Craigslist is ranked the 41st largest in the world by Alexa. This means that millions of people visit this website every month. Classifieds stay posted on Craigslist for 45 days, plus these classified ads sometimes find their way into Google search results!
Posting ads on Craigslist regularly can be a great help in getting your website indexed and drive traffic to your website.
Follow these simple rules and you can drive traffic to your site regularly.
1. Do not post multiple times in the same category or the wrong category.
2. Do not post to multiple cites.
3. Do not post too many ads too quickly.
4. If you post multiple ads, use different titles for each ad and modify the body. If possible try and change any links to your site within the ads.
5. Opportunity type ads are only accepted under small business services.
6. Another suggestion is to use different email addresses for each ad. If you have your own domain this should not be a problem. Just use different prefixes for your domain and you will then be able to approve each posting confirmation email.
7. Post only a few ads a day, then wait a few more days to continue. This will drive traffic to your site and prevent you from getting banned.
I am Not suggesting that you spam Craigslist. They have many safeguards in place to prevent spamming, but why not take advantage of what they do allow?
If you follow these tips your website will get indexed quickly which could help it move up in the rankings. Just remember that your IP address can be blocked by Craigslist if you do not follow the rules.
What is the best way to use Craigslist effectively?
1. Target your audience.
Know who you are trying to attract to your business! Once you do know your target audience you can then aim to reach that audience by posting in the correct advertising category on Craigslist. Even though Craigslist claims to have over 4 billion hits a month, what really matters is that your business is in the right place to be found by the right people.
Reaching your target audience is much more important then reaching a large audience. Craigslist offers advertisers the opportunity to promote their business through a number of different sections and categories. This makes it easier for people to find the information they need, which should be your information!
2. Marketing strategy.
Not only can you drive traffic to your website by placing ads in Craigslist but you can also participate in the discussion forums. Just make sure you provide useful information and accurate answers to questions relating to your business. Do not forget to place a link to your website in your signature and be careful when posting that your messages are not mistaken for spam.
Creating a successful online business costs money and advertising it does not have to cost you more. Take advantage of Craigslist and other similar websites that are free for you to use.
Here are some other free advertising resources that can be used to promote your online business.
- Trade-pals dot com is a directory of business professionals that provides leads to its members.
- MySpace dot com can be used to join in on business group discussions.
- Ziggs dot com gives you a detailed profile that is placed into categories that can be searched on by people seeking your services.
- Pr dot com is a press release website.
- Linkedin dot com is a business networking site.
It is worth your time to take advantage of these free services.
Why not let them provide free advertising for your business 24 hours a day?
Copyright 2007 Joe Rispoli
At first, I wasn't so sure.
I have been, admittedly, a little hesitant to jump on the Wiki-wagon. After all, what is wrong with referencing your standard, tried and trusted, online encyclopedia? For years I had sought my information from the American Heritage free online dictionary, encyclopedia, and thesaurus with abandon. What could a user-influenced site like Wikipedia possibly offer me besides error-ridden, irrelevant data?
Comments like my friend's, however, made me wonder if I was missing out on something useful. All around me, people were talking about Wiki-this and Wiki-that; could there be benefit in searching amidst editable content?
The more I got to thinking about it, the more I realized that your typical run-of-the-mill encyclopedia descriptions are maybe a little too cliche' and outdated. What users are really looking for these days isn't so much a down to the letter exhaustive write-up on the platypus, but rather an interactive approach to supplying and receiving information. Users are drawn to Wikipedia because it allows users to showcase their individual expertise and inform the general public of their vast knowledge of what-have-you.
Squidoo (http://www.squidoo.com) is another site where users are responsible for the content therein. Built on the premise that "there ought to be a way for us all to benefit from what everyone else knows," Squidoo offers users a unique way of gaining and posting information. The same appeal that applies to Wikipedia, also applies to Squidoo. Essentially, what it seems to boil down to is this: users have something to say and site-permitting, they'll say it. Allowing John Doe to give his two cents about the Ohio State Buckeyes for all to see gives others a chance to see a "real" person's viewpoint, while giving Mr. Doe a boost to the ego. Better yet, let him tag other pages or "lenses" to his heart's delight and you've got a site indexed (quite accurately) by its users and a community built on technology and common interests.
Also of note is http://www.KnowItNow.org. According to the website,
"KnowItKnow is a live online information service provided free of charge for the citizens of Ohio by the State Library of Ohio and your local public library. Professional librarians are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week to answer your reference questions and assist you in finding information. Once logged on with your Ohio zip code, you and a librarian engage in a "chat" session. The librarian "pushes" high quality, authoritative online resources to your screen. You can watch and participate as librarians skillfully navigate the Internet to find precise answers to your questions. At the conclusion of each KnowItNow session, you will receive a complete transcript of your session via email including links to all the online resources shared during that session."
Although KnowItNow is only available in Ohio, several other sites of the same ilk are popping up in quite a few states. Though it is under-utilized, KnowItNow is an important resource for several reasons. For example, it lets home-bound users benefit from library services and promotes internet awareness and education for the less than tech-savvy crowd. It also serves as an indication that libraries are staying on top of evolving technology and making efforts to integrate it into the services that they offer.
Another online site that is gaining momentum is AccessMyLibrary (http://www.AccessMyLibrary.com). This site functions as an online magazine/journal library and like Squidoo and Wikipedia, AccessMyLibrary provides valuable information through the medium of the internet. With over 16 million articles (and growing), there is literally something for everyone on this site. The content ranges from the obscure (Adhesive Technology) to the vastly popular (O, the Oprah Magazine) and is, of course, free.
While its number of articles is certainly impressive, it's actually the quality of the content that is the real show-stopper for many users (i.e. Macworld, The New Yorker, Allure, Booklist, and the list goes on from there).
AccessMyLibrary has proven to be a goldmine of sought-after content. With relevant articles on worthwhile topics for all interests, its appeal is widespread.
And all the while, web users are loving it. Free content - free access - freedom of (online) speech. Fundamentally, the internet is changing for the better.
Both Joe Rispoli & Laura Watkins are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Joe Rispoli has sinced written about articles on various topics from Advertising Guide, Your Online Business and Advertising Guide. Joe Rispoli has been gathering free online marketing resources for over 10 years. They can be found at his website where you can also subscribe to his Free Advertis. Joe Rispoli's top article generates over 27100 views. to your Favourites.
Laura Watkins has sinced written about articles on various topics from Advertising Guide, Home Based Business and Gardening. Laura Watkins is a contributing business writer for . ECNext works exclusively with information publishers who create business news, reference data and market research a. Laura Watkins's top article generates over 5400 views. to your Favourites.