you can’t get everyone to love your writing or even share your articles. Okay, remember that every visitor who comes to your site is a potential ‘buyer’.

    Take the opportunity to get them spread the word for you and how you can possibly do that?

    It really depends on how generous are you. For me, I do a win-win situation for my readers. I am using CommentLuv for WordPress and what this plugin does is simple. It allows users to share one of their links after they commented.

    Wait! That isn’t all.

    For those who share my articles on social media, they will automatically get a DoFollow link back. Sounds good right?

    You see, blogging is all about giving and just not taking completely. I see absolutely no reason why one should be so secretive about backlink.

    3. The relationship between backlink, social communities and tribes

    Recently, I’m very active on several sites such as BizSugar and Triberr. I wasn’t actively sharing my links though. Instead, I was commenting and sharing other articles I felt useful.

    The effect? One word: Tremendous.

    As I had said about in #2, sharing is caring and there’s no better way than helping a fellow blogger to share their articles. Heard about karma or what goes around, comes around?

    Whenever you share an article on social networks, you are creating a good chance for others to visit your website in return. And most of the time, they would probably return a favor by giving a shout (hey, that’s free publicity) for you.

    Blogging isn’t everything about yourself. Instead, it is all about relationship building and sharing of information. Grow your audience indirectly by doing good to others.

    So, stop being a link whore and start linking out to others!

    …

    …

    …

    Yes mate. Right now! Don’t worry, I’ll wait!

    4. Link building is closely related to sitemap

    You have written an excellent article and you published it. After one week or probably a month, you ain’t getting a hit and you are no closer in creating a viral article that drives hundreds of traffic to your website. So, what’s wrong?

    Okay. Here’s the deal. You want to build good traffic, link building etc. You probably won’t go far if you are not focusing enough on SEO. One of the search engine optimizations best practices is to have a sitemap.

    Google just won’t put you on first page of SERPs if Google is not aware of your existence. This is where sitemap plays a huge role in your website ranking.

    So, yes. The first thing is to get your sitemap up immediately … (moments of silence) …

    What’s a sitemap? Site what?

    A site map (or sitemap) is a list of pages of a web site accessible to crawlers or users. It can be either a document in any form used as a planning tool for Web design, or a Web page that lists the pages on a Web site, typically organized in hierarchical fashion. There are two popular versions of a site map. An XML Sitemap is a structured format that a user doesn’t need to see, but it tells the search engine about the pages in your site, their relative importance to each other, and how often they are updated. HTML sitemaps are designed for the user to help them find content on the page, and don’t need to include each and every subpage. This helps visitors and search engine bots find pages on the site.

    Source: Wikipedia

    Makes any sense to you? Maybe this image from Google might help out.

    Generate a sitemap for your website to increase your SEO score
    Sitemap usually gives search engines a list of links that you have on your website

    If you are using WordPress, you can probably use WordPress for SEO (which comes with Sitemap functions) or Google XML sitemap. You won’t wrong with any one of those.

    Creating a sitemap is no hassle and you can do that within 5 minutes or less. Once you have your sitemap ready, head over to Google Webmaster Tool and Big Webmaster Tool to submit your sitemap.

    5. Guest posting – The pros and cons in link building techniques

    We can’t deny the importance of guest posting especially when you are looking for a quality backlink. Writing good guest post will certainly drive traffic to your website without fail but there’s something you need to know first!

    Backlink building from guest posting is a double sided blade. Handle with care at all times.

    Google and other search engines understand that many bloggers are actually trying to gain momentum and getting some quality backlinks from good page rank sites. When it comes to guest post, there isn’t any difference.

    Don’t get me wrong. Guest posting is definitely worth it considering the quality of backlink. However, you do not want to over do it to avoid any penalty. The easiest methods which I see best fit for guest posting are:

    • Writing quality articles
    • Use maximum of three links per post
    • Taking advantage of the rel”nofollow”

    Huh? Isn’t that rel=”nofollow” means zero backlink?

    Yes indeed. This is my link building strategy. You don’t want search engines to consider your site as a link juice or link farm. Therefore, if the content in the link doesn’t provide quality information for your readers, it is better off with a no follow rule.

    Do you understand why I say it as a double sided blade now?

    6. The viral factor and link building under one roof

    A viral article or video could easily create many backlinks
    Go nuts … like Holmer!

    Have you heard about viral video or viral content? So, what does the word, viral actually means?

    For me, it means an action which is hit the world by storm … unintentionally. Here’s an example:

    Years ago, a kid made a video to promote his band and uploaded it to MySpace. Sounds like, “duh” right?

    The video was about a kid who ran around the garden smashing two Barbie dolls together, throwing tomato source all over the place and screaming the name of his band in a variation of pitches while his MySpace page flashed at the bottom of the screen.

    And, guess what?

    He received two million hits to his band’s MySpace … in just two days. 

