Learning from good examples...

One thing that I always recommend adult webmasters do, to help secure their place in the future of this business, is to get into a hefty amount of research. One of the best forms of research, that's always proved invaluable to me and that I couldn't have made my money I have without, is to check out the sites that are already out there.

One of the most common posts that we see here on the newbie booster is a request to see some 'good examples' of sites that are getting the traffic and making some money. Don't forget that there are no secret sites out there. The webmasters that are making the big money are submitting to the same TGPs, search engines and other traffic sources that the rest of us are. It's free and simple to see what they're doing.

Well, nearly...

I guess the big problem is knowing WHICH of the sites you check out are actually working? As well as the sites which are really making bank, there are the sites by new webmasters, or those who are not up to the big money yet. Unless you have access to each site's stats - there's no real way of knowing which sites are the successful ones. Most webmasters are understandably reluctant to post their own sites or galleries on public forums so good examples are hard to find.

This doesn't mean that surfing around is worthless! The more you surf around Adult Websville - the more sites you'll see, and the more you'll be able to spot the pages that are really pro looking and doing something different. One of the main things is DOES the work stand out?? If you find yourself skimming over a site and you've seen it all before - chances are this is NOT a money-making adult site.

What are the big boys doing...

As you know, there are adult sites in this business that are legendary! Some sites (mainly TGP and link list sites) were established back at the beginning of the adult web and receive literally millions of surfers each month. Persian Kitty - http://www.persiankitty.com - is a perfect example. It's a link list that has gone from strength to strength and which every adult webmaster has, or soon WILL hear of when they start out. And there's a lot we can learn from these sites...

As well as carrying pre-paid advertising, mega traffic sites like the link list I mentioned above also have to carry adverts for regular sponsors - as the rest of us do. And what's interesting here is that these places get a lot of very experienced surfers. These guys and girls know that there are a lot of pictures and even movies here for them to see for FREE! As you can imagine - the advertising on a site like this has to be tweaked very carefully to work.

Surfing the sites on a link list or the pages on a TGP is important - but don't forget to see what those traffic giants are doing in their own advertising.

You won't get all the information you need from looking at ONE TGP or link list. Explore the links you find on each traffic source (to the other TGPs and link lists) and see where they take ya! Get a feel for what they are all doing and print out, save or screen grab anything that you think you can use in your own work.

What do I look out for???

OK so what can we learn from the people who are used to dealing with the toughest surfers in the world? Here's some things to keep an eye open for:

The tone, and what they are saying to the surfer.
Positioning and style - how are they catching the surfer's attention?
The sponsors they are using - and what are they saying about them?
Tricks - hiding the status bar text? Blind links? Fake thumbs etc?
How is animation used in the ads to grab your eye?
How are tables being used?
Text - size, color, weight, amount - what's being said?

Build up research material and even a folder of ads that you really like. What made you laugh? What made you take notice? Did you click anything out of curiosity? What made you re-read it was so damn WHACKY??? Keep these ideas and bring them out in your next site, your next TGP gallery - or whatever you're working on. Don't copy! Make the ideas your own. Bring them into YOUR style, and make it work for your projects. All we're looking for are ideas to keep things fresh and to learn to deal with those problem surfers.

Keeping it fresh

One thing that I've noticed, and that you will notice too as you do your research over the coming months is that advertising changes. I can certainly see a difference in the style and the general appearance of ads on the major sites out there even from a year ago. What works today in internet advertising might not work tomorrow. And then there's the gimmicks, the fads, and the 'latest things' that have a shelf life but will be successful for a time. Think about Internet eraser, and other products - they are all relatively new products that webmasters are selling.

Look out for what other people are selling, how they're selling it TODAY, and always be looking to re-invent your own advertising and to keep things fresh. The old saying used to be 'keep your banners fresh' but that's yesterday's thinking. Today, you have to keep more than your banners fresh - you have to keep your whole campaign fresh!

Good luck - now go get 'em!

TOM ^"^

ICQ 12616560
Email tom@tomsnewbiebooster.com

Enter TOM'S NEWBIE BOOSTER

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