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OptinMonster Review: 10 Reasons to Give OptinMonster a Try

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So what exactly is OptinMonster?

OptinMonster is a premium lead generation software that creates eye-catching forms for your website visitors to sign up (or “opt in”) for your email mailing list. Click here for a live OptinMonster pop up form here on this website.

In software industry speak, OptinMonster is a Software as a Service (SaaS) product. What that means, is that OptinMonster is licensed on a subscription basis and it is centrally hosted (translation: you login to your OptinMonster account on their website to design your opt-in forms and to specify where and when the forms then display on your websites).

OptinMonster-Mascot

It is sounds complicated, it is not.  SaaS delivery models are typically more user friendly and the OptinMonster user interface is one of my favorites in the industry.  You’ll love the degree of form customization that OptinMonster offers at your fingertips. While this is a slight learning curve with any new product, you’ll get the hang of it fast even if technology isn’t your thing.

OptinMonster actually did not start out as a SaaS product (you previously had to download and install the software on your own website). Now all you have to install on your website is a plugin (if you are running a standard WordPress website) or to embed some html code (if you are running a more robust WordPress like Rainmaker – which is what this site runs on).  No worries: OptinMonster offers clear instruction on the embed process. I’m not a developer either and it was easy to setup.

How much does OptinMonster cost?

OptinMonster starts at $19/month for the Basic plan while the more robust Pro plan (the one I use and recommend) is $39/month.  You can also save a lot of money by pre-paying for an annual plan (also what I have and recommend).

The cost of an OptinMonster license will likely pay for itself after a short amount of time because professionally designed opt-in forms are proven to significantly grow email lists.

And if you maintain an email marketing list through a company like ConvertKit, then you are able to stay connected to your leads, segment your audience, and share products and services your business offers at the right time and to the right people.

OptinMonster Review: My Lead Generation Lesson Learned

I spent a significant amount of time trying to design my own opt-in forms when I was using Constant Contact (and then AWeber) as my email list provider. The designs were never integrated fully into blog posts and I lost future connections with potential email subscribers. When I researched what successful website and blogs were using, I noticed features such as:

  1. Professionally designed opt-in forms in sidebars and at the end of blog posts
  2. Opt-in pop-ups on mobile devices
  3. Slide-in pop-ups from the right corner of the screen
  4. Pop-ups that display when I am leaving a site
  5. Opt-in bars that go across the site in the header or footer (tip: footer bars are great for mobile devices)

OptinMonster is the only software solution I could find that offered all these features and is compatible with SSL certified web pages (so that I can protect my site visitors’ email addresses when entered into a form).

10 Reasons OptinMonster is the Best Lead Generation Software

    1. Extensive Library

      Select from a high converting template library (you’ll love the variety of form types available).

    2. Point-and-Click Template Builder

      Easily customize forms to match their brands.  See example at the end of this post.

    3. Unlimited site capability (Pro Plan)

      Install OptinMonster forms on multiple sites for your business, family, or even for your clients – which is what I am able to do.

    4. Integrated A/B testing

      Easily determine which opt-in form works the best with built-in Google Analytics.

    5. Exit-Intent Opt-In Forms (Pro Plan)

      Design forms that pop up when a site visitor is about to leave your site my moving the mouse off the screen (you can try it on this page if you are viewing this post on a computer screen).

    6. MonsterLinks 

      Create an effective 2-step opt-in process from a text link (click here for an example) or opt-in button:

       Free Lead Magnet Guide

    7. Mobile Specific Opt-In Forms (Pro Plan)

      Smart technology that allows you to create pop-up messages specifically for your mobile audience. If you are viewing this post on a mobile device, you will likely see it after a slight delay.

    8. Slide-in Pop Up Forms (Pro Plan)

      Non-intrusive Pop-ups that appear in the right corner of the screen of a computer monitor. See example in the bottom right corner if you are viewing this post on a computer screen.

    9. Integration with all major email marketing services and website platforms.

      One-click integration with email services like AWeber, ConvertKit and all major website platform like WordPress, Drupal, Shopify, and Rainmaker.

    10. Page Level Targeting

      Display OptinMonster form only on certain pages and under certain conditions.

Give OptinMonster a Try

OptinMonster offers a 100% no-risk money back guarantee. If you don’t like OptinMonster (although I think you’ll love it too!), you have 14 days to ask for a refund.

