Review of Traffic Geyser
The other day someone mentioned a new service, Traffic Geyser, that claimed top results in Google through online video distribution.
The software itself is pretty basic - it basically provides an interface that allows you to upload a video file, add data that will be passed on to the video sharing site, and then submit the file to a number of video sharing sites. It isn’t fundamentally different than a list of links to major video sharing sites except you save time by only uploading the video once (whether that is worth $100 per month is questionable in my mind).
The concept is not really that radical actually. SEO software (like Web Position Gold) does the same thing with Web sites and Web search engines, and more recently I’ve seen a number of services that aggregate links and pass data to social bookmark sites like Social Poster.
Traffic Geyser simply saves you a bit of time adding video to video sharing sites, and if I were in the online video business I might even consider buying their software - if it were $20 for a lifetime license (as opposed to the ridiculous price tag of $100 per month).
What I found to be a bit snake-oilish was the claim on their Web site that “Pay Per Click isn’t the answer.” They show a few case studies where high performing videos rank #1 in Google for targeted keywords.
In my experience I haven’t seen a lot of online businesses make a living out of selling high results in Google and proclaiming that customers didn’t need to purchase Google ads. In fact, that is tantamount to writing an e-mail to Google asking them to blacklist you.
That being said, a few things I want to address here.
1. Videos can perform well in search - if they have backlinks
Traffic Geyser is not lying when they say that pages in video sharing sites can perform well in Google’s organic search. Video sharing sites like YouTube and Google Video are going to be interwoven with domains that have a lot of PageRank to pass around. In fact, if you run a query for “PRWeb in Plain English” in Google you will see that the YouTube results rank #1 and #2.
Now here is the catch - the high performance of these videos is primarily the result of the links pointing to the URL hosting the videos. We launched these videos as part of a broader marketing campaign that involved distribution of PRWeb press releases with the embedded video and posting of the video to a number of blogs.
Over time, the links pointing to the video page made that page a good candidate for a top result in Google. That is something that Traffic Geyser neglects to tell you however - that you can put your content out there, but someone has to care enough to link to it if you want long term results, which leads me to my next point.
2. Videos can perform well in search - if they have good, relevant content
Traffic Geyser sells their $100 per month subscription with royalty-free images and a “slideshow creator” that allow you to produce “video without a camera.” Basically, they want to give people the tools to come up with anything that can be uploaded into video sharing sites.
If content doesn’t matter to you, your customers, or your brand, then this approach will probably work. Otherwise, you may want to think a little more carefully before you start driving people to your content.
When we wanted to create our video content, we went out and hired Common Craft, one of the most talented production teams out there (who have also done video work for a little company called Google). We wanted to make sure that the thousands of people who were going to see our video, left with a good impression of our brand and a desire to enter into a long-term relationship with us.
That being said - we didn’t spend a fortune on the production budget and we were the first client that contracted them to make a video. We found them because they were creating some great independent materials on social media technologies. One idea? Go out onto video sharing sites and see who is creating great video content in your space.
At the end of the day, you might be able to get a top result for a short amount of time but if the traffic that is flowing through search engines to your content sees shoddy craftsmanship - what is that going to tell them about your brand or product and more importantly, what do you think they are likely to do? Would your typical consumer entrust their business to a company when their only impression of that company was a video that looked like it was made by a fifth grader in two hours?
If you care about your brand or your company, you may want to consider what it is you are putting out there for public consumption. Additionally, good video content is going to get you more back links and better placement in search over the long haul.
3. You don’t need to upload your video to 25 different video sharing sites
On principle, I’m not crazy about software that goes and pushes content to a number of different social media sites with no regard for the etiquette of those sites. In practice, it simply isn’t effective. You are better off focusing on one or two of the top video sharing sites than getting your video onto 15 or 20 different ones.
Again, over the long haul one of your goals is to make your video on YouTube perform well. If you have your video spread out over 15 or 20 sites, then your links are also going to be spread out. Would you rather have one YouTube video with 100 back-links or 20 videos dispersed with 5 back-links each? Let me put this another way - would you rather have a page 1 result in Google or dominate pages 5-6?
4. You’re better off not spamming video sharing sites or pissing off Google
I’ve sort of alluded to this already, but I’m really not crazy about the idea of blasting off some crap content to a bunch of video sharing sites on principal alone. The idea behind these video sharing sites is that the infrastructure is present to create a two-way flow of communication between you and the people you are interested in connecting with. The video is the vessel that carries your message to your intended audience but it isn’t just a one-way message because people can comment on your YouTube video, add it to their blogs, and even write directly back to you - in text and with video submissions! You can also build out your network in video sharing sites and over time, people will subscribe to your channel and be immediately notified when you upload new videos.
Participating in social media can be a way of creating real connections with customers, stakeholders, etc. when done correctly. When abused, it normally doesn’t end well for the perpetrator.
At any rate, my overall perception of Traffic Geyser is that some guys in San Diego cobbled together some software and are selling it for $100 per month and going on a marketing blitzkrieg, claiming top results in Google. It is snake oil - the latest craze and it will be antiquated in the next six months leaving Traffic Geyser customers feeling disappointed and the Traffic Geyser owners feeling happy because they just made millions of dollars by teaching people how to make terrible video content and spam the Internet.
Remember - all those social media sites are free to use. When approached properly they can perform even perform well in search. Just make sure that when people come to your content, there is something for them to see.
My advice - if you have $1200 to spare (the cost of Traffic Geyser over 12 months) use the money and buy a camera or take a class and learn how to build your own great piece of video content. It isn’t that hard. Alternatively, think about hiring out a local production firm or even a local freelancer - and upload your video to the top two or three video sharing sites yourself.
