Issue 217 - Are There Too Many Traffic Exchanges?
Author: Jon OlsonThere’s a pretty big story coming from Affiliate Funnel today with the announced launch of the ‘jump link’ service. I know, it’s a funny name and I had to do a double take when I first heard of the concept behind them.
Essentially, AF has always been about promoting ‘YOU’ first and a jump link caries on this tradition. The way it works is so simple, each and every email that gets sent either a newsletter update or an auto responder code, will have your links embedded into it. Simple huh? So no longer does anyone but you benefit from these emails.
We are continuing to make Affiliate Funnel not only the most in depth traffic exchange hub on the internet, but marketing hub as well. This new feature will help members earn a lot more commissions from the programs within the system but also from AF itself.
Be sure to check out the jump links and everything new that is going on at AF. We are just getting warmed up!
Jon Olson
The Traffic Exchange Guy
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 to get our money |
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The News
- Speaking of Affiliate Funnel, we will be hosting the ‘MAYhem Prize Giveaway’ live this Saturday at noon Eastern (-5 GMT). What’s so special about that? The fact that dozens of traffic exchange owners that ook part in the promotion will be on hand to give out the prizes. I can not think of a better online seminar to attend this year. This is the ‘must attend’ online seminar of 2008!
- S.W.A.T. Traffic’s weekly seminar was a huge success last night. Check out this testimonial I got from Janid Inayat;
Jon, I want to thank you for the amazing opportunity
you are offering us. The SWAT Conference is THE place
to be for anyone who wants to get their Internet Marketing
done right. The value of the tips and tricks discussed
and exposed there are simply incredible….I’ve
been able to apply the tips, tricks and strategies there,
and receive results within days.
Now that right there makes everything worth it!
- Savvy Clicks announced today that they have hit the 12,500 membership mark. I’m having second thoughts on how I use and promote traffic exchanges in this newsletter. It’s time to focus on the quality OWNERS not just the program, and something like Savvy needs to be supported across the board. Great job Harry!
- Congratulations to ‘Robert’ for winning last week’s copy of Hits, Clicks and Misses. Want to win your own copy of the best selling traffic exchange book on Amazon.com (actually, it’s the only published book about T.E.’s on the planet), simply post a comment about this week’s issue of HEN!
- Splash Page Hall of Fame - Lower your speaker volume because this thing is loud…..and HILARIOUS! Traffic At The Races has done it again with one of the best splash pages in recent memory! Note: Why do I focus on splash pages every week? Simple, you MUST be using them in the traffic exchanges to get results. Get a custom made splash page by clicking here!
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The Famous Hit Exchange News Top 10 (Disclaimer: These are my top performing exchanges for the past week. Alexa rankings and fancy numbers have nothing to do with how I rank my list. This is based on my results and my opinion, nothing more, nothing less.)
1. Traffic Splash
2. Traffic Swarm
3. Royal Surf
4. Dragon Surf
5. Easy Hits 4 U
6. Hit Safari
7. TS 25
8. StartXChange
9. Traffic Bunnies
10. Traffic Era
Note: Analysis and Tracking by Hits Connect - The Official Link Tracking Service of Hit Exchange News! Sign up today and get your 30% Discount!
Question: Hey Jon, how come I Love Hits, SWAT Traffic and Click Crazey are never on the top 10 list? Since I own them, I feel it would be a conflict of interest to place it on any of my rankings. (But we all know how great they are anyways lol)
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Deep Thoughts - Jon’s Weekly Rambling
Are There Too Many Traffic Exchanges?
A question that comes up a lot. And what’s odd about it, my answer has changed from 365 days ago. You see, a year ago I would have argued that there is never too many exchanges. I always maintained that a healthy industry would always have new comers coming in to try their hand at traffic exchange ownership. But then the ‘quick-launch-hype-repeat’ model came into play…
Does this sound familiar? A new traffic exchange is launched, same owner but follows the exact same model. It gets a lot of press and publicity, is promoted heavily for a few weeks, and then it starts to slow down. Not a ’slow’ down, but a massive halt! So what does the owner do? Creates a new traffic exchange, same script with nothing new to offer, throws a new design on it and starts the process over…And over…And over…
I do not understand the need to constantly release new programs, other than a quick cash grab for the owner. There is zero sustainability in this model, and it hurts the reputation of traffic exchanges when these programs are continued to be supported and used. So for me, like I mentioned in my Savvy Clicks blurb above, I am only going to be supporting (surfing and spending money) with the exchanges that have quality ownership and a track record of performance.
It’s time to support owners that focus their energy on 1 or 2 traffic exchanges, not 5-10. The ONLY reason a traffic exchange owner would own 5-10 exchanges without any major difference in script performance is for a cash grab. That’s it folks. This may upset a lot of people and I may even lose the respect of some of these owners, but it’s time to say it….