Full Transparency: I have a sponsor affiliate relationship with OptinMonster so if you decide to invest in OptinMonster via this link (or any of the OptinMonster links in this post), I am eligible for a nominal thank you bonus (20%) from the good folks at OptinMonster. There is no extra cost to you and your use of my link helps support the Graceful Resources platform.

For the record, I would use OptinMonster even if there was no affiliate program available. It’s that good!

If you become an OptinMonster customer too, I encourage you to set up an affiliate relationship with them as well.

Any Questions about OptinMonster?

If you have any questions about OptinMonster, please let me know via response to the free email mailing list or my contact form. I am here to help.

12 Key Benefits of Leadpages

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Leadpages is an online software company, based in Minneapolis, MN, that specializes in web landing pages and opt-in forms. The company is relatively new (founded in 2012) but has grown to over 150 employees. Leadpages is now recognized as an industry leader in this fast-growing marketing niche.

The company reports over 40,000 customers and 1 million landing pages worldwide.

Leadpages works seamlessly with WordPress websites via a free plugin and customers can create an unlimited number of landing pages and opt-in forms across multiple domains. Landing pages can be used for many purposes such as product launches, live webinars, sales pages, and thank you pages.

Customers are fully permitted to use one Leadpages account for all the websites in their family and lines of business (including client sites), but the number of connections to an email marketing service (like AWeber or ConvertKit)  is limited to one unless you have an Advanced agency plan.

LeadPages_ReviewPricing for LeadPages starts at $25 per month (when paid annually).  The next tier of annual pricing starts at $49/month for the Pro plan. The Pro plan includes Leadlinks, Leaddigits, A/B split testing, and access to their affiliate program.  I use and recommend the annual Pro plan.

12 Key Benefits of Leadpages

Features of this popular web-based service include:

  1. Create an unlimited number of landing pages on Leadpages server and directly on your own hosted website.
  2. Integration with all major email service providers (including ConvertKit which I now use and recommend).
  3. Capability to create landing pages as seamless GoToWebinar registration pages.
  4. Automatic re-direction of traffic that lands on your old landing pages or 404 error pages to new landing pages.
  5. Extensive library of available landing page templates sorted by best conversation rates in the industry.
  6. Landing page designs that are mobile responsive and compatible with Facebook.
  7. Built-in split testing capability to monitor which opt-in lead pages work best for your website.
  8. Leadbox pop-up windows that appear when your website visitors choose to select a link or image to discover more about your platform or to sign up for your mailing list.  Leadboxes can also be integrated with sites that run on the Rainmaker Platform.
  9. Leadlinks capability to connect your existing subscribers to a Leadpage for a webinar, etc (existing subscribers don’t have to re-confirm their identity).  This feature is available with the Pro plan.
  10. Leaddigits capability to capture opt-in leads via a SMS text message (great option if you are speaking to an in-person audience). For example, you could advise your audience to text the word “slides” to a Leadpages issued phone number to receive a copy of your presentation.  This feature is available with the Pro plan.
  11. Very responsive and helpful customer service via their email support ticket system. I’ve used it often on behalf of my business and for clients.
  12. Upload and automatically deliver a “lead magnet” (e.g. free ebook incentive) from your Leadpages account.

Note: This option is not compatible with a double opt-in subscription model because double opt-in means subscribers re-confirm their subscription request via email after they fill out an online form. I recommend using a double opt-in model with the “lead magnet” delivered after email confirmation to minimize spam, but it is not required.

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My Lesson Learned

I spent a significant amount of time trying to design my own opt-in forms when I was using Constant Contact as my email marketing service.  The forms looked unprofessional and delivered poor results.  When I switched to AWeber as my email marketing service, I used opt-in plugins like Pippity and OptinSkin to generate leads, but the results were still not favorable.

While the opt-in designs looked better, they were never effectively integrated into blog posts and web pages, and I was frustrated by the difficulty to add background images to opt-in forms. When I researched what successful websites were using, I noticed other features such as:

  1. Landing pages for specific events (e.g. webinars) or promotional videos.
  2. Opt-in boxes with professional background images that appeared over the screen (called lightboxes) when I clicked on an opt-in button or link.
  3. Professionally designed opt in forms in sidebars and at the end of blog posts.
  4. Opt-in pop ups on mobile devices.
  5. Pop ups that display when I am leaving a site.

