Online Free Classifieds - Are They Worth It?
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I found the following in an old email, added a lot of my own input and thought it was pretty good. As with any free promotion though, be careful and concise. It may be free but can cost you countless amounts of time and energy if you’re not aware…
Online free classified sites offer a risk free, no cost solution to promote your businesses and sell products and services. Advertising in free classified sites can be time consuming and frustrating if you do not know how to successfully profit from these sites.
Knowing the right tricks and tips of online free classified ads will separate you from the hundreds who post thousands of ads without getting any results.
All free classified sites are not created equal. You should focus on a few good sites and post your ads regularly in those sites only. Your starting point is Google search. Go to http://google.com/ and search for “free classifieds” and “free ads“.
From the search result pages, visit 10 to 15 sites and register in those sites. If a site asks too many questions during the registration process, abandon the site and go to the next site. Why should you have to provide all your personal information for the site’s benefits?
Good sites will only ask minimal questions to setup your account so that you can edit, delete and renew your ads. Also, look for sites that will allow you to post without any registration.
Write a precise ad using 80 to 100 words. Write about benefits of your products and services for ad viewers. Try to think benefits in terms of generating extra income, improving health and relationships and providing a sense of good feelings when they use your products and services.
Write a concise, interest grabbing, keyword filled ad title with action words that asks the reader to do something now. If you are promoting an affiliate product and many ads are also about the same affiliate product, write your ad title and ad copy differently than others so that your ad stands out in the crowd.
If you are selling personal items, like used cars, cameras etc., provide details description of the item, its selling price, and your contact information. If you are promoting an item to make a profit, do not try to sell your products or services in the classified ad. Use the free ad to lead to another site or your affiliate site where you can provide more information to make a sale.
In classified sites, most recent ads are listed on the top of the ad search or ad listing pages. Some free classified sites have paid premium ads which are displayed on the top of the listing pages, followed by the free ads.
Avoid those free sites that accept premium listings. In free classified sites, your ads will be buried deep in the listing pages as more ads are posted in the same category.
To keep your ads fresh and on the top of the listing page, renew your ads every couple of days.
Do not spam by posting your ads in all categories. Post only in a few relevant categories, preferably using different ad copies and ad titles.
If the site has regional sections, e.g. US states, cities, or countries and your target is to reach every region, post in 10 to 15 regions only.
For the search function of the site to pickup your ad for display, you do not have to post in all the available regions. This will save you time.
Always use photos or banners in your ads. Make sure that the size and dimensions of your image files are within the site’s acceptable limits. Otherwise, the site may not display your images in your ad at all.
There are a few free sites where you can create your banners or you can use your affiliate banners. If you are using the picture of a product, take the picture using a good digital camera and then convert the image to jpeg format and reduce the dimensions prior to uploading.
Using the simple techniques mentioned above, you should be able to minimize your online free advertising effort and increase responses from your ads.
Remember, your ad title and ad copy should stand out with action words and pictures. You should regularly post your ads to keep them fresh and on top the listing page.
Never stop pushing forward!
Dennis
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Tags: free ads, free classified ads, free classified site, free classifieds, online free classifieds, products, promotion, services
June 5th, 2008 at 10:44 am
Hi Dennis,
I have had great luck with free classified websites for years. One website I do much better on than others and have started using software to do the posting for me to cut back on the time.
You are 100% right in saying all free classified sites are not created equal.
I tested many sites and stuck with the ones I got the best replies from. It was time consuming at 1st, but worth it for me.
June 5th, 2008 at 11:33 am
Awesome Tara! If you could possibly leave us a litle more info, I’ll update the article with a credit link…
Which sites you find best.
What you do - direct sell, list building, etc
The software used.
And anything else you’d like to add, we’d greatly appreciate it
June 5th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
I’ve decided that Craigslist is no longer a viable option because of the 7-day time limit on their ads (Sacramento area).
However, some other free classified sites have longer ad lifetimes (30 to 180 days): backpages.com, ziply.com, kijiji.com, and one in UK (has “green” in the name).
Kijiji.com doesn’t allow URL in the ads, but you CAN slip your URL & anchor text into the Forum signature, so make sure you join their local board in your area!
I even posted (with URL) on one board that was for “Boston” (because they only had NY, Boston available)…..the ad is still there and nobody’s deleted it yet. Google just picked it up as a followed link in GWT.
June 6th, 2008 at 12:09 am
Thanks for the tips! Much appreciated and I’m sure others will find them useful as well
June 6th, 2008 at 12:27 pm
I just remembered the name of the free UK site: “Gumtree” (the symbol of the green tree plus the green graphics made me remember it as “Green tree”).
“Gumtree” is only in a couple of US cities, but it appears that you can still get your links up there because nobody’s deleting the out-of-towners.
