Classifieds websites are a proven way of making money. The concept is very simple. Users post advertisements for other people to buy their products or services. It is the foundation of websites such as CraigsList.
The hardest part is getting a classifieds website started. It is the classic catch 22 situation. No one wants to post an an advertisement on a classifieds website with no traffic and you cannot attract traffic unless people start posting ads. In this respect, classifieds share many similarities with discussion forums.
One of the best ways of launching a classifieds website is off the back of an existing website that has a readership. You can then promote listings on your popular website and offer listings to new members. Once the website has an active user base and has people posting ads on a daily basis, you can then introduce a small fee for placing an ad. If your main website has a lot of traffic, you could jump right to a pay-per-listing model from the start.
As you know, my favourite content management system is WordPress. Post types makes WordPress a great platform for building a classifieds website. There are over a dozen great classifieds themes available for WordPress. Many boasts PayPal integration for premium listings and advanced features such as allowing advertisers to boast their listings for an additional fee.
Today I would like to show you fifteen great classifieds designs for WordPress.
1. ClassiCraft
Price: $97
2. Classified Theme
Price: $69.99
3. ClassifiedsTheme
Price: $79
5. Classifieds
Price: $65
6. OpnPress
Price: $45
7. eList
Price: $39
8. Listings
Price: Get Listings – $200
9. Classifieds Theme
Price: $79
10. Vantage
Price: $99
11. Auction Theme
Price: $69.99
12. Directory
Price: $49
13. Classifier
Price: $59
14. DolceClassifieds
Price: $90
15. Automotive
Price: $65
I hope you enjoyed the list. I would love to hear from those of you who have launched a classifieds website using WordPress. What design did you use?
Kevin