This led me first and foremost to the discovery of Leadpages which is not free, but the cost of not generating new leads (and then new customers) each month on dedicated and intentionally-clear landing pages is even more expensive for any part-time or full-time entrepreneur.  Leadpages is also a great resource to use if your website is under development (or going through an extreme makeover).  With Leadpages, you can redirect your domain name to your temporary landing page through LeadPages. That way, you are still building your email list even without a live website.

Full Transparency

I have an affiliate relationship with Leadpages so if you decide to invest in Leadpages via this link (or any of the Leadpages links in this post), I am eligible for a commission from the good folks in Minneapolis at Leadpages. There is no extra cost to you and your use of my affiliate link helps support the growth of Graceful Resources.

If you start using Leadpages, I would encourage you to set up an affiliate relationship with them as well.  You’ll want to spread the word too.  The software and customer support is that good, and I would use and recommend it even if there was no affiliate program.

What questions do you have about LeadPages?

If you have any questions about LeadPages, please let me know via response to the free Graceful Journal email mailing list or my contact form.  I am here to help.

Why ConvertKit may be the Best Email Marketing Software for Entrepreneurs

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ConvertKit is in a crowded marketplace of email marketing software services.  You may already be familiar with some of the other popular brand names in this space:

  1.  ActiveCampaign
  2. AWeber
  3. Constant Contact
  4. Emma
  5. GetResponse
  6. iContact
  7. InfusionSoft
  8. Mad Mimi
  9. MailChimp
  10. VerticalResponse

I’ve personally used AWeber, ConstantContact, and MailChimp. I like them all. They’re not perfect. No software solution is, but they all do their core responsibility as advertised: They securely maintain your email mailing list and allow you to distribute marketing messages to these contacts.

I’m not going to try to convince you that ConvertKit is the best email marketing software on the planet.  One size does not fit all small businesses. But I am here to try to tell you that ConvertKit may be the best email marketing service for entrepreneurs in the digital economy. I specifically mean people like you and me who are trying to gracefully profit from our passion in life, and who attract an authentic audience by creating and sharing valuable blog content.

ConvertKit_CoverLongBorder

ConvertKit is not the cheapest nor is it the most expensive email marketing service in the marketplace (it starts at $29/month for your first 1000 subscribers).

What it does offer is the user friendliness of MailChimp with a lot of the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) capabilities of InfusionSoft.

It’s user interface is almost too simple to be a powerful resource to segment and tag your email mailing list subscribers for strategic growth. But when you immerse yourself in complexity for so long (like I have a bad habit of doing), you expect things to be difficult to be good.

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ConvertKit Makes It Easy

Here are eight benefits of ConvertKit that are worth checking out.

You’ll be charged $29 to open a ConvertKit account, but you have 30 days to cancel your account and receive a refund. For $1 per day, it may be the smartest software test month of your entrepreneurial journey (along with 14 days to try out Rainmaker Platform which I am growing more in love with by the week).

  1. Only One List 

    Unlike email marketing services likes AWeber and MailChimp that charge you per email per list (even if it is the same email address), ConvertKit only charges you once per email because there is only one list. All subscribers to your mailing list have their unique profile where you can tag and segment them with ease. ConvertKit makes it easy.

  2. Nice Looking Opt-in Forms  

    One of my biggest frustrations with  AWeber is that their opt-in forms are well unattractive out of the box and difficult to configure.  Yes, you can customize them if you know what you’re doing (or use an opt-in designer tool like OptinMonster), but doesn’t it make sense to be able to make attractive opt-in forms if you are just starting out? ConvertKit makes it easy.

  3. Built-in Landing Page Templates

    This is a very nice and unexpected benefit of ConvertKit.  Landing page templates allow you to create an entire page dedicated to your opt-in. This is a feature you can pay separately for with software like LeadPages.  You can host your landing page with ConvertKit at no extra cost or on your own site.  ConvertKit makes it easy.

  4. Easy-to-Follow Autoresponder Sequences

    Autoresponders is a term for an automated sequence of emails you can send out to your subscribers. ConvertKit makes the process intuitive by displaying all of your email messages in one view in your account dashboard. You can even drag and drop your messages to change the sequence. ConvertKit makes it easy.

