Blazing the Trail of Website Advertising

Ranger Bob’s Guide for members and advertisers

1.What is a advertising exchange and who should use them?

Advertising exchanges came about as an affordable way for small businesses and individuals to promote their websites, ideas, and messages or share their interest or products. Basically, when you visit some sites you receive visits back to your own. You can also purchase extra credits, site visits, banner impressions ect. if you do not have time to visit sites. However traffic exchanges do not cost near as much as placing ads in some of the major websites, television and other venues that only big companies can afford. Te’s can work with people on budgets as low as $5 but of course can work with larger campaigns too. Therefore Traffic exchanges, hereafter referred to te’s, are a good way to promote personal websites, interests, bring awareness to issues that might be important to members, party hostess consultants, authors, musicians, clubs and more. Basically once you have created a website you want people to see it and that is exactly what te’s do for members/advertisers.

2.What are the different ways members can promote on te’s?

Besides promoting the website urls, for example: http://www.surf4theearth.com, many te’s let members put banners in rotation and some allow text links. It has been shown that text links are more effective than banners because some computers block banner ads. It is easy to edit your text links and change the text if you find it is not getting the results you wish. Please note that most te’s do not allow java script banners but banners in gif and jpg do work.

3.What kind of websites work to promote on te’s?

Please check each traffic exchange to make sure your website fits the guidelines of the kinds of sites a traffic exchange accepts (many do not accept adult content or must be in a certain language for example) You may wish to promote a site that you have made to promote your business, personal interest ,blog, hobby, issue or it may be a website that you like and want others to see such as a favorite charity, poem, place of interest or club. If you would like to start your own blog there are many companies that offer free blog pages that you may set up. Ranger Bob’s Newsletter is set up on wordpress for example.

4.What sort of websites work best on advertising exchanges?

In any advertising campaign since whatever you are promoting whether an idea, favorite place, newsletter, product or service you need to catch the eye of the consumer. The website must be easy to read. Sound can be irritating to some visitors so you may want to consider not using it. Besides getting the person’s attention make it easy for the person to know what you are selling or promoting- especially if it is a product or service- don’t make them dig. If I am looking for hosting for a website, for example, then a headline about hosting would attract my attention more than if I have to read two paragraphs before I know you are selling hosting. Above all do not fill your site with graphics that make the page slow to load. Do not add a bunch of banners and ads that have nothing to do with what you are promoting. If all the visitor sees is banners or pop ups than they won’t see your site and more than likely won’t look at it. Avoid putting anything on your website that causes popups as it can freeze people’s computers, or at least annoy your visitor and they will not look at your website no matter how long you put into designing it. Members should look at what sites are already being promoted- don’t promote sites that everyone is already advertising. Chances are if everyone is advertising the site members will bleep right over it. In marketing that is called oversaturation.

5.What should I look for in a advertising exchange?

Begin your targeting by checking the site design. Perhaps the theme may give you a clue as to what kinds of sites members would be interested in seeing. Also, look at their terms of service if you don’t want to see adult sites don’t join sites that allow them. A few traffic exchanges offer members and advertisers the opportunity to select the categories of sites that they would like to see. Of course you will get fewer hits to your site but it does increase the chance that the members viewing your site will be interested in it. Be sure that the traffic exchange has ways to prevent members from cheating since this also insures quality traffic. Does it have validation questions or something to click to be sure someone is looking at the pages as they surf? You may also want to consider sites that have limits on surfing so your advertising credits are not ate up.

6 Should you buy an upgrade?

Many advertising exchanges offer upgrades that help members promote more sites. Look at the benefits of upgrading to decide if it is a good choice. Most traffic exchanges let upgraded members promote more sites, give them a better surfing ratio, (members have to veiw less sites to get visits back their own sites) receive extra credits each month for upgrading. However, you must check with each site for the benefits because they do vary. If you have lots of sites to promote or you don't have much time to surf those that give extra credits can be beneficial and usually start around $5. If you want visits but don't want to surf than you may want to check out credit, banner or text link packages instead.

