Traffic Scams That Target Newbies

By Vincent Newton (c) 2009

Promising to deliver targeted traffic to your website sounds like a miracle cure for all your internet marketing woes. Many "newbies' are easily lured into offers that promise to deliver thousands of visitors to their website.

Google the search phrase increase website traffic and you will notice a host of companies promising the world.

The offers sound great, so let's take a closer look at what you get.

Whether you're new to internet marketing or you're an experienced pro, you know that without visitors your web site is pretty useless. If you've tried, you also know that driving traffic is a lot harder than you first imagined.

Like thousands of other virtual entrepreneurs, you're probably tuned in to those in-your-face internet marketing experts offering boatloads of targeted traffic for a seemingly nominal cost. Perhaps you've even taken the bait.

If so, let me ask you this.

Have you noticed any improvement?

If you haven't, don't be ashamed to admit it. Believe me, you aren't the only one who has fallen victim to what many are now calling targeted traffic scams. These scams are all over the internet and you are their target.

What do all these companies have in common?

Well, they've all hired some top-notch marketers, that's for sure, turning your pain into their gain. As you read through the copy on these sites it's hard to resist handing over your hard-earned money for a chance at instant success; success that's guaranteed or your money back.

But have you taken a close look at what those guarantees guarantee? Most guarantee to deliver the traffic; what happens after that isn't their problem. And that makes sense. Those companies don't have any control over the functionality of your site, what you're offering or how it's being offered. Ultimately implementing basic marketing principles is your responsibility.

Almost all will guarantee a refund for traffic not delivered. So if you don't get what you paid for, a portion of your money is refunded. Sounds fair.

The only problem is, the companies selling you the traffic also provide the delivery statistics and those statistics are indisputable. Some will even admit that different tracking systems may produce different results. But that doesn't matter. You must be willing to accept the traffic provider's statistical analysis as the final word and before finalizing your sale. Sounds a bit one-sided to me, and a bit suspicious.

If you're a newbie, watch out!

The people selling targeted traffic succeed because, like any thriving business venture, they've done their homework. They know how to work your frustration to their advantage. And they've been around long enough to figure out the best audience to target: the newbies.

Why are newbies so vulnerable?

Newbies willingly purchase targeted traffic for one simple reason: Most don't fully understand the complex world of internet marketing. Instead many are of the "build it and they will come" mentality. They don't comprehend the vastness of the internet and fail to realize that without a full-fledged marketing plan their website may as well be invisible.

Newbies hear opportunities to buy "targeted" traffic for pennies per visitor and eagerly hand over their credit cards. Then they sit back and wait for the masses to swarm their online stores and buy everything in sight.

When that doesn't happen, most don't even question why. Instead they move on to the next product or service promising instant internet success then sit back and await the results. If only they'd first take time to learn more!

What about the traffic quality?

If you believe that quality is more important than quantity you'd probably jump at the chance to get both. You know it and the people behind these targeted traffic scams know it too.

But the truth is you have no way of knowing the true intentions of the folks who comprise that traffic. For example, in an effort to convince potential members of their "targeted traffic" pools, one company offers people free software in exchange for taking a short survey and agreeing to receive advertising material from companies like yours and hundreds of others. It's human nature to want something for nothing and people will do just about anything for the opportunity.

Will they lie? Sure they will. Even though they say they're interested in health or travel, many could care less about those topics. They just want the survey completed as quickly as possible so they can get the free goodies.

Another targeted traffic provider uses software to guarantee your web page is shown whenever potential visitors are logged in to their computers. Don't know about you, but I'm logged in to my computer all day. But I'm not sitting in front of it all day. Multiple my situation by potentially hundreds of others who are logged in but not actually seeing your offer and you can't help but wonder, where's the value in that?

Another provider recycles its traffic every 7 days bringing, the same people to your site over and over again. That's not necessarily bad, especially if you keep your web content fresh. But most people don't. If you're paying for unique visitors, make sure that's what you're getting!

What's the cost for all this?

Paying pennies for site visitors is a great deal as long as you truly get what you're paying for. So find out. Google the offer and see what others not affiliated with the traffic provider have to say about their experiences.

You've got to dig deep and read between the lines in order to judge the true quality of the targeted traffic you're buying and whether it's a good investment. Unfortunately, most people don't take these steps.

There must be a better way!

Don't fall victim to these scams. Instead give viral or "tell a friend" marketing strategies a try. These strategies are gaining in popularity because nothing is more valuable than a stamp of approval from a trusted source. A positive referral translates into instant credibility and that translates into explosive growth of high-quality traffic to your site. Guaranteed!