Webmastery Logo
 

 

 
 

List Building vs. Search Engine Optimization

List Building vs. Search Engine Optimization: Which One Really Works Better? by Robert Gwuzd © 2004 http://www.opt-insolution.com

It seems the excitement about search engine optimization fades in and out from time to time. The more people talk about search engine optimization (SEO) the more it seems to be the logical choice for bringing customers to your site. However, there are some points that I haven't seen anyone else make as of yet about the effectiveness of SEO versus the effectiveness of building a responsive list. I think you'll be surprised to see which one comes out on top.

Rules and Regulations

There are rules and regulations for almost everything in life. List building and SEO are no different.

Rules for SEO: Your HTML coding has to be just so in order to rank highly on the engines. Your copy (text) also needs to include specific keywords a certain number of times in specific places or you might not be accepted. And if you are accepted, unless you follow all the 'dos' and 'don'ts' of SEO, you'll likely not see the top 10' or even the top 50.

Rules for List Building: Offer a good product or service; notify your list about it, and watch the sales come in.

The Only Constant Is Change

If you do get accepted in the search engines, you might be tempted to rest easy. Don't! As we've seen in recent months, search engines can change their policies and ranking orders at the flip of a switch. If you depend on search engines for all your traffic, such a change could leave you completely out of business. Not good!

Lists on the other hand are built from loyalty' not rules and regulations. The people who subscribe to your list, ezine, or newsletter are there because they want to be. They've come to you because you offer them something of quality' something unique.

If you change the design or copy on your site, it won't matter one bit to the members of your list. They'll still be there for you. If the search engines decide they're only going to list sites that use the colors blue, green, and purple' it won't affect you at all.

Sales vs. Leads

Truth be known, SEO only drives 'leads' to your site' not sales. On the other hand, list building puts your offer in front of those who have already checked you out, decided they liked what you had to say, and chose to stick with you. These are loyal, pre-qualified individuals who are waiting to receive your next mailing and purchase your next product.

Free, Automatic, and Viral

Lastly, list building can be done at no cost. List building can happen automatically and can (and should) be a viral process.

If you produce a quality list that offers something of value, others will want to tell their friends about you. This process of automatic, viral marketing costs you nothing whatsoever and works like a dream because your subscribers are making unsolicited recommendations to those who trust them.

This process not only drives new subscribers to your list, but also ultimately makes new sales for you.

Search engines, on the other hand, do not operate virally. While some are free, many charge for the 'opportunity' to be reviewed for inclusion. Still others charge on a pay-per-click basis, which can get very costly without ever bringing in one sale.

When all is said and done, which one is better? Lists or search engines? While both can have an important role in your marketing plan, if what you're looking for is the generation of more sales' building a responsive list simply can't be beat.

About the author: How - exactly - do you build a list that delivers an automated, consistent, monthly income? Robert Gwuzd and Ian Herculson have teamed up to offer you 'The Opt-In Strategy,' a powerful, FREE EBOOK designed to show you specifically how to build a list of thousands who will consistently buy from you. Best of all' this ebook COSTS YOU NOTHING. Download it now at http://www.opt-insolution.com

Author: Robert Gwuzd

 

Webmastery Logo

 

Being a webmaster is a much more important job than most companies would dare admit. Webmasters are responsible for the company web presence on every level, from the website copy to the web and email server administration. Additionally, webmasters are often tasked even more duties that should be considered unrelated responsibilities for the position of webmaster. These extra duties often will include online as well as offline promotion and marketing, search optimization, advertising, application programming, graphic design and/or brand management. The role of the webmaster has grown over the years and webmasters need to grow with the company's expectations or the website will not succeed. For instance, it is easy to get banned from the search engines for not knowing the correct methods to use to optimize a website for a better results ranking from the search engines for any particular search phrase.

This is why Webmastery is here, not just to offer direction and assist webmasters, but to do so masterfully, as you expect of yourself, or as your company expects out of you.
 

Since I am an American and know only American English and SEO methods, I specialize in American Webmastery. Hence the domain name, Webmastery.US.
 

However, please note that often both sides of the coin are presented here. Some webmasters swear by Linux and we offer articles by such authors to give insight to their creativity. Others are die-hard Microsoft software fans and use Windows based servers. Despite the bias, each system has its own advantages, and such articles are reprinted here for their positive contribution to those platforms, not to enforce their bias. It is we that have to make the final analysis.
 

This difference is even more apparent when I am showcasing and promoting white hat SEO (search engine optimization) and a black hat SEO article is published here, which method if followed could get a website banned from the search engines. The reason I allow it a small platform is to showcase its apparent and obvious idiocy in contrast to white hat SEO techniques. And as I cannot edit these articles in order to correct them, I let their illogicality and stupidity stand on their own for a time without any edits. But in case their spaminess is not apparent, I often do not let such articles stand long.
 

 

Related Webmaster Information & Resource Sites:
Domain Buffs     Parking PPC     PPC Ad Income: Website Monetization     Apache Website Hosting     Design: CSS Websites     foo site: Website Coding     php Web Development     Target: Page 1 Search Result Rankings     Ad Working     Yahooter?