Looking For A WordPress Plugin?

It seems like a new WordPress plugin is released every day.  Some of these plugins simply add a line of text to a post but others can improve a blog’s SEO performance, add subscribers to a mailing list or improve the appearance of a blog.

Whichever way you look at it, if you want to have a successful, self-hosted WordPress blog and attract visitors and subscribers you need to use plugins.

This is where my new website, Shop For Plugins comes in.  It’s a WordPress Plugin Store and it currently has 25 plugins available with a further 10 to be added soon.  The plugins are sorted into categories which are Business, Marketing, Miscellaneous and SEO & Tools.  There are also special offers and featured plugins on the main page.

Visitors can create an account and PayPal is the preferred method of payment.  Most of the plugins are priced much lower than when they were first released and some are discounted by a further 50%.

As you might expect, the plugins come with either PLR or MRR and the zip files contain all the usual things you would find if you downloaded the file from the original product website.

For more information you can follow Shop For Plugins on Twitter or go direct to the website.

Turbo Traffic Tactics – Free Download (No Opt-in Required)

Turbo Traffic Tactics coverIn “Turbo Traffic Tactics” you will discover a few quick and easy ways to get visitors to your website.  You will learn how you can get traffic from places such as Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and Google and how you can create your own “feeder sites” to drive traffic to your main website.

Turbo Traffic Tactics also shows you the best ways to use Safelists, List Builders and Classified Ads websites such as Craigslist.

The reports introduction reminds you that your website or blog is useless if it isn’t receiving traffic. You could have the most attractive graphics, the most interesting articles or the best video or audio but you will be wasting your time if nobody is visiting your site.

I’ve read the report myself and, although I was already using some of the methods, I will now use some of the other methods to drive more traffic to my websites.  Turbo Traffic Tactics is very easy to follow, clearly laid out and you don’t need any special technical skills.

Today you can download Turbo Traffic Tactics for free – I don’t even want your email address or any other personal details.  Just click here and enjoy the report.  If you wish, you can show your appreciation by signing up for my newsletter.  Thanks.

TopTierMailer – The Latest Program From Matthew Graves

TopTierMailer is the latest program from Matthew Graves and is sure to follow the success of his other websites (WebBizInsider, TopTierTraffic and SplashPageSurfer).

As I write this TopTierMailer is only a day old and is experiencing a few technical problems but this is not uncommon for big launches.  New members are still being accepted and you will receive your affiliate URL and login details by email within a few minutes of signing up.

So, what is TopTierMailer all about?  In a nutshell, you earn credits by reading other users’ emails and visiting their websites.  You can then use those credits to send out your emails and websites to other members.

You are probably saying “What’s so unique about that?”  However, TopTierMailer has some features which make it stand out from the crowd.  The most active members who read the most emails and visit the most websites are rewarded in a matrix-like structure.   There is a running leaderboard and the members with the most credits at the end of any week are rewarded by being able to send emails without using credits the following week.

TopTierMailer also allows you to track your emails and see how many were sent, which ones were bounced, which ones were read and which ones were clicked on.  You can also send follow-up emails to users who may or may not have read your last email.  This is a feature which is comparable to some of the best autoresponders.

Finally, as you may have guessed, there are various options to upgrade at TopTierMailer.  I won’t go into those in detail here but Premium members receive substantially more commissions than Free Members for referring new members.  However, those who join for free do receive commissions so it is worthwhile joining TopTierMailer for free and checking it out.

I highly recommend that you take a look at TopTierMailer today!  Remember, as I write this the program is only a day old.

Optin Buzz Optin Page Generator

Optin Buzz Optin Page GeneratorToday, I want to share a free download. Optin Buzz is software which can increase your subscriber optins by 200%.

Optin Buzz works well with almost all of the popular autoresponders and if your autoresponder isn’t listed simply copy and paste your HTML code into the software.  (AWeber is an easy-to-use autoresponder and they are currently offering a 1 month trial for just $1).

Here are some of the features of Optin Buzz:

  • Allows your subscribers to receive their rewards instantly
  • Personalize your salesletter and address your prospects by name
  • Boosts your response rates by at least 30%
  • Add images, videos or audio as a thank you message after your subscriber has opted in
  • And many more features

You also get Giveaway Rights worth $27 which will allow you to pass Optin Buzz on to your subscribers or entice people to opt in to your list.

To download your free software, simply click here and enter your details.  You will receive a link to the download within minutes.