There are too many traffic exchanges out there, and I will be focusing my energy on the ones that have those proven track records and amazing ownership behind it!
So what’s your opinion on this? You can let the world know your thought son this by adding a comment below or check out the latest poll at Net Marketing Forum!
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Things That Make You Go Hmmm…
- Rumor has it that Robert Puddy is about to launch something ‘traffic exchange related’ that is going to be….Huge!
- Traffic Era got a new site design. Now that was quick, only a few months of being online and a re-design is ready to go. I will never complain about new looks, I think more exchanges should follow suit!
- aWeber announced this week that they have increased the price for memberships in their system. Hmmm, very strange move because I could have sworn it’s only gas that keeps rising in costs, not the ability to send emails?
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StartXchange Owner Tim Linden is giving away
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I complete agree with your take on the number of traffic exchanges. There’s absolutely no reason why anyone should run more than 1 (maybe 2 if they are different in concept and plan).
It simply does not make any business sense to keep launching new ones - any savvy traffic exchange owner would focus on launching complimentary products and services, instead of launching clones.
There ARE too many traffic exchanges, but that’s only because most of them are rubbish - there’s room for a lot more exchanges if they are run professionally with a solid business plan in place.
I am not an owner on an exchange just a casual user, maybe 10 hours per month. But even I can tell there are to many exchanges, not to mention much of the traffic on exchanges is for other exchanges. Of course, I guess they are hitting their target market.
I admit I join far to many. I join new ones, but only surf the ones that work with fluidity and functionality.
The hardest decision is not in what exchanges to join, but rather which ones to upgrade in.
Totally agree with the multiple launches again and again from the same owner for a quick cash grab.
As to Aweber changing prices disagree with you. Yes gas is up which raises food prices and everything else which also raises salaries and everything else. As price has been the same for last 8 years that I can think of and with all the expanded features they should be able to charge more.
It’s a good point that setting up several unstainable websites won’t get you far in the long term.
Where are the owners finding the JV partners to launch these new sites? If I promote a site which stops delivering in under a month I would look an idiot, and lose the trust of my list.
Totally agree with Soren, surfing an exchange where you don’t trust the owner is a complete waste of your advertising efforts.
Andrew
Hey, thanks for the mention there, Mr. Olson.
I completely agree with your take on “Drive by TE Launches” as I like to call them. I make it a point to not join or promote TE from owners who are known to launch one TE after another.
I agree that there are too many also. And, I joined WAY too many at first. Now I don’t join any more unless the owner posts a lot in NMF with good information. I have a few I surf regularly and branch out when I have time. My tracking shows which ones to surf at.
I agree with you and Soren whole-heartedly Jon. Time is my most precious commodity and I really hate wasting it picking through lumps of coal searching for the diamonds in the TE field. I have no desire to own a TE and admire those owner that invest in their businesses and deliver a quality product that helps me in multiple ways with my business. I’ve only been seriously using TE’s for about six months and never imagined there would be such vast differences between them. Thanks to this newletter and finding some great exchanges to compare things too I finally do believe TEs are a viable marketing option.
Dragon Surf and Traffic Splash are two a really love. I just wish I hadn’t had to waste so much time to find these diamonds (still need to drop a couple lumps of coal though).
Thanks again Jon. I always love the topics you choose to discuss.
NAMES… We want names! Call these people out Jon.
I register anymore to new TSE which not operated by new owner. For me , same script mean same concept under new design. I surf 20-30 hr/week since 5 years.
Jon, I agree…and sincerely I hope that you and the other TE owners in your spere of influence will back up your statements by refusing to help promote (JV with) every new exchange that comes along, ESPECIALLY new exchanges being launched over and over by the same owner(s).
Yes, that may mean a little less cash goes in your pockets, too (at least in the short term) but we ALL need to share responsibility for what has happened. That responsibility includes me as a TE user, too. I need to stop joining every new TE that comes along just because I see it “recommended” by every TE owner who has me on their list.
Caveat emptor!
Best Regards,
Sharon in Mississippi.
Great comments everyone. Thanks so much for the kind words!
Oh absolutely Sharon. And you know, I’m to blame just as much as anybody because I have fallen trap into promoting new traffic exchanges right out of the gate. I’m going to be very picky, very very very picky from now on.
I totally echo your thoughts on multiple exchange ownership. I personally had told myself I would never launch anything other than TP-X unless I had something unique to bring to the table first, otherwise what would be the point?
I agree with you jon in some respect. There are too many that just launch and sputter out. However, there are people that are promoting just there one or two good exchanges, and thats the way it should be done. Just my 2 cents
Thanks for highlighting this issue Jon.
