Hawaii SEO – Things to Establish Before Building a Website (Part 2)

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In Things to Establish Before Building a Website (Part 1), I reiterated the importance of defining the goals. Before building your website, you should follow the 3 tips I previously discussed.

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After, the 3 additional tips below will help you gather more information for your website.

  1. Time to shoot good photos.

  • Web design will mostly deal with the visual elements. Naturally, you would need high-quality photos. Besides, you can’t just copy or download photos straight from Google. That’s not allowed and you could be liable for stealing other people’s work.
  • So, make sure you take time to shoot your own set of photos. Take as many photos as you can so that you will have a wide selection to choose from. Feature a variety of images to prevent from distracting and even boring your web visitors.
  • Avoid taking low-resolution and poorly lit photos. Try to shoot images in broad daylight. If it’s dark, try to use the proper equipment in order to produce a natural light. Also, add some interior shots of physical store if you have. A wide-angle shot of your own space will help customers feel homey and cozy.
  • For your online store, be sure to provide multiple photos  of the same products. Showing different angles of the products can definitely help customers to decide. More tips on: DIY Product Photography Tips

  1. Get to know your potential customers.

  • Once the photos are done, take time to know your audience. All your hard work from steps 1 to 4 will be useless if you don’t your intended demographics. When you know your audience well, you can customize your products and services to their tastes and preferences.
  • Before you create a website, know your who your potential customers are. You need to know exactly who you are trying to reach. It is best to identify their age range, location, gender, and socioeconomic status to help you build a  website that definitely speaks to the specific customers.
  • At this point, you should rely on data given by tools such as the Google Analytics page and the Facebook business page to get to know the potential customers.

  1. Gather the information you need to start creating awesome content.

  • Lastly, once you have identified the customers, you should formulate new and exciting content for them. You should start blogging and reach out to these people. Next, invite them to sign up to your email list. You can use an email marketing service to expand your network of followers.
  • These two strategies are the best marketing strategies for a fairly new website. Blog posts should informative for your audience. I have compiled Amazing Content Ideas for Your Blog. If you need help will writing, you could also refer to Essential Writing Tips For Blogging.
  • Generally, you would want to publish something concise and helpful to your web visitors. As much as possible, present your ideas using bullet points, detailing the important points of your post. Of course, don’t forget to study and research about your topic. Then, you are on your way to creating a great content for your website.

Hawaii SEO – Things to Establish Before Building a Website (Part 1)

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Before you spend money on web design, there things that you have to identify first. To get started on your website, it’s safe to not spend actual money yet. I am here to guide you on the important things you have to know before making crucial decisions.

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Make sure you follow these 3 tips first. Otherwise, no matter how beautiful your website turns out to be, it won’t be as effective and as productive as you imagined it to be.

  1. What are your goals?

  • A‍sk yourself of the things you want to accomplish. There should be a clear goal in mind.
    • What do you want your website to accomplish? Knowing the purpose of the website will serve as the compass of your business.
    • What message do you want say to your web visitors?
    • What essential information would your web visitors need? Are there specific information do you to include in order for them to learn about your business?
  • Instead of focusing on the aesthetics of your website, look into your core. Go back to the humble beginnings of your business. Look back on how you started and envision on how you want to grow in the future.

  1. What platform do you want to use?

  • Do you have a platform in mind? Explore your options. Consider the many platforms out there, and the room for improvement. Of course, you would want to avoid anything that will lock you in. Having a custom web design should not be difficult for anyone.
  • Make sure that you have the creative freedom to do what you want and do what is necessary to make the best website. Once you have learned a specific website platform, you may be reluctant to switch to better alternatives. So, be sure the platform you will choose will something allows you to customize things. Finally, it is also great to know the  limitations of the website platforms you plan to use.

  1. What are the key points of your website?

  • Your website should highlight the significant points. What do you offer? Are you planning to sell products online?
  • Focus on the little details that will make your website stand out. The website should show a genuine emotion. What feel or vibe do you want to show to your audience? Is a cozy or relaxed atmosphere? Perhaps, do you want to provide a more professional vibe?
  • In designing a website, you have to identify the most crucial aspect of your business. Whatever style you want to focus, remember it when designing every element of your website. From the images to the blog post, everything should be consistent.

