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Spotting Bad Traffic Exchanges Part 4: Who isnt using it?

by Tim on May 15, 2008

This is the last of the series on spotting bad traffic exchanges that have to do with before joining an exchange. After this I'll begin looking at things to look for after joining. Today's topic is especially easy for newbies to use, simply put - who isn't using it? Chances are the following people or services have come across the exchange, and if they aren't using it.. There is probably a reason why!

Traffic Exchange Rankings

Ranking websites are the most controversial, because nobody can agree on how to rank an exchange. But if you look at them collectively, and they all aren't using an exchange, well here we go again red flag! Don't get me wrong, there may be exchanges out there that are great and aren't listed, but the majority are. So if you are new to all of this, it's an easy indicator. Also note how well the exchange is ranked. Yeah, it could be ranked.. But if it's ranked poorly use caution!

Traffic Exchange Forums

Another thing to check out is traffic exchange forums. Use the search function, and search for the exchange's name. Instantly you can get some community feedback on the exchange! No mentions? First check that you spelt the name correctly! Many spell StartXchange with an E before the X. I always load up the exchange's home page and see how the owner spells it (even down to the caps and spacing). Then do a search. Still nothing? Can we say red flag..?

Traffic Exchange News

Next, checking various traffic exchange news sites is an easy way to find both the good and bad about an exchange. Going back to the history here, you might be able to dig up some bad news about an exchange. If you seem to get only negative news, or no news, say it with me now: red flag. If the site doesn't have a search feature, an easy way to do it is by going to Google and typing "site:newssite.com exchangename".

Why it all matters

Really the key here is an exchange is only successful if people are using it. Otherwise you've got nobody to see your site, right? So before getting too involved in a traffic exchange you should do some checking up on how it's being used (or not) by others in the industry. You don't want to be spending your money buying traffic, or your time surfing, on an exchange that's gone bad.

I don't want to hear it! Just communicate already!

If you are wondering why in the world your exchange isn't being ranked, isn't making the news, and isn't being discussed.. Start the discussion! (or if it's getting negative publicity - join the discussion and defend your brand!) Part of running a good exchange is being pro active. You can't sit around and wait for people to notice you! Find out who the leaders in the industry are, and send them friendly notes. Get active in the forums, and comment on the blogs. Create news and be the news.

PS. Making it easy.. If you were ever not sure about an exchange, try using the Traffic Exchange Search! It will search most, if not all, resources regarding the traffic exchange industry. It's a quick and easy way to find out the scoop on an exchange before joining!

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Spotting Bad Traffic Exchanges Part 3: What kind of history does it have?

by Tim on May 8, 2008

Looking at the front page of an exchange can give you some indicators of how Good or Bad it'll be. But sometimes it takes looking into the history of the exchange to get the full picture. Has the exchange gone down before? Did they lose their entire database? Will it happen again? Looking into the history of an exchange can give you an indication of the future.

Archive Information

Where'd the site go?First goto Archive.org and type the website domain into the "Way Back Machine". Click "Take me Back". You'll now see a listing of dates (if it's been around and important enough to get archived). Each day will have a different archive of the page over time. Click through a couple each year. If you see the website has errors like "Site Suspended" or a default "your website goes here" page after the exchange launched, this tells you they've had issues with their hosting. You can check the dates around it to see how long of a period it happened for.

Google Cache

Google Malware WarningIf you goto Google and type site:startxchange.com you'll see the pages as Google sees them. These don't go back as far as the Archives do, but it has something I find more important.. Malware notices. If a website has or recently has hidden malware on their site, there is a good chance Google has found it and will display a warning when you view the sites they have in their index. If they don't have any pages listed, that is also an indicator that the exchange is too new. It really isn't hard to get at least one page listed.

Why this matters

This matters because it deals with reliability. If an exchange has dissapeared in the past, there is a good chance it'll disapear in the future too. I've experienced a few exchanges where the owner bailed out, and then re-launched only to bail out again. Some problems can be out of the control of the owner, but sometimes you have to ask yourself if it really is out of their control when you see it happen repeatedly.

You are focusing on the past, my exchange is GOOD now!

Ok, so you can't change your past downtime but you can change your future downtime. Pick a host that's known to be reliable, don't go for the cheapest one around. Sign up to Alertra and get notified when your site goes down. Tell Google you fixed the malware problem and use a service like Hacker Safe to help you prevent it from happening again. If you've had past problems you need to make it top priority to not have them happen again.

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Spotting Bad Traffic Exchanges Part 2: What's it giving out?

May 1, 2008

There is a lack of understanding of how inventory affects traffic exchanges. Many beleive you can simply add more credits into the system, and all is well. In reality, inventory plays a large role in an exchange. Too little inventory and people start to see the same ads over and over again, too high and [...]

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Spotting Bad Traffic Exchanges Part 1: What does it look like?

April 24, 2008

The first way to spot a bad traffic exchange is dead simple! What does it look like? Some will argue that the looks don't matter. I'll argue against that! If the person running an exchange cares about it, they'll make it the best they can! There is a big difference between looking for perfection and [...]

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