    The kid didn’t do much … and probably took around 20 minutes trying to clean up the mess he did plus uploading the video.

    Source: Adam Connell

    Makes any sense? Probably not.

    But does that matters? It certainly do!

    Viral content, whether it be images, videos or quizzes – has the potential to drive massive amounts of traffic and generate a large amount of business leads or subscribers.

    So, what the heck this has to do with link building?

    Take the kid’s case study for an example. Do you think that out of the two million hits the kid got, how many people actually share the video or his band?

    I call this … indirect link building since … it’s viral and we can’t really control it, could we? I totally understand that there is no possible way to actually create a perfect viral content.

    Math lesson: Let’s say you manage (accidentally) create a viral content and it drives you tons of traffic. Do you know how much website traffic you are going to gain?

    Even though there are no proven ways to actually create a viral content, here are 14 marketing tools to help you increase the chance of viral-ing and spread the word!

    7. Old fashioned link building techniques. Are they dead?

    I read so many articles about changing SEO techniques, so on and so forth. Question is, do you really need the traditional SEO building strategies now?

    From what I see it, yes you need them and it is never advisable to ditch them. With all these Google Penguin and Google Panda, it is harder to score points with the old methods. But, each point you earned will worth even more than ever!

    Fair deal for you?

    We discussed about guest blogging, marketing techniques and SEO tool like this one above. Anyone of these could help you with SEO and this certainly doesn’t prove that ancient SEO methods won’t count anymore. Remember that most search engine optimization methods are based out of the trusted, ancient ‘recipe’.

    Since so many algorithms are calculated based on page ranks and number of links, I bet you totally understand where this is heading.

    Personally, I would advise you to start changing your game plan. Like me, my approach to SEO is way different than three years back. I even created SEO Blueprints library which consist of every SEO techniques I’m practicing right now.

    8. Avoid the BIGGEST link building mistakes

    Giving up too fast is one of the biggest mistakes done by bloggers in terms of link building
    Oh no! Holmer does it again!

    For me, the biggest sin you can ever do when it comes to SEO is when you think you had done enough. The truth is … you aren’t able to to completely do SEO.

    Why?!

    Because SEO is a learning process and it has many implementation phrases. This means that what works today, might not work for tomorrow.

    Now, tell me if you have ever (and I really mean e-v-e-r) thought of giving up.

    Yes, you thought search engine optimization is too hard and you probably done everything you could. Yet, you’re ain’t seeing the results. People say you need to be patience and you waited for months and still, goddammit nothing happens!

    Sounds familiar? Don’t be shy and admit it. It happens to you, to me and nearly every blogger out there. It felt like a never ending war right?

    Now, this is the cold hard fact. SEO doesn’t happen overnight and certainly, there isn’t any proven methods for us to judge how far we had done or accomplished.

    However, we can always judge by page rank and the number of links that are pointing to our articles but, are those really counted?

    Giving up hope is definitely a no-no here. Content, article and website optimization are all, ever growing activities which will always keep you on your toes (and for some, might even make you stay awake at night).

    Agree to disagree?

    Back to you

    Wow! This is a longest post (as of now) which I had written! So, how do you like it? If you had read this in just one shot, I’m going to give you my salute. No doubt on that.

    As for the topic, these are the top 8 workable link building techniques that we all can practise to build authority and at the same time, traffic. I used these nearly every day and whenever I’m blogging.

    What do you think? Tell me what you think and you can easily do it right below.

    *If you like this article, could you please share this for me using the red Google+ button below?

  • 3 Disappointing Truth About MailChimp Email Marketing Solutions

    3 Disappointing Truth About MailChimp Email Marketing Solutions

    [et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text]​MailChimp Email Marketing Services. This post was published on 9th July 2013 and it is time for an update because there are a lot of things that had changed over the years. Not only MailChimp had changed, everything from list building to email marketing solutions had evolved with technology. So, are you planning to use MailChimp for email marketing or already using MailChimp but is actively looking for alternatives? Today, I’m going to share some important things you should know about disadvantages using MailChimp which can impact your email marketing strategy dearly. ​This article is not about flaming or putting MailChimp down. Instead, it is just several small information which could affect you, your website or business if you are not careful with. More importantly, these disadvantages might impact your online marketing strategies! ​BONUS RESOURCE: ​Click here to learn more about MailChimp competitors (ConvertKit and Drip) here!

    ​What is MailChimp (or ChimpMail)?