You can also announce it using embedded video in a PRWeb press release 
12 Responses to “Review of Traffic Geyser”
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I do agree… $100 a month is a lot for that service however many people would find it useful especially if they don’t understand SEO. There is a market for everything… Even Snake Oil!
I personally use this service and am pleased, to say the least, with the results. Also, if you look you’ll see that there are three levels of membership the entry level being like $39.00/mo or something not $100. I agree that if you have NO marketing budget submitting to just YouTube or similar site may be your only option and better than nothing, but don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater here. AdWords COST MONEY TOO! This service WORKS! And it works fast. Thanks for listening. And I’m not only the Hair Club president, I’m also a client.
Mike
It seems to me that reviewer is correct in everything they say.
This product seems to be more of a corporate Ecommerce department “nice to play with” product - than anything useful, relevant, economical to the small guy who has to watch his profit margins.
Hundreds of dollars is a lot of money - unless it is obvious that you would make a significant return. The USP of rapid publishing of video seems a bit weak to me.
Stephen
Brand Killer Robots
Thanks for this great review. I have known about Traffic Geyser for over a year now, & have to say that I was put off at the high monthly costs.
I use Tubemogul.com which submits to over a dozen sites for FREE.
So on that basis I am reluctant to use them. Also I am sceptical about there claims. I agree you could rank well quickly with NON competitive key words however those that are even slighly competitive it would be hard to rank well with.
Simon Stepsys (UK)
Thanks for this comprehensive review and analysis of not just the Traffic Geyser service, but video marketing in general.
I’m with Simon on this, $99 per month DOES seem like a tall order when Tubemogul automates the video submission process for free.
I also think that it is worth learning how to do video marketing properly, as that is one of my favorite sources of traffic and, in my opinion, the best way to ‘pre-sell’ to your prospects. Quantity of content is important for getting out there on the internet, but QUALITY of content is even more important, since this is your first, and perhaps only, chance to reach out and connect with your visitors.
Cheers,
Rob Hunter
The trick is in the back links and relevence, someone needs to teach and encourage that rather than spamming.
Traffic geyser should lower their prices just a tad…
if there was no tubemogul then I would say that their prices made sense.
But sense tubemogul does about half of what traffic geyser does for free then… It seems like a furthere stretch to $100 a month.
I love tubemogul and traffic geyser both.
Obviously traffic geyser is better though!
DBK
I have been using Traffic Geyser since day 1 and I really do love it. I use the $97 Gold Service, but I also use the Traffic Geyser Affiliate Program to earn money too. I use Traffic Geyser to promote itself and I consistently earn $400-$500 each month from it. So it’s a no brainer for me. Sure you can get a little spammy with it, but is that not the name of the game these days if you don’t wanna be a loser? I don’t think it pisses Google of at all, if that was the case why would they index the stuff so quick? My record is a #1 in Google in 4 minutes and a sale within 10 mins! As I say a no brainer.
Rick Lomas
http://www.ricklomas.com
I am currently thinking of giving it a try, the mixed reviews make me abit vary tho…
I am currently studying the Quick Video Marketing course which claims to teach you how to “dominate video marketing” in any given niche…
not sure if it will deliver tho,however.. perhaps it may hopefully may shine some light to the best way forward regarding this
Waseem
Thanks for this comprehensive review and analysis. While I feel this was a very well constructed and informative post, I feel some key pieces of information was left out. By having yours video sent to 90 different video sharing sites you are creating back links pointing back to the blog or video. That will increase Google ranking alone. Factor in (I’m not sure if this can hurt you in the long run) that they re-render so it is not duplicate content and resubmit the content 4 more times for a total of 360 back links in a short period of time.
I believe our services change the lives of people for the better. People don’t need to have a fancy camera or crew to put together a quality video if they have great content and use Camtasia. At the end of the day it comes down to, what is my time worth?
If I had to time myself I would say submitting to 90 sites would take me probably a minimum of 2 hours and 25 minutes and that is if I average 1.5 minutes per submission.
If you do 30 videos a month or 1 per day that would be 67.5 hours for that much effort. My time is worth far more than $1.48/hour.
Hey.
I’ve met Herschy from Quick Video Marketing, and Mike from Traffic Geyser 2 times each. The software works, and does A LOT more than just the video submission. The sales letter doesn’t justify what it does. After seeing it presented on stage, I’m a lot more “aware” of what’s going on with it. I was like, “heck no, I ain’t getting this”… before Mike did his presentation… Then after I wanted it… Already doing GREAT without it, just using video.. So it’s a great addition, just need to know how to use it.
Traffic Geyser and TubeMogul are both great services but be careful. Regardless of the price as referred to by other commenters here it’s about saving time. A true internet marketer values their time. If I can upload a video once and have it displayed all over the internet that gives me extra time to write articles or make phone calls, etc.
However, recent changes in youtube may cause difficulties. Recently many of my fellow internet marketers were kicked off youtube indefinitely. Youtube is by far the number one video site in the world and it’s a great marketing tool for your business. Traffic Geyser and TubeMogul both allow you to uncheck youtube as a site to use when uploading. You may want to do it until this all unfolds. Then again the other sites tend to follow the leader when it comes to this type of thing. They have not yet.
Yes I know many of the people kicked off were also doing other things such as using bots to pump up their views and doing other things to artificially rank their videos higher. The point is anything that is unnatural is disliked by Google. Google has more PHDs in computer science and software than any company in the world. If you can buck the system you are smarter than I. Be careful.