by Katherine Andes
Personally, I’ve always found the practice of double opt-in for commercial email list building incredibly annoying.
Double opt-in is when a prospect goes to your site, loves your products or services, and signs up for your e-newsletter, which promises special decor tips, furniture cleaning tips, coupons, and sales notices.
It’s been a web “best practice” that to keep your email list “clean” and discourage spammers you should choose a double opt-in system.
So when your prospect gives you her precious email address, you then send a confirming email with a link in it to her. In order for her to get your e-newsletter — which, remember, she said she already wanted — she has to take another two steps: open an email and click on a link.
By the time she goes back to her email, she may not remember you, the email may have gone to her spam folder, or she may change her mind thinking she already has too much email (I’ve done that one myself).
She never clicks on that link and you have just lost a hard-won email address. Up to 25% of would-be subscribers fall off in the double opt-in process.
When I set up my own commercial email list I was strongly advised to have a double opt-in. But since I personally hated having to click twice, I didn’t do it. I’m glad I didn’t. Over the years, I have had no problems with spammers or anything weird at all going on with my email list.
Now according to Internet expert Ross Lasley of the Internet Educator, the “web best practice” double opt-in advice is fast going the way of the dinosaur. To read his post on the issue, click here.
Easy Furniture Web Tip #98: There is absolutely no need for double opt-in. It costs you customers. If you already have it activated, turn it off.
Katherine Andes is a consultant who specializes in writing custom content for key web pages, including search engine optimization (SEO) — especially in the home improvement market. You can phone her at 559.589.0379 or email at Kathy@AndesAndAssociates.com.