    ​MailChimp has came a long way and over the years, it had it shares of improvements done to email marketing. MailChimp is currently the market leader for free email marketing solution. Here’s what MailChimp looks like in the past. mailchimp reviewmailchimp reviewmailchimp review ​It’s bloody old school to say the very least!  Those days, the tagline for MailChimp is “Send Better Emails” and now, the latest MailChimp tagline is “Marketing Platform For Small Businesses.” While MailChimp may have changed its logo, branding and tagline, the same old MailChimp email marketing ​model (which are highly sought after) remains:
    • ​Forever free account for email marketing
    • ​Manage up to 2,000 email subscribers free
    • ​Send up to 12,000 emails per month for free
    I know thousands ​of businesses around the world who stand by MailChimp when it comes to ​email marketing service. ​Even bloggers (both beginners and professionals) use MailChimp to manage their email lists! So, why is MailChimp such a popular email marketing service? I bet it has nothing to do with the chimpanzee who dressed up as a postal service previously. While I think that it is a great mascot as it serves a good balance between fun and work, the new mascot for MailChimp looks better and portrays quality. new MailChimp looksnew MailChimp looksnew MailChimp looks ​MailChimp got its name and fame by offering pretty much forever free email marketing solutions to those who need it. Small business owners, email marketers, bloggers and entrepreneurs use MailChimp because of the excellent pricing structures and of course, very good delivery rates. In short, MailChimp is an online email marketing solution to manage your contacts, send emails and track results. It offers forever free membership for the first 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails monthly. For me, forever free email marketing solution is very tempting and mouthwatering feature especially when you are new in blogging or Internet marketing industry. We are always trying to grow our mailing list and ​if you are just starting a new venture, you wouldn’t want to spend $20 to $100 a month for premium email marketing services. ​Hey, I get it … I’ve been there myself! When I first started Marketing Lancers (digital marketing agency in Malaysia), the entire company’s was going on lean marketing/setup. Minimum staffs and leveraging as many free tools as possible to reduce the overall cost. With the very interactive user interface, excellent back-end dashboard and​ forever free MailChimp email marketing services, ​your email marketing problem is solved, right? Well, I wished that was the case but it isn’t. There are some MailChimp weaknesses and disadvantages which you should be well aware off, or else they are going to bite you where it hurts the most (destroying your email list). ​Carry on reading to learn more about MailChimp email marketing solution. ​BONUS: If you want to learn how to use MailChimp effectively, here’s an awesome guide for you. The Complete Guide In Using MailChimp Email Marketing ​Solution (Step By Step Guide).

    1. No affiliate marketing with MailChimp

    The single biggest problem with MailChimp email marketing solution is their legal policies. MailChimp legal policies is pretty strict especially for many bloggers and work from home Internet marketers. Why? I got this shot from the main website (source below).

    ​Prohibited Content on MailChimp

    Please don’t use MailChimp to send anything offensive, to promote anything illegal, or to harass anyone. You may not send:
    • ​Pornography or other sexually explicit emails
    • ​Email offering to sell illegal goods or services
    • ​Emails that violate CAN-SPAM Laws
    • Alternate Comment TimesMarketing or commercial email with permission
    Some industries have higher-than-normal abuse complaints, which can in turn jeopardize the deliverability of our entire system. Nothing personal, but in order to maintain the highest delivery rates possible for all our customers, we can’t allow businesses that offer these types of services, products, or content:
    • ​Escort and dating services
    • ​Pharmaceutical products
    • ​Work from home,make money on online, and lead generation opportunities
    • Alternate Comment Times​Online trading, day trading tips, or stock market-related content
    • Alternate Comment Times​Multi-level marketing
    • Alternate Comment TimesAffiliate marketing
    • Alternate Comment TimesCredit repair and get out of debt opportunities
    • Alternate Comment TimesMortgages and loans
    • Alternate Comment TimesNutritional, herbal, and vitamin supplements
    • Alternate Comment TimesAdult novelty items or references
    • Alternate Comment TimesList brokers or list rental services
    ​If you send this sort of content, most email services providers won’t be able to help you. You might want to look into setting up your own mail server. MailChimp’s Delivery Guide explains how that works. Source: MailChimp Whoa, whoa, whoa! Are you blown? ​For the benefit of the doubt, I understand that MailChimp wants to protect its delivery rate but do you agree that MailChimp terms is not even an advantage to consider for online marketers and bloggers? I was made aware thanks to Adrian and you can read it all here (comment section). Personally, I wouldn’t mind the first few disadvantages but not allowing affiliate marketing is definitely the stop point for me. As a​ professional and seasoned affiliate marketer, using MailChimp email marketing solution means that I’m at risk of losing my whole email list​ and more importantly, going to impact my affiliate earnings severely! I could be wrong but Internet marketing is either selling/promoting products (affiliate marketing) or creating some sort of lead generation for business. ​ ​Editor’s Note ​If you are in the affilaite marketing niche like I do, I recommend you to understand the terms and conditions of MailChimp before using it. ​MailChimp has the tendency to remove your account without any notice and this means that all your hard work will just go straight into the drain! When it comes to MailChimp abuse reports, the risk is high and you need to know that you are not allowed to promote any affiliate products (apart from your own) using MailChimp.

