The Problem With ‘Numbers’
Urgh!
Traffic exchange rankings. It’s been something I have been doing since 2003 and I have been through some pretty intense battles when it comes to rankings. I feel some of the major traffic exchange ranking sites on the net are well…Not that accurate and when you base your rankings just on the numbers, you miss some of the gems that this industry has to offer.
When you base everything just on numbers, certain ‘variables’ are never shown. This is why I have always maintained that my Top 10 Traffic Exchange List at Hit Exchange News is not only numbers, but my opinion as well. Why? Well, things like superior customer support, incredible web site design, great training tips via a blog or email…All these things cannot be ‘measured’ with standard calculations.
And yeah, this may be tooting my own horn here but this is why I still say to this day that the best way to rank traffic exchanges, is by asking the members what they think. Like my friend Tony Tezak has always said…”Power to the surfers” and for good reason.
When you ask the people what they think you get honest answers. You get feedback on not only how well a traffic exchange performs but also on what people are thinking about the owner and management of that program. There is so much to thinking about when ranking traffic exchanges, it just simply can’t be only number based.
Did you know that you can rank and review your favorite traffic exchanges, each and every week? The most popular traffic exchanges on the net are ranked BY THE SURFERS, every week at Affiliate Funnel. And while that’s not even a perfect list, I think it does something that no other list does and that’s let the surfers decide what they like.
Popularity contest? Absolutely!
And guess what, when something is popular that means that the owner is doing something right and the members are supporting him or her. So get to it and have your say each and every week! The power is yours to tell the industry what you think, make sure you vote and give them your thoughts!
Ian Bakewell
People should treat traffic exchanges like any other advertising medium.
Use a large, reputable, independent and directly measured tool like Quantcast (I use them on easysurfexchange), getclicky or SiteMeter to look at the traffic.
Use personal conversion stats to sort out the best campaigns.
Then let the pundits talk to themselves, they do not matter.
Rankings, Rankings, Rankings
[...] now! Ok, all kidding aside though, this is just for fun. As Jon Olson points out, there is a flaw with numbers. In that, they are only numbers. They fluctuate daily, weekly, [...]
Jon Olson
Ya, not a fan of that practice either. Just too many variables you cannot judge with numbers alone. Of course people should track their own results, and we all do a good job at training members (I think) that it’s important to track.
But alas, I just feel that if you base rankings, on numbers alone, you miss the real gems in this business.
Example, Tim Linden goes above and beyond when it comes to providing quality content on his blog, for his readers. No ‘number’ can tell you that.