Do Traffic Exchanges Work? An Honest Look and How to Test

Do Traffic Exchanges Work? An Honest Look and How to Test

Short answer: they send visitors. Whether those visitors are worth anything depends on what you are trying to do and on who you are trying to reach.

What exchange traffic really is?

Traffic exchanges are networks where members view each other’s sites to earn credits, then spend those credits to get their own site viewed. So most of your audience is people who are, at that moment, trying to earn credits. They are not browsing for something to buy. Attention is short and scrolling is quick, and that is normal.

What they can be useful for

1. Testing a page. Want to see how a landing page behaves with a few hundred visits, on different devices? An exchange is a cheap way to find out.
2. Reaching other online promoters. If your offer is aimed at the same kind of people (another traffic tool, a make-money-online resource, a list for marketers), the audience at least overlaps.
3. Getting your first data. A new page with zero visits teaches you nothing. A small stream of traffic, even low-quality, can show what breaks.

What they cannot do

1. They will not improve your Google rankings. Visits from an exchange are not the same as people finding you through search.
2. They rarely produce buyers. For a local business, an online shop or a service that needs a specific customer, the match is poor.
3. They can cause trouble with ads. Ad networks, Google AdSense among them, treat artificial traffic as invalid. Sending exchange traffic to a page with ads can put your account at risk.

How to measure your own results

1. Decide what counts as success before you start: sign-ups, clicks on one button, or just a page stress test.
2. Use a dedicated landing page, with analytics, that you do not use for anything else.
3. Send traffic for a week. Record visits, time on page, bounce rate and your chosen action.
4. Compare your analytics count with the exchange’s count.
5. Work out the cost per result, including your time. If you spent twenty hours to get five sign-ups, say so honestly.

If you get a thousand visits and no actions at all, one of two things is true: your offer does not fit this audience, or your page is not clear enough. Try a shorter headline, one clear action and a faster page before you decide.

Red flags to walk away from

1. Promises of guaranteed sales or sign-ups.
2. Numbers you cannot check anywhere.
3. Pressure to buy a large package before you have tested the free one.
4. No way to contact a person.

Who should and should not bother?

Exchanges can suit people promoting to other online marketers and people who want a low-cost way to test pages. They are a poor fit for anyone who needs buyers from a particular place or industry. Be honest about which group you are in.

If you want to try one, start with our Traffic Exchanges category. Their rank comes from measured visitors. Check their ranking, reviews and upvotes. We do not endorse any of them, so test before you commit. Some of them useful and some may not, they are free to try.