A traffic exchange is a website promotion system based on the
concept of reciprocation.
In simplest terms, you achieve exposure for your own web site,
banner ads, and even text links by viewing the sites and ads of
other people.
These programs provide you with a very powerful way of:
Putting your product or service in front of a very diverse audience
Seeing what other folks are promoting
Getting an idea of how your competition is targeting their
campaigns
Branding your name, gather leads, and yes, even make sales
Traffic Exchanges are member based, so you must open an account
with each exchange you intend to use. This is a simple task that
can be completed in a couple of minutes, and it's usually free.
The initial sign-up process will require you to enter your name and
a valid email address. Additionally, you may be asked for
information about your web site.
In some cases, you are also asked to select a username and password
with which to access your member's only area. Other exchanges will
assign you with a user number and an auto-generated password.
Once you have completed the sign-up form, you will receive a
validation email. You will need to click the link indicated in this
message in order to validate (prove that you own) the email address
you have used to register your membership.
All traffic exchanges operate on a credit system. Members earn
credits by participating in a variety of ways, and then "spend"
these credits on website visitors, banner ad impressions, text
links, and in some cases, even email advert's.
By maintaining active memberships in a few good exchanges, you can
generate a tremendous flow of traffic for any web site you wish to
advertise. When used properly, these resources are an excellent way
to promote just about anything.
As I told you above, after you complete the sign up form for a
traffic exchange, you will need to validate, or prove that you own,
the email account you registered with. This is required to insure
that you receive important communications such as support
responses, program updates, and so forth.
Look in your email folder for a subject line that reads "Validate
Your Account", "Verify Your Account", or something similar. Open
this message and you will find a clearly marked validation link.
Simply click on the designated link within the validation email and
you will be taken to a confirmation page.
Once your email is validated, you are ready to login to your
account with your username and password.
Setting up your account basically involves adding your web site,
banner ad, and (if applicable) text link. Look to the member
navigation menu for a link that reads 'My Websites', 'Add Sites',
'URL Manager', or something along
these lines.
This link will take you to the page where you may enter your Target
URL(s). A Target URL is the website address you wish to drive
traffic to.
Just enter a title for your site, along with the URL, and submit
this information. Some exchanges will also ask you for a brief
description or give you the opportunity to select an appropriate
category for your site to be rotated through.
Your site must not be a frame breaker, (a site with code that
"breaks out" of the surf bar) as this type of site will disrupt the
process of generating traffic for other members of the exchange. In
some cases, you will be required to click a 'test' button that
checks your site for frame-breaking code before it is accepted into
the system. Alternatively, the site admin may check each URL
manually before
approving them.
Also, each exchange is likely to have its own set of rules
regarding the types of sites that are allowed. For example, some
exchanges do not allow the use of rotators.
Other programs have banned paid-to-promote type sites and apparent
ponzi schemes from rotation. Be sure to read the terms and
regulations of each exchange before submitting your target URL(s).
The procedure for adding banner ads and text links is pretty much
the same as that for adding your target URLs. Just find the
appropriate menu link and insert the correct
information into the submission form to enter your banner and text
ads into the member rotation.
There is sometimes confusion in getting your banners set up
properly. First you must have an image of the banner hosted
somewhere on the internet. Usually, the program that you are
promoting will give you an image url or tell you that you need to
copy the image and upload it to your own hosting account.
Either way there will be two urls to be added when entering a
banner. One will usually say" target url". The "target url" is
the page you want a person to see when they click on the banner
(the page you are promoting). The other will usually say "image
url". That is the location on the internet where your image file is
hosted. The final thing that some exchanges will have when
entering a banner is an "alt text:" box. Alt text is that someone
will see if for some reason the banner is not available because of
some sort of server glitch. (Yes even the best hosts sometimes
have glitches). This will also show whenever some one mouses over
the image.
The most common way to earn credits (and therefore traffic) via an
exchange program is to surf through a rotation of web sites that
are owned by other members. Most programs require you to login to
your account and click a surf link to begin this process.
However, some exchanges give you a special URL to use for surfing.
You can even set this surfing URL as your browser's home page, so
you earn traffic credits each time you open your browser. A program
that gives you a special URL of this nature is sometimes called a
start exchange.
Whether you surf by visiting a special URL, or by logging into the
exchange and clicking a designated link, you will be utilizing a
surf console, or surf bar for the purpose of visiting other web
sites and accruing traffic credits. The surf bar is usually a
visible frame that encloses the pages you view during your surf
session, but some exchanges use a 'floating' surf bar that comes
into view when the surf timer (more on this shortly) counts down.
While every exchange is a little different, the basic components of
the surf bar remain the same. These components are the timer, the
confirmation key, the user menu, and (optionally) the display area.
Timer - You will be required to view each site for a specific
amount of time. This interval will range from 10 to 30 seconds in
most cases. The timer may or may not be visible, but you will
receive a clear prompt when it is time to click to the next site.
Confirmation Key - When the required time has elapsed, you will be
prompted to activate the confirmation key in order to proceed to
the next site. This may consist of clicking a designated number,
matching the correct shape or color, or simply clicking a "Next
Site" button.
User Menu - This interface will usually allow you to login to your
member area to make adjustments, report sites that violate the
rules, and view your current statistics.
Display Area - Most surf bars will also designate additional space
for the purpose of displaying banner ads and text links. In this
way, an exchange can provide multiple forms of exposure.
The number of credits you can earn by surfing depends on the surf
ratio of the exchange you are using. A surf ratio is the formula
that determines the credit amount you earn for each page you view
from the surf bar.
This figure is represented by a colon symbol fixed between two
digits. The digit to the left of the colon denotes the number of
pages viewed, while the number to the right of the colon specifies
the number of credits earned. For example, a 2:1 surf ratio
indicates an earning of one credit for each two web sites viewed
while surfing.
Use The Traffic Exchanges To Build A List
One of the best ways to use traffic exchanges is to advertise a
squeeze page, also know as a lead capture page.
(Check out the tools at 12 second commute)
Get people on your own personal email list and build a relationship
with your subscribers. Then you can send them to your recommended
products and programs again and again.
This approach is infinitely more powerful than going for that
initial sale. And as any successful internet marketer will tell
you: "The money is in the list".
One way to start is Traffic Hoopla.
Discover the best hit exchanges in the world.
http://www.12path.com/hooplabuild/
