Free Classified Ad Websites

• Posted by Terri Wise
• in Advertising
• on January 11, 2016
• 1 Comment.

Can Free Classified Ads Work to Drive More Traffic To Your Website, Gain Customers and Leads?

In a recent blog post, So You Have a New Website, Now What, we provided tips on driving traffic to your website. One of the tips was to submit your business to free online business directories. Another was to develop a plan to create or curate quality content along with a schedule to share it on a regular basis.

Following up on those ideas led us to investigate Free Classified Ad Websites. Besides using social media sites to promote your products and services, you may want to consider submitting a Free Classified Ad too. Classified ads can be very effective in driving traffic to your website and gaining new customers, leads and sales. Considering that visitors to these websites are clicking on a specific category/sub category searching for products or services means you’ll be displaying your ad to someone who is a qualified candidate to see it.

The thought of writing a classified ad may feel overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. Simply follow the tips below to get started writing effective ads in no time.

• Your first impression counts! Use proper spelling, grammar and punctuation.
• Use the AIDA Model when writing your classified ad. AIDA is an acronym used in marketing and advertising. It stands for:
  • A – Attention: Grab the reader’s attention with a catchy and interesting headline. Use powerful words (verbs) like those listed in our recent blog post and DirectMarketingIQ article, 55 Powerful Words to Increase Opens, Clicks, Calls & Sales.
  • I – Interest: This is probably the most challenging step; keeping the reader interested once you’ve captured their attention with the headline. Provide solutions to their problem or outline the benefits they’ll enjoy from purchasing your products or services.
  • D – Desire: This is the main content for your ad and where you’ll want to create desire for your product or services. Let readers know “what’s in it for them” when using your products or services. Use stimulating words to capture readers’ imaginations and provide assurances of best value, affordability, saving time, $ savings, etc.
  • A – Action: Finally, what action do you want the reader to take them from being an online browser to a buyer? Be very clear on what they need to do. For instance, click here to learn more, buy now, get free shipping, save 50%, etc.
• Make sure additional contact information is available for people who click through to your website or landing page. People can be very suspicious of ads and offers on the Internet so provide plenty of contact information (phone, email, address) to promote trust and professionalism.
• Test, test, test! Continue monitoring the results of your free classified ad and tweak headlines, rework descriptions and change your call to action.

It may take some practice and time before you come up with a killer ad that really drives traffic to your website. Patience is key here.

Popular Free Classified Ad Websites

Here are a few free classified ad websites we’ve checked out recently. As you go through the list of websites, you’ll want to pay attention to the categories and subcategories to find a good fit for our business. Once you find the websites you think will work the best for your business, sign up and create your first free classified ad.

1. Craigslist: Craigslist provides local classifieds and forums for jobs, housing, for sale, personals, services, local community and events.
2. Locanto Free Classifieds: Has categories for classes, community, events, for sale, jobs, personals, pets, real estate and services.
3. WorldStuffer: Includes categories for vehicles, buy and sell, housing, services, community, personals and jobs.
4. CanSellAll: Multiple categories available. Check website for additional information.
5. BiggestClassifieds.com: If your volume is turned up on your computer, don’t be startled by the audio announcement of the website title! Free worldwide advertising and several available categories.
6. Gumtree: Very easy to get started. Simple enter an email address and you’re immediately taken to a page to begin creating your first ad.
7. BestOnlineClassifieds: This website has 15 categories to choose from.

We’ll update this list from time-to-time so keep checking back. We encourage you to leave a comment with the name of other classified ad websites you’ve found and tested. Plus, it would be great if you can let us know how your ads are working so we can share the information with others.

Updated 11/3/16 to remove Clickxoo as that account is currently suspended.