Ask Questions: Zenler's Educational Live Support Desk - 4th September, 2025

Welcome to another episode from the live support desk! This week, David covered a range of essential topics for online course creator.

From technical challenges like email validation to strategic opportunities like finding partnership niches, this session packed practical insights you can implement immediately. Let's dive into the most valuable takeaways.

1. Email Validation in Signup Forms: Preventing Bot Abuse

The Challenge

One participant, Ram, asked an important question: "How do I validate email addresses in signup forms?"

The problem is real—bots and bad actors often fill out signup forms with fake or invalid email addresses, like "test@test.com" or nonsensical entries. Many form builders don't automatically validate that a real email address has been entered, making it difficult to build a quality contact list.

Understanding the Problem

Here's the key insight: Simply requiring an email format isn't enough validation. Anyone can enter a technically valid email address that isn't theirs. So the question becomes: how do you ensure the person signing up actually owns the email address they've submitted?

Solution 1: Double Opt-In Funnels

The most effective solution is implementing a double opt-in process using Zenler's marketing funnel automations:

How Double Opt-In Works:

User enters their name and email on your signup page
They're immediately sent to a thank you page
An automated email is sent to their address
They click a confirmation link in the email
Only after confirmation are they added to your main list

Why This Works:

The user must access the email address they provided
Confirms they own that email
Dramatically reduces bot signups
Improves email deliverability rates

Solution 2: Use Funnels for Form Automation

Here's a pro tip from the support team: You don't need complex form fields or custom code. Instead:

Create a marketing funnel (it doesn't need multiple steps or pages)
Tap into the funnel's automations
Use these automations to validate and communicate with signups
The funnel automations handle the validation logic

This workaround allows you to bypass limitations in basic form builders and create sophisticated validation workflows.

Solution 3: Enable reCAPTCHA

While not a complete solution, enabling reCAPTCHA on your forms can help reduce automated bot signups. However, determined bots can still bypass this, so combine it with double opt-in for maximum protection.

Addressing the Real Issue

The support team pointed out an important perspective: If you're getting bot signups, ask yourself:

Are they getting something immediately? (A freebie directly on the page?)
Are you sending them an email with the freebie?
What's the motivation for fake signups?

Understanding your signup flow helps you identify where bots are exploiting your system.

2. Understanding Zenler's Free Trial and Pro Plan Limitations

The Free Trial (Limited Pro)

Several participants asked about what's included in Zenler's free trial. Here's the breakdown:

What You Get on Free Trial:

Access to ALL features (blogs, live video, communities, marketing funnels, branching surveys, etc.)
Ability to send email broadcasts
Ability to set up automations
Marketing funnel functionality
All core platform features

What's Limited:

User imports are restricted
Email sending volume is limited
The system has built-in safeguards to prevent abuse

Why Limitations Exist: The platform restricts certain functions to prevent abuse. Some users might sign up with no intention of upgrading, import massive contact lists (25,000+ users), and send bulk emails without ever becoming paying customers. The limited trial protects the system while giving you full feature access.

Upgrading to Pro

Once you upgrade to the Pro plan, you get:

Unlimited user imports
Full email broadcast capability
All features without restrictions

3. Building Your Online Education Business Without Perfection

The Design Myth

One of the most insightful conversations was about website design. A participant expressed concern about their website design compared to others, worrying it wasn't professional or polished enough.

The Truth About Design: You don't need perfect design to succeed.

Real-World Evidence

The support team shared concrete examples:

Highly successful creators using default Zenler templates with zero modifications (except text changes)
Equally successful creators with custom, fancy designs
The range: Everything in between works

The common thread? Clear messaging beats perfect design every single time.

Why Clear Messaging Matters

When potential students visit your site, they're asking:

What do you teach?
Is this for me?
Can I afford it?
How do I get started?

If you answer these questions clearly, design becomes secondary. Your content and value proposition drive conversions, not aesthetic perfection.

The Design Skills Reality

Different people have different strengths:

Artists and designers naturally understand color, layout, and visual hierarchy
Non-designers often struggle with these elements
The solution: Don't let design hold you back from launching

If you're teaching something that isn't web design or visual arts, your expertise is your selling point. A clear, simple template beats a delayed, perfect design every time.

4. Finding Profitable Partnership Niches

The Partnership Opportunity

One of the most valuable insights from this session was about strategic partnerships and "shoulder niches"—complementary business areas where you can partner with other creators.

What's a Shoulder Niche?