Remember, a website is different from an actual physical store. Your online store may serve a different purpose than an offline one. You may have already established a brand identity with local customers, but how about online identity? Have you thought of the color palette, the logo design, the typography, and the web pages to include?

Next? Things to Establish Before Building a Website (Part 2)

Before you go on designing each page, take notes of the these tips. Lastly, decide on whether you only want to start a blog for news updates or you want to feature dynamic content such as your products and services on the website. Take a moment to think about it because only YOU can answer these questions.

 

Hawaii Website Design – Important Tips to Make Your Blogs Easier to Read

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I previously discussed about Free Fonts and Where to Get Them. Today, I will talk to you about some important tips you can follow to make your blogs easier to read.

MacBook Air beside gold-colored study lamp and spiral books

There are times when readers have trouble reading or understanding your content. It could be because the post does not contain the information they were looking for or your content is just simply boring and and confusing. When readers find your content uninteresting, they leave the site right away making your bounce rate unusually high. Bounce rate increases when a reader leaves a website before interacting with the site in some way like commenting or going through other posts.

Back to the topic, here are some tips can help you in making your blogs easier to read:

1. THE SIMPLER, THE BETTER

One of the easiest ways to make your blog easier to read is to stick with simple fonts. Use easy-to-read fonts like Arial or Baskerville for your blog content. When it comes to blog graphics, that’s the time you can use fancy fonts. If you’re unsure what fonts you should use, check out Finding the Perfect Font for Your Website.

2. USE LARGE FONTS

When it comes to online content, the recommended font size is 10-12px. If you go for anything smaller, your readers are probably squinting to read your blog. However, due to the increase usage of mobile devices, some blogs/websites use larger font sizes ranging from 14-18px. Try to look for a font size that works best with your blog design.

3. CONTRAST IS KEY

When it comes to selecting a font color, always remember that contrast is key. If your website has a light colored background, use a dark font color. On the other hand, if your website has a dark colored background, opt for a light font color. Having a high contrast actually makes it easier to read. Use less distracting colors so your readers can solely focus on your content.

The classic design choice is black font on a white background because this combination is undoubtedly easy to read. However, this doesn’t mean you have to limit your creativity. You can actually add more colors to your content by using various colors for parts you want to highlight.

4. WHITE SPACE IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

When we say white spaces, these are the blank spaces on your blog where there is no content. If you don’t incorporate white spaces, your website will look confusing making everything difficult to read. It is very important to have white spaces in your blog/website so that your readers can easily differentiate the various areas of your website. This can also help them focus on reading your blog post.

5. SECTION YOUR CONTENT

Having one straight block of text can overwhelm your readers. Make sure to divide your content into paragraphs. By organizing your blog post, your readers can easily digest information.  This will also motivate your readers to finish reading your whole content. Tip: For every idea, allocate one paragraph.

At the end of the day, it is you who is in control of your website. You get to decide what content to put. These are just suggestions on how to develop better content for your audience. If you need more help with blog ideas, refer to Amazing Content Ideas for Your Blog. For my next discussion, I will discuss about how to keep your audience stay longer in your website.

Hawaii SEO – Choosing the Right Web Hosting Service

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In Understanding the Basics of Web Hosting, I was able to discuss the tip of the iceberg. Now, I will go deeper and talk about the 3 distinct types of web host plans you can get for your website.

woman standing near wall

The Three Categories

In web hosting, there is NO one solution for all websites out there. Basically, get to choose from 3 options:

  • Shared Hosting

    • This basic option will help you to get started with your website.
    • Shared hosting is an ideal option for anyone who is creating to create very first website. Perfect for beginners and small websites!
    • If you go for shared hosting, the web host will put your website on a server together with hundreds of other websites. Thus, shared hosting would imply that every customer has to share the allocated space with other people.
    • Think of it as having roommates. Naturally, if you have someone to share the expenses, the rent will obviously be cheaper than the other options. However, you get to share the same amenities like shared kitchen, bathroom, and etc.
    • So, the same is true with your website, and memory and disk space with other customers. Shared hosting is the cheapest out of the 3 options. If you are managing a personal blogs or a small site, then, this is the practical solution for you.

