OptinMonster ULTIMATE WordPress Plugin

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Does WordPress need another premium optin form plugin? Syed from WP Beginner and Thomas Griffin, creator of the super popular Soliloquy slider plugin seem to think so and have entered the already busy marketplace with OptinMonster. We had a chance to take it for a spin, and you can see our more than comprehensive OptinMonster Review below.

The Ultimate OptinMonster Review

This lead generation plugin was released last month and is already getting reviews from a whole slew of  WordPress news and review sites. But as we’ve shown with past reviews, 300 words just doesn’t cut it on the WP Site Care blog. We’re going deep with this review to see how this new venture stacks up against other offerings. Its sole purpose is to help you build that email list and build it fast. Because as we know, a strong email list can be a big driver for your future sales. And you like sales. I can tell you do.

But is it worth your money and does it bring anything new to the table?

Features and Usage

OptinMonster uses optin forms in an attempt to turn your readers and visitors into subscribers. The plugin provides out of the box integration with the most popular email marketing services which makes the setup process very simple. The sales page of the plugin boasts a 60 second setup time and I can accept that. You will want to spend more on customizing and creating the forms in order for them to fit in with your site and your content.

But Everybody Hates Popups, Right?

Many bloggers and user experience commentators throw down and discount popups in a hurry. We hate them, right? Of course we hate them, but the reality is that for casual browser of the web, they work. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked over my dad’s shoulder while he’s browsing the web and seen him give his email address away. He drops that thing like it’s his special way to make new friends.

While we may hate them, they are still amazingly effective at capturing email addresses. In one case study, admittedly from the creators of OptinMonster, the plugin increased email subscribers by 600%, going from 70-80 new subscribers a day, to around 445 to 470.

This collection of popup case studies cites numbers anywhere from 200% to over 1000% increase in optin rates when a popup is used.

Feature List

The plugin features are spread across three different pricing plans (more on those later). A quick overview of those features is as follows:

• Create unlimited forms for use on different parts of your site
• Built-in analytics and reporting: see which type of form is converting best
• A/B testing: test different forms against each other to see which styles work best on your site
• Page level targeting: show certain forms on specific pages
• Optin types: range of different design options available depending on price plan

Perhaps the most important feature of this plugin and what separates it from the competition is the ‘exit intent’ technology. OptinMonster claims that ‘70% of site visitors who abandon your site never return’. With the premium priced exit intent feature, the plugin will detect when a user is about to leave your site, and then launch the popup optin window.

This is a great feature to have because you can set the plugin to only show the signup form when a user is about to leave your site. People who are enjoying your content can just keep on enjoying it without disruptions, only those who are leaving will get the popup treatment. Of course you still run the risk of annoying the deserters, but they were already leaving, and with 70% never coming back again, they’re fair game, right? Listen to me talking about readers like they’re pieces of meat

The exit intent technology is billed as being able to ‘detect visitor behavior and prompt them with a targeted campaign at the precise moment they are about to leave’. The first thing I did after reading that was put on my tinfoil hat and check my office for bugs. That level of artificial intelligence seemed extremely sophisticated for a WordPress Plugin. However, upon closer inspection, instead of using some type of magical netbot to track my movements, it looks like the plugin detects when your mouse cursor leaves the page area of the browser and then fires up the popup. While this isn’t quite the same level of mind reading I envisioned, it is a pretty good indicator of when someone is about to leave your site.

If you choose not to upgrade to the premium exit intent technology, or just not use it on your site, the alternative is to display the form instantly or after a delay of an interval of your choosing, which is more or less par for the course.

OptinMonster Setup

Setting up the plugin is very easy. Like, crazy easy. The core features are included in one plugin file, and the optional extras, which are related to the additional optin types and the exit intent functionality, are installed with extra files.  Once installed, a new menu item is added to the WordPress dashboard side menu. This contains a link to the dashboard for the plugin and a notification area for available updates. This is a good idea because it allows you to easily keep the plugin up-to-date as bugs are ironed out and new features are added. In the past month they’ve already released a few new new addons and released a number of bug fixes. They’re obviously serious about getting this plugin right.

Author note: In speaking with Thomas at Pressnomics last week, it sounds like they have plans of integrating the installation of add-ons right into the WordPress dashboard, which is a huge win over uploading a bunch of extra plugin files.