As a website owner, what is the one essential ingredient that you will need for success? Traffic! One of the quickest, easiest, and cheapest ways to generate website traffic is by using a traffic exchange.

Traffic exchanges work on a barter system. Although the specifics vary, generally you surf for credits. Normally, you have to spend 20 seconds at each site that you visit. In exchange for this, the exchange company will post your ad for others to see. Your credits will normally come on a 3 to 1 or 4 to 1 basis, meaning that you need to surf four sites for every one that they will show. Many exchanges will also offer bonuses for referring friends, often several layers deep and those bonuses can add up quickly.

Most traffic exchanges have categories available where you can post your ad. This is a very nice feature as you will get targeted prospects that might be interested in your product or service.

While many of the traffic exchanges can produce great results, often times many people do not use them correctly and fail miserably. Here are some tips to help you get the most out of your traffic exchange experience.

The first thing you need to do is offer something for free. It doesn't matter if it's an ebook, a video or a sound clip. People are on the exchange because they have to be there, not because they want to be there. They are seeing pitch after pitch every 20 seconds and quickly put their credit card away. So, be different and be nice and send them a free gift for visiting your website.

The next thing you must do if you want to be successful is to collect your prospect's email address. However, leave the selling for a later time. Your point of being on the exchange should be one thing and one thing only: getting subscribers.

Many people are using traffic exchanges to promote multi level marketing and affiliate programs. This can be a great way to recruit, but keep in mind that many programs will saturate quickly on the exchange. Always ditch the corporate opt in form and make your own. There are many products that will make creating your own opt in form a breeze.

Try to find a traffic exchange that allows you to run multiple ads so you can split test. Take advantage of this. Your responses will improve significantly.

The real key to making money with traffic exchages is by cross promoting the exchanges. There are several downline builders like Traffic Tornado that make downline building a breeze. Also, use the Firefox Browser and surf multiple exchanges at once. This will make it a lot easier to rack up credits in a hurry.

If you are serious about making money online, then traffic exchanges are welcome additions to your online arsenal.