Pros

    • As I have said, shared hosting is cheap. In fact, I have seen companies offering shared hosting for as low as $3.95 per month.
    • It’s also user-friendly because the web host helps you maintaining the server. The security updates and other upgrades are dealt with.

  • VPS Hosting

    • This offers flexibility with your server. You get to have control over what happens. Ideal for medium to high influx of website visitors.
    • For those who are wondering of the difference between VPS and Shared, VPS still shares a server with a couple other websites, but this time, there will be a fewer number of sites sharing the same space and resources. The moment your website experiences an increased traffic, there are available resources you can use.
    • Think of VPS as a high-end condominium; you still share the same building, but there are fewer tenants as compared to the first example.

Pros

    • Better than shared, and less expensive than having a dedicated server.
    • More secure and faster than shared hosting.
    • VPS provides scalability. As your site grows, your server can accommodate the changing needs.

  • Dedicated Hosting

    • Lastly, you have a dedicated option to provide full customizations. Choose this if you want full control of the security and performance of your website. If your website receives a high volume of traffic, this is the ideal choice.
    • As the name suggest, you have your own dedicated server for your website. Think of it as owning your own house. No one to share it with. Thus, the entire property is yours  and you can do anything with the given available resources.
    • So, expect this kind of hosting to be expensive, and you are responsible for maintaining everything you need.

Pros

    • You get to customize your own “property” and decorate it the way you want it to be.
    • Faster than VPS because the available resources of the server are 100% yours.
    • Smooth and seamless performance because you have no one to share it with.
    • Secure and reliable because you don’t have to worry about your “neighbors” hogging all the resources.

Hawaii Website Design – Free Fonts and Where to Get Them

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We already discussed about Everything You Need To Know About Typography and Finding the Perfect Font for Your Website. Today, I will talk to you about free fonts and where you can get them.

From product packaging to logos and more, typography plays a massive role in all types of designs. Like I always say, it is essential that you choose the right fonts in order to establish your brand/website identity.

Creating your own brand/website may cost you a lot. If you don’t have enough budget for typography, the internet is your best bet. You see, the internet is full of places where you can score free fonts. I’ve gathered some information about where you can get the best free fonts so that your time won’t be wasted by searching for hours on end.

white surface with letters and words

Check out the following sites and you’re likely to find potential fonts that will be perfect for your brand/website.

Reminder: Be sure to check the licenses for each font you download before you use them. Yes, it’s free but it doesn’t mean that you can do whatever you want with it. Almost all of these free fonts come with limited licenses which means you can only use it for personal use. However, there are still sites that can offer free fonts you can use for commercial purposes.

• Abstract Fonts

When it comes to its interface, Abstract Fonts has a clean one making it easy to navigate. They offer almost 14,000 fonts for you to choose from. On its interface, you will see a custom font preview option. The terms that comes along with every font is clearly outlined and font choices are updated on a regular basis.

• Behance

While this website is not exactly a platform for fonts, you can still score great fonts here. Behance is like a social network where designers share lots of free content that includes free fonts too! If you do a quick search on the platform, you will find a seemingly endless list of fonts available for download. The best part about Behance is that the fonts you find on this platform usually feature exquisite designs that aren’t usually found on other sites.

• Google Fonts

When searching for free fonts, Google Fonts is one of the first sites that usually comes to mind. The website over 800 font families of various types, from sans serif to handwriting fonts, and a whole lot more. Most fonts in Google Fonts are downloadable and the best part is all the fonts are actually open-source. You can use them for whatever purpose you have in mind.

• Font Squirrel

Font Squirrel knows how hard it can be when you’re looking for quality fonts that can be used for commercial work. That’s why they’ve carefully handpicked thousands of typefaces just for you. All the fonts on Font Squirrel have free desktop licenses which means they can be used for commercial purposes. Whether it’s for your website, logo, or even T-shirt design, it’s free of charge.

Now that I’ve given you these websites, you can now browse through thousands of fonts choices. If you are a blogger/content creator and you’re in a writing slump, Amazing Content Ideas for Your Blog might interest you. Next, we will talk about how to make your blogs easier to read.