    ​2. MailChimp pricing structure is misleading

    This MailChimp review is not complete without talking about the MailChimp pricing structure. MailChimp pricing structure is really bad. Take a look at both of these screenshots. MailChimp PricingMailChimp Pricing ​Basic pricing structure MailChimp 2000 SubscribersMailChimp 2000 Subscribers ​When you have more than 2,000 subscribers ​For me, the MailChimp email pricing structure is really misleading. Compare both the left and right side of the images. Let’s assume you are at 2,000 email subscribers and you are required to go for paid email marketing by MailChimp. You are no longer paying $10 but $30 for 2,000 email subscribers (up to 2,500 email subscribers). Do you see the big jump in pricing? That’s an additional of $20 on top of the base $10 per month! For bloggers, this is definitely not worth the money and effort. Sure, professional email marketers (even other blog posts) will say that when you have 2,000 email subscribers, you will be able to make sufficient money from your list. But, is that the real truth? For a fact, I know many bloggers and Internet marketers who have more than 2,000 email subscribers and not making a single cent from email marketing. If I’m putting myself in the shoes of new bloggers or low-income online marketers, MailChimp pricing is definitely one of the biggest disadvantages using MailChimp. Plus when include in the terms and conditions of not allowing affiliate marketing, it gets even worse! I will not be surprised the number of bloggers who have this question in mind, “How do I make money with email marketing with MailChimp?” Personally, I rather pay for AWeber anytime of the day compared to MailChimp based on the pricing structure (no offense, MailChimp).

    ​3. MailChimp support is bad

    ​Based on industry standards, MailChimp has one of the worst support you can ever image. mailchimp supportmailchimp support ​If you are using MailChimp free account, support will only be given to you on the first 30 days via email only (refer above). Yes, I know EXACTLY what you are thinking. MailChimp Support EmailMailChimp Support Email ​It is rather safe to say that when you use MailChimp free account, there is absolutely NO support given and I can’t even imagine MailChimp has such feature. Sure the knowledge base for MailChimp is very detailed but in today’s business world, data suggests that customers see fast, friendly and consistent customer service as the gold standard. 

    ​Should I ​still use MailChimp?

    ​I think this is one important question to cover. MailChimp has many disadvantages but I still use MailChimp for some of my blogs and businesses. When it comes to email marketing, MailChimp is pretty awesome and has a very unique pricing model. If you are a small to medium sized business and doesn’t require much from an email marketing solution, MailChimp is an excellent choice. If mailing list is under 2,000 email subscribers and you are not willing to pay for an email marketing solution, this ChimpMail is worth the try. ​The most important factor when considering using MailChimp is that you are not opening in the industry or markets which they do not allow (refer to their terms above). MailChimp is just like any other email marketing solutions such as AWeber and Convertkit. It is common to have emails delivered via MailChimp going to spam. This happens! The problems (in most cases) don’t sit on MailChimp servers but most of the the time, the email domain that you used or the content in the email that triggers the spam filters. Here are some samples:
    • Using Gmail or Yahoo to send email
    • Having words like “free” and “sale” in the email body

    What’s your thought on MailChimp?

    What do you think about MailChimp and all these issues? Again, this doesn’t prove or mean that MailChimp is bad choice for email marketing. I got to admit that the above sounds a little … biased … but I promise I’m not! Maybe, just a little frustrated as an avid Internet marketer myself. If you’re able to live with it (like the thousands who do), why not right? MailChimp offers:
    • ​Free and pay as you go (services)
    • ​Acceptable level of reliability (delivery)
    • ​Simple to use and intuitive dashboard/email marketing features
    Personally, I would use MailChimp if I’m running a small blog or a non-business site. However, I would rather pay a little bit more to have a better service especially when it comes to business matters. Moreover, Internet marketing is all about the ‘list’ and without one, you are basically nothing. My only concern about MailChimp are their terms and MailChimp pay as you go mechanics which can be very expensive as you grow your email list. Are you convinced with what I have to say about MailChimp? If you are thinking that hey, MailChimp is free to sign up and no strings attached, go ahead and register your free account here. Moreover, you have nothing to lose, right? Now, what’s your take on this? Will MailChimp be able to restore confidence among its member? Hit the reply button below and tell me what you think. … … … Thinking twice of MailChimp or looking for another email marketing provider? How about AWeber? Try it out for FREE today (plus 30 days money back guarantee)! And if AWeber is not your cup of tea, here are 4 more MailChimp alternatives to start your email marketing campaigns today. Read here. Overall, there are many other MailChimp alternatives that you could use. It all boils down to your email marketing requirements and the budget you can afford to commit to every month. If you like this article, could you please share this for me using the button below?[/et_pb_text][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]
  • AWeber vs MailChimp – The Best Email Marketing Services

    AWeber vs MailChimp – The Best Email Marketing Services

    This article about email marketing services is dedicated to my blogger friend, Bren Lee from My Girly Parts who asked me about the differences between MailChimp and AWeber. So Bren, this is for you and hope you liked it.

