Business is no longer conducted the way it used to be a few decades ago. Today, the Internet is at the center of all major and minor business operations, including product planning, promotion, marketing, and sales. This change in business models has required a change in advertising methods and media. Online advertising has come to complement traditional promotional methods and in many cases it has completely eclipsed it.

Classified ads are an attractive and profitable offer for home and small businesses that are constrained due to their strict budgets. Most of the classified sites offer the posting service for free. This way, you can get your message out to a larger target audience without having to worry about overhead. Compare this to placing an ad in a newspaper or magazine. Charged per word or line, the longer the ad, the more you should expect to pay.

Online classifieds are similar in structure and layout to a classifieds section that appears in a newspaper or magazine; the difference is only in the middle. Ads are organized into categorical listings. It dispenses with having to scan long lists; shoppers can simply click on the category they are interested in and search for the product they want. Some sites allow you to post two ads at once. The format of the form further increases convenience for customers. People are given a ready form when it comes to creating ads.

In addition to sites dedicated to posting classified ads, there are other private websites that rent advertising space to business owners. It could be free or for a reasonable cost. Business owners should consider posting ads on such sites as it generates a good amount of traffic. One must post ads on sites associated with the business. For example, if you offer car services, you should consider sites that deal with cars. In this way, you will be able to reach your target audience faster.

A link between customers and suppliers

When we talk about a classifieds section, we only tend to look at it from a vendor’s perspective and rarely bother to trace it to the other end. A client can also benefit from the use of a classified ad. A customer or buyer considering the purchase of a product or service can create a “want ad” much like a seller or business owner would.

The best way to use an online classified

Regardless of whether you are a seller or a buyer, there are some tips to help you make the best use of an online classified.

• You must customize it for a specific geographic location.
• Your ad must contain a description of the product or service you wish to buy or sell.
• It must be a suitable length.
• It should also be the point.
• You must include popular keywords; the right keywords will prevent your ad from losing out in the fray.
• It should be well formatted providing the necessary details at a glance.
• A catchy tagline will earn brownie points for your ad and your business.
• You must provide accurate and up-to-date contact information.

If you’re looking for a free classifieds network, there are plenty out there. A Google search will show you all of them in minutes. To save you time, we have listed 9. There are Craigslist, Quikr, Gumtree, OLX, eBayclassifieds, Adsglobe, Oodle, Classifiedads, Sell and Look Classifieds.