Shifts in consumer behaviour have meant that businesses are fighting for their customers' attention online, as users become more sophisticated in the keywords they use. Big businesses are pouring resources into search engine optimisation and high-authority link building. Unfortunately, that leaves many small businesses out of the running - unless they can piggyback off someone else's traffic.
Ten years ago, the local carpenter or garden services may have opted for a print ad in the community paper, or a flyer drop in their area of operation. Unfortunately, these offline tools simply do not offer the same functionality that an online site can - the ability to search for an exact product or service where you want it, when you want it. There is of course the option to create a website or blog to generate that content, but with Google's algorithm changes and the importance of constantly updating and reworking a site to keep traffic consistent is a fulltime job that many one-man operations simply cannot maintain.
It is interesting to see how many businesses in South Africa have turned to online classifieds to promote their companies; mainly as they offer high amounts of visitors (national and community-specific) that they would not otherwise be able to access.
Classifieds may seem like etailing's clunky cousin, but the reality is that the sites worth their salt is incredibly intuitive, adjusting to trends as they emerge, and closely observing the community's behaviour. They act as aggregators for businesses, where the smallest home operation can reach individuals in their area - or across the country - without paying a cent. Shoppers can ask for dozens of quotes, and narrow the search down to their exact postcode if they wish. Most classifieds are equipped with AdSense, banner ads and promoted advertising options for added impact.
If you have to make an offline association, online classifieds is not just one big second-hand store - it is the high street and is crowded with every business, service and item, which is why it draws such high numbers. It helps consumers find what they want on a granular level - with a product, a price, a picture and in the place they want to purchase it.
Even the highest-ranking news portal on the web cannot claim to do what classifieds do on a daily basis - persuade one quarter of the entire country to click on the site. That is the kind of traffic that simply cannot be ignored.
If businesses are serious about building an online following, they have to use every tool at their disposal and no other platform can offer it as quickly and easily as the classifieds space.