    You have probably heard about ‘money is in the list’ hundred of times now. If not, you better read this article not once … but twice.

    Why? Because this is the most basic blogging 101 for beginners and professional bloggers alike!

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    Latest Update: Like email marketing? Read my latest comparison between MailChimp, ConvertKit, and Drip for 2017! Read more.

    [/feature_box]

    Did you noticed that there are those newsletter signup boxes on your favorite websites? Yes, now you got the point.

    Before that, let’s take a quick look on what makes AWeber and MailChimp different using the slide below:

    The importance of a mailing list

    I am just keeping this short and sweet. You may have tons of traffic coming from search engines and referral traffic. However, do you know how to promote an article which has a super high rate of success?

    Let’s take an instance that you have 100 subscribers. This means that you have at an average of 90 eager, ready to share and loyal readers who will read your writings. And, you may write something bad and they would probably still say you are good.

    Talking from a point of an Internet marketer or emarketer, a mailing list means you are going to promote a products to people who are willing to listen and probably close a sale with them.

    It doesn’t matter if you’re a blogger, copy writer or Internet marketer … you need a mailing list. I call it … the black book.

    What to look for in an email marketing service provider?

    There are many choices you can choose from nowadays which consist of both free and paid ones. As for the record (as of now), I do not have a huge subscribers list like what most bloggers have and I’m still trying to grow my list. If you want to join my list, you can signup here:

    [hcshort id=”22″]

    I’m a tough customer and it would take me quite a lot of convinces before I actually try on an email marketing service. This are what I am expecting to get:

    1. Easy to use (UI, integration etc)
    2. Templates
    3. Scheduler
    4. Auto responder
    5. Anti spam features
    6. A/B testings
    7. Pricing

    Now, let me tell you again. There are many choices when it comes to email marketing software and provider. After several research and reading lots of reviews, I decided to stick my head into both MailChimp and AWeber only. The rest doesn’t come close to what I what I want (more on that in a minute).

    I got to stress that I realized there are so many marketing tactics used by both the email marketing companies above which, at times is very confusing. I hope this article will give a brighter and clearer explanation of what these are and what they can offer. Most importantly, what you can expect from them.

    MailChimp – Send Better Email

    MailChimp offers excellent email marketing services with a low price
    MailChimp offers limited email marketing services for free

    I’m going to review MailChimp first since I came into contact with it earlier than others. Okay, I admit it … the word free kinda attracted me. Not only that, with over 100,000 die-hard supporters, I know that MailChimp is definitely a competitor in email marketing solutions.

    What I really love about MailChimp?

    1. Clean, clear and fun UI to use
    2. Drag and drop functions
    3. Very direct and not complicated settings and control panels
    4. Free

    What I dislike about MailChimp?

    1. Free account offers limited features
    2. Several options could be unlocked only after you completed certain tasks
    3. You can add anyone immediately as subscribers without comfirmation

    The first thing that attracted me to MailChimp (besides the bloody ‘free‘) is the user interface. It is basically very simple and is ideal for those who want to build a list fast. You can probably set up an email within 15 minutes. Maybe lesser if you know what you’re doing.

    I am also tempted with MailChimp’s integration module. It’s signup form can be integrated easily into nearly any widget and plugins. Yes, a big turn on when it comes to ‘bye bye coding work’.

    What I really don’t like about MailChimp is the fact that some important email marketing features are locked on free account (like A/B testing and auto responder). Of course, you can unlocked them by being more ‘active’ or doing more tasks before you are able to unlock them.

    What I mean is … give me a break! If you want to offer something, offer them in full.

    MailChimp is one of the best email marketing providers which offers free service
    Example of MailChimp Mailing List which I had done to run my research

    Another downside is that fact that you can basically add anyone into your subscriber’s list without their confirmation. This is not a good sign as you could easily be labelled as spam. You definitely don’t want when it comes to growing your mailing list.

    I still love MailChimp and it’s simply because it is freemium. The free account offers a maximum of 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails (per month). Anything more is all pay per use which is pretty cool for me.

    Important note (credits to Adrian Jock): Term and Condition changes on MailChimp which could affects you!

    MailChimp terms of use
    MailChimp has a small clause that disallow specific businesses to use their services.

    My verdict: You can grow your mailing list perfectly well with MailChimp. It is definitely a good choice for those who are tight on budget or even on a start up website. Since MailChimp offers a free email marketing service, I believe that it is a great platform to start it … of course, if you on the ‘allowed’ list as said by MailChimp.