  5. Broadcasting While Excluding

    Broadcast emails are one-time messages that can be written and distributed at any time to your subscriber list.  Since you only have one list, ConvertKit makes it easy to send a broadcast while excluding certain segments of your list. For example, you way want to send out a notice about a sale on one of your products, but you don’t want to send it to customers who have already purchased the product. ConvertKit makes it easy.

  6. Tagging Based on Your Subscribers’ Activity

    ConvertKit lets you tag (and then segment) potential leads in your subscriber list based on their activity on your website or through your email message. For example, you may include a link in one of your ConvertKit emails to assess interest in a new product. If one of your subscribers clicks on the link, ConvertKit can automatically tag that person as being interested. ConvertKit makes it easy.

  7. Easy to Understand Analytics

    When you login to your ConvertKit account, you will see an easy-to-understand subscriber graph that shows you by the day which forms are growing your subscriber list. ConvertKit makes it easy.

  8. Integration with Other Software Applications (including the Rainmaker Platform)

    ConvertKit integrates directly with other software apps like LeadPages, OptinMonster, Shopify, and countless other apps like Typeform through Zapier. ConvertKit is also one of of only a handful of email marketing services that have been selected to integrate directly with the Rainmaker Platform.  If you are a serious about creating and sharing content online through a blog, podcast, course, etc., ConvertKit coupled with Rainmaker is a powerful combination (and Rainmaker is the foundation for this website – here’s why).  If you want to maximize email opt ins, I also use OptinMonster on this site (here’s why).

ConvertKit is designed for entrepreneurs in the digital economy

If you are serious about profiting from your passion in the world, I encourage you to try out ConvertKit for yourself. I’m confident you will be happy with all that it can for you and for your customers. ConvertKit makes it easy.

Savings Opportunities

  1. If you prepay for a full year of ConvertKit (click here to get started), you can get 12 months for the price of 10 months (this is what I opted for).
  2. If you use this other promotional link, you can fully test out ConvertKit free of charge for the first month.

Full Transparency

I have an affiliate relationship with ConvertKit so if you decide to invest in ConvertKit via this link (or other ConvertKit links in this post), I am eligible for a commission from the good folks in Idaho at ConvertKit. There is no extra cost to you and your use of my affiliate link helps support the growth of Graceful Resources.

If you start using ConvertKit, I would encourage you to set up an affiliate relationship with them as well.  You’ll want to spread the word too.  The software is that good, and I would use and recommend it even if there was no affiliate program.

What questions do you have about ConvertKit?

Please let me know via response to the free Graceful Journal email mailing list or my contact form. I am here to help.

10 Reasons StudioPress Offers the Best WordPress Themes

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Before I share ten reasons why StudioPress offers the best WordPress themes, let me tell you my story.

My very first website was for a product I created called Interview Angel in 2008. I did not know anything about websites (only that I needed one to sell my product online). So I paid a talented graphics designer to create the layout for the website. She did an admirable job for me back in the day when the vast majority of web traffic was through computer browsers (today it is through mobile devices).

I then paid a web developer to code the design layout into a website.  The site was not built on WordPress and it was quickly overwhelmed with security attacks.  By this point, I was already out of pocket several thousand dollars and fighting spam every week.

After about a year, I decided to then hire someone to convert the site to a WordPress framework. Total additional cost: $3000. The site looked the same (which was what I wanted) and it was now more secure.  Unfortunately, the fact that it was not a mobile responsive design made it essentially unusable on mobile devices.

From that point forward, I set out to learn how to design in WordPress myself.

The first professional WordPress theme I then invested in was Standard Theme, developed by a reputable team of four developers in Atlanta. They had over a thousand customers, but one day, the team decided to just call it quits. No warning. They just walked away from their customers to follow other pursuits. Since that moment, I learned never to invest in a team that small. If you are considering a WordPress theme run by a couple people, you are taking on a lot of unnecessary extra risk.

Now in search of a new WordPress theme provider, I searched Google for answers (as you may being doing right now). I asked in forums and all signs pointed to one company: Copyblogger Media (now known as Rainmaker Digital) and their trademark StudioPress line of premium WordPress themes.  The number of sites worldwide that are based on StudioPress themes is now approximately 200,000.  Here are ten reasons why it is so popular and I use and recommend it for all of my sites.