It’s tough being on the clicking end of the mouse.
I find myself getting drawn in by the snazzy new graphics and the over hyped promos of quite a few of the new “TE-of-the-day” offerings.
One disadvantage that alot of us have is that we don’t know all the owners and whom the regurgitators might be.
Jon, you do a great job with your “wall of fame” by keeping us up to date on the top exchanges. I would sure like to see a “wall of shame” with the bad guys.
Cheers,
Paul
I totally agree with Jon about the Traffic Exchanges. Now, Aweber could raise their prices but not the way they did (according to number of subscribers…by the way, is it active subscribers only?). Why should someone be “punished” for building a list?
My favorite thing about the guys who run a half dozen TEs is receiving pretty much the exact same newsletter a half dozen times.
I don’t like your af surfers vote that follows you down the screen. It’s always below the line so you can’t click to vote. You need to reposition it so that it follows you down without stopping below the line.
I agree with Jerry. Each owner has to promote the newest thing and then promote other people’s promotions of the newest thing. So much waste of my time.
Jon,
I completely agree with you and have said it for years. It makes no sense to own more then one or two traffic exchanges unless the exchanges are uniquely different like Steve Aylings exchanges. I refused to participate in this last jv launch from this person that just launched again who does this every coup-le of months.
Focus on your one exchange. Build it up to be the best it can be with a large active member base before you consider opening another exchange and then make sure your second exchange is totally diferent then your original exchange.
I have owned 4 traffic exchanges over the years but each time I open a new one I sell my previous one so I can concentrate on just the one exchange with a proper adverting budget, new banners and splash pages every few months and a redesign of the site at least yearly.
Rich Morris
Proud Owner of Traffic Heroes
steve only runs two exchanges now
Trafficattheraces and trafficdodgems as raining is run by Deeds now
Its too much work trying to do more than two
By the way that splash of the week is great
lol
Opening and owning a new TE has been a dream of mine ever since I started using them, but I worry that there are already too many exchanges. Not just the mutlitude of duplicate sites, but the total number of TE’s. I don’t know how I could possibly bring anything truly new to the table when it seems that everything has already been done repeatedly.
[...] What they should be doing instead is, following the “Ascension Model” - keep building their traffic exchange (their entry point), and then create additional related services and products - that people would be happy to buy, because they are happy with what they are getting from the traffic exchange. You can read more about the traffic exchange discussion in Jon Olson’s Hitexchange News. [...]
I’ll say it again. Owners have themselves to blame for blasting emails to their members about the latest and greatest must join fly by night traffic exchange.
It is these owners who only promote for a few bucks right off. Nothing more. It totally degrades the industry. I notice one such newly blasted exchange (over a month ago) is now struggling to get up to 2500 members. Why? Simple. The gold is tarnishing quickly. Stop the insanity! Let people grow their own.
Here’s a good one: I hear so much crap about how you should promote this or that exchange for the commissions. WRONG! A traffic exchange should be about delivering traffic. Period. Earning commissions should be secondary. But it seems it is all about commissions. Traffic exchanges have become nothing more than an MLM. No wonder they need to start a new one soon afterward! They have got all they can out of it and need to start a new must join MLM disguised as a traffic exchange.
Stephen Carr
I am so glad to finally see this issue addressed. Hopefully some will take notice of all that are agreeing with this post, Jon and start to concentrate on their current business’s. So many TE’s of late have sputtered and “failed” after the initial JV launch. If an exchange is still around after a year or two, then it means the owner is putting forth the effort to support its members. Maybe this means we won’t see another LJ TE with a new face for awhile…
DA
A great discussion and great points.
I think it will always be easy to buy great graphics, a great script, etc, for your new site.
If the new TE site closes or hardly anyone upgrades, what is the point of having 2000 referrals from the point of view of an established TE webmaster ?
Well, it may be beneficial in the long term however, for established TE webmasters, with established incomes to BUY the failed ones.
It is quite a common practice in the larger internet ” industry”, but one that is not yet recognised in the TE “industry”, as we are not there yet, are we?
The thing is, sites that are bought are often integrated into the buyers site later on. The logins become one for both as databases are integrated.
Now, on their own the sites had some good ideals of course and great members who want to continue using this “resource”.
With insufficient income to grow or prosper this is often the best alternative to closure.
It is also a very normal and common thing to do.
Those of you who think it is not, should consider sites you know that have been “swallowed” up whole in recent years.
Anyway, that my thinking on the matter.
BUY UM - INTEGRATE THEM - MOVE ON !
Hey Paul (Upp) - If you can send me your mailing address to hitexchangenews at yahoo.com, I will ship you a copy of Hits, Clicks and Misses.