7 What is a rotator and how do I use them?

Rotators allow their members to put in multiple sites and then promote them easily by using one url. This is good because many traffic exchanges limit the amount of sites members can put in. However, pages different pages may attract different people to your product/website. Surf4theearth offers a rotator with all of surf4theearth splash pages in them. This way you can use all of the splash pages by only promoting that one url. Many rotators allow members to put in their own websites- this allows members to promote multiple urls- possibly different pages of the same site even if they are limited to the urls they can promote. You must be sure that each url still fits the terms of agreement of each traffic exchange that allows rotators.

8 What is a tracking service?

Tracking services are a bit of code put onto your urls so you can tell where your hits are coming from. Some only track hits while others track signups and sales so you can tell what advertising campaigns net the best results. While some rotators are free to use tracking services do cost money but may be worth it if you need to do market research before spending lots of advertising dollars.

How do tracking services work?

Let’s use Hits Connect as an example- After joining type in each url that you would like to track. Simply promote the url it gives you and at the very end of the url type in initials of the site you are advertising on so you know where the hits came from. Next, if you also want to use a rotator you may insert the sites into their rotator and use the url it gives you. Put an abbreviation at the end of the url so you can track where hits are coming from. Ie. If you were using the rotator on surf4theearth it would look something like this: http://trker.com/rotate/2/1/s4e (the s4e stands for surf4theearth).You would change s4e to a different abbreviation for each site you promote on.

What do I like about Hits Connect?

1. Members can create individual links for those times they only want to track one site or they can create a rotator full of urls that all track for use in traffic exchanges. (The individual links enables members to track single campaigns/ links on any website.) 2. It is very easy to use. The website walks you through the steps of setting up your urls for tracking and creating your rotators. This program offers the members rotators and tracking all in one service. 3. It tracks what hits each url received (even when using the rotators) the unique hits, time of the hit, and user browser type, signups and sales that resulted from each site (provided your website is set up with specific pages for completed sales or signups) 4. One of the best things is that it is Advertising Exchange friendly as the owner set up a page for webmasters to check their member urls for frame breakers. It also checks your sites before approving them for use in the rotator for frame breakers. This tool helps webmasters keep their websites clean. If you would like to check it out you may find it at Hits Connect

Above all Ranger Bob says look out for these warnings:

If you are promoting a website you should only use manual surfing. Do not join sites that have only auto surf. Manual surf means the members have to click something to move on to the next site. Auto surf traffic exchanges allow members to surf without even being at their computer. Those people that use auto surf programs could be taking a nap, going out to dinner or watching TV but more than likely they aren’t looking at your website. Since it is unlikely members are viewing sites on auto surf sites they are generally a waste of bandwidth and won’t garner many (if any sales). Ranger Bob also warns his scouts to use common sense while anywhere on the net. If an offer sound too good to be true it probably is. No one is going to make a million dollars a year for doing nothing. Also if someone can go on for a page and not really tell you what service/product they are promoting or selling you should stay away from it. (It could be a scam trying to get money or someone practicing to be a politician). Avoid programs that require you to pay your upline or sponsor in order to join. Look at their FAQ and other pages and if the only way you can make money is by recruiting new members that pay you don't click that join button. Those programs are called matrix programs and are ilegal in the USA. If any scout spots such a site on his surfing trail please report it and it will be removed. Please check out the Federal Trade commission on tips to avoid scams both online and off.
Federal Trade Commission

Surf 4 investment sites seem to be all the rage now but if one does the math they cannot possibly pay the high percents they claim so Ranger Bob checked with the FTC to see if they were legal or not. Their reply was that they broke the FTC act section 5 relating to ponzi and matrix schemes in the USA. They suggested that if a site does not list their sec liscence and is a hyip to send a letter to the owner of the site asking how or where they are investing if you don't get a reply or an unsatisfactoy reply to avoid the website. Here is a link with more information.
SEC's stand on investment autosurf
More information on hyip auto surf programs