A shoulder niche is a related business area that:

Complements your main offering
Doesn't compete directly with you
Reaches a similar or overlapping audience
Creates mutual benefit through partnership

Real-World Example

During the session, the team shared an excellent example:

Tracy Browne knits and makes quilts
Dog trainers were also part of the community
The partnership idea: Tracy could create quilted dog covers

This is a "shoulder niche" partnership because:

It's different from either person's main business
It benefits both parties
Customers from both businesses would be interested
Neither party is taking away the other's customers

How to Find Partnership Niches

Look at your community - Who else is in your platform or network?
Find complementary skills - Where could you add value together?
Test the waters - Start with guest appearances on podcasts or webinars
Cross-promote - Share each other's offerings with your audiences
Create something new - Develop new products that combine both expertises

Partnership Strategies

Collaboration Types:

Guest appearances on podcasts or webinars
Joint courses or training programs
Cross-promotions to existing audiences
New product co-creation
Affiliate partnerships

Key Principle: You don't have to be in completely different industries to partner. Even if you serve similar markets, finding unique angles creates win-win opportunities.

5. SEO Setup and Search Console Integration

Getting Started with Search Engines

Declan asked about setting up Google Search Console and how to redirect everything to his new Zenler site. Here's what you need to know:

Essential SEO Tools to Set Up

1. Google Search Console

Monitor how your site appears in Google search
Check for indexing issues
Track which keywords bring traffic
Submit your sitemap
Request index updates after moving platforms

2. Google Analytics

Track visitor behavior
Understand traffic sources
Monitor conversion rates
Identify popular content

3. Microsoft Bing Webmaster Tools

Don't overlook Bing—it has significant market share
Setup is similar to Google Search Console
Provides additional insights

Setting Up After a Platform Migration

When moving from WordPress (or another platform) to Zenler:

Set up redirects - Ensure old URLs redirect to new ones
Update Search Console - Submit your new sitemap
Verify your domain - Confirm ownership in both Google and Bing
Monitor for errors - Check Search Console regularly for crawl errors
Submit your new site - Request indexing of your new domain

Why This Matters

Search Console and analytics help you:

Understand what content resonates
Monitor your site's health
Optimize for search engines
Make data-driven improvements

6. Important Platform Information

Free Trial Features

All features available on free trial including:

Email broadcasts
Automations
Marketing funnels
Communities
Branching surveys
Live video
Blogs

Why Content Gets Lost on Social

An important note from the support team: Facebook deletes videos after 30 days. This applies to:

Facebook group posts
Public page videos
Private group content
Anything streamed directly to Facebook

This is why Zenler records all support desk sessions and uploads them to YouTube—ensuring the content remains searchable and accessible indefinitely.

The YouTube Advantage

By publishing to YouTube, support content:

Gets indexed by search engines
Remains permanently available
Can be chapter-marked for easy navigation
Helps people find answers via Google search
Benefits the entire community

Best Practices From This Session

1. Don't Let Perfect Be the Enemy of Done

Your website doesn't need perfect design to launch. Clear messaging beats polish every time. You can always refine later.

2. Prioritise Email Validation

Use double opt-in funnels to validate email addresses and build a higher-quality contact list. This improves your reputation with email providers and increases engagement.

3. Look for Shoulder Niches

Don't just look for direct competitors. Find complementary services where you can create partnerships and new value.

4. Set Up SEO Properly

When migrating platforms, ensure you properly set up Google Search Console, Analytics, and Bing Webmaster Tools.

5. Use the YouTube Archive

Don't just rely on Facebook. Upload content to YouTube where it's permanently searchable.

6. Start Where You Are

The Zenler free trial gives you access to all features. You don't need to wait to start building your business.

Upcoming Support Sessions

Have more questions? Join Zenler's educational live support desk:

Schedule:

Multiple sessions throughout the week
Sessions recorded and uploaded to YouTube
Chapter-marked for easy navigation
Available in both the Zenler Facebook community and on YouTube

What to Expect:

Educational questions only (technical support goes to support.zenler.com)
Live participants prioritized for questions
Chat questions answered as time allows
Friendly, supportive community environment

Conclusion

This support session covered everything from preventing bot signups to finding strategic partnerships and optimizing your SEO setup. The overarching theme? Start with what you have, focus on clear communication, and scale from there.

You don't need perfect design, unlimited resources, or years of experience. You need clarity about what you offer, commitment to your students, and the willingness to learn.

Whether you're validating emails, setting up SEO, or exploring partnership opportunities, remember: the Zenler community and support team are here to help you succeed.

What's holding you back from launching your online education business? Join the next educational live support desk and get answers from the team directly!

Categories: : Live Support Desk