6 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
6 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Getting started with Classifieds site

by Matt_M
5 replies
Hi all, I am new to WF, and had a question. I am starting a classifieds site and was wondering if anyone has experience in getting it going in regards to attracting people to post ads (free) when the site is pretty much empty? No one wants to post ads if they think no one looks at it. Any tips? Thanks in advance.
#classifieds #new website #site #started
  • Profile picture of the author Matt_M
    sorry wrong area
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2826763].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author redlegrich
      Good luck, with Craigslist already the leader by a mile what is it you have to offer the others don't. The one thing a classified site needs is traffic, how will you get that.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2827161].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author tenaciouscreations
        You have a lot of competition from the big classified sites like craigslist and Kijiji. However, if you're classifieds tare in an extremely niche market. For example, medieval armor, then you may have a chance of making successful classified site. It would be much better if you already had a website containing a lot of information on medieval armor that was heavily trafficked.
        Your main problem with the classified site is establishing a strong user base to post the ads. However, this is kind of a catch 22, as in order to have people want to place ads on your site you need to have a lot of people looking for ads on your site. You will not have a lot of people looking for ads on your site if you have no ads on your site.
        Most small classified websites are primaryly built for specialized user markets. A lot of these sites start his forums and eventually need a classifieds section in the forum for the users of that specific niche to sell their items.
        This has just been my experience, and I hope you can benefit from it.

        Ben
        Signature

        Not enough hours in the day? Can't seem to stay focused? We can help.Check us out!

        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2827236].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author redlegrich
    Good point tenacious. My brother has a client (he is a financial planner) with a site on woodworking. It started as a forum and now has a lot of classified listings. He's making a ton of money from advertising and does not do a lot of work!
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2830027].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author freudianslip27
    There is definitely value in going the niche route. You could always start with a model of the first X weeks/months being free, to get people to advertise on there initially. It is hard to get it rolling when you don't have anything.

    Matt
    Signature

    WarriorForum Rules!

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[2830232].message }}

Trending Topics