Often, you will hear some people complain about traffic exchanges because they don’t think the traffic is high quality.  On the contrary, prospects who take the time to surf traffic exchanges are exactly the kind of prospects you want!  Ideal opportunity seekers!  You already know that they have a home computer, they are at least somewhat computer-knowledgeable, and that they are likely to be involved with an affiliate program.  Often they are newcomers to marketing and very anxious to get started.  So why not try to convince them of the value of  them your opportunity?  After all, isn’t your opportunity better than most?  Isn’t that why you chose it?  I have found some new exciting programs myself through the exchanges.  So slap your sales page onto some good traffic exchanges, and start to make some sales.

You'll find traffic exchanges everywhere you look.  They are easy to start with the right program, so many are run out of basements and spare rooms.  The format is not hard to understand.  Once you find a traffic exchange you like, you complete the brief sign-up form, and you will soon be in the company of many fellow marketers, each with a webpage or two that they wish to promote.  To promote your own page, you find the form on the site where you can enter your website's URL, and the program will arrange for its display once you have assigned credit (increasingly exchanges are offering auto-assignment of credits.  From there, you head to the "Surf" page where you rack up these "credit" by visiting the pages of other entrepreneurs.  Traffice exchanges come in both free and paid varieties--the free ones proliferate, so there is no need to pay to join unless you receive a special offer in return.  You will immediately note that some exchanges are more technically advances than are others.  Of the two basic types, however--manual and automatic, you will want the manual.  After all, there is little point in having your page shown if the end user does not even have to be in the room while it is being displayed.  Manual exchanges ensure that this user will be participating in the viewing process, so no worries there.  Automatic traffic exchanges are not without merits of their own, but are more suited to advanced users who can judge their worth more accurately.  The webmaster of the traffic exchange controls the way in which the pages are viewed--order, time shown, and so forth.  The pages are usually rotated randomly. 

You may find it very handy to make use of a rotator of your own if you have more than one sales page.  A professional rotator such as Pageswirl can be a great help in showing your pages smoothly and in the order you choose, while giving no clue that it is even operating.  While there are some traffic exchange operators that do not like rotators at all, Pageswirl is very exchange-friendly, and is usually welcomed.

Because a great many marketers make use of traffic exchanges, your site has the potential to be seen by many people--the market is worldwide.  Most traffic exchanges work on the "credit" program. You will earn a full or partial "credit" each time you visit another member’s website. In turn, you forfeit a full credit each time another member visits your website. Typically, an exchange allows you to earn from 0.5 to 1.0 credit on each visit you make to another member's website.  There are often three main ways of obtaining credits--earning them through surfing of the traffic exchange as described, purchasing them in a package, or referring other exchange users who earn some credits for you when they themselves surf.  Purchased credits can sometimes be targeted a little more effectively, as a reward for the purchase.  Often there is a "pro" or enhanced membership which will allow you some favorable terms for surfing and purchases--often with an higher number of credits distributed.  It is not common for traffic exchanges to offer bonuses to join--this can be an effective way to promote your site if you keep your eye our for new exchanges with a competitive bonus package.  Some traffic exchanges have been very generous in this regard.  Traffic exchanges have the ability to control how many websites and banners that you are allowed to display--this varies widely from exchange to exchange (although, as mentioned previously, a rotator such as Pageswirl can bypass such limitations.

As you become familiar with a favorite traffic exchange, you will want to consider joining its referral program as a way to accrue more credits more often.  Again, you will obtain a portion of the credits obtained by the downline member when they surf.  The downline structure is determined by the exchange itself--downlines can vary. 

