Hit2Hit April 1, 2009
Posted by Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentHolding the #6 position for the past several weeks on the Affiliate Funnel Countdown is Hit2Hit. Launched on
This manual traffic exchange is owned by Franscisca Kruissink from
With free membership (Green Rose), you can promote up to 4 websites. There are three levels of upgrade (White Rose, Coral Rose, and Red Rose) which are good values. The way the upgrades are presented on the Upgrade Account link is a bit scattered.
Hit2Hit is a good basic TE with 30,000+ members and delivers a good, steady flow of traffic. There are many valuable contests which result in cash and upgrade prizes.
To reach its greatest potential, I believe Hit2Hit needs an update not only to freshen up its appearance but to add some new options.
My Rating: 7 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
I Love Hits Profile Pages December 4, 2008
Posted by Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentEvery once in awhile a new, revolutionary traffic exchange feature is introduced and yet goes virtually unnoticed by the general surfing population. The “Profile Pages” at I Love Hits is one such example.
Why?
Probably because in typical Jon Olson’s (owner of I Love Hits) style, it was introduced without a lot of hype, fanfare or drum-beating earlier this year.
Those who know Jon Olson know he struggled for some time with this concept of Blogging – it was a pretty big step for him. Yet in his own quiet and effective way he continues to provide true leadership to the traffic exchange industry.
Have you seen them yet: his revolutionary “Profile Pages” exclusively at I Love Hits? They’re just awesome! In a single stoke Jon has lifted I Love Hits into the Web 2.0 clouds!
What’s really cool is that as you surf I Love Hits, there is a little link on the surf bar that says “Create Your ILH Profile Page.”
But wait, Jon’s done something more. If the splash page you’re viewing is owned by a member who has already set up his or her Profile Page, then the link says “Visit [so-and-so’s] Profile Page.” The surfer can then click on that link and, poof, the viewer is looking at the surfer’s unique content and detailed contact information.
Social interaction at it’s best – brought to you by THE leader in the TE industry – Mr. Jon Olson!
My recommendation: if you belong to I Love Hits, go right now and create your Profile Page. If you do not belong to this manual traffic exchange, you can join at no cost to you and then create your own Profile Page.
With over 100,000 members, I Love Hits continues to provide exceptional traffic exchange advertising results for surfers, day in and day out.
FiveHits December 3, 2008
Posted by Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentI must admit, when I first saw FiveHits I was a bit confused. At that time this exchange was both a manual and an auto surf traffic exchange. A rather strange combination I thought.
Since then Josh Abbott, the owner of FiveHits, has eliminated the auto surf feature and FiveHits is now strictly a manual traffic exchange. A very wise move in my opinion.
What makes FiveHits very unique is that while surfing you actually view 5 small windows or frames on one page. Each window or frame contains a portion of a splash page (actually the top left portion of a splash page), just enough to let you know what is being advertised. To view a particular splash page in its entirely you need to click on a link that opens it up in a new window.
Josh appears to have solved the issue of too many pages loading at once while surfing, so the pace of surfing is not slowed at all.
Josh also recently introduced a “word search” game. At random one of the five windows contains a letter – collect all the letters (around 10) and win extra credits. This is a nice feature because it entices surfers to actually look at what is being advertised, in order to find these letters.
FiveHits is a modified LJ script with a 15 second timer. It does not contain a ton of features in the Member’s area, but its clean design makes navigation quite easy.
So what about results? Since making the switch to a manual-only exchange, results have improved. Josh has spent more time in promoting his exchange in recent months, so he seems committed to bringing in new members. I think with a new, fresh design make-over, FiveHits could be a lot better.
All in all, a solid exchange owned by someone who’s been involved in the traffic exchange industry for a long time and has a very good reputation for being an innovator.
Final Rating: 5 (out of possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Major League Hits September 19, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentMajor League Hits is the baseball themed hit exchange from Michael Coursey. While it has a great looking design, this is pretty much your typical LJ Script based exchange.
Launched early this year, MLH is still a fairly young traffic program. The membership appears to be growing at a slower than average pace however and since everything inside is comparable to many a successful exchange. I have to venture a guess that this exchange is simply under promoted.
Surfing here can be quite rewarding as the credit bonuses on the prize page are definitely above average. A free member can effectively earn a 2:1 ratio instead of the listed 3:1 when you factor in the generous bonus credits.
