Help Hits September 14, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentHelp Hits is a multi-featured traffic exchange with over 2,000 members. The first thing you’ll notice here is the fact that free members here surf at a 1:1 ratio with a 10 second timer. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but there seems to be a real flaw with this formula as you’ll soon see.
As you can imagine, the flow of traffic is here is akin to molasses running uphill. Without free members surfing away at a lower ratio, there’s not a whole lot of surfing going on here. It’s really disappointing as the site itself is packed with useful features.
You’ve got everything from a personalized rotator to link trackers available here, though it seems the tools provided here will be best used at other exchanges.
The surfing however is clean, no nasty sites in rotation here as this is “the second walker (exchange) to have the HitsConnect Website Checker”. The admin appears to be keeping an eye on things as well which leaves me wondering why he hasn’t done something about the surf ratio.
Final word on Help Hits. A traffic exchange that struggles to actually deliver traffic is in trouble. Maybe in an effort to supply members with every cool add on possible, the owner has lost site of what every traffic exchange must do… deliver hits. If something doesn’t change here soon, I doubt we’ll be seeing much more of this one.
Final Rating: 3 (out of possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Surf 4 The Earth September 13, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentThe exchange that makes a difference, Surf4The earth is a rare find. An advertising resource that also raises funds for various charites. If nothing else you have to applaud the owners for their attempt to make a difference in a very “Me first” world.
On the inside, Surf4the earth is impressive. The management has obviously put some serious effort into providing a solid advertising venue. There are a wealth of promotional tools including personalized splash pages and exchange specific targeted ads as well.
No time to surf? You’ll be amazed at the prices for ad packages at surf4the earth. Some of the industries lowest, and be sure to check out their “Traffic Express” ad co-op for some extra hands-free exposure in other traffic exchanges as well.
Currently, Surf4TheEarth has yet to receive the recognition it deserves, and as an unfortunate side effect, the traffic delivery is not what it could be. I do have a feeling this site will only improve as time goes on thanks to the active management and some great benefits for the members here. It’s just going to take some time for the word to spread.
My Rating: 3 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Traffic Dodgems September 12, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentTraffic Dodgems is another unique hit exchange from ace programmer Steve Ayling. Running on a heavily modified version of the LJ Script, Dodgems is by far one of the more entertaining exchanges on the net.
Earning hits to your sites here is similar to the system at Traffic at the Races, Steve’s other click exchange. Rather than earning a certain amount of hits per click, surfers are awarded credits based on the outcome of a game. The game loads every 15 pages and features “dodgem cars” or Bumper cars to folks in the USA. The game runs automatically, and depending on which car yours runs into first, you win a corresponding amount of credits.
This method can make surfing quite addictive, as you’ll most certainly want to surf in increments of 15 pages at a time. Every time you win big, you’ll have a tough time not sticking around for one more round.
Surfing at Traffic Dodgems is a great experience in so many ways. The light hearted happy tune that goes with the game, the famous “Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole” song on the verification page, and the overall clean surfing environment make clicking away here a real treat. But for some reason unknown to me, this gem of a program has yet to catch on.
Traffic flow here is, well, not what you’d expect from an exchange that appears to be so special on the surface. Maybe this site is too unique if there is such a thing. Whatever the case, Dodgems has quite the road to travel before it can hope to compete with the industries best.
My Rating: 4 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
FastEasyTraffic September 10, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentCombine expert programmer Tim Rash with the marketing phenomenon that is Paul Kinder and what do you get? Fast Easy Traffic. The name says it all and appears to be the foundation of anything these two are involved in.
Surfing here at FET is not only fast and easy, but actually a bit more entertaining than your average exchange. Memorable, and often hilarious quotes load in the surf bar mixed with the occasional news item and pearls of wisdom. The surfing is clean, the credits plentiful and… did I mention fast and easy?
Fast Easy Traffic has a ton of popular features in place including surf and chat, a first page auction where members can bid their credits for the coveted daily start page, and the ability to transfer credits between members.
FET fits easily into what I consider the “best of the best” category of hit exchanges. Already delivering traffic on par with exchanges 2 to 3 times it’s size, Fast Easy Traffic is a gem and not to be overlooked.
My Rating: 8 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
eTrafficFreedom
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentETrafficFreedom is a fully featured traffic exchanged running on the ever popular LJ script. There may be many sites offering the same features, but owner John Marks must be doing something right as the traffic delivery here has nearly doubled over the course of this summer.
Promoting ETF is made especially easy as the promotion tools here are plentiful. Aside from a wealth of splash pages and banners, Mr. Marks provides members with html ads, forum signature ads, and pre written emails. Members can earn up to 30% commissions on referrals upgrades and purchases, as well as a percentage of referrals credits earned from surfing. Members also have the option to mail their referrals once every 10 days.
Those who prefer to buy credits will be pleased with E Traffic Freedom’s very reasonably priced ad packages. The hits come in nice and steady ensuring some great daily exposure for your biz.
If E Traffic Freedom continues to grow as it has this summer, it may become one of the premier exchanges to promote your business. I’ll definitely be back for an updated review later on this year.
My Rating: 6 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Traffic Punk September 8, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentA slick, clean design and all the standard features we love, so what happened to Traffic Punk?
This was once one of my favorite exchanges to surf. You used to see ads for Traffic Punk everywhere and the traffic was top notch here. Over the last few months, this hit exchange has been on a downward slide.