10 Reasons StudioPress Offers the Best WordPress Themes

  1. Search Engine Optimization – State-of-the art code and smart design architecture means search engine see your content. Studiopress is actually an entire library of premium themes that all run on the industry-recognized Genesis framework.
  2. Responsive Mobile (HTML5) Designs – WordPress sites than run on Genesis and a StudioPress child theme are automatically mobile responsive. What that means is that when people visit your site on their phone, the site automatically adjusts the layout to be mobile friendly for them.  StudioPress themes are also designed to look professionally across multiple browsers and new ones are released every year. It just works perfectly.
  3.  Unlimited Websites – Once you buy the Genesis Framework and your first child theme (for about $100), you can use that theme on any number of sites you want for yourself, your family, and even for your clients as I do.  And if decide you want to refresh the look and feel of a site, you can install a new StudioPress child theme that runs on the same Genesis framework.
  4. Airtight Security – StudioPress themes are designed (and regularly updated) for your protection.  The Genesis framework follows WordPress security best practices and integration with security plugins like Akismet to filter out spam are seamless.
  5. Instant Updates –  The company behind StudioPress regularly code, test and communicate updates to its Genesis framework so that your site remains current and safe. And these updates are available free of charge to customers and appear automatically in your WordPress dashboard.
  6. Customizable and Fast  – StudioPress sites are designed to be fully customizable. You can switch the theme color for example in an instant. Not happy with the sequence of content on your homepage in your child theme template? You can move them around.  The Genesis framework is also designed to be clean code that does not bloat your site leading to extra page load delays.
  7.  Widgets and Layout Options – Widgets are the term for sections of code that are inserted into your WordPress layout. But as a WordPress user, you don’t need to actually code and StudioPress themes have several built-in custom widgets such as widgets to display post excerpts and an image thumbnail.
  8. Extensive Support Forum  – StudioPress customers get access to an extensive community of website owners and developers. If you run into a problem with your site, changes are someone has a solution for you.
  9. Solid Documentation and Customer Support – There is a learning curve to WordPress and to applying a theme to showcase your business online. StudioPress has a solid library of resources whether you are the do-it-yourself type or whether you prefer to take control of your site after a web designer (like me) sets everything up on your behalf.
  10. Compatible with the Rainmaker Platform  – The Genesis framework is also the foundation for the Rainmaker Platform, a complete turn-key WordPress solution available from the same company.  Depending on your goals, Rainmaker may be your best WordPress starting point (here are 10 Reasons to Try Out Rainmaker). But if you start out with a self-hosted WordPress website based on a StudioPress theme (you can now seamlessly do so through the new StudioPress Sites solution), it can more easily be converted into a Rainmaker Platform site or vice versa.

The Best WordPress Theme – In Summary

In summary, the best WordPress theme isn’t technically one theme.

It’s an entire library of premium themes from StudioPress, all of which run on the award-winning Genesis framework.

Once you invest in StudioPress for about $130, you can purchase new child themes as a returning customer for about $55 each. You also have the option to purchase a license for all StudioPress themes, for access now and for all future releases in the future. That’s what I have for my family and for my clients. If you are a Rainmaker customer (and I am as well as shared in this post), you automatically gain access to a full library of StudioPress child themes.

New for 2017: Rainmaker Digital launched StudioPress Sites, a solution that integrates StudioPress themes and managed WordPress hosting. It’s worth considering as an alternative to a StudioPress themed site hosted with another reputable host company like WP Engine.

A noteworthy benefit of StudioPress Sites is that it includes the company’s Content Optimizer tool (formerly known as Scribe Content) – Rainmaker Platform includes this tool too. Content Optimizer helps you optimize blog posts for search engine keywords.

For your reference, this site is based on the Digital Pro Theme from StudioPress, but runs on the Rainmaker Platform.

Final Note: New child themes that run on Genesis get released to StudioPress first and are then later offered within the Rainmaker Platform.  Child themes that are designed by third party developers are not included in the Rainmaker Platform (only child themes designed by the team at Rainmaker Digital).

Full Transparency

I have an affiliate relationship with StudioPress so if you decide to invest in StudioPress via this link (or any of the StudioPress links in this post), I am eligible for a commission from the good folks at StudioPress. There is no extra cost to you and your use of my affiliate link helps support the growth of Graceful Resources.

If you start using StudioPress, I would encourage you to set up an affiliate relationship with them as well.  You’ll want to spread the word too.  The software is that good, and I would use and recommend it even if there was no affiliate program.

What questions do you have about StudioPress?

