“Nothing good comes for free,” might be true for some business investments. As a small business owner, you often have to weigh the value of what you’ll get against the benefit of selecting less expensive options for things such as an advertising package, service or back-office products.
Thanks to free business advertising sites, you don’t have to choose between effectively reaching your target audience and blowing through your limited marketing budget for a single campaign. Here are 13 free online advertising sites to consider:
1. ClassifiedAds.com
While print newspapers are no longer publishing numerous pages’ worth of classified ads, free classified ads sites are thriving in the digital space. ClassifiedAds.com is one of the free online advertising sites that features well-defined categories and strong search functions.
You can post your ad and complete your account details later, so there’s no time wasted in getting the word out. The site also allows for Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) listings with a backlink to your site and offers a contact form.
2. Oodle
Consider marketing your small business with one of the top free ad posting sites. Oodle’s compatibility with social media platforms means you can connect your account with your company’s Facebook page and post an update immediately when you run new Facebook ads.
This site has a partnership with Advertigo, which is also among the free online advertising sites. You can choose to feature your Oodle listing on Advertigo too (and vice versa), which gives you additional exposure for your services. It’s especially good for advertising products and services aimed at consumers, such as moving and storage, garden landscaping and maintenance and pet sitting and grooming services.
3. Facebook Marketplace
Most company owners know about Facebook’s business pages, but what about the social media platform’s marketplace? At first glance, it might seem to be only for selling second-hand goods from person to person.
However, a closer look will show you multiple companies advertising their services to consumers. The best part? Users who have searched for a similar offering will get an alert that you’re advertising something they might be interested in.
With Facebook’s billions of users, it’s one of the better free high-traffic advertising sites for your business.
4. eBay
eBay is still one of the best free high-traffic advertising sites you can post on if you want to reach a large number of potential clients. It hosts 23 international sites and operates in more than 100 countries, eBay is the platform to use if you’re able to supply customers in foreign markets.
Because of its sheer size and status, as well as good search engine optimization (SEO), eBay results receive higher rankings and more visibility in search more than a smaller, lesser-known website.
5. Google My Business
When you’re looking to list on any free online advertising sites, it’s important not to overlook the most obvious one: Google. And no, we aren’t talking about paying per click or organic search rankings: the Google My Business option allows you to create a free profile where you can post photos and offer discounts to draw customers.
The platform enables users to search for the products or services and view results that include your business page in a prominent position. Users can connect with you on the same webpage, either by calling, messaging or leaving comments and reviews.
6. Google Shopping
This is good news for retailers who are strapped for funds and exposure. The Google Shopping tab, which previously featured only sponsored products related to a Google search, has since been expanded to include unpaid listings.
If you’re a merchant who already uses Google’s Merchant Center and Shopping Ads, you don’t have to do anything to take advantage of this new option. If you’re not, you can sign up for Merchant Center, and make sure to opt-in to surfaces across Google.
Keep one thing in mind when weighing whether Google Shopping is the best free online advertising site for you. While free listings will show up among organic search results in the Google Shopping tab, Google still gives paid listings priority, placing them at the top and bottom of the results page.
7. Craigslist
Another of the longstanding free business advertising sites, Craigslist has individual sections for different types of products. Despite the site having its share of controversy, it remains a popular destination for finding products and services for sale. Craigslist has an Alexa rank of 33 as of September 2020.
A company can advertise both business-to-consumer and business-to-business products or services on Craigslist. The secret sauce of some advertising posts is the long list of key terms added to the bottom of the ad, which makes it impossible to ignore any user searching those terms.
8. Sales Spider
Don’t be alarmed if you’ve never heard of Sales Spider until now. In 2019, it boasted an Alexa Rank of about 22,000, so it isn’t one of the best-known free business ads sites. However, this is best for businesses that can provide service and pricing on par with big names such as Walmart.
Customers searching on Sales Spider for products and services from the big chains will have a chance to find your offerings — without you spending big bucks to play in that field. Adding Sales Spider to your sources of free business advertising sites could also boost in-store or curbside customer numbers, as your listing includes a map to your location.
9. AdlandPro
This platform has been offering free classified ads since 1998. Users must register to use the service, but it’s among the free ad posting sites that give you unlimited exposure in a wide range of categories.
10. LetGo
If you’re looking for free business advertising sites that are easy to use, look no further than LetGo. This platform enables users to:
- Set up free classified ads
- Take part in discussion forums for various categories
- Add images and video and share your listings on social media in the hopes of them going viral
11. Locanto
Locanto allows you to post your business classified ads for free.
Features include the option to customize your ads with images, video or HTML codes that link back to your site. Locanto also provides analytics showing your performance to date, plus a state-specific search at your disposal.
12. PennySaver USA
If your business is focused on selling locally, then PennySaver USA is the kind of free high-traffic advertising site worth considering. The website states it is the “largest direct mail shopping publication in the U.S.” and reaches more than 11 million Americans every week.
After you register, your ads get exposure on PennySaver’s various affiliate and subsidiary sites in the appropriate categories.
13. Geebo
Geebo promotes itself as a “safe community classifieds” option. The company has a very active Facebook page with nearly 40,000 followers and publishes selective ads on its social media for wider reach.
