In the series of Off-Page SEO Techniques, today we will discuss “Classified Ads”. Remember to fetch the list of Classified Ads posting websites which provides “do follow” backlink.
How to post an effective Classified Ad for SEO
We all know Off-Page SEO technique is more focused towards Link Building (Promotional Approach). The more backlinks you create the better your website appears in Google Search Result Page (SERP).
Classified Ads is one of the most important technique falls under the category of Off-Page SEO Techniques.
We will answer the following frequently asked questions regarding Classified Ads:
- Difference between the business listing and classified ads
- Importance of Classified Ads
- Factors to consider while making a classified ad
- How to make Classified Ads
- Which are the high-ranking websites to post your Classified Ad for free
Listing means to list your business online to show Google your presence over the internet. The main purpose of listing is to improve your SEO by listing yourself on various platforms like Business Listing and Classified Ads.
Listing is of two types:
- Business/ Local listing: Listing your business on Google means making your information available on Google.
- Classified Listing: Post your website ad for a specified period
Importance of classified ads:
- It is a way to promote your website by generating quality backlinks (no-follow type) from different websites.
- It is a method of posting ads of your products on the websites
Factors to consider while making a classified ad:
- The website picked must hold a good Domain Authority and Page Rank
- The headline should relevant to your topic
- Details should match the customer needs
- It must provide necessary contact information (call to action)
Note: Classified ads can improve your overall SEO and give you an edge over your competitors. But make sure you are not doing it excessively otherwise you might get penalized by Google as per the latest algorithms.
Steps to writing an Impressive Classified Ad:
The secret behind writing perfect classifieds ads is in the points stated below. You must write these points assuming you are the customer and concentrating on those things that will attract you towards an advertisement.
- Headline
- Body
- Call to action
Headline:
The headline is the first and the most important step towards selling your ads. The ads must contain something that should attract customer attention keeping in mind “Honesty is the best policy”.
Below are some tips towards creating a perfect headline:
- Begin with an action word
- Create curiosity
- Ask a question
- Make a startling statement
- Ask for the reader’s opinion
Body:
The body must answer a question: What is in it for me?
Means people never visit your website for the knowledge they will visit if you offer something to them which will be of their benefit.
You can highlight the benefit by listing all your services in the body and also by mentioning all the features/ utility you provide for the different services.
Call to Action:
Use some promoting slang or something that attracts user attention and force them to click on your link or call at the contact details provided.
Most important steps after Ad posting:
- Check if your ads are working or not by copying and pasting your Ad URL on the different browsers
- Bookmark them on various platforms
- Copy and paste the URL of your ads on Google (after a weeks time) and if it is not working there, then switch to a search engine submission.
Some important classified Ads websites are listed below (kindly check their Page Rank and Domain Authority before posting the Ad):
- Locanto
- Salespider
- Nullads
- OLX
- Quikr
How to post Classified Ads:
Let’s take an example of Locanto website for posting classified Ad on it related to my website services:
- Click on Post free Ads
- Enter the Title (must be relevant to the service you are promoting) of your Ad
- Pick the category of Ad. The category again must be relevant to the Ad
- Register at their website (Make a separate account at Gmail for these activities with your company name)
- Activate your account by visiting your Gmail account
- Fill the required information like description, image, etc. and post the Ad
- Create an excel sheet and copy and paste the URL of the created ad in it and save the excel sheet
- After a week check if the Ad is visible at Google search result or not. If it is not visible, do the Search Engine Submission Task.
Remember points mentioned below before posting classified ads:
- Content should be unique (Plagiarism Check)
- Target URL must talk about promoting long tail Keyword. Prepare 2–3 keywords for a single URL and promote it. We must take keywords from the content of your post
- Content should not only focus on keyword, but it should also be something which forces the user to click on our Ads
- Insert the Grammarly extension in your browser to check for Grammar mistake
- End your content with Call to Action (Target URL)
Format for Writing Classified Ads and relevant description:
- Keyword: This is the user query/keyword which we are promoting such that we should rank high in Google Search Result
- Long tail: Long tail keywords contain maximum 3–4 words, like a descriptive form of original keywords. (We use the long tail keyword in our content (We use the long tail keyword in our content)
- Target URL: This is the URL which we are promoting because this URL is talking about the keywords based on which we have made content.
- Content: It must not only focus on Keywords, but it should also focus on generating curiosity among users who are reading the Ad so they click on our link. Always complete your Ad with Call to Action and do the plagiarism and grammar check either from small SEO tools or other websites)
I hope this article clears all your doubts regarding Classified Ads and might have given you an idea of how you can post an effective Advertisement of your website.
Next Lecture: Social Bookmarking