If you have any questions about StudioPress (or the Rainmaker Platform from the same company) please let me know via response to the free Graceful Resources email mailing list or my contact form.  I am here to help.

Why I Switched from Bluehost to GoDaddy to WP Engine

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Managed WordPress Hosting Lessons Learned

For several years, I used a shared hosting plan through GoDaddy for several websites. Site performance and technical support was generally acceptable for my number of site visitors but I now use and recommend WP Engine (more on all the reasons why in a moment).

As I learned more about online content marketing, my blog posts got better. This led to a couple blog posts going viral across LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. This growth in turn caused my site to crash temporarily at the worst possible time.

To better prepare for my next blog launch, I evaluated the shared (c-panel) hosting plan through Bluehost. The performance was even worse so I switched back to GoDaddy to try their new shared (c-panel) hosting plan.

The performance was equally disappointing.

(First Lesson Learned: Avoid the lowest shared hosting cost plans.  There’s a reason it costs less than $10 per month.)

Thereafter, I researched managed WordPress hosting plans instead and invested in GoDaddy again because cost was the driving factor.  Since GoDaddy was new to the Managed WordPress Hosting space at the time, their pricing was the lowest compared to WP Engine and Bluehost (it still is).

Once I experienced the website response time of Managed WordPress Hosting, I was very pleased. The difference in page load time was clear from day one.

However, my site on GoDaddy kept going down almost daily and this was before I even spread the word about my new site. Furthermore, when I called their tech support, I often waited 20 minutes or longer to speak to a live person (who may or may have been an expert in WordPress installations.)

(Second Lesson Learned: Partner with a hosting company that specializes in WordPress installations and one that you can reach a live person when needed.)

If you are considering using Bluehost, I strongly recommend their Managed WordPress Hosting solution called Optimized Hosting for WordPress, and not their basic $3.99/month shared hosting plan.  If you are using GoDaddy because of cost, select their Managed WordPress Hosting service.  WP Engine though is a safer investment, in my opinion, based on my research and customer experience.

Update (Summer 2016):  For the record, I regularly work with GoDaddy for clients and I want to give credit for their warm customer service. Their staff are well trained in phone manners and the response time to get someone on the phone has dramatically improved (I typically wait less than three minutes).  My experience with Bluehost in terms of wait time is now the opposite.  Their queue to talk to someone is often more than 20 minutes. I know it can be a reflection of peak customer service, but I’ve never waited more than 1 minute to speak with someone at WP Engine.

When I consider how much my family pays per month to the wireless company for our smart phones or to the broadband company for our internet and television, the monthly cost of a managed hosting plan through WP Engine or even an all-in-one web solution like Rainmaker, is a lot less, and worth every penny for the peace of mind.

I’ve included more information on the differences between WP Engine and Rainmaker in the Managed WordPress Hosting 101 section below.

WP Engine Summary

WP Engine, based in Austin, Texas, is the largest fully managed WordPress (WP) platform provider in the world.  WP Engine services more than 200,000 domains for 30,000 clients in 120 countries.

Tech support is available 24×7 and all staff are subject matter experts in WordPress installations.  Phone support is offered to Professional Plan customers and chat support to Personal Plan subscribers. (Off the record, they can help a Personal Plan subscriber on the phone too if needed.)

WP Engine only hosts WordPress sites and they deliver exceptional performance for customers in the areas of website scalability, speed, and security.

Personal plans for one website through WP Engine start at $29/month for one WordPress installation.  Each additional site is only $14.95/month.  WP Engine offers a 60-day risk-free money back guarantee and there are no annual contract requirements.

Customers can also get two months for free if they prepay for an entire year.

WP Engine Managed WordPress Hosting

WP Engine Key Benefits

WP Engine WordPress Hosting offers the following key benefits:

  1. Custom-built EverCache Technology to speed up the delivery of content on websites. No separate caching plugins needed.
  2. Security scanning for hacking attempts to secure customer sites. If site is ever hacked, WP Engine will fix it for free.
  3. Proactive installation of WordPress security updates.
  4. Automatic daily site backups that can be restored to a site in a moment.  Customers can also create a manual backup of their entire site at any time (and it only takes a minute to do) and then restore their entire site to that snapshot just as quickly. This is one of my favorite features of the WP Engine customer dashboard and it has come in handy a lot.
  5. Over 100 of WP Engine’s 270 employees are dedicated to WordPress technical support for customers.
  6. WordPress Multisite capabilities for Professional Plans and above.
  7. Proprietary LargeFS Storage feature that extends customer local file storage into Amazon S3, thus creating practically infinitely sized storage for customers.
  8. Only managed WordPress hosting platform with Git for version control fully integrated with WordPress. This staging environment allows customers to safely test new plugins or updates before pushing changes to the web.  This is a big deal.
  9. Library of resources for customers to enable WordPress best practices.

