Here in the past couple of years, traffic exchanges have been popping up everywhere it seems like people have been flocking to them by the masses.
Today I want to talk to you guys about what these are, and why you should avoid using them as a source of traffic to your website or blog.
There are a couple of reasons why I feel that traffic exchanges are not only bad for your website, but also why it’s a bad business model altogether.
Within the following post, I’ll show you the 3 main elements that make up this business model.
The Ugly 3 Headed Beast That’s Behind Traffic Exchanges
There are usually 3 kinds of people behind this operation which I will go over in complete detail below.
- The Clicker- This is the life blood of the entire business. Basically, this works by clicking on a link and staying on the page until you’re told to move on to the next one.
For each qualified link, you click, you can earn credits towards getting the same type of traffic to your site.
You also usually get paid anywhere from 2 cents and up for each click.
- The Seller- This usually involves selling traffic packages to other people.
Typically you’ll need to purchase one of these plans yourself before you can become qualified to re-sell them to other people.
This is one of the main reasons why these types of programs have been deemed a Ponzi Scheme.
Here recently one of the most popular schemes set up like this (Banners Broker) was shut down for this very reason.
In the very near future, I’m sure many others will follow suit.
- The Buyer- You can also buy what they call ad packs from programs like this.
The more ads packs you buy, the more money you can potentially make from selling these ad packs to the next person.
It’s not so much about buying traffic to your website, but more like you’re buying into the opportunity to make commissions from other people.
If you would buy this traffic for the sole purpose of getting people to click on your website you’re going to be wasting your time and money.
This traffic is in no way targeted, and the people visiting your site has no interest in what you have to offer.
9 times out of 10 they won’t even read your content or engage in your website because they’re being forced to be there.
Why Are Traffic Exchanges Bad For Your Online Business?
Getting traffic to your website is probably one of the most challenging things that you’ll face as an online marketer.
It’s important that you seek out high quality targeted visitors, that are looking for relevant information about what you have to offer and possibly looking for a product that will provide a solution to their problem.
With traffic exchanges, you’ll be attracting the exact opposite crowd, and in most cases, you’ll find that traffic of this nature won’t end up converting at all for you because it’s not targeted traffic.
Why you may ask?
Let me explain!!
The only reason they’re on your site, to begin with, is because they’re told to click on your link.
They have no interest in what you have to offer, and they could really care less about reading your content.
They are there to click for pennies.
Nothing more!!
This type of traffic is useless and in the long run, it could end up damaging your authority with Google.
If Google sees that these visitors are only staying on your page for a few seconds then leaving without engaging in your content or taking action this will result in a high bounce rate in Google Analytics.
Having a high bounce rate will ultimately lead to lower rankings in their search engine which could really have a negative impact on your business in the long run.
Are You Cool With Selling Low-Quality Crap? Traffic Exchanges Could Be A Good Fit For You
The main focus of the majority of these programs is selling ad packs or fake traffic packages as I like to call it to other people.
If you could care less about your reputation online and you have no regard to what you’re selling, then it would be perfectly fine to sell this.
Nowadays people are so desperate to get traffic to their site that they’re likely to try anything and they will buy into “the hype” that these ad packages have to offer.
You could sell people thin air and tell them it’s the best thing since sliced bread and they would probably believe you and buy into it.
Sure you could earn a pretty decent income by trying to convince people that clicking is a great way to earn money, or even worst that the traffic generated from these packages are great quality, but what does that really say about your credibility as an online marketer?
I have reviewed many programs just like this in the past 6 months or so with the most popular ones being Traffic Monsoon and Global Traffic Ads.
Due to the nature of these programs and the way they’re setup it’s not something I would feel comfortable recommending to you guys as a viable way to earn money online.
My Thoughts On Traffic Exchanges- Not The Best Way To Get Traffic To Your Site
To be honest with you, I can totally see why people get involved with these types of schemes and I see the potential to make money with them.
However, in the long run, the cons outweigh the pros.
It doesn’t matter if you’re looking to use these kinds of programs to make money with, or as a source of getting traffic to your website or blog, I think you’re going to be highly disappointed with the overall outcome.
Let me ask you guys a serious question.
If someone offered to pay you a couple cents for each link you clicked and told you to stare at the screen for at least 30 seconds or more would you take them seriously or laugh in their face?
This is the same thing you’re doing with a traffic exchange.
Yes, you could also sell ad packages and possibly do quite well with them, but like I said earlier you’ll be risking your credibility.
You are much better than that and I can promise you that there are much better and a whole lot more credible ways for you to earn a living online.
What people fail to realize though is that they could be making much better use of their time by learning a new skill that could open up many other opportunities for them and earn money doing something they love vs clicking for pennies.
For the past 20 years, millions of people have utilized the power of the internet to create REAL BUSINESSES around something they’re passionate about and are making a full time income doing so.
I learned how to do this myself over 3 years ago and I would love to help you do the same thing.
I have simplified the entire process for you and laid out the steps you need to follow to get up and rolling below:
Click Here To Learn How To Build Your Business In 6 Easy To Follow Steps
What’s your experience with traffic exchanges?
Have you used these programs to either make money or drive traffic to your website or blog?
I would love to hear some of your stories good or bad that you’ve had and I’m sure other people would as well.
Feel free to leave your comments, questions and any feedback for me below.
Cheers
~Scott~
Ned
Hello there Scott!!
Well, this is some kind of light in the dark, really.