    AWeber – Email Marketing Software and Email Marketing Services

    Aweber offers great flexibility and features when it comes to email marketing
    AWeber is one of the most popular paid email marketing provider in the world

    AWeber is a great email marketing service and yes, I am using AWeber. Even though I am using it, I will try my best to be as neutral as possible 🙂

    AWeber is not free but I’m willing to pay for it? Why?!

    What I love about AWeber?

    1. Detailed dashboard (UI)
    2. Many options and features when creating mailing list
    3. Auto responder
    4. Excellent promo ($1 for the first month)

    What I dislikes about AWeber?

    1. Limited templates
    2. Not free!

    I moved from MailChimp to AWeber simply because I wanted to try something new. And yes, it was recommended by my blogger friend, Adam Connell from Blogging Wizard. The $1 promo was more than just a deal for me. If I dislike it, I could just cancel the plan. Easy as that!

    Aweber dashboard offers complete and excellent detailed email marketing report
    This is how AWeber looks like on my test newsletter. A complete and detailed reporting tools at your finger tips.

    The first impression when I login to AWeber dashboard was “What the hell had I done?”. Okay, the UI isn’t as clean as what MailChimp is. Just see the screenshots above. AWeber dashboard is … detailed!

    Now, creating an email or auto responder (called as follow up message) in AWeber is no easy job. It’s simply because it is highly customizable. There’s a slight learning curve for setting up email on AWeber but once that job is done, you are going to rock it real hard!

    Hint: check out the two newsletter signup forms on my sidebar. That’s what I’m talking about!

    Once you have created a signup form, AWeber gives you the special placement ability to either grab the HTML code to place manually on your website, email the code to your web developer and even have AWeber to host the form for you. Pretty cool huh?

    Doing A/B testing is also easy using AWeber. You can immediately it do it regardless how many subscribers you have. That makes all the difference when compared to MailChimp.

    AWeber doesn’t allow you to add any subscribers to your list. You may send an email to invite them to your list and they would need to click on the confirmation link. This is absolutely great since you are also able to detect if they are just spam email or inactive followers. A huge +1 when it comes to spam control.

    Talking about spam, AWeber will give you a spam score after you completely editing your email or newsletter. You know … some words are deem spam. The lower your score, the better the chance the email will avoid the junk box.

    Lastly, what I dislike about AWeber is that it has very limited and ready-made templates. Okay, I know customization is the main topic here but for lazy people like me, customizing is time consuming. However, this is something I can live with since I customize all my emails and messages.

    More information: My complete AWeber review – Could AWeber possibly be the BEST email marketing solution?

    AWeber vs MailChimp

    I don’t think there is a clear winner in terms of functionality and features. You will not go wrong with either one of these email marketing providers. Trust me on that.

    As a recap, here’s what I think about AWeber and MailChimp.

    AWeber (Try now: Only $1 for the first month)

    • King of customization
    • Good report and analytic tools ready out of the box
    • Excellent spam control

    MailChimp (Try now: Free for 2,000 subscribers and 12,000 emails)

    • Extremely easy to use features
    • Powerful email marketing tool if used properly (with some patience)
    • Very affordable when it comes to financial matters

    Are you using any email marketing tools or services? Share your thoughts with me using the form below and let’s discuss.

    If you like this article, could you please share this for me using the red Google+ button below?

  • 14 Must Have Internet Marketing Tools That Totally Rocks

    14 Must Have Internet Marketing Tools That Totally Rocks

    It doesn’t matter if you are a blogger, SEO writer, copywriter or a webmaster. You need to do at least some Internet marketing to boost your visibility to search engines.

    Have you ever experienced no traffic boost or lack of audience on your website? You probably had wrote more than 10 great articles, did tons of SEO and probably, bought a killer WordPress theme. And yes, your website isn’t converting and you ain’t getting much love from search engines.

    So, what’s the damn issue?!

    You need a good marketing strategy my friend. You may have everything done correctly (see above) and even having a killer title heading. However if no one sees that, you are going nowhere.

    Internet marketing is just like any other marketing services you can think of and yes, it works exactly the same. You have a great product and you need to tell others that you are alive…and kickin’.

    You need to find ways to broadcast the message to the public and spread the word. And lucky for you, we are in the 21st century where social media is plays a huge role in our daily life.

    This post is very long (with 2,334 words to be exact) and thus, I challenge you to do it in just one read. If you are able to do that, hit the comment button and tell me! Don’t worry if you can’t. Just bookmark this and come back later!

    I have compiled a list of internet marketing tools which you can use in order to boost your marketing strategies and their effectiveness.

    I have also divided them into several parts which are:

    • Social media platforms
    • Sharing portals
    • Social media programs
    • Email marketing

    Social Media Platforms

    Social media plays a huge role when it comes Internet marketing
    Using the right social media can easily boost marketing success

    One very important thing is that you need to understand that social media is a very strong and powerful marketing tool. Basically, you can connect to hundreds and thousands of people in just a matter of clicks. Make sure you know what you are doing and if not, you are going to have big problems heading over to you!