Be aware of traffic exchange restrictions.  You may not be allowed to use pop-up windows, adult content, sites that break frames, rotators, multiple accounts, URL forwarding, gambling themes, or banned websites.  There are often cash bonuses available as rewards for certain activities or for participation in contests.  The speed and ability of your website to load without difficulty is very important to the traffic exchange.  Most exchanges urge user to make use of "splash pages"--small pages that load instantly, often with just a single picture or message, rather than full loading of a complete, fully loaded webpage full of graphics and tools.   Your message should be one that is absorbed rapidly in the 10 or 15 second viewing period.  Beware of complicated displays, languages or presentations that drag down the loading time of your page (remember, a "splash page" is usually much preferable to a full webpage.  Your message should be brief and to the point, with maximum impact in presentation.  A common goal for many users is to simply obtain the name and e-mail for follow-up later, either by e-mail campaign or autoresponder.  In this way, you can market to the list any way you would like to at a later point in time.

Traffic exchanges can be a lot of fun.  There are a wide variety of them, and used effectively, they can bring a lot of traffic to your offer.  They should definitely be a part of your marketing campaign.  Many traffic exchanges have recognized that there is a fatigue factor is surfing site after site, so they have enhanced their exchanges with contests, bonuses, entertaining displays, extra advertising avenues and other perks of "surfing the exchanges". 

There is nothing wrong with loading several traffic exchanges at once into your browser.  The user can do this and still able to look at each and every new page (and quickly skip over some older pages that have seen 500 times before, or the same programs already joined).  You can gain many credits in a short period of time by loading the exchanges into your browser this way, surfing each one by one, then tabbing to the next.  Some have suggested to load no more than 3-4 exchanges this way, so that you can give each new page your undivided attention without distraction--this may be a good idea.

Make sure that you have a pop-up stopper running—traffic exchanges can be irritating if you have to deal with all the pop-ups.  Even if not allowed on the exchange, a few pop-ups have been known to slip through.  A pop-up stopper allows you to surf more contentedly.  And be sure you are running a good anti-virus program, because you never know--traffic exchanges are not better or worse in this aspect than the internet itself.

Don’t overlook the power of downlines—you can build up a lot of traffic on an ongoing basis without doing much surfing yourself if you have an active downline generating credits for you—usually, exchanges give you a percentage of your downline’s surfing credits.  The result?  Free traffic for you.  Build downlines in your favorite traffic exchanges, it’s worth it. 

As previously emphsized, try to use manual traffic exchanges.  Automatic exchanges can have specific uses, but generally speaking they are not a great way to get your site seen.—since they are automatic, such exchanges do not even require a person to be at the computer—hence, no real traffic for you.  Manual exchanges are far better.  Recently, I have come across some entertaining automatic exchanges that offer some cash bonuses on random pages--the pages on these exchanges certainly get my full attention, so don't rule out interesting automatic exchanges, either, once you're comfortable with the traffic exchange concept.

If a traffic exchange frequently sends you messages saying that your credits have run out, that is a good sign that your accrued credits are being used to show your webpage (a good thing).  Beware any exchanges that may stockpile credits to be used “sometime in the future”, or those that just don't seem to be distributing credits as described--it could be an indicator that there just isn't much traffic on the site. 

Use a web page rotator—it is especially helpful with exchanges that will only let you list one or two pages—with a rotator, you can get all your best sales pages seen.  Read about one of the best rotators here:   Pageswirl

If you really enjoy a particular exchange, consider upgrading—there are often a lot of benefits.  Some exchanges even offer ways to make money! 

Often you will encounter websites rating the large traffic exchanges.  These are useful if you are seeking maximum traffic for your effort.  But I suggest you do not overlook the small and start-up traffic exchanges either--the webmasters are often so grateful to have new members that they will offer many bonuses, in the form of free credits and the like.  Also, I have often found that newbies often join new exchanges--and newbies can often be your best customers--they have not yet "seen it all" and they are full of energy and optimism to appy to your program.  Here is a list of some of the better exchanges I’ve found.  I recommend them highly.  If you are new to traffic exchanges, pick one and get to know it thouroughly.  Then go on to another one—since most of them work on a similar principle, this is a good way to get to learn how exchanges work.

Traffic Swarm          Hit Safari          Crazy Traffic          Vegas Surf

Return to Home Page - Jeremy's Work at Home Website to Make Money Online - Work From Home Using Your Computer.