Huge Guide on Promoting and Optimizing AdSense on PROXY SITES

Following the huge response to Sohan's topic, and seeing that many of the posts in there were asking how to promote a proxy site and receive traffic, I've written a guide. It is the steps I took to get to where I am now. I started my network of 4 proxy sites on November 1st (CGI proxy) and recently added 2 more to make 6, plus a topsite that doesn't really do anything. I'm now getting 2-5k uniques and making $20-30 per day, and today looks to be a record and break $30, and I also have friends who have made up to $180 daily on large proxy networks.

Here is the basic three step procedure:

1. Submit to topsites
2. Buy links
3. Exchange links

I also have a section on optimizing revenue.

TOPSITES
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So you've set up your proxy site(s). What to do next? How do you get traffic? Well, the very FIRST thing you want to do is submit your proxy or proxies to the relevant topsites. And there are a LOT. While we're on the subject, let me just say that I support the idea of having at least 3 proxies, as it increases your reach. But at first, you may want to use the same hit counter code across all sites to maximize the hits it gets.

The easiest way to find a lot of topsites (aim for submitting to 30-40) is to go to a popular proxy site and just look at the bottom. They should have a lot of links. I'm not going to give you my URL because I don't want you going to the same topsites as me for obvious reasons, but any popular proxy site should have them. This puts your link all over the place, and chances are, if you do everything right then you will rise towards the top of the directories.

People also ask about proxy.org a lot. Are sponsored links worth it? I spent $40 my first month for two bolded listings, and the traffic didn't make up a majority of my visitors. However, I really can't track that as I don't have a good tracking program for my proxied pages (where proxy.org links go), and my third-party software is only installed on the homepage. In this sense, it also isn't worth it that proxy.org links go to proxied pages because you can't have AdSense there. My suggestion would be to email the owner and ask him to list your links, just not bold them. He'll ask for a link in return, and you should have no problem doing this.


BUYING LINKS
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I've always thought that the key to getting traffic is to have an opening advertising campaign, and then really cut down on your advertising and let word-of-mouth do its work.

In addition, I believe that text links are much, MUCH better than traditional banners and especially popups. They have obvious SEO benefits, but as demonstrated by Google AdSense's revolutionary text link ads, people are much more likely to click on them.

The first place I like to start when buying text links is AdBrite. Go there and register. Browse through the marketplace looking for sites relevant to your proxy demographic, which is mainly teenagers still in school and should include myspace sites, game sites, entertainment sites, image hosting sites, and other proxy sites. Try to find the cheapest ads you can. You only really need 3 or 4. Buy a couple for a month, or a week if you want to test the water.

Next, you can try sites like AdEngage or Text-Link-Ads. My all time favorite, though, is the DigitalPoint Link Sales Forum. Here you can directly negotiate with advertisers, and often cut other kinds of deals for your advantage. Sift through the forum looking for sites that a proxy text link would look good on, and try to avoid the spammy ones with too many sponsored links on their front page. Also, though, you can just go to a proxy site and directly email the owner inquiring about a deal.

The point is, it really doesn't matter where you get these links. What you want to do is buy a lot of cheap links spread across a bunch of different sites, thus inreasing your proxy's reach and providing an intial traffic boost to bring visitors to your proxy and drive up the topsites' hit counters. And no, after a month you can definitely cut down on the advertising, but still keep your link on sites that are sending a LOT of traffic. But the basic purpose is just providing an INITIAL boost.


EXCHANGING LINKS
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In addition to submitting to topsites and buying links, an integral part of traffic building is partnering with other proxy sites. At the moment, I have two large link exchanges running and they are both sending me a lot of traffic. One is on my friend's large proxy network and the other is on someone from digitalpoint's proxy network.

The best part about link exchanges is that they don't really hurt you, you get traffic and links, and it's FREE. There isn't much to explain about these except say that you can either ask owners of sites you see on the internet to link to you in exchange for a link to them, and visit the link exchange forum. This is probably the most important aspect of building traffic, especially since the links last more than a month and they are free.

