Are Traffic exchanges a waste of time?

Traffic Exchanges are Time Thieves is a statement I recently read in an article. It basically stated that TEs are a waste of time. It  inspired me to write this counter article.

Above is a very general statement that certainly is not true for all traffic exchanges. I do agree it is true for some traffic exchanges. It is also totally untrue for some traffic exchanges.

There are many factors that determine if you are having results from TEs or not.

• Some factors are related to the surfer,
• others to the script the TE is running on and
• last but not least on how the TE owner is managing his/her Traffic Exchange

Surfer related factors

Many people join a TE and do not take the time to explore the features. Most traffic exchanges have a lot more to offer than just surfing sites for credits or cash. As for cash I feel that small cash rewards are ok to make surfing more fun however the main objective for a TE should be delivering traffic.

Many traffic have features like a social profile, create branded splashes and banners, ad social media...There are those that have a directory. Many TE owners send out mails and solo mails that earn you credits, on many TEs you get credits for logging in. I am sure I missed a few here. Most TEs offer a downline builder and/or personalized downline builder splashes and/or branded site rotators.  Fact is that if you do not take the time to explore and use a TEs features, branding options and never read an email you are missing out big time.

And other factor is: what are you advertising and how? Do you use unique material? Do you use materials branded with your profile picture you use on other media as well? Are you promoting the right type of site in the surf exchange? In the surf exchange sites other than related to internet marketing usually do not convert well. In those cases it is better to advertise other TE or safe lists you are a member of. How many sites are you promoting and how? If you are using rotators with many sites each individual site in the rotator will not get many views. Your downline earns you credits (thus reduce the time you need to surf yourself) and money from upgrades. An option is to assign as less credits to the surf site as possible and spend the rest on banner and text link advertising if the TE script support codes for advertising outside the Traffic Exchange. I.e. the banners and text ads of surf-bar-traffic are displayed on all sites I own or manage and reach a lot of general consumers as well. Which brings us to the next factor: TE scripts.

The factor Traffic Exchange Script

Not all are the same and not all can offer the same features. There are differences. Some scripts like Ventrino have an inbuilt banner exchange and text ad exchange in several sizes. Putting these on your blog or site earns you extra credits, however it is not mandatory.  This feature makes it possible to advertise your sites outside the traffic exchange thus reaching an other audience than surfers and internet marketers. Provided that the owner of the exchange takes an active role in displaying the TE ads outside the TE and stimulates members to place the ad codes. Which brings us to the next factor TE management.

The factor TE management

A lot of people are tempted to buy a TE since the ads all state that it is easy to make money with a TE. Another factor is that in your own TE you have unlimited credits. Running a TE is not easy and the huge competition does not make it any easier. What the ads for TE scripts do not say, is that your own ads in your TE are only seen if you have an active membership that surfs regularly. It requires a lot of work to build a membership and to keep the membership active. You also need insight in the math in a TE to make it deliver traffic to all members sites and not just your own. Nothing wrong with advertsing your own ops in your own TE but you must keep a healthy balance.

I must honestly say that I made quit a lot of mistakes because I missed insight in the math of a TE. Initially  I never fancied becoming a TE owner myself because I missed insight and skills needed, I became one for other reasons but that is another story. But meanwhile it became a personal challenge and I corrected many beginner mistakes. The recently launched tool tips of the Ventrino Manager helped me a lot to gain this insight along with the friendly (lol and very patient) guidance of the owner of Ventrino Brian Jones

My point is that there are many TE owners that lack the insight in the math of a traffic exchange and therefore make the same mistakes as I did, giving away too many credits and putting to much sites in of their own in relation to members sites.

My end conclusion is that you can't simply state that TEs are a waste of time. They can be for some of the listed reasons above. However there are those that deliver great results. The best thing you can do is to do some research on script, the different features and track your results.

Paula van Dun
Surf-Bar-Traffic