While surfing Traffic Punk lately, I’ve had the distinct feeling I was the only one surfing. Most of the ads in rotation appear to belong to the owner. Traffic delivery is dismally slow, only picking up for the occasional double bonuses. Come to think of it, the only time I see an e-mail from this program it’s usually just a reminder about a double bonus and these are few and far between.
There’s really no reason this site couldn’t be a top performer again in the future, but it’s going to take some serious effort by the owner. Hopefully we’ll see an attempt to generate some interest in this program again sometime soon, but as it stands, this is one program that’s lost it’s edge.
My Rating: 3 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Nexus Exchange September 7, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentThe first thing to grab your eyes at NexusExchange would be the colors. This thing is purple. Definitely stands out in a crowd, but is this exchange as unique as it’s color scheme?
Nexus celebrated it’s 3 year anniversary last month, surprising considering there doesn’t seem to be anything unique about this exchange at all. Aside from some relatively cheap credit packages for sale, This could easily be one of any number of LJ Script based traffic exchanges with a new coat of paint.
You’ve got your 3:1 surf ratio for free members, with 2 upgrade levels which can get you up to a 1:1 surf ratio. Free members get a 10 second timer, where an upgraded membership gets you a faster 8 second timer. Not much out of the ordinary to see here.
Now, This is not to say that this exchange cannot do well with this model. It’s a common one simply because it’s been proven to work, however in today’s competitive TE community, it’s going to take some heavy promotion to bring in the membership necessary to keep the stats up to par, and lately, Nexus Exchange seems to be coming up short.
Customer service here is certainly above average and that goes a long way with me. It’s always good to know someone’s behind the wheel.
All in all, I think Nexus Exchange is a clean, well managed exchange that has yet to find it’s edge. When you consider that there are hundreds of traffic exchanges online today, Nexus is definitely above average. Just not top 20 material just yet.
My Rating: 5 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Savvy Clicks September 6, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentLaunched in 2006, Savvy Clicks is a nice clean exchange with a 2:1 surf ratio. While SC has had it’s ups and downs in the ranking programs, Owner Harry Nguyen has put together a solid exchange that’s never down and out for long.
Upon logging in, you’ll be presented with the “deal of the week” which is usually a great opportunity for “savvy” marketers to grab a great deal on advertising. At the time of this writing, Harry is offering a bulk credits package at more than %50 off which is practically unheard of.
Aside from the usual banners and text links, Savvy Clicks offers several other advertising methods apart from the standard full page views. For starters, every so often while surfing, members get to play the memory game for a shot at some free bonus credits. Basically a web version of the classic concentration card game, the “cards” here are small graphic ads purchased by members. Any member who plays the game is guaranteed to see these ads and that’s a powerful source of branding for any business.
A purchase of a memory game ad also gets you a spot on the savvy clicks “featured websites” carousel. The carousel not only appears in the member’s area, but also every 10 pages during a surf session. When the carousel appears in rotation, surfers click any ad in the carousel to claim even more bonus credits. This makes for some monstrous exposure to be sure.
Harry is known for bringing in members who’ve never used a traffic exchange before so it’s no surprise that there is a quick TE tutorial available here as well.
So while traffic flow a Savvy Clicks may rise and fall, I always find myself coming back to advertise with Harry and Detective Savvy before long. The exposure is great, the surfing is rewarding, and the results are on par with some of the best.
My Rating: 6 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Traffic Roundup September 3, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentNot only the original themed traffic exchange, the original cowboy themed exchange as well, Traffic Roundup has been delivering consistent traffic delivery for years.
The focus here has always been on delivering the pageviews, and I can’t remember a time when Traffic Roundup didn’t do this well. Free members surf at a 3:1 ratio, but can rack up a hefty amount of credits with the “find the cows” surf game, so extended surfing is both encouraged and rewarded.
While surfing you may notice there are no member text links in the surf bar. Perhaps this is meant to prevent distraction from the sites and banners? Whatever the case, results have always been good here so who am I to question?
Roundup offers a credit based messaging system much like the one at Web Biz Insider where members can attach a credit incentive to messages posted to the membership. Whenever you have a message available to read, you get a non-intrusive alert message in your member’s area. It’s a cool feature and seems to be Traffic Roundup’s alternative to text links.
Bottom line, Traffic Roundup is simple to use, effective and has been reliable for years. Definitely a top pick for this surfer.
My Rating: 8 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Hit Safari September 1, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentOnline since 2003, Hit Safari is a well established leader in free traffic generation, and has been for as long as this surfer can remember.
Aside from the industry standard features like Banner and Text ads, Hit Safari features one of the best built in downline builders available at any traffic exchange. Not only does it feature MANY different exchanges, safelists and income earners, but pro members can add up to 5 programs of their own choosing. (Free members can add 1).
Commissions are paid for your referrals upgrades, and there are a variety of eye catching splash pages and banners available to help you bring in new members. With a hard working admin who is always looking for ways to add to an allready large active memberbase, it’s really no wonder that Hit Safari has been a top ranked exchange for as long as it has.
As more and more exchanges come online every month, many offering additional features for netwroking, or addictive surfing games, Hit Safari has stuck to the basics, kept it simple, and focused on delivering the hits. This “keep it simple” approach has been working quite well thus far. It’s going to be interesting to see how The Safari fares as competition among exchanges heats up in the near future. I have a feeling this site will continue to provide quality pageviews for it’s members throughout 2008 and the years to come.
My Rating: 9 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