OPTIMIZING REVENUE
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Your main source of revenue on proxies is adsense. Of course, you can only put it on your homepage, and therefore you need to make the most of it. Proxies are actually known to have high CTR provided there are relevant ads. The problem is the clicks are very low paying. They range from an average of 7 cents to 13 cents. But the eCPM should be pretty high. Here are the most important parts of having successful ads:

• Experiment! You will never know which ad format works best without experimenting for yourself a lot. Everybody's site is going to be different.
• Make sure you're using at least two square ads of size 330x280. These seem to be really attractive, and the image ads can pay pretty well too.
• USE THE MULTIPLE PALLETTES FEATURE. This randomizes the colors of your ads (you have to make different pallettes) and keeps visitors on their feet. The day after I did this and changed my ads to 330x280, my CTR increased by almost 5 times and has since sustained that high level.
• Maximize the amount of ads you have. The most common use of your allotted three ad spots is a 720x90 banner and two 330x280 ads, as well as a link unit somewhere (preferably designed to look like navigation).
• Put a couple paragraphs on your page that have a high keyword density of "proxy." This is VERY important! It will give you relevant ads and therefore increase your CTR.

In addition to AdSense, there isn't much you can do. I have Azoogle ads on proxied pages but I wouldn't recommend them, as I make about 20 cents per week. Your best option would be Adversal popups, although most visitors hate those and they won't help to increase returning visitors. I have them popup on a random 1-7 count, and I've made like $6 in December or something. It really isn't worth it, and you're best off just optimizing your AdSense ads.

IN CONCLUSION
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Please note that EVERY SITE IS DIFFERENT. If you follow exactly every step outlined in this tutorial, you shouldn't expect to get the same results. You have to experiment, experiment, experiment. It's the most important part of ANY successful site. Also, as a final tip: keep overhead minimal. You're probably going to want a VPS or cheap dedicated server, but don't go blowing $180 on it the first month. And don't spend too much on advertising. The idea is only to get a bunch of CHEAP links across a lot of sites. There isn't really a need to buy a link on a 50k uniques per day site, because you probably won't get a very good ROI.

Also, one more thing: myspace. MySpace, baby! This is a very good tool for driving traffic to your site, but it isn't quite long enough to warrant giving it its own section. Basically all you have to do is get bulletins sent out to a lot of people (by buying them or using your own accounts) and also put a "tell a friend" myspace post bulletin link on your home page. That's it! You'll find that it helps a lot.

Also, if you find that any additional techniques are working for you, please kindly post them here as many people would like to learn.

And if you have any more questions, feel free to post here or PM me. I will not give out my URL for obvious competitive reasons.

I hope this helps!

 

Great stuff, thanks for sharing!

 

One of the best and most inclusive guides I've seen, good job.

 

was wondering how to start.did get some idea

 

Thanks guys.

 

i didnt have a proxy but after reading your guide it makes me want to try it.

 

Hahaha that's good. It's definitely worth a shot, and your investment will almost definitely pay off, especially if you plan to sell it.

 

Generally, top sites don't do much. If you get a back link off a proxy that is doing well already, it could give you an instant burst of traffic.

 

wow gr8 guide. i will try to do something now.
Thx u deserve green for this. Also Sohan.

 

They may not bring you a lot of instant hits, but in my opinion they get you out there and invest in returning visitors. I get the majority of my traffic, though, from bizarre Iranian blogs.

 

Doesn't Iranian traffic bring your per click rates down on adsense? I don't know much about how that works but is it possible that having a high Iranian, Indian and Brazilian visitorship actually does more harm than good to you because it might repel advertisers who were looking for majority US traffic?

P.S. Nice guide, especially the promotion techniques. These can be applied to any site not just proxies.

 

Maybe, but low PPC is expected with proxies. The upshot is that you get a high CTR.

 

great guide.


Now.. how about some info on how you change the CGI script to put my azoogle ads on the proxied pages??????

 

Wow, great guide! I was thinking of starting a proxy: www.unblockr.com, it's not working atm.

Greens for yoU!

 

Nice guide! Will come in useful in other projects than proxy also...
Thanks

 

In the main proxy file, search for "INSERT_FILE." There's a commented section that should help there. Basically all you do is link to a header file and put your ads in there. But unfortunately I don't know how to put PHP in the header, so I use javascript to rotate my ads.

 

Thanks. That was a nice read.

 

You forgot proxy.org

At least for me is the best paid way to promote a proxy site.

 

Thanks. I'll start a proxy and do as what you said.

 

Nice guide, I'll call it a short and sweet one, not that huge, but really nice. Can I post it on my site with credits?

IT