But unfortunately, the value of those free credits is a bit questionable as it’s unlikely that a significant number of people will be seeing your ads at Major League hits. With a good solid push in the promotion department, this TE could probably become a worthwhile program, but as it stands, this one has yet to make it to first base.
Final Rating: 2 (out of possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Click Crazey September 14, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentWith names like Robert Puddy and Jon Olson attached to it, Click Crazey should be a top notch exchange right? Well, what sounds good in theory does not always pan out in the real world, and this project is a prime example.
The only thing out of the ordinary here is a feature called “lucky number”, though it’s not clearly explained how this works. Aside from being told to pick a lucky number between 1-100, and being told how many times it “hit” for “points”, there’s really nothing on the page stating what these points are? I suspect they are credits, but then why not call them such?
The surf ratio starts at the standard 3:1, and bonus credits are few and far between. You will rarely see a surf verification page either, so the usual 2-3 credits for that page is a rarity as well.
Free members must auto assign 90% of their earned credits which I’m sure is a turn off to many a surfer. With so may other exchanges setting auto assign requirements at 75% or lower, CC’s requirement seems a bit overboard.
How about commissions. well, none for free members, but if you upgrade you can earn a whopping 15% on referrals purchases. Cue the crickets, nothing exiting here.
When all is said and done, this site would probably have faired well a couple of years ago, but in today’s super competitive traffic exchange community, Click Crazey just doesn’t offer enough benefit to the free surfers. Without the free surfers to keep the traffic flowing, Click Crazey just isn’t getting the job done.
I’ve been a long time supporter of Jon Olson, but sadly, I cannot in good conscience recommend Click Crazey at this stage.
Final Rating: 4 (out of possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
TS25
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentOf all the Logiscape traffic exchanges, TS25 is by far my favorite. Sporting a huge active membership, and some of the fastest traffic delivery ever seen, this old workhorse is a real class act. But, it’s not without it’s flaws…
Like all Logiscape exchanges, the traffic generation system is a bit complicated, and can be quite overwhelming to the newbie marketer. While surfing for for credits is simple enough, actually setting up your sites and assigning credits is a bit of a chore.
As a free member, you will need to surf rather intensively to gain any real benefit from TS25. The 5:1 ratio is anything but rewarding, and with the lighting fast traffic delivery that TS25 has, most free members will feel like they aren’t getting anywhere surfing here.
There are however bonuses up for grabs, though the method in which they are calculated leaves most new comers scratching their heads. In a nutshell, surf as long as you can, every day, and make your breaks short if you hope to win a share of the jackpot.
So while TS25 is far from newbie friendly, there is some great exposure to be found here. Just consider an upgrade unless you plan to make a full time affair out of your surfing here.
Final Rating: 7 (out of possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Help Hits
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.
I Love Hits September 12, 2008
Posted by The Secret Surfer in : Reviews , add a commentHow do you describe a Traffic Exchange with well over 95,000 members, that’s been online since 2001, and is owned and operated by THE traffic exchange guy, Jon Olson? I can do it in one word. Results. Always Jon’s top priority, positive results are the biggest reason I love hits has remained an industry leader for all these years. The fact that an exchange this large still consistently brings in hundreds of new users per week speaks volumes about it’s owners advertising skills.
As a member of I love hits, not only do you get fast moving, quality traffic, but you get access to the I Love hits Tutorials archive. This is one of the first places I send folks who e-mail me about their poor results with traffic exchange advertising. Outspoken and rarely wrong, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more knowledgeable expert Than Jon Olson when it comes to advertising in TEs.
I Love Hits has experienced some extensive upgrades this year, first with the ILH Profile pages which brought the exchange into the realm of web 2.0 with some really snazzy social networking tools. And soon followed by it’s participation in the one of a kind Super Surf cross promotion, giving members a chance to earn an incresed surf ratio by super surfing the 5 included exchanges.
In short, I love hits is one of the most consistently reliable traffic providers you’ll ever hope to find. With 7 years under his championship belt, Jon Olson and I Love Hits are a sure thing.
My Rating: 9 (out of a possible 10)
Disagree with my Rating? Login to Affiliate Funnel and add your own ranking now.
Traffic Dodgems
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.
