Could anyone explain why..
 

Explain why the traffic from tubes (illegal, legal, whatever) and those sites that post huge zips of videos/content hosted at file sharing sites with big screencap preview images have the best converting traffic? I mean the traffic is fucking golden.

Honestly traffic from illegal sites converts far better than the legal sites posting free content or little teaser pieces of content. And no it doesn't take MORE traffic to an illegal site to match the CTR of a legal one. They all click through the same it's ALL in the layout and basically nothing else. The only difference is that the illegal traffic converts FAR better every single time and there is much more of it there because that is where everyone is right now - tubes.

Fuck what everyone is saying and what is considered common sense in this industry, I used to think reading everyones experience and advice here would save me time but it has only cost me more by thinking I know this and that to avoid when I haven't really tested it for myself.

I think the majority of people just have their panties in a bunch because they missed the tube wagon and their traffic is flocking to the newest better thing. Don't get me wrong I realize how wrong it is that these sites post copyrighted material, but if you settle down for a minute and actually pay attention you might notice how these sites somehow manage to have much better ratios than the sites that are following the rules. They genereate more signups per visitor to the sites whos content they are posting than the sites who only use promo content. Where is the harm in that?

Hmm follow the rules and struggle for a little traffic with shitty conversions or break the rules like everyone else is doing in a seemingly lawless industry and get hoards of traffic that converts 2-3x as well. Honestly I can't blame them. Someone is always going to find a way to do it bigger and better so you might as well beat them to the punch. Yes two wrongs don't make a right but cute little sayings like that don't make your paycheck bigger.

I would definitely say that it doesn't convert BETTER. They just get many times the traffic of a legal site so per day they get way more signups.

Au contraire :upsidedow

It does convert better, people that buy a lot of adspots on these sites can clearly see the numbers and compare it to other sites.

how would you know?

Perhaps because the ones that click through to your site realize what they are doing rather than a lot of curiosity clicks that galleries etc get?

We will have to wait on the master Paul Markham to know for sure.