    Twitter

    Twitter is more than just great. Compose 140 characters and blast it to all your readers. That’s the power of Twitter.

    When it comes to Internet marketing, you need Twitter and it doesn’t matter if you like it or not. And yes, Twitter is my first choice when it comes to increasing my social share visibility. If you are not using it, you SHOULD start using it right now!

    This is what my Twitter account looks like. With slightly above one thousand followers, each Tweet would mean sending potential information to 1,000 plus ready listeners.

    Google+

    As for the record, I’m not a big fan of Google+ but I still got to share with you it’s effectiveness especially when it comes to link building and SEO ranking.

    If you want your articles, blogs or websites to rank well on search engines, then you need to have some love from Google+. It looks obvious isn’t it?

    The more shares you got on Google+ tells big daddy Google that your product is pretty impressive (or least, something search engines should look at). When it comes to Internet marketing, don’t leave out Google+.

    Share some information with your circles and you are already completed one easy part of the Internet marketing process.

    Yup, you’ve got the point!

    Facebook

    I believe I would know the answer if I would to ask you, ‘Do you Facebook?’

    You couldn’t be wrong since millions are on Facebook daily and if this is not one of your Internet marketing tools, something is really wrong either up or down there.

    The more likes, shares and comments you get on Facebook, the better chance of you marketing your product. And, you do not need to spend any money for it.

    Spend at least 30 minutes a day on Facebook on marketing (and not seeing your friend’s wall) and you will probably do better in your marketing tactics.

    Big companies such as HTC, Samsung and Apple are all advertising (paid) on Facebook and this just prove how important Internet marketing is right now.

    Linkedin

    For me, Linkedin will always be a place where ‘˜professionals meet up’. You are marketing a product and do you think it would be an attention grabber if popular figures such as Darren Rowse and Adam Cornell would share your content or website?

    That’s it mate!

    The truth is, if promoting a product is easier when you have respected figures sharing the information. This leads to a more stable, trustable and authority share on social media.

    StumbleUpon

    This is one Internet marketing tool which has a 50-50 success rate in my opinion. What you can do is submit an article (for instant) to StumbleUpon.

    The process of getting ‘˜Stumbled Upon’ is pretty simple. When you submit an article, it will be ‘˜shared’ among its users. And I’m not talking about hundreds or thousands of users. I am talking about more than 100,000 users around the world. Readers and members who think that your article is worth reading will continue to ‘˜share’ it with the rest.

    Obviously, the circle looks easy right? The more ‘˜stumble’ you get, the better chance of you having a successful Internet marketing campaign.

    Digg

    Digg works exactly the same with StumbleUpon and thus, it saves me from explaining everything (and for you, avoiding any falling asleep).

    You have to be careful using Digg as users has the ability to rank up or rank down your article score. So, getting the best content out there on Digg is very vital.

    Oh yes, search engines are giving the same amount of love to Digg just like StumbleUpon.

    SocialMonkee

    There are many people who disapprove this and which you can Google to see why. For me, SocialMonkee had served me very well.

    SocialMonkee is one part of my Internet marketing tool because I see the advantages in it. The strategy is pretty simple actually.

    You submit an URL, complete with different phrases for titles and content. The system will use The Best Spinner to spin those articles making similar copies to be submitted to other sites.

    My marketing strategy on SocialMonkee is basically playing smart when it comes to URL submission. This means that I am submitting not only my main website (1 out of 20 submissions) and article URLs but at the same time, I am submitting my Tier 2 or any other sites that are pointing to my article. SocialMonkee does not provide very good quality backlink and thus, you should focus more for your Tier 2 sites only.

    Backlink provided by SocialMonkee isn’t perfect (wait, who does right?) and you should avoid focusing them directly on your website. Of course, if your website is well established, then you have nothing to worry about it. However if you are running a new site, you got to be careful. SocialMonkee could easily backfire on you.

    You have been warned!

    Social Media Managements

    Social media management offers easy solutions when it comes to managing various internet marketing tools at one time
    Using social media management can save time and effort when it comes to Internet marketing

    I have listed not one, not two but seven different Internet marketing tools above and handling all of them takes time and effort.

    Social media management provides tools to help you cope up with daily task and most importantly, sending out important social shares on behalf. Here are the list of my favorite social media management tools which I used daily.

    Buffer

    C’mon guys. Buffer is more than just a management system for social media. People such as Kristi Hines and Brian Gardner uses Buffer as one of their Internet marketing tools. Are you next?

    What I love about Buffer is you can schedule articles and improve your social shares. Okay, let’s be frank here. Imagine sharing articles at any specific time of the day is tiring and takes up a lot of your time. This is where Buffer helps to manage those social shares for you.

    Just set a time and day for the share on Buffer and the system will do the rest for you. Crazy? I call that impressive.