Hawaii Website Design – Finding the Perfect Font for Your Website

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Last time, we talked about Everything You Need To Know About Typography. For today, we will discuss about how you can find the perfect fonts for your website. When it comes to website design, the tiniest details can make a huge difference. Choosing the perfect fonts can say a lot about you and your business.

It is crucial to find the perfect font that will complement your overall design. Various font designs can radiate different feelings. How do you want people to think of your brand? The type of font design you will pick for your website will define what your website is all about.

closeup photo of torn papers

Choose a font design that best represents your website/brand.

You might already have preferred fonts, but do not let your own personal preferences overpower you. Your preferred font design might look pretty. However, if it isn’t appropriate for the purpose, forget about it. What you can do is focus on choosing a font design that speaks for your website.

When it comes to font designs, there are actually five main types of personalities. Consider which personality you would like to reflect on your website:

  • Traditional

Classic fonts like Georgia and Times New Romans exude the impressions of heritage, reliability, and trust. Customarily, these fonts have been used in prints like newspapers, magazines, and books.

  • Contemporary

If you are on the minimalist side, you can opt to use fonts that has clean designs. Fonts like Quicksand, Simplifica, and Uni Sans tend to have less personality so they give off a more contemporary feel.

  • Strong

Strong fonts are very bold and usually have a blocky design. The boldness of the font designs give off the impression of strength. You can use fonts like Gabo, Mohave, and Promesh to make a statement. When you are using strong fonts, you are giving off the impression of strength.

  • Elegance

Elegant fonts are usually handwritten-type font designs that features a lot of curves. These curves actually radiates the elegant and romantic feel of these font designs. Although not every handwritten font designs can exude a romantic feel, it can also exude feelings of quirkiness. If you want your font design to appear more vintage, you can choose something italic and curvy. If you want to look quirky, you can opt for font designs that are rounder.

  • Themed Font Design

If you want to create a unique brand identity, using themed font designs will be perfect for you. Since these fonts are specialized, you will have to have enough design skills to be able to pick the best design for you.

Make sure its readable.

Never choose a font that has a super complex font design because it can become challenging to read. Don’t be too over the top. You can still stand out without having to give up readability. Take a quick glance at your font and make sure you can easily read it. If not, then don’t use it.

Versatility is key.

Choose a font design that has versatility. Remember that your website can be seen on various devices that has different screen sizes. So, make sure that your chosen font design will still look good regardless of its size.

If you still can’t decide what fonts to use, you can browse through thousands of fonts on Canva. Next time, we will talk about free fonts and where you can get them.

Hawaii SEO – Understanding the Basics of Web Hosting

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In my post on Ways to Speed Up Your WordPress Site , I talked about the tips in order to ensure a fast website speed. I would like to elaborate on the first tip, which is having a great host. Today, I will discuss everything about web hosting. So, are you ready? Let’s get into it right away!

woman standing near wall

What is Web Hosting?

  • Web hosting is an online service that enables people to make a website or a web page on the Internet. Many businesses offer this kind of service, and as a user, you need a provider that will be able to show your website or web page at any time and anywhere.
  • The key is to choose a reliable service produce to ensure that your target audience can view your space on the Internet. Website files are stored on computers called servers.
  • Once a user wants to view your website, they have to type your web address on their browser. Their computer will connect to the server that has your website, and then, files needed to display the website will be transmitted to users through their preferred browser.
  • Most hosting providers will ask you to acquire your own domain name first before they host your website. If you don’t have a domain name for your website, the host provider will usually assist you in getting one.

Once that is all set, there are number of features you can expect from your  web host. Here are the things you will most probably get:

  • Business Email Accounts. 

    • Earlier, I told you about needing a domain name. When you have a domain name, it is now easy to create email accounts for your business. For instance, the domain name is https://www.stevemapua.com. Then, you can now personalize the email address like having info@stevemapua.com for example. All business transactions can be address to email(s) you created. Looks professional over the generic email handles provided by third-party email service providers.

  • FTP Access.

    • Through FTP, you can now upload files to your website server from your own local computer. This is the scenario when you build your own site; it’s easy to transfer, add, and modify files on the server through the FTP feature.

  • WordPress Support.

