9 Top Free Advertising Sites for Local Business
Let’s face it; the world has moved from in-person all the time to on line most of the time.
Everything from television shows and news broadcasts to family photo albums and recipe banks have moved onto the internet.
The pressure to have a strong digital presence is on for individuals as well as businesses.
In fact, even local businesses are increasingly feeling the pressure to move their advertising efforts online in addition to the traditional channels that they already use.
However, as a local business your ability to allocate marketing funds to online media is extremely limited. For the local business finding free advertising sites is essential if they want to keep out of the red and still compete in the digital arena.
The following list of 9 top free advertising sites for local business is enough to get anyone started off on the right foot, though.
1. Craigslist
The granddaddy of all ad sites and a universally known and recognized name, Craigslist is for more than baby furniture and garage sales. The site boasts 10 million unique visitors each day and systematically breaks down all ads by location.
2. BackPage
This is the #2 classifieds site on the web. Though not as well-known as Craigslist, it is still privy to a robust user base and is owned by the NYC-based Village Voice.
3. Yahoo Local Listings
Similar to the traditional phone book setup, the most basic plan from Yahoo Local lists your business and its pertinent information for free. There are also paid plans that impact your website’s placement in Yahoo search’s advertising boxes.
4. MerchantCircle.com
This is a completely free service offered for small business. In addition to serving as a basic catalogue of names, Merchant Circle also helps local businesses monitor and maintain their online image and reputation as well as enhance search rankings.
5. Local.com
There are over 10 million monthly customers on Local.com who use the site for everything from weather info to community activity listings. Basic listings are free and there is also a pay-per-click option that will elevate your listing in Local’s search results.
6. Yellow Pages
That old standby of the local business is still alive and well online. Similar to its print structure, the Yellow Pages online component offers basic listings for free as well as upgrades.
7. Google+
So much more than just a social network, Google+ Local has integrated with the former Google Places to automatically shoot search engine results to a company’s G+ page. Creating a Google+ Page is free for business, as are enhancements such as image uploads, status updates, etc. The more time you put into a Google+ page, the better.
8. Facebook
Though Facebook ads require payment, a Facebook page is free and is advertising. Make sure that, like Google+, you maintain a full profile and cross-promote your Facebook presence in other advertising media.
9. Google AdWords
Another option that isn’t completely free, Google AdWords, is nevertheless the most used and profitable online advertising platform out there.
Plus, they maintain a flexible payment plan that only requires businesses to pay for their ads if they are clicked on by searchers, meaning that there is a direct correlation between your budget and ROI.
Though the push towards online advertising has hit local businesses hard, there are still outlets that allow for free, or at least cost-effective, management of marketing online.
The 9 top free advertising sites for local business listed here are an essential element to success in the 21st century and, really, far more reliant on time than money.