NOTE: I have many relatives in Boston (2 aunts, 2 uncles, 5 cousins, etc) and WILL TRAVEL to DJ there. I know other DJs in that city who could rent me equipment.
So technically I *could* perform events in Boston, and that’s why I made the posting! (besides being a link-ho)
June 6th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Hey buddy, thanks for coming back with that. Every little bit helps!
Hope to see you ’round more often
June 6th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
I’ve worked a little with classifieds before and have to say, I was quite impressed. Going into it I only expected a few visits, but no real sales or large increase in visitors.
However, after a month or two of planning out what to say, saying it, then doing it and waiting, I was getting a few hundred visitors extra, plus a few sales.
Now, it might not sound like a lot, but it is a “free” service. Meaning, no money, only time. I definitely recommend using free classifieds, especially if you are just starting out.
Gary R. Hesss last blog post..19 Internal Linking Tips
June 6th, 2008 at 3:28 pm
Hay Gary, thanks for stopping by!
That sounds really good, thanks for the update. Now when you say sales, was it physical products or digital services?
You’re quite right, for a free method, that certainly sounds like a job well done…time is the only expense and can certainly get you in the end if you’re not careful….it sure sounds like you got your money’s worth, so to speak
Any particular free classifieds you’re most fond of?
June 14th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
It was digital sales, ebooks mostly. I’ve also advertised websites through it, such as for web communities.
I’ve had success with Yahoo classifieds and Craigslist. But probably the most success came from local classifieds on newspaper websites.
Gary R. Hesss last blog post..Blogging Tip - Be Yourself
June 14th, 2008 at 7:01 pm
Excellent info Gary, thanks. Truth be told, until recently, I never thought of classifieds as good for digital product sales.
I think my brain was stuck back in the day of selling physical products through physical classifieds…real honest to goodness paper classifieds LOL
It hit a little more when eBay kicked all their digital sellers into their classified section.
“I’ve also advertised websites through it, such as for web communities.”
Excuse the ignorance, it’s been a long day. Could you explain that a little?
June 30th, 2008 at 10:18 am
[...] Online Free Classifieds - Are They Worth It? - This got lots of opinions, both on and off the [...]
July 1st, 2008 at 5:01 am
excellent stuff
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:54 am
Thanks so much. Do you use these sites with success?
July 2nd, 2008 at 6:46 pm
I know many have made good money harnessing the power of free online classifieds. Why do you think Google bans Adsense publishers from utilizing Craigslist in their promotion efforts? Because it sends junk traffic - I think not. With some affiliate programs however, you can legally use free classified sites (such as recycler, craigslist,etc.) to make a good income.
Cosmetic Dentistry in Beverly Hillss last blog post..Cosmetic Dentistry Beverly Hills
July 2nd, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Nicely stated, I didn’t realize Google also banned those sites as well as auto-surf type sites.
Thanks for the input!
July 3rd, 2008 at 2:15 am
Being a full time working mother is really tough.. but then, it leaves us with not many choice as we all need the extra cash… with the increasing household expenses and the cost of living, we really need to think twice or even thrice before deciding to quit our job.
I guess, I was in the same boat as most of you working mother out there, juggling time for children, household chores, and work, mmm, is definitely not easy.. where at times, I have to admit (guilty), I do tends to neglect either one of my responsibilities.
It was a wake up call for me, when my second son had a road accident. By April, all my annual leaves had been exhausted due to the frequent trips to the hospital where he was warded and then followed by the medical check up.. I realized then that my family will always comes first.
As my son need to be under further observation due to his head injury, I was left with a decision to make.. to quit my job so that I can be the one taking care of him or continue working full time and get alternative care for my son.
I finally came to a decision to quit my job coz no way I am going to get someone else to take care of my son. Of course money is an issue, that was when I started browsing the internet hoping to find an online work that can help me make extra income from home.
It has been three months now, that I have been stay at home mum ( after 19 years working full time, not easy though). I am earning almost $2000 to $3000 a month working on the internet from home ( only 2 to 3 hrs per day).. and the best thing is, I am spending more time with my family. My second son’s health is improving.. I am glad that I had played a big part in his healing process. The LOVE, CARE and QUALITY TIME given to all my children is really worth it.
Think about it… if you can have all, money, family and time, why not right?..
Regards
Masita
July 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 am
Wow Masita, that’s quite a story! I’m happy to hear all things are working out after such tough times.
Have you ever used free classifieds for advertising?
August 1st, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Hi Dennis,
I have passed by your blog a couple of times and really like the general content and broad resorce base you provide to your readers.Also to Masita hope all is well in your life.
So much respect
Doug
September 4th, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Thanks Doug, I really appreciate that. Hope to see you around more!