Evolve Theme Update Has Fixed My Blog

I’ve been a big fan of the free version of the Evolve WP Theme by Theme4Press since I started using it in October 2011.

I particularly like the social integration features, the options for placement of advertisements and the clean, modern appearance.

However, a recent update meant I was only able to display one widget in the sidebar and the others appeared centered at the bottom of the page.  I was so disappointed at the thought of having to change my blog theme again and couldn’t find another free theme which gave my blog a similar appearance and similar features to Evolve.

It now seems that the latest update (2.0.4) has fixed these issues and it probably fixed some others that I hadn’t noticed.  I’ll continue to use Evolve and hope that the next update doesn’t undo these fixes.

Google Friend Connect Is Retired

I’m a little late on this but Google Friend Connect was retired on March 1st 2012.

I only realised that something wasn’t quite right when the Google Friend Connect widget stopped displaying on my blog pages. My first thoughts were that it was a problem with my browser (Google Chrome) or my AdBlock extension.

After some searching online I discovered that Google posted on their official blog  regarding this topic in November 2011. I also found a more useful support page which looks like it was created more recently

Google seem to be suggesting that “GFC” users should create a Google+ page as an alternative. However, one of the features that I liked most in GFC was the newsletter feature and this is not available in Google+.

I do have a Google+ page (the link is at the top of this page) but I won’t be using it to replace Google Friend Connect.

Back Online

Last week I experienced the worst thing that can happen to a website owner – my website was hacked.

My first thoughts were that everything had been deleted, passwords had been changed and that my website had been used for illegal purposes such as sending spam.  Then I began thinking about how the hackers actually gained access to my website.  Did they have access to my computer and all the passwords and private information that is stored on it?   It really was a sickening feeling and I never want to experience it again.

Even now, around a week after my website was hacked, I’m still not 100% sure about what the hackers have done.  I got in touch with my hosting providers who provided excellent support and scanned my website for any code that looked suspicious.  They also gave me links and information about what to do after your website has been the victim of hacking.   It appears the hackers targeted my WP theme files in order to display a message about Iran.  This message was easily removed by copying across the original theme file from one of my other blogs.

Needless to say I’m more security conscious after all of this.  I scanned my computer and downloaded KeePass which will enable me to manage the passwords for my online accounts more easily.  I’ve been very lucky.  The hackers could have easily done so much more damage by deleting files or posts or installing viruses.

I’m still left with the feeling that the hackers could strike again but for now I will take action by changing passwords and by following the advice of my hosting provider.

5 Reasons To Provide Good Customer Support

In this blog post I have something I want to get off my chest and it relates to Customer Support.

I recently had a bad experience after buying a script online from a well-known Internet Marketer.  I won’t mention any names here.  The script was a WSO in the Warrior Forum and I paid a little extra for an upgrade which included a “Developers Licence.”  It was only after I installed the script that I found it was encrypted in certain places and the User Manual didn’t give clear instructions on how to edit the script.

After my first request for support I received an email asking for more information and ftp details etc. so I replied and waited for their reply.  After waiting for 2 days I sent the email again but I didn’t get a reply after a further 2 days.  As a last resort I asked for a refund in Paypal and the seller contacted me to resolve the issue after a few hours.

Anyway, this experience has led me to compile this short list of reasons why Customer Support is vital to any online business and it can also apply to offline businesses too.

A Customer May Recommend Your Services or Products

A customer who experiences good customer support may tell their friends, family or even their list of customers/subscribers about their experience and your reputation will grow.

A Customer Is More Likely To Return

A customer will be more confident about buying your products or services if they know they will get a prompt and helpful reply if they need support.

Poor Customer Support Could Lead To Disputes

As my experience shows, poor customer support could lead to disputes with Clickbank or payment processors such as Paypal.  In extreme cases, this could be disastrous for your business.

A Good Reputation On Forums and Twitter

In today’s world of Social Media everyone is sharing their experiences on forums and in Twitter and Facebook.  More and more Internet Marketers are offering their products as WSO’s in The Warrior Forum too therefore it is vital to maintain a good reputation if you want your business to be a success.

Use Customer Support To Build Relationships With Your Customers

A customer may send many emails to you therefore it is possible to build good relationships with them and maybe learn a thing or two from them.  You might also find JV partners or someone who could provide a service to you.

So, that’s the end of my rant.  I hope I’ve been able to show you some of the reasons why it is so important to provide good Customer Support.