What Is A Traffic Exchange?
By Chane Steiner
Overview
A traffic exchange is a clever way to get hundreds or thousands of visitors to your website for free. The concept is very simple and the exchange process is easy to put into action. First, you join a traffic exchange program that includes individuals with websites to promote. Next, you set up the website(s) you want to promote. Finally, you visit the websites of the other members and they visit your website in exchange.
The amount of traffic you can earn is only limited by the amount of time you have to spend viewing other people’s websites. You can also earn more visitors to your site by referring new members.
Types
There are two different types of traffic exchanges: manual and auto surf. In the manual surf mode, you have to visit a website for a minimum period of time and then click on a button to visit the next website in the rotation. In the auto surf mode, the websites are visited automatically for a specific period of time before the next website is displayed.
Traffic exchanges can expose your website to Internet users on a worldwide basis. As a result, the exchange can give your website a lot of hits.
Credit Ratio
The basic traffic exchange program works on the "credit" principle. You earn a full or partial "credit" every time you visit another member's website. In turn, you lose a full credit whenever another member visits your website. The ratio of a traffic exchange refers to how many websites you must view before your site is viewed by someone else.
A 2:1 ratio (the most common) means for every 2 websites you visit your website is viewed once. For example, if you view 100 websites, earning 100 credits, a 2:1 ratio would mean you are owed 50 visitors. The average time you must stay at a page for it to be counted as a visit is 15 - 30 seconds.
Earning Credits
Credits can be obtained on a traffic exchange by:
Viewing other member's websites
Referring new members to join the exchange
Purchasing credits from the exchange
Most exchanges offer a sign-up bonus (free earned credits) to encourage you to join their traffic exchange. This enables you to start getting visitors to your website immediately.
Most exchanges also have a referral program where you can earn credits for the people that you refer to the traffic exchange. You usually earn a percentage of your referral's earned credits and quite often you even earn credits from your referral's referrals.
Rules
Every traffic exchange has its own set of terms & conditions. These will usually include the rules you must abide by as a member. Although these rules are fairly consistent, each exchange has its own personal preferences.
Make sure you read these carefully before getting started. Failure to abide by the terms & conditions can result in your account being deleted. If in doubt, email the owner of the exchange. Any respectable traffic exchange owner will welcome genuine questions.
Most traffic exchanges have restrictions associated with your use of the exchange. For example, exchanges generally specify whether you can or cannot have: (1) popup windows, (2) message boxes, (3) inappropriate content or adult material, (4) break out of frames, (5) site rotation, (6) URL or domain forwarding and (7) more than one account.
Furthermore, the traffic exchange may be able to delete your account if: (1) your account is inactive for a given period of time or (2) your website is causing problems for the exchange system. This is something you will want to avoid; especially if you have built a nice size downline that is earning credits for you.
Conclusion
Traffic exchanges are one of the best methods of getting exposure to your site on a limited or zero budget. The more quality exchanges you sign up for the more viewers of your website you will have. Some exchanges have hundreds of thousands and soon to be millions of members.
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About The Author
Copyright (c) Chane Steiner All Rights Reserved. Chane is the owner of the traffic exchange
NineMileHits.com where you can get a free account & 100 free credits just for joining He also offers a free course that teaches you the secrets of getting over
10,000 Hits A Day to your website for FREE!