Setting up your traffic excange accounts basically involves adding your web
site, banner ad, and, ( if applicable ), text link. Look to the
member navigation menu for a link that reads 'My Websites',
'Add Sites', 'URL Manager', or something along these
lines.
This link will take you to the page where you may enter your
Target URL(s). A Target URL is the website address you wish to
drive traffic to.
Just enter a title for your site, along with the URL, and
submit this information. Some exchanges will also ask you for a
brief description or give you the opportunity to select an
appropriate category for your site to be rotated through.
Your site must not be a frame breaker, ( a site with code that
"breaks out" of the surf bar ), as this type of site will disrupt
the process of generating traffic for other members of the
exchange. In some cases, you will be required to click a
'test' button that checks your site for frame-breaking code
before it is accepted into the system. Alternatively, the site
admin may check each URL manually before approving them.
Also, each exchange is likely to have its own set of rules
regarding the types of sites that are allowed. For example,
some exchanges do not allow the use of rotators. Other programs
have banned paid-to-promote type sites and apparent ponzi
schemes from rotation. Be sure to read the terms and
regulations of each exchange before submitting your target
URL(s).
The procedure for adding banner ads and text links is pretty
much the same as that for adding your target URLs. Just find
the appropriate menu link and insert the correct information
into the submission form to enter your banner and text ads into
the member rotation.
There is sometimes confusion in getting your banners set up
properly. First you must have an image of the banner hosted
somewhere on the Internet. Usually, the program that you are
promoting will give you an image URL or tell you that you need
to copy the image and upload it to your own hosting account.
Either way there will be two URLs to be added when entering a
banner. One will usually say" target URL". The "target URL"
is the page you want a person to see when they click on the
banner, ( the page you are promoting ). The other will
usually say "image URL". That is the location on the Internet
where your image file is hosted.
The final thing that some exchanges will have when entering
a banner is an "alt text:" box. Alt text is what someone will
see if for some reason the banner is not available because of
some sort of server glitch. ( Yes even the best hosts sometimes have
glitches ). This will also show whenever some one mouses over
the image.