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 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. For more help visit to: www.build-huge-list.com.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.

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.

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, for more detail go to: www.email-auto-format.com.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.

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.

Experienced marketers, business owners, and entrepreneurs know that their mailing lists are among their most valuable assets. A list or targeted prospects is gold and can easily be transmuted into money through a simple email. Super internet marketers can generate hundreds of thousands of dollars with their mailings, and they can do so again and again from a single list. If you are serious about making money as an internet entrepreneur, you need to take your list building very seriously. Here are some tips…

#1- Master Search Engine Optimization for Free Website Traffic
To build a large list, you are obviously going to need to have a lot of people visit your webpages. The search engines are a great source of free, targeted, motivated, automatic traffic. Anyone doing business or marketing online needs to master the art of search engine optimization and marketing. Doing this will give you a huge advantage throughout the rest of your online career.

#2- Create Your Own Products to Promote (ebooks, newsletters, courses, software, etc)
It is easiest to obtain the names and email addresses of your webpage visitors if you offer them something of value for free. But obviously if it costs you too much to give something away for free, your advertising bill could go overboard. Creating your own “info products” like ebooks and newsletters allows you to offer something free that does not cost you anything.

#3- Diversify Your Income Streams by Marketing Niche Related Affiliate Products
A list is great because it allows you to generate passive income. A single list can be used to generate income over, and over, and over again. But because your list will include the same people (and hopefully constant newcomers) you will want to have a variety of niche related products and services to promote. A good affiliate program can give you the necessary monetization options to make your list profitable. But producing and promoting your own products will always be the most profitable simply because you get 100% of the sale.

#4- Offer Bundled Deals to Enhance Income Per Sale and Overall Revenue
It is in human nature to want a good deal, which is why people seem to gravitate towards bundled products and services. When you sell products and services and bundle them to sale at a reduced price, everyone wins. Your customers will get a better deal, but they will usually end up spending more money than had they bought a single product. You can more easily up-sell when you have package deals to offer.

#5- Practice Copy Writing to Write Persuasive, Interesting, Informative Emails
If your email list is long, sales will be generated even with amateur level advertising copy. But well written copy can dramatically increase the return you have on your mailings. Unless you are going to hire out someone to write your mailings, start learning and practicing the art of writing great ad copy.

#6- Don’t Over Promote. You Want to Earn From Your List For Years, So Don’t Go Crazy
If you send out 10 mailing a day, you may make some money early on, but quickly your well will dry up. People do not like to be harassed. Overusing your mailing list is not a good idea, and neither is aimless promotion. Integrate usable information throughout your mailings to keep people coming back for more.