I am in the TE’s business for 4 years now and I haven’t done anything, only one sell on Clickbank.
I’m not even sure if that is from TE’s!!
I also lost my Domain Authority Value, I had 49 and now I only have 30.
I reckon that this is because of bad traffic and backlinks from TE’s sites.
I thought that it might be that but I wasn’t sure until I found your post and thank you for real educational post.
I think I have to change my tactics to get higher quality traffic that will actually convert into sales.
Well I really searched on google for the damage that TE’s may do to your PR and SEO and that is the way I found your post.
Thanks so much dude and keep up the good work!!
Scott Newkirk
Hey there Ned!!
I’m glad that this post has been a light in the dark for you and that I was able to provide you with the information you were looking for regarding Te’s hurting your SEO and the damaging effects that come with these types of sites.
That 1 sale you’re referring to could have come from a TE but I highly doubt it!!
I’m sorry to hear that you lost your domain authority value Ned but at least you learned a valuable lesson here and learned from your mistake.
I’m sure if you clean up your traffic and start getting obtaining it from higher quality sources you’ll eventually start to gain Google’s trust back and start ranking in the search engines again.
I have actually written a post about the different types of traffic and pointed out the ones that could be detrimental to your site. Check it out here and let me know if you have any further questions about this.
Thanks so much for dropping by today and sharing your personal experience that you’ve had with TE’s with everyone here today.
Cheers
~Scott~
Jeremy Zimdars
Hello Scott,
I stumbled across your site while I was doing research for my blog. You have no idea how difficult it is to find articles about how traffic exchanges are not good for business! I’ve wanted to write an article about how much I hate traffic exchanges for quite some time and I just finally got around to writing it. I know several people that have been in traffic exchanges for over 8 years and still think its the end-all be-all of traffic generation strategies. Kind of sad really!
Thanks for writing this article and for your honesty! So few people use common sense nowadays.
Jeremy
Scott Newkirk
Hey Jeremy,
It’s so awesome that you were able to come across my site while doing your research for your own blog about traffic exchanges. Trust me, I know how difficult it can be to find some legit information about traffic exchanges as I found it quite challenging myself.
Like you, I also know several people myself who have got involved in these type of systems over the years and it didn’t end well at all for them.
I also know people who still swear up and down that this is the best source of traffic out there and like you said, it is pretty sad that they’re brainwashed to believe such nonsense.
You are very welcome Jeremy and I’m glad that this article has helped you out and hopefully other people will read it and realize how much this type of traffic is hurting them.
Cheers
~Scott~
Kenny Lee
A very enlightening post on traffic exchange. In the sense of conventional business, it’s like you have a lot of shoppers but they are just passing by and not buying. I would rather have less traffic but higher conversion rate. It would mean the blog that I’m writing has value and actually helping people.
Scott Newkirk
Hi Kenny Lee,
Yes that’s a great way of looking at it and that’s exactly the kind of quality traffic you’ll be attracting with programs setup like this. This could also be referred to as window shoppers!
I agree with you that I would much rather have less traffic that converts at a higher rate than to have lots of traffic and not have it convert at all.
Thanks so much for dropping by and adding your 2 cents to this discussion man.
~Scott~
Matt's Mom
Hi Scott,
Wow, I would not have thought to use a traffic exchange and it just sounds like a scam by trying to get people to buy ad packs. I think you did a very good job at explaining why this is not good for your website or blog. I want good quality traffic to my site, people who are actually interested in learning what I have to share. I want them to come back and learn something when they visit! Not at all what you will get with traffic exchange.
Thank you so much for sharing this with everyone here and I look forward to reading your future posts.
Scott Newkirk
Yes, this is not the best way to go about driving traffic to your website or blog and not something that I would recommend to anyone whether they’re a newbie or a seasoned veteran. It seems like people are so brainwashed when it comes to building a business online that they fall for just about anything.
They fail to realize that in order to make money online you need to have targeted visitors that are interested in what you have to offer rather than a bunch of click monkeys visiting your site that have no interest in what you have to offer.
I’m glad this has helped you out and I want to thank you for stopping by today.
Cheers
Your Friend, Scott
Matt
Hi Scott,
I have heard a lot about traffic exchanges here recently but wasn’t exactly sure what they were until I found your website. Why anyone would want this kind of traffic coming to their website is beyond me and I completely agree with you, these ‘traffic packages” produce a very fake sense of traffic to your website.
While this may look fine on paper and may look like you’re getting lots of traffic, but if these people have no interest in what you’re selling then what’s the point? I would much rather take the time and effort needed to build a real business online and drive targeted visitors who are looking to buy what I’m selling.
Thanks so much for this eye opening post and your in depth explanation of what a traffic exchange is.
~Matt~
Scott Newkirk
Hi Matt,
I’m glad this post has helped you grasp the true meaning of what a traffic exchange really is and why you should avoid them at all costs when looking for ways to drive traffic to your website. As sad as this may seem, many people end up buying into these traffic schemes because they simply lack the proper training and don’t realize that this kind of low quality traffic will likely end up hurting them more than it helps them in the long run.
Over the years, these kinds of programs have really blown up and this has become the new norm and an acceptable way of driving visitors to your website or blog. I agree with you 100% that it just makes sense to invest your time and effort into building something of value and learn the proper way to drive targeted visitors to your site.
I really want to thank you for stopping by today Matt and chiming in on this topic of discussion. It’s really appreciated man.
~Scott~