    Their support team is also one of the best. You can email or Tweet them and rest assured your enquiry will be answered as soon as possible. This is something (in terms of service) I have yet to see on other social media management until date.

    HootSuite

    As much as I love Buffer, I still love HootSuite. And you are probably thinking why am I using two systems instead of one right?

    HootSuite does everything Buffer does (and vice versa). However, I love to use HootSuite because it integrates all my social media accounts under one roof.

    Oh yes, it does schedule social media marketing for you but integrating everything into one dashboard? I hardly can say no to.

    @HootSuite – if you are reading this, keep up the good work!

    HootSuite offers both free and premium accounts for bloggers. You can register for a free account here and when you use this link, you will automatically be upgraded to a 30-days full premium access for FREE.

    JustReTweet

    Okay, JustReTweet could easily land in social media part but there’s a reason for me to list it here instead.

    JustReTweet works in two ways:

    1. Share your articles on Facebook, Twitter and Google+
    2. Share other interesting articles on Facebook, Twitter and Google+

    In order to share your articles, you need credit and you can earn them by sharing other articles (not yours) first. Consider this bidding.

    You set the number or shares you want, where to share and how much credit you are paying others to share your articles. Nothing really free in this world right?

    Now, every time you share an article, it will not go live instantly. Instead, the developer was smart enough to set limits on sharing. This means that all these shares are scheduled accordingly and you can only share X numbers of shares a day to avoid spam.

    This is H-U-G-E! When it comes to search engine optimization, social shares plays a huge role and therefore, you should definitely take a look at what JustReTweet can do for you.

    Discussion and sharing portals

    Bloggers can increase website traffic by involving actively on discussion websites
    Discussion portals hold many untold power when it comes to the marketing industry

    The marketing world is getting more challenging each day and you need more tools to help you with. This is where discussion and sharing portals play a huge role for bloggers, writers and webmasters.

    The right portals will help you promote your website and you might even receive more followers if you are doing a great job. Not only that, you can also ask for critiques to make your website grow! Here’s the list of sharing portals I would highly recommend.

    Triberr

    Triberr is something new to me and I only came to know about it when one of my fellow blogger introduced it to me.

    Basically, you can create or join Tribes which consist of people of your niche. You can share information, ideas and even recommendations for improvements with them.

    Not seeing any love about Internet marketing? Read again!

    The more people giving you advices and tips, the better chances you are going to improve and of course, increase your market value.

    Scoop.it

    Let’s say you have some old articles that needed some traffic boost. Submit them to Scoop.it and walaa~! Assuming that you have some good content and stuffs like that.

    What makes Scoop.it interesting is the fact that you can do these:

    • Find topics that you like
    • Share your articles, blogs and websites
    • Merge all of them into a stunning, magazine-like reading material

    Now, get the point? Yes! Internet marketing at its best. Nuff said.

    Email Marketing Solutions

    Email marketing is very important when it comes to increasing sales
    Having the right email marketing solution is important to ensure emails are delivered promptly to the recipients

    There’s a very popular saying when it comes to Internet marketing, ‘˜the money is in the list’. And in this matter, it is so damn true. I left this out and you shouldn’t.

    If you want to perform the right Internet marketing, you need the right Internet marketing tools. In this case, you need email list or subscriber’s list. Here are two of the best email marketing providers which you can not go wrong with.

    Aweber

    Aweber is not free and I’m sorry. However, Aweber is one hell of an email marketing provider. What makes Aweber so famous is that they focus on click rates and providing spam score. This means more open rate than the email going into the spam or junk box.

    Comparing both Aweber and MailChimp (you can read below), I would say I love the designs and the abilities offered by Aweber. And yes, I am using Aweber as my email provider.

    Currently, they have a promotion where the first month of service would only cost you $1 and if you are unhappy with it, you can ask for a full refund. No question asked. Subsequently, each month will cost you $19 and you get a better discount for every quarterly or yearly payment.

    Tempted to try Aweber for $1?

    MailChimp

    I know there are probably thousands who stand by MailChimp and I totally understand that. MailChimp offers free email services for the first 2,000 subscribers. If you have 2,000 or less subscribers, then you should definitely get MailChimp.

    Another bonus on the free account is that you can send up to 12,000 emails per month to your 2,000 subscribers at no cost at all.

    MailChimp is different from Aweber because it has a very interactive layout. Their concept is to have a balanced combination of work and play. I believe their dashboard explains it all.

    If you want a risk free and zero cost email marketing service, you can try MailChimp using this link at no extra fee.

    Back to you…

    I got to admit this article is long and if you managed to read whole article in just one shot, congratulation! Moving forward, I really hope you enjoy my writing about Internet marketing tools.

    Do you use any marketing tools or you have anything to share? Feel up the form below and let’s discuss!

    If you like this article, could you please share this for me using the red Google+ button below?