    • WordPress is the leading website builder. Through this tool, you can conveniently create your own website. Generally, host providers will indicate if they are WordPress-compatible or not. Browse and research if the host providers this capability.

Aside from starting from scratch, you can create and host your website through services that provide a drag and drop site builder. Even website building is now made easy! For advanced users, you can code your own website through WordPress of course!

More on: How Do You Choose from the Different Web Hosting Services?

If you need with creating a website and other web development tools, please contact Hawaii SEO. We provide a variety of web services in order to ensure a professing-looking avenue for your business. Our team of experts are always ready to help you create a distinct identity for your website. To know more about Hawaii SEO’s Web Development Package, the number to call is (888) 852-0059.

 

Hawaii Website Design – Everything You Need To Know About Typography

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Previously, we talked about Essential Tips in Choosing the Right Color Scheme for Your Website. Today, we will talk about the the basics of typography and why it’s important. Typography is a fundamental component of design and one of the primary ways of communication. Typography has undergone numerous improvements. Currently, there are thousands of fonts and typefaces that can be seen on the internet.

letter wood stamp lot

The usage of typography is one of the essential things in business, design, and marketing today. Here are the things you should know about typography:

  1. Type families.

If you do not know what type families are then you would not be able to identify fonts and their types. Since you are in website design, you have to know what type families are. It is important because typing is what you do most in web design.

For every font style, each has a different type family. Some of the type families are: Regular, Italic, Condensed Black, and Condensed Bold.

  1. Typeface.

Usually, people mix up type face with font. However, these are two different things. Font pertains to a particular member of a type family while typeface refers to the style of a font. In web design, you need to select typefaces that best fits the theme you’re going for. Typeface has two main categories: the Serif Font and the Sans Serif Font.

A serif is a small line/ stroke commonly attached to the end of a larger stroke in every letter or symbol. It is usually used in books because it guides the eyes from letter to letter. On the other hand, San Serif doesn’t use a serif. This typeface is easier to read on websites.

  1. Size.

Using different sizes can ultimately influence the design and its message. It is necessary to use different sizes when you want to give emphasis on certain parts. For an instance, in a newspaper, the headlines are consistently larger than the text of the content. In web design, you will find it very helpful to use various font sizes.

  1. Alignment.

You might think this is less important than the others but it is not. It is actually one of the most crucial things to consider. To know which kind of alignment to use, you have to consider its readability and the aesthetic of the design. You have to be consistent when you use a certain alignment. You don’t want to confuse your audience. Here are different types of alignment:

Flush Left – often referred to as “left justified”, left aligned text starts each line along the document’s left margin. As a result, you have a straight margin on the left but a ragged margin on the right.

Flush Right – commonly referred to as “right justified”. Contrary to flush left, this alignment begins along the right margin of the document. Correspondingly, you will have a straight margin on the right and a ragged margin on the left.

Justified Alignment – a combination of the left and right aligned text. The result when you use justified alignment in your document is a straight margin on both sides.

Centered Alignment – as the name indicates, it begins on the center of each line. As you continuously type, the text expands evenly to both sides, leaving the same amount of margin.

  1. Choosing secondary fonts.

It is boring if you use a single font all throughout. You have to choose a good secondary font that will is complementary to your primary font. To avoid confusion, make sure to use different fonts but see to it that it is a good combination. If you don’t choose a good secondary font, the overall aesthetic will be ruined.

Now that we’ve tackle the things you need to know about typography, we will discuss about finding the perfect font for your website next.

Hawaii SEO – Tips in Growing Your Email List (Part 2)

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Previously, I shared Tips in Growing Your Email List (Part 1) and so I will now continue the list. This time, I will talk about the ideal location of your sign up forms and the tips in creating amazing content.

turned-on MacBook

Tip #3: Strategically add sign up forms on your website.