Managed WordPress Hosting 101

In a Managed WordPress environment, you are only sharing your site with other WordPress blogs.

Think of a Managed WordPress environment like a planned community for homes. In a planned community, there are rules for all homeowners that restrict some choices (e.g. no plastic pink flamingos in the front yard), but it protects the value of other homes. Accordingly, it costs more to live there.

A Shared C-Panel hosting environment, on the other hand, is like living in an apartment complex. It’s very crowded and you never know what type of music your next door neighbor likes. If it’s loud, it impacts where you live too.

Following the same analogy for Managed WordPress, another option to consider is the Rainmaker Platform (especially if you have only one site, you are planning to offer digital products or courses on a membership-based site, and you’ve never used WordPress (so you don’t need to unlearn the native WordPress interface).

Rainmaker is owned and operated by Rainmaker Digital (same company that offers the StudioPress themes I use and recommend when hosted on WP Engine).  New for 2017: Rainmaker Digital launched  StudioPress Sites, a solution that integrates StudioPress themes and managed WordPress hosting. The Rainmaker Platform, in contrast, is a complete custom-designed turn-key WordPress solution (and it includes their Managed WordPress hosting solution called Synthesis).

Think of Rainmaker like owning a fully-furnished vacation home that includes all maintenance, security and cleaning services. It’s not inexpensive real estate, but it does offer extra peace of mind so that you can focus on a great vacation experience for you and your guests.  The rules to live here are also stricter.  Rainmaker does not allow customers to install their own WordPress plugins such as those from LeadPages and OptinMonster to attract more subscribers to your email lists (although there are still ways to integrate them into Rainmaker as I do), but they do have a lot of common plugin features built-in to the platform.

This site runs on the Rainmaker Platform and I could have matched the exact same look and feel of this site on a self-hosted WP Engine site, but since I also recommend Rainmaker (here are more details as to why), it is appropriate for me to be paying for it and putting it to practice myself.

For comparison, here is an example of WordPress sites that I set up for my family or clients on WP Engine:

  1. LilyPetersonPhotography.com
  2. HomeschoolersofWyoming.org
  3. AtleeLittleLeague.org

Full Transparency

I have an affiliate relationship with WP Engine so if you decide to invest in WP Engine via this link (or any of the WP Engine links in this post), I am eligible for a commission from the good folks in Austin at WP Engine. There is no extra cost to you and your use of my affiliate link helps support the growth of Graceful Resources.

If you start using WP Engine, I would encourage you to set up an affiliate relationship with them as well.  You’ll want to spread the word too.  The hosting is that good, and I would use and recommend it even if there was no affiliate program.

What questions do you have about WP Engine, Rainmaker, or WordPress hosting in general?

Please let me know via response to the free Graceful Resources email mailing list or my contact form. I am here to help.

10 Reasons to Try Out Rainmaker

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The Rainmaker Platform is a complete online turn-key solution from Rainmaker Digital (formerly Copyblogger Media) for entrepreneurs who are serious about succeeding in the digital economy.

Think of it like owning a fully-furnished vacation home that includes all maintenance, security and cleaning services. It’s not inexpensive real estate, but it does offer peace of mind so that you can focus on a great vacation experience for you and your guests.

Your property, whether we are talking about real estate or a website, can also grow significantly in value over time if operated professionally.

If the thought of patching together multiple pieces of technology to run your online business would keep you up at night, Rainmaker is worth trying out.

