The Real Lowdown on Adult Traffic
by Kath Blackwell
To a new webmaster just getting started, traffic can sometimes seem like a phenomenon, totally unobtainable. Even veterans talk about how traffic can be as unpredictable as the weather. You can suddenly get this enormous flood of traffic, so huge that it overwhelms you. Then the next day it could be gone, a virtual desert with just a few measly surfers visiting per hour, your stats page moving slower than you ever imagined. Sometimes there are those periods of steady calm with predictable amounts of traffic converting at a regular ratio. Ahhh, now that's the ticket! So, what's "ideal" traffic and how can you reach and sustain that happy medium?
WHAT WORKS FOR ME MIGHT NOT WORK FOR YOU
Words to live by, accept, and understand. I could give you my personal blueprint for success, or you could copy the top five listings on every major search engine word-for-word, and I guarantee you still wouldn't get the same results. This is the biggest mystery in the adult webmaster world. Identical sites in every way, that convert and get listed differently, totally dependent on who is doing the work. Sometimes there's no rhyme or reason. Tests have been conducted, contests have been waged...and it all boils down to...different things work better for some than others. It may sound impossible but it's true. Once you've accepted this fact it's time to move on to building your own personal traffic empire.
The first thing you need to consider is where you will be getting your traffic, the quality of that traffic, and how much that traffic will cost you, in time and/or money. Once you've decided what your acceptable range is, you need to learn how to get out there and grab that traffic for your site. Then, once the traffic begins to flow, you need to know the best ways to tweak, control and manipulate it, in order to get the best return overall. It may sound like a complicated trick to pull off, but once you understand the basics, it's all about just going through the motions- and making it work best for you.
TRAFFIC RESOURCES
There are several different traffic types currently on the market today. There is search engine and directory traffic, link list traffic, top list traffic, and TGP Traffic.
SEARCH ENGINES & DIRECTORIES
By far the "best" traffic, bar none- Search engine and/or directory listings are said to be "pure" traffic. The reason? Most surfers that use search engines or directories to locate their adult entertainment are said to be "cyber virgins," untouched and uneducated by months and months of surfing for erotica via link lists, top lists, pic posts or tgps. Newbies most often start their searches via Yahoo!, AltaVista or the search area provided by their ISP home page. Knowing the background and cyber-savvy level of your surfing population is a great coup in filtering, targeting and ultimately converting your traffic. This helps you to know your limits, how far you can push them with consoles, pop-ups, hard-sell banners and other marketing angles.
You can get listed on any of the major engines and directories simply by submitting your site to their service - oh yeah, AND by following their rules. Each engine and directory has it's own set of rules listing what is acceptable and what isn't. Your best bet is to build a clean site with keywords, descriptions, titles and page text that actually matches the content of your site. Making your search-engine listed site, as unique, interesting and keyword-driven as possible is a great way to get a good solid listing.
Some engines and directories also offer pay-for-listing services. Some have you pay for an out-and-out listing and others have you pay per click, link or keyword listed within their program. Researching these services, weighing the pros and cons fully before committing to paying for your listings is the best way to avoid getting a bad return for your money. Think about this as advertising - as it really is - and make sure you research your market, target the surfer who would come to your site via this advertising, and definitely research the personal experiences of other webmasters as well. Word-of-mouth and testimonials are powerful resources, and learning about someone else's mistakes can often prevent you from making the same ones at your own expense.
LINK LISTS
Second in line of "best traffic to get" are link lists. Link lists are simple to use and can yield some very targeted traffic - IF you learn how to work within the rules of the site, get a feeling for what traffic works best from the site, and learn how to properly list your site within the individual system.
Their rules are simple, easy and spelled out specifically on their sites. If you can follow the rules you will get linked. Depending upon your category and site description, your stats could easily go crazy within just a few hours of getting listed on their pages. However, this could be a traffic dream come true - or a bandwidth nightmare, depending upon your skill and abilities in properly targeting and selling your traffic.
Link Lists are another traffic resource where relevancy really counts. Building an honest, straightforward page can save you lots of bandwidth and conversion headaches later on down the line. Link List owners also appreciate honesty and will give you better rankings and descriptions if your page is surfer-friendly. Oddly enough, without all the pop-ups, blind links and other webmaster tricks, some webmasters find that their traffic converts better and with less charge-backs than on sites where they've used those "sneaky" methods.
TGP: Thumb Gallery Posts
Seen as a waste of time by some and an untapped gold mine by others, TGPs are definitely one of the most controversial traffic resources out there. The basis of how these programs work is this: you build a gallery with 20 or so images on it, depending upon the requirements of the resource you are planning on submitting to. There are limits as to how much advertising per page you can use with these galleries, and on how many different gallery traffic sites you can link to as well. Rather than submitting your whole site for a listing, you are merely listing your galleries as your "ad page."
Some TGP programs allow you a link back to your main site where you have the opportunity to sell more programs, alternative niches and maybe even offer more content previews, run full page ads, use consoles, etc. Others limit the total number of links on each gallery page including sponsor banners, link trades and outside links. Make sure to read the rules until you completely understand them, before ever submitting your site to a TGP resource.
TGPs are notorious for sending boatloads of traffic and yielding very low conversion ratios or results. So why use them? The traffic itself is the lure. Some webmasters have found the hidden keys and secrets to filtering and converting TGP traffic, others are merely interested in bulk traffic for click-thru brokers, PMI affiliates, or for other non-conversion related purposes.
TOP LISTS
A Top List is basically a contest of who can send the most traffic to the Top List Web site. Your site is ranked on a top listing of links depending upon how many hits you've sent in return, in the past hour or 24 hour period (depending upon the site). Obviously a top 5 or top 10 listing is the most coveted, but some Top List users say anything that ranks first page (usually 1-50, or so) will yield decent traffic results.
Most webmasters are quick to say that they feel a lot of Top List users cheat the system, are wasting their hits, or are wasting their time. As with the TGP and Pic Post systems, webmasters who enjoy a good profit from Top List use claim that it's an art that must be learned before it becomes worthwhile.
Top Lists come in many different styles and categories. There are top lists for different niche-specific categories, site types (AVS, free, pay) and other specific criteria. Find the top list that best suits your site and you could be in for some nicely targeted traffic. Again, as with any other resource, the returns will depend solely upon you, your site and the energy you put in to making it work.
PART TWO: What is TGP2? and Advice from the Greenguy!
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