If you want to convince people to sign up, your mailing list form should be accessible. Signing up should NOT feel like a chore to do so. To give your sign up forms the best exposure, you might want to considering placing it in these locations:

A POP-UP INVITE

I hate it when something pops up out of nowhere, but hey, it works! If it’s working, don’t touch it. Just don’t overdo it because pop-up invites can be very annoying. If you decide to do this, do NOT do them all. Just choose one of the following:

  • Pop-up window: This displays a popup window on your website. A windowed box may appear at the bottom of the screen at soon as someone visits your site or you can set a delay timer so it will only show up once someone has been on your website for quite some time.
  • Pop-up on the top bar: This is pinned to the top portion of your website. No matter where a web visitor goes, the invite will always be on top.
  • Scroll activated pop-up: This is to attract people who are scrolling to your website. Once they have been scrolling down, a pop-up will stop their tracks and invite them to sign up.

#2: TOP OF SIDEBAR

Usually, the side bar is where you would see the recent updates of a site, the list of blog posts, and other related news. So, it is only appropriate to add an email sign up box at this location. For sure, audiences will refer to the sidebar for quick navigation, and thus, they will always see your your email list invite.

#3: AFTER YOUR BLOG POST

Most people don’t just go to your website directly. Instead, they discover is through marketing promotions on social media or referral from their friends. Moreover, they don’t always see your home page so it is also great to an invite at the end of your blog post.

If they have read it until the end, it obviously means that they enjoyed reading your content. So, this is the ideal time to ask them to join your email list.

Tip #4: Create an equally good content.

For you to grow your email list, you have to prove to your readers that you just don’t have good incentives, but you also have good content. The quality of your work should reflect on your blog posts. You should NOT post just for the sake of posting something new.

Content should be useful to your audience. If it is not beneficial for them, why would they want to subscribe to your website? Hence, you should produce content that is helpful to your subscribers. Something that are interested in so they would keep coming back for more.

If you need help in topic ideas, please see Amazing Content Ideas for Your Blog. I also discussed the importance of having an active blog section. Lastly, I talked about Essential Writing Tips For Blogging. Refer to these resources, and for sure, you will be able to publish relevant content.

Hawaii SEO – Tips in Growing Your Email List (Part 1)

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In my previous articles, I talked about The Importance of an Email List and How to Create an Email List for Your Website? Today, I will talk about the tips on how to develop a bigger mailing list.

person showing brown gift box

For this post, I will include several tips to ensure success and growth to your list of email subscribers. Are you ready to start? Let’s get it on.

Tip #1: Offer an incentive your audience can’t resist.

You got to lure people in your website… and how to do that? Through an incentive! So, if you want to quickly build your email list, you got to offer something that your subscribers want.

Think of it this way… what’s in it for them? You have to convince them that it is advantageous to subscribe. Give your audience a good reason to hand their email address to you because they won’t automatically give it to anyone.

The incentives can range from newsletters about the latest deals to free items. Generally, most websites offer incentives such as a free eBook, a tutorial video, a printable materials, a free download of a helpful resource, and even free shipping on their first order on your website.

Through offering something for free, they will be tempted to use your products and services. Surely, it one of the fastest ways to increase the number of email subscribers. Put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. Of course, you can’t offer something generic. It has to be irresistible!

Your email subscribers should have the potential to be frequent visitors of your website and to be regular customers. They should be people who are interested on what you have to offer. Thinking of the best incentive to lure them in is the key to a successful email list.

Take time in developing a freebie that is related to your website. If it is something unrelated, you are going to attract another set of audience. They will definitely “unsubscribe” the moment they learn about the nature of your business. So, it has to be related to your business, and at the same time, it should be useful to your target audience.

How would you know the ideal incentive for your website?

Simple; you have to ask your audience. Post about it on your website, and do a poll to know what they like the most.

Aside from creating a post on your website, you can also post the same thing on social media. Reach out to your audience in every form you can. You would be surprised on how people would respond to it. Their feedback at this point is very valuable. If they want more videos, then you give them videos. If they want more downloadable content, offer free wallpapers, lockscreen images, and other printables.

The technique here is to ask so you can utilize your resources and skills well in create the perfect incentive for your audience. The incentive should reflect the quality, relevancy, and usability of your business.

Make it tempting, useful, and practical!

Tip #2: Add a way for your email subscribers to get the incentive right away.

Once you have formulated an incentive, you have to make sure they receive it immediately. In another post, I have explored the different options on the Email Marketing Services to Use on Your Website (Part 1)

 

More tips? Tips in Growing Your Email List (Part 2)