WebProNews

Ever since a certain retiring internet marketer made his secrets and scripts available to the internet marketing community, a surplus of traffic "monsters" have been released on an unsuspecting public.

And these are no benign little click-exchanges or startpage exchanges either.

Some of them require you to install software that can be downright threatening to your computer's health.

If the software is not compatible with your computer, it can cause things to go haywire - as I found out the hard way.

Here are the problems I have with some of these so-called traffic programs.

1. Screenblaze

This one took over my computer like an alien lifeforce - and multiplied with numerous copies popping up at once, till I was forced to shoot them down with my CTRL+ALT+DEL blaster.

My next step - Press Uninstall.

2. Thank-You Page Ads

This new program claims to boost your sales by inserting your link on someone else's product download pages.

This is a SERIOUS security risk - and I mean s-e-r-i-o-u-s.

If you check your website stats regularly, you'll know that you can see the link of the REFERRING page in your webstats.

So if someone clicks through to your website from a product download or thank-you page, you can actually see that person's download page in your webstats - and download their products without paying.

So that means other webmasters can view YOUR download pages in their webstats and download your products also. (brrrr!)

That is, unless you have protected your download pages with a special script - which very few of us do.

I have no idea what the creators of this program were thinking when they designed it, but I would not advise you to link to ANY other website (or even another page on your own website - if you're using a free website tracker) from your product download or thank-you pages.

3. Fly-In Ads, Slide-In Ads - whatever

I personally have no problem with this one, but its BOUND to irritate your visitors. Irate visitors = Quick click-away from your site.

And why install someone else's ad on your site when you can use a simple opt-in popup that's so much more effective.

So think carefully before you join the newest traffic craze. And don't delude yourself that they are your way to traffic nirvana.

All they will likely do is overload your website with useless traffic.

Its not how many 'hits' you get, but what SORT of traffic you attract - and what you do with it - that matters.

Either learn to use traffic exchanges for the right purpose - like getting more leads/subscribers, or spend your precious time on better, longer-term and more targeted ways of generating traffic like:

- Search Engine Optimization

- Pay-Per-Click Traffic

- Writing Articles

And PLEASE - no more "blazes"! More than one Startblaze is too many.

Priya Shah is a partner in the search engine marketing firm, SEO & More http://www.seoandmore.com Request the whitepaper Boost Your Search Engine Visibility With Blogs And RSS http://www.seoandmore.com/blogs-rss/