Traffic Exchange Programs and Google Adsense

Those who try to earn money by displaying Google ads on their website know how important traffic is. The more traffic you have coming to your site, the more ad clicks you will get, which means more money. Sooner or later, the idea of using traffic exchange programs will cross your mind. Is it a good idea?

First of all, what is traffic exchange? For those unfamiliar with the concept, let me briefly explain. When you join a traffic exchange site, you will be asked to surf other members' websites; as you do so, you earn surfing credits for yourself. Other members will visit yours. Surfing rates vary; usually, it is 2:1, which means that for every two websites you visit you get 1 visit to your own site. Sometimes you can even find a generous rate of 1:1. You will be required to surf a certain minimum amount of sites per week or two weeks to keep your account active. The rest is up to you: the more you surf, the more traffic your own website receives.

As you see, the idea is very simple - and very tempting, if you play the Google Adsense game. Even more so if you come across a click exchange program - traffic exchange tailored specifically for Google Adsense, where members are invited not only to surf each other's websites but also to click each other's ads. So is this a good idea?

The short answer is no, especially when it comes to click exchange. It is, in fact, a sure way to get your Google Adsense account banned, permanently. Google carefully monitors every website that hosts their ads, trying to make sure the advertisers aren't cheated. Every sudden boost of traffic raises their suspicion, and if they see that your click-through rate is sky high (too many visitors click on ads), they will know you're using a click exchange. And they will ban you, sometimes without a warning.

But what if you use just traffic exchange, not click exchange? What if you only bring visitors to your site, without asking them to click on the ads? Well, perhaps the risk is a little smaller, but it is still there. While Google does not specifically prohibit using traffic exchange services, they "do not encourage or endorse" doing so, as was stated in the official Google's reply to a letter of a paid blogger who asked them about their policy on traffic exchange.

Practice shows that they feel much stronger about it than just "not encouraging or endorsing." Numerous Google Adsense accounts have been closed because of it. Like I already said, Google finds any sudden boost of traffic suspicious, and in most cases you will not even have a chance to explain yourself. I was lucky; I had received a warning message from Google when I tried using a traffic exchange program at a certain point. Yes, I have tried it myself - that's how I know, first hand, that it's not a good idea.

Overall, it is not worth the risk. However, traffic exchange can be moderately helpful to promote ad-free sites.