Double vs Single Opt-In

Double VS Single Opt-in - What you should consider when converting on your landing page.

In Part 1 & 2 of "How To Hook More Leads", we learned how to optimize landing pages that convert more by increasing sign-ups and opt-ins to your content. When setting up your opt-in forms you may want to consider whether you want your site to require double opt-in or single opt-in registrations. We explore the pros and cons of both in this post.

Single Opt-in

If you set up your opt-in or sign-up box only requiring a single opt-in, this means that a user only needs to submit their e-mail address and they are then signed up with no need to confirm their subscription. No e-mail will be sent to them to confirm that they would like to subscribe.

While this method is quick and easy for the user and results in a larger mailing list for you, it won’t necessarily consist of warm leads. People can enter faux email addresses to sign up. They may even wish to provide a genuine email address but make a mistake when entering it into the form. Both of these scenarios result in dead-end leads. One e-mail address doesn’t exist and the other might as well not (chances are the misspelled address could be another person's, who has never heard of you and is now receiving unwanted mail from you).

In the case of a misspelled email address, if your website is set up to bring a user to another page upon signup, what are the chances that person will go back to supply the correct address once they have gotten access to the content they want? Slim at best.

Double Opt-in

You guessed it! Double opt-in requires users to confirm their subscription to your content by clicking a link provided to them by e-mail. This ensures correct e-mail addresses are supplied upon sign-up. It can result in fewer subscribers than running a single opt-in but warmer leads arise as a result (people who are genuinely interested in your content).

To conclude, double opt-ins result in warmer leads which in turn results in a higher conversion percentage and better looking statistics albeit a smaller mailing list than single opt-in forms. Having an audience who subscribed due to a genuine interest can also help you to refine your future content to convert subscribers to customers.

Single Opt-Ins result in lower sales but a larger mailing list, the risk being your list is bloated with dead leads and unopened e-mails, therefore lowering your potential conversion percentage.

There is no definitive one for all answer. It depends on your company and marketing style. Can you market to the masses or do you prefer to focus on warmer opportunities? It’s a classic battle between quantity versus quality.

Try to guess which approach we chose before subscribing in the sidebar to find out!