The old saying goes that it's easier to keep a customer than it is to find a new one, and it's oh so very true. Why then do so many Webmasters not hold on to their site's visitors as well as they should (or could)? Perhaps they don't know how easy or profitable Traffic Looping can be!
It's a beautiful October morning down on the beach: the sun is shining, and there's a gentle autumn breeze blowing. I'm on my second cup of coffee, The Grateful Dead is playing "Eyes of the World," and my brand new Lionel "New York Central Flyer" (with 'Realistic Rail Sounds' ~ Thanks Elizabeth!) is merrily looping its way around the shiny metal track laid out at my feet. All is right with the world:
I'm sharing my morning with you, because my new little train has me thinking about one of my favorite subjects again: Traffic Looping for Profit! You see, just as my shiny locomotive chases its own caboose around in a predetermined circle, so should your site's visitors be guided through a network of your own Web sites; only (possibly) leaving your system if they are visiting a sponsor.
Assumptions
If you are a newbie, you may have wondered about the "a network of your own Web sites" statement in the sentence above. While there is a lot to be said on this subject, it is outside the scope of this article, so for now I'll simply say that If you really want to make things "easier" and more profitable for yourself in this business, then you should build and operate as many sites as possible (or practical).
The thought of having to put together some kind of a "Network" of porn sites shouldn't overwhelm you though, even if you're struggling to build your first. One of the beautiful things about Traffic Looping is that even though you can start with only two different Web sites (or even 2 different TGP gallery pages), there is no real limit to the amount of sites that you can include in your Traffic Loop.
All Aboard!
The basic concept of Traffic Looping is to keep as many of your site's visitors as possible on your own sites, allowing more opportunities for a sale. This might seem like common sense, but many Webmasters work the "numbers game," building thousands of sites without ever incorporating any sort of mechanism for sharing and retaining the vast amount of traffic they can generate.
While the techniques that are required for looping more extensive Networks are typically more complicated, smaller scale Webmasters can easily benefit by adding something as simple as a bold "Click Here to Visit My Other Site" link at the bottom of their pages.
This can of course be extended to cover sites with different niches, such as a small group of free sites that may be linked together: "Click Here for Free Asian | Lesbian | Teens" or some such, although for a topical text bar such as that, I would personally prefer to use sponsor site links. Likewise, a small exit console that popped up with a vertical list of similar bold text links would also do the trick.
Full Steam Ahead
Obviously, such simple techniques will not be adequate for larger Networks. Once you get beyond 10 sites, the bold link bar has become at least a table, and at best a "Top 10" sites list. It's now time to consider some more appropriate methods for referring surfers between our sites.
Web Rings and internal Link Lists are two additional tools for Traffic Looping that should be in every prolific Webmaster's arsenal. Although recent changes at Yahoo! have made finding their adult Web Ring listings a bit harder (the fabulous "drop in" traffic I would receive from Yahoo! was always quite welcome), their Web Ring system is still an easy and efficient method of sharing traffic among your sites.
Building your own internal link list is always a good idea, as it presents as many opportunities as possible to the visitor. Use your own list as a final destination for all of your traffic, diverting traffic to it that has seen your sponsor's offer and declined. Maybe they didn't like offer "A" - now you have a chance to hit 'em with "B!"
Build your own (scripted) internal Top List to easily see which of your sites are the most popular. This gives you a chance to determine which niches your traffic wants most, and let's you tailor your approach for maximum sales. Another benefit is that repeat visitors will likely see a "fresh" list as the rankings change. Why not open your top list to outside submissions and make it a "Top 100" List?
Pulling into the Station
Finally, you should consider the opportunities once you have a larger sized traffic exchange mechanism in place. Say you have 50 sites in your Network, and you've built an internal Top List to loop traffic between them. Why not open your top list to outside submissions and make it a "Top 100" List? The same thing can be said for your Web Ring.
While you will dilute your own traffic (which may be wise if it's largely TGP or other historically less-productive traffic, or unwise if it's all search engine traffic) you will also likely see a possibly significant net increase in overall traffic levels. And since you're looping your traffic, you'll be able to retain as much of it yourself as possible!
As you can see, Traffic Looping is an essential ingredient to a profitable Network of Web sites. There is more to the story, and a variety of different techniques and applications of this basic principal that are worth exploring, but that is a lesson for another day. For now, go and look for ways to link your sites together, and if you only have one, then build another! Good Luck!
