What are opt-in rates? Opt-in rates refer to visitors to a website who opt for their email ID to be added to your database. This may be achieved via providing them freebies or newsletters or even free crash e-courses that arrive at their Inbox every week on a particular day.

Why opt-in rates are so great Opt-in rates can dramatically increase a website's customer base. By adding more and more email IDs to one's existing database, a website can utilize this database of contacts for future promotional events or for any future marketing campaigns. A customer base is a highly useful and effective tool that can significantly increase profits of a company over time.

Tips to improve opt-in rates With rising fraud and insecurity becoming an issue on the Internet, most subscribers are wary of giving out their email IDs. To enable a website to enhance their opt-in rates, we provide some tips and ideas here:

• Privacy policy: Before a subscriber signs up for any newsletter of e-course or any such material, they would want to be sure their email ID is protected and is not going to be used negatively or sold to other websites. Having a privacy policy helps assure website visitors. Try and place this privacy policy near the place where visitors sign up.

• Double confirmation: After a visitor has signed up for any material from yourn website, it helps to send an email to their Inbox asking them to confirm their registration on your website. This prevents fraud and also assures visitors that your website takes extra precautions to ensure legitimate transactions on your website.

• Unsubscribe: It is always necessary to have the option of letting your visitors unsubscribe to any content from your website. If you do not have this option, it gives the impression of a trap and as if they are forced into receiving updates from your website. Unsubscribing gives them an option of opting out if they do not want any more updates.

• Informative: The Internet is all about information and people want facts and substance in the articles they read. Even a newsletter needs to be information based rather than being promotional in the tone. Try and provide regular updates on particular products and services of interest, freebies, conduct regular contests to keep the interest alive. Most of all be sure to provide in-depth useful information in the newsletter else people will start unsubscribing.

• Attractive content: The layout and display of the newsletter also makes a huge impact on the readability and hence the opt-in rate. If the newsletter is drab looking or doesn't have enough color or an attractive layout, chances are readers will initially may be skim through the content but with time they'll get bored with your newsletter.

• Sharing: Often many newsletters have a link that says ‘send this page to a friend' or ‘email this page'. These are all techniques to encourage people to rotate and hare your newsletter. This will get more opt-ins and more email IDs to your database.

• Subscribe at other websites: This is another great way to encourage visitors to get to have access to your newsletter even if they're on another website.

• Catchy content: If your newsletter is to be read and subscribed to, you need to ensure the headline and the content is catchy and interesting. Else no one will be even interested to give your newsletter a first look.

• Ezines: Ezines usually have an opt-in box provided that gives readers an opportunity to opt-in for content written from your website. Therefore since this opt-in box is your gateway to increased opt-in rates, it is but essential that you make this box obvious and attractive to the reader.

• Engaging content: Include graphics or photographs that are relevant to your website and content. That helps to attract visitors and get them to stay longer, giving them a chance to browse your website and hence even opt-in for content.

• Placement: It is essential to place the opt-in box at a strategic place where visitors get to see it more often. Often the top right handed corner is the best place because of maximum eye movement towards this place.