HelloBar’s dashboard is neat, and even someone with no technical skills can start using HelloBar in a minute. Any WordPress blogger can easily integrate HelloBar onto a blog with this simple WordPress plugin.
How to start using HelloBar for your blog:
Head over to the HelloBar homepage and begin by adding your blog’s address, and then create your profile. Once you are on the HelloBar dashboard, just click on “create new” and select from three available options:
I have tried both the email capture and the “Click Links” options, and they worked like a charm. If your immediate target is to collect more email leads, you should select “Collect Email” and start building your email list. HelloBar integrates with all popular email marketing services such as Aweber & Getresponse.
All the steps are self-explanatory, and you will have no trouble configuring HelloBar. Simply download the HelloBar WordPress plugin from your dashboard and install it on your blog. Once the plugin is activated on your blog, you can then configure it from your HelloBar dashboard.
This tool used to be entirely free, but last year they added a “pro” version for heavy users. You should also know that in the free plan one ad is displayed in every ten views, a feature that may not be acceptable to some bloggers. You do have the option to upgrade to their Pro plan, but I find it to be on the higher side in terms of cost. If you are a heavy user, I instead recommend that you use one of the HelloBar alternatives that I have listed below.
With HelloBar you can create multiple bars, and they will be rotated at regular intervals. You can also create multiple copies of the same bar, and run A/B testing by changing words, colors and so on. Overall, the A/B testing feature of HelloBar is the feature that appeals most to me. It makes it easier for an individual to find the perfect copy + color for the bar.
HelloBar conclusion:
My actual user experience with HelloBar has been great, but I am disappointed by the fact that they’ve changed their pricing and have included ads in the free plan. For a hobby blog where you don’t mind displaying ads (1 in 10 views) and the HelloBar branding, it’s a decent service. If you like the service but want to hide the HelloBar branding, you need to be prepared to upgrade your plan to the “pro” version.
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