There are two major reasons why using FREE directory listings is so important:

1. You can list with multiple sites which will give you more chances to show up on the first page
2. The listing will allow you to post a backlink to your website which will increase it’s link popularity (which will make it rank higher in the search engines)

There are literally thousands of these sites all over the internet, you just have to look for them.

Here is a few to get you started

US Free Ads

Backpage

ePage

Ablewise

Bestwayclassifieds

Adlandpro

inetgiant

AdPost

BuySellCommunity

Ads in USA

Porky Post

It’s called Web 2.0 marketing.  Anyone can do it and the best part is… drum roll please! It’s Absolutely Free. You can’t beat that.

Before we get into that, we must talk about keywords… Keywords are what people type in while searching for something online.  So if you are looking for a Laundromat in New Brunswick, N.J.  that is exactly what you would type into the search engine.  Other keywords may be wash and fold service, or laundry service etc…

The point is you must begin to think in terms of keywords when starting to market your business online… It is crucial element to your success.

Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Basically a web 2.0 property is a free site that you can post your content on (articles, videos, company info, contact info…etc).  You can also post  back links to your website which is one of the most important parts.  They all vary in what they do and in how the function, but the same basic principles apply to all of them.

At the end I will give you a list of a few to get started with, but in the mean time I am going to explain exactly what to do with them.

First, you sign up with at least 3 of them.  When you begin to set these up you need to keep an eye out for spots to put your keywords in (Otherwise there isn’t a point in doing this.)  You will place your keyword(s) in the URL, The Title, and in the First paragraph of your content.

That’s it!  Don’t put anymore keywords in than that or it’s going to look like “keyword stuffing” and you will not get ranked in the search engine.

The general rule with these sites is that Content is King, or The More You Tell The More You Sell.  Sorry for being kind of cheesy, but it’s true.  Don’t rip off other peoples content, come up with your own and be proud of it… Tell people why they should buy your stuff.

Test, keep playing around with different ideas and don’t be afraid, the worst that will ever happen is that one gets taken down and you will have to put another one up.  There are an endless supply of these sites out there so don’t worry.

Also, make sure each of these contains different content. The search engines don’t like duplicate content and  more than likely will not list your page, so make each property about a different aspect of your business, or just rewrite you content so it uses different words, but says the same thing.

Make sure you take advantage of all the features, most of these sites will let you post Youtube videos, pictures, RSS feeds, Amazon links, etc.  You name it — these things have it! And this will help you get ranked much faster.

Final note:   include a link back to your website at the bottom on each of these so you can start creating a traffic funnel.

Here are a few to start with:

Squidoo

Wetpaint

Hubpages

Zimbio

Google Knol

Hope this helped and please check back as this is the first in many posts to help small business owners make more money and reach their business goals!

Be sure to sign up for my insider’s email marketing tips (this is for the stuff that’s too juicy to put online, and not for the faint of heart)