Once you have your website the next thing your online business needs is traffic. Without traffic you can't start making money with affiliate programs. Using free classified ads can be one of the best methods you can use to start this stream of visitors flowing. Classified ads work so well because of the visitors they bring.

Traffic is targeted, the fact your prospect clicked on your link in the first place is because they were searching for the product or service you offer, otherwise why would they be browsing an ad site. Like all methods of traffic generation if you follow a few simple techniques you can gain the maximum benefit. Read on to discover the top five ways to get traffic from free classified ads.

1. Find the best sites.

There are hundreds of free classified ad sites available. Some are great, but many are not worth your time and effort. Before posting to a site do a bit of research, are there similar services or products listed for sale, does the site look busy and well used. Look at the number of ads posted, and take note of how recent they are. There is no point wasting your time on a site that gets no traffic because it wont do you any good.

2. Write a noticeable headline.

Spend time on your headline, make sure it includes your keyword and grabs attention. This headline is what gets people to click on your ad so make it exciting and impossible to resist. Use words like hurry, or limited, or new, or free, these words are guaranteed to grab attention. having said that don't mislead people in your headline by promising things you can't deliver. For example using "free" if there is no free option, because this will get your ad taken down, and you and your site banned in no time.

3. Use bold etc to draw attention.

Use bold in your listing to draw attention. Many sites will allow you certain text enhancements, so use them. Often these are only available for a fee, my advice would be to test the effectiveness of the site using the free options, before stumping up money for upgrades.

4. Be consistent and post regularly.

Don't post one advert, and expect a rush of traffic. Like many free traffic methods the key is to be consistent, and patient. Post ads regularly and give each site a fair chance before you give up on it. A point here is that you will have to have a way of knowing where your traffic is coming from to evaluate each sites worth.

The easiest way to achieve this is to have a separate landing page for each classified site you use, and to track traffic with a service like Google analytics. As in most things you do online it is essential for your success that you track your websites stats, otherwise you will never know what is working best, and therefore the best place to concentrate our efforts.

5 Read the site rules and stick to them.

All sites have their own rules regarding what you can and can't do. Make sure you read them and follow them. There is no point trying to gain the system, as you will end up getting yourself and your site banned. it is not worth getting this kind of reputation, as you are trying to build a serious business, and this kind of thing can do damage to your business, damage that can take a long time to recover from.

By following the above guidelines you should be able to get a steady stream of visitors to your affiliate site using free classified ads. You will be soon making money with affiliate programs, and building a sustainable and valuable long term business.

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