If you are thinking of driving traffic to your websites, one of the ways you can do this is by using ad exchange programs. In this article, I want to show you why you should think about using them in your market to drive visitors to your website.

How does it work:

Members post a specified number of banner ads on their website. (The number of ads required varies from program to program.) In return, your banner ad is displayed on another partner site. The number of ads you post compared to the number of your ads being served will not be uniform. Typically, you’ll need to post two or more ads for every one of yours that’s shown.

This system works because, ultimately, owners end up with more available banner space than there are ads to display. They can then sell the additional ad space for a profit. For every one of your ads that runs on one site, the banner exchange can sell ad space on another.

The main benefit of joining is that it’s free! There is no cost to join most programs. The biggest downside is that you have almost no control over which sites your ad is shown on or how or where it is displayed on the page. You also cannot control which banners are displayed on your website.

These programs are a great way for websites with extremely tight advertising budgets to gain exposure. The lack of control makes them unrealistic for most established sites, but new businesses could benefit from joining a banner exchange.