For those starting out with their first website, finding visitors can be the most challenging aspect. Your site is new, so nobody knows about it. Fortunately there are tools on the web that can be very useful for new webmasters. Traffic exchanges are an option to be considered. They are sites that trade website hits. It's a "you view my site and I'll view yours" deal. Most have a timer that counts down or a link that appears when you can view the next page. You can also get extra credits when you refer people to traffic exchanges. The more your downline surfs, the more times your website will be shown to users.

There is a downside though. The visitors you receive from traffic exchanges aren't exactly "quality visitors" since they're only viewing your site so you will view theirs. Most of the time they are off to view another site as soon as the timer is up trying to earn as many credits as they can. The question you have to ask is why are people using traffic exchanges? The answer is simple... to drive visitors to their site! Now that you know what traffic exchange users are looking for, you can cater to them.

Option #1. Create a splash page that is simple, direct, to the point, and that will catch the eye of someone who is clicking through sites like mad.

Option #2 Create a page that promises valuable information about your subject in exchange for their name and email address. Then use a series of emails through an autoresponder. Have you ever heard the phrase, "The money is in the list"? This is a decent way to build your list slowly.

I'm sure you can think of a few more options, but both of these above will generate sales at a ratio of about 1:20,000. That sounds like a lot of visitors per sale, but you have to remember that these are completely untargeted visitors.

There is another way to go that uses a similar strategy, but in a different way. I'll explain in general terms how I use traffic exchanges in a step by step format, but before I start, you should know this. With the creation of "tabbed" browsers such as Firefox and MYIE2, traffic exchange surfing has become much easier. With these browsers you can have multiple "tabs" open instead of clogging your toolbar with multiple instances of Internet Explorer open. You can click the "next site" button on one exchange, then move on to the next tab while the counter counts down on the previous tab, and so on... It is also possible to create a "group" of programs. Instead of opening 10 windows by typing in 10 different url's or clicking on 10 links in your favorites, you can open them all with a single click. If you plan on using multiple traffic exchanges, a "tabbed" browser is definitely the way to go.

Warning! Some sites that are shown in traffic exchanges may contain adware, spyware, malware, and or viruses. Make sure you are protected from this type of software before using traffic exchanges.

Step 1. Join and start to use 20 different traffic exchanges. Pick the five or ten that you like the best and stick with those. Also make a note your affiliate link so you can refer others.

Step 2. Create a simple, fast loading page with a headline that's something like this - "Attention Traffic Exchange Users!" or "Stop Clicking!" (something to catch the users attention). Follow that up with a short paragraph telling the user that they could be multiplying the amount of traffic pointed to their site. Make sure when you join a traffic exchange, you set up this url to be shown to other users.

Step 3. Sign up for an autoresponder and put a signup form (one that asks for the traffic exchange users name and email address) on the page from step two.

Step 4. Create another page on your site that lists all of the traffic exchanges that you chose from step one. Make sure the links to these traffic exchanges include your affiliate ID so you get credit when someone joins up under your link.

Step 5. Go back to your autoresponder and create a 3 email series (or however many you like). Your first email should urge the subscriber to join the traffic exchange programs that you use and should point to the page you created in step four. Also include a link to your favorite tabbed browser such as Firefox or MYIE2 and some brief instructions on how to use tabbed browsers and suggest they download it. Your second email should explain how using multiple traffic exchanges can greatly boost traffic. Suggest they start surfing for credits using the tabbed browser and hint at the fact that there is a final step that puts the whole package together. In the third email, explain how the system works... which I will now do.

Once you build up a decent size downline in each of your five to ten traffic exchanges, you will no longer have to surf. The people that joined under you should be earning enough credits that your site is being seen without you ever having to lift a finger. You can leave up your lead capture page for as long as you like, but eventually you're going to want to change it to your main page that you originally wanted to promote.

Now you have a steady stream of visitors, and a group of leads that you can advertise to. You can also sleep well at night knowing that you are teaching people to use a traffic exchange strategy that works!