Consider what is included with Rainmaker (and this isn’t everything):

  1. A library of professional StudioPress themes to use.
  2. Top-notch secure hosting for your website.
  3. SSL certification for secure customer navigation and transactions on your site.
  4. Unique WordPress interface that is relatively easy to navigate and operate (especially for entrepreneurs who have not used the  native WordPress dashboard).
  5.  All technical maintenance for WordPress updates and built-in plugins.
  6.  Integrated Learning Management System (LMS) for online courses.
  7. Members-only features for your customers (e.g. access to digital downloads and courses).
  8. Landing Page creator (comparable to Leadpages).
  9. Fully integrated email marketing (works seamlessly with AWeber, Constant Contact, ConvertKit (what I use and recommend – here’s why), MailChimp, and Infusionsoft. Rainmaker also now has its own integrated mail service called RainMail that is free for Rainmaker customers for up to 999 unique emails on your mailing list.)
  10. A library of marketing and how-to resources to build your platform.
  11. Exclusive access to an online community of other Rainmaker users. This is a great forum to ask questions.
  12. Friendly and helpful customer support if you ever get stuck.

Customers can give Rainmaker a test drive for 14 days.  After that, the complete professional package is $145 – $165 per month. If you add up all the costs of running a website (e.g. software, WordPress hosting, email marketing, landing pages), it can actually be a big savings for your small business.

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If you are planning to offer online courses, then you can really come out ahead financially because Rainmaker has that covered too with its own integrated Learning Management System (LMS).

Most reputable LMS software services like Teachable.com, Thinkific.com and NewKajabi.com will run you at least $100/month for their professional plans.  With Rainmaker, your customers never have to leave your site for a consistent and integrated experience and it is included in your account.

10 Reasons to Try Out Rainmaker

  1. Secure website hosting and performance.
  2. Design tools to create and modify a WordPress website that looks equally great on computer screens and mobile devices.
  3. Content creation tools for text, audio, video, and graphical messages.
  4. Search engine optimization recommendations (through the proprietary Scribe Content software). This feature is big (I once paid $47/month just for this SEO software).
  5. Lead generation tools via email integration and membership pages.
  6. Easy to access metrics about your site’s business performance.
  7. Extensive library of marketing webinars to build your business.
  8. SSL Certificate included for secure payment transactions with customers (another cost saving with Rainmaker).
  9. Integrated Learning Management System (LMS) to host your own online courses.
  10. Landing page creator for sales pages, opt-ins, and call to action opportunities. You can even set your Rainmaker site to display your own custom landing page while your site is being developed or under maintenance.

My Lesson Learned

I’m now on my fifth WordPress website with GracefulResources.com for my own platform, and I now professionally design and integrate sites for clients. Over the past eight years, I’ve certainly learned a lot about setting up and maintaining business and community websites.

It’s a rewarding experience to do-it-yourself, but it is also brutally time-consuming. The online rules of engagement continue to change and I am forced to learn something new technically-speaking almost every week. I enjoy it, but it is hard work.

The Rainmaker Platform launched publicly in 2014, and if had been around previously, I would have likely used Rainmaker exclusively for my family’s websites.  I now highly recommend it for clients and prefer to use Rainmaker (over native WordPress) when setting up their sites for long-term growth and impact.

Discover More About Our Project Work

Rainmaker was created by Rainmaker Digital (the same team behind the StudioPress Genesis framework and child themes, Scribe Content software, and the Authority content marketing training, all resources I use and recommend).

There is still a lot to be learned about blogging, content creation, product development and online marketing. Thankfully, Rainmaker allows customers to focus more on that business learning curve, and not on the technical one.

Give It a Try

If you are the fence about Rainmaker, I encourage you to give it a try for two weeks for free (no credit card required) so that you can make an informed decision.

This site runs on Rainmaker so I am a customer too. I trust it for my long-term growth and I think you will too.

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Savings Opportunity

If you prepay for a year of Rainmaker (click here to get started), you receive almost two months free of charge per year.

Full Transparency

I have an affiliate relationship with Rainmaker so if you decide to invest in Rainmaker via this link (or any of the Rainmaker links in this post), I am eligible for a commission from the good folks at Rainmaker. There is no extra cost to you and your use of my affiliate link helps support the growth of Graceful Resources.

If you start using Rainmaker, I would encourage you to set up an affiliate relationship with them as well.  You’ll want to spread the word too.  The software is that good, and I would use and recommend Rainmaker even if there was no affiliate program. But simply one referral per month will cover your software cost of this powerful platform.

What questions do you have about Rainmaker?

Please let me know via response to the free Graceful Journal email mailing list or my contact form.  I am here to help.

If you end up building your website through Rainmaker via my affiliate link, please drop me a note.  I am happy to take a look at your new site and to offer you feedback to help grow your online business operation.