You have come up with an idea to start selling smart phones online. You have a physical products yourself or wish to make an income from selling ad spots but are unsure what the next step is you should take. You may be wondering if it is possible to get your idea off the ground and start earning an income.
We are here to tell you with a little hard work the classified site possibilities are endless.
In this tutorial we will look at how you can set up an inexpensive classifieds website without the need for developer experience.
Did you Know it Takes Less than One Hour to have a Basic Classifieds Site Up and Running?
How Can I Create a Profitable Classifieds Site?
A classifieds site allows sellers to post an item and buyers to purchase an item. These sites bring together a community of both buyers and sellers. The advertisements listed on a classifieds site are broken down in categories and often sub categories to allow buyers to easily locate what they are looking for.
The admins of a classifieds site make a profit by either paid advertisements by the sellers or through outside advertising on high traffic sites through AdSense (or similar).
When building a classifieds ad site the main target is to start earning a passive income. An income that is automatic and effortless after a period of time. A classifieds site that provides the customer with value and has a substantial amount of monthly traffic should bring in an income.
Considerations When Creating a Classifieds Site
While building a classifieds site that targets all niches seems like a good idea this is in fact not the case. Aiming to target one niche with your site generally builds targeted traffic and in return a steady income. There is no point trying to compete with established classified sites such as Craigslist. You are always better to start small.
Step 1) Come up with a niche for your classifieds website. In this tutorial we will be taking a look at the smart phone niche.
Step 2) Ensure you have set up WordPress and have secure hosting in place.
Step 3) Install a Classifieds Theme. In this tutorial we will be using the ClassiPress AppTheme for WordPress.
Step 4) Customize your theme and add some relevant blog content.
Step 5) Promote your website to start getting traffic.
Step 6) Sell ad spaces to smart phone sellers and start earning an income.
Creating a WordPress Classifieds Site to Sell Smart Phones
The majority of classified sites are created using WordPress. You may be wondering why WordPress is the number one choice for many sites, including classifieds so we’ve compiled a couple of simple reasons why:
- WordPress is a free software
- With a few video tutorials, anyone is capable of learning how to use WordPress
- Developer knowledge is beneficial although not necessary
- There is an endless amount of themes and plugins that can be used
- SEO friendly (of course when using reputable plugins and themes)
- Trusted by thousands upon thousands of bloggers and business owners
- Ability to extensively customize a site
Steps Involved in Creating a Smart Phone Classified Site
Step 1) Complete the Basic WordPress Setup & Choose a Website Address
Install WordPress. For those WordPress beginners, the following guide will help you get started.
Choosing a domain name is an important part of setting up a successful classifieds site.
When choosing a domain name for your smart phone classifieds always follow the rules of thumb below:
- Choose a domain name that people will remember
- Choose a domain that relates to what you are selling/offering (smart phones)
- A name that represents what your brand is about
- Choose the appropriate extensions for your domain. If you choose to operate your classified site within one country only, you may choose a specific country extension, eg ‘.com.au’ opposed to ‘.com’.
Ensure you choose secure hosting from a reputable supplier. Some popular hosting choices are explained in our hosting recommendation page.
Step 2) Purchase and Install the ClassiPress AppTheme
In this tutorial we are looking at how a smart phone classifieds site can be created using the ClassiPress AppTheme for WordPress.
You will need to purchase, install and activate ClassiPress on your WordPress Site.
Follow our documentation for the required setup of ClassiPress. After you follow the simple set up steps, you’ll be ready to start customizing your site.
Why is ClassiPress Perfect for a Smart Phone Classifieds Site?
ClassiPress is currently the bestselling classifieds theme for WordPress. The multiple pricing plans, ability to add custom fields, location accuracy, ability to offer member packs, featured listings, added blog and customization tools make it a suitable choice for all classified sites. While ClassiPress is all round impressive, in terms of a smart phone classified site, ClassiPress can offer:
- The ability to categorize and sub categorize smart phones listed
- Your regular sellers member packs so they can list more for less
- Location accuracy so buyers can purchase a phone close to home
- A blog where you can write articles on smart phones to increase traffic to the site
- A secure number of payment gateways you can use to collect advertising money from sellers
- A price refiner buyers can use to only view smart phones within their budget
Step 3) Configure and Customize your Site
Once you have the ClassiPress AppTheme active on your WordPress site you can begin to configure and customize it. The ClassiPress theme comes with three different menus:
- ClassiPress – This menu can be used to set the AppTheme up
- Payments – This menu can be used to configure membership and ad packs as well as view customers orders
- Ads – This menu allows you to add new advertisements from the back end and view all ads that are currently displayed on the site
Using the Appearance Customizer, you can easily and quickly change the look of the ClassiPress site to suit your desired audience. The screenshot below demonstrates how simple it is to edit the design of ClassiPress to suit a smart phone classified site.
Ensure you add appropriate ad categories that relate to your classifieds site. For a smart phone site you may choose to include some of the following categories or sub categories:
- Phones and Mobiles
- Phone/Mobile Accessories
- Phone/Mobile Cases
- Phone/Mobile Chargers
- Selfie Sticks
- Power Banks
- Phone/Mobile Holders
- IPhones
- Android Phones
Below is an example category list for a smart phone classified ad site using ClassiPress. The numbers allow customers to view how many ads are under each category.
Step 4) Add Some Blog Content, Starter Ads and Advertisement Banners
Adding Blog Content
Adding blog content about smart phones can increase the traffic coming to your site. For instance, if you create an article explaining how to set up and iPhone, anyone who reads your blog may then have a look at your classified ads. They may even have a couple of smart phones lying around at home that they are wanting to sell.
Blog content is added onto a simple WordPress post, you can then decide if you’d like to allow your visitors to leave comments. Your blog content is generally displayed on the home page of your site, similar to the iPad article below.
Creating Some Starter Ads
It is a good idea to add some advertisements from the backed of your ClassiPress site to get it kick started. You may even like to sell a handful of smart phones of your own from your new classifieds site. You can quickly and easily create some smart phone advertisements by clicking on the ‘Add New‘ option under the ‘Ads‘ menu. A number of fields will be displayed that should be filled in the best way possible in order to sell your smart phone device.
When creating advertisements from the back end of your site (these may be your own ads or you may be posting for a friend) always ensure you:
- Place them in the correct category and sub category – this keeps the website organized
- Add high resolution images – this strengthens the overall aesthetics of the website and helps to sell the product/service
- Include a selling price and a thorough description
Advertisement Banners
ClassiPress allows you to display advertisements to earn additional income. These may be Ad Sense advertisements or similar. If you use target ads that relate to mobile phones, you may increase your revenue.
You have now created a smart phone classified ads site where sellers can list their devices, and buyers can purchase new or second hand phones.
Step 5) Gain Traffic and Start Monetizing your Site
Once you have enough traffic coming to your site, you may notice sellers begin to purchase ad spaces (if you are charging for ads). It is important to maintain your site to ensure there is a happy community of buyers and sellers.
Maintaining a classifieds site includes:
- Regularly checking on what type of ads users are posting
- Ensure quality ads are posted
- Gain feedback from sellers
- Gain feedback from buyers
- Ensuring the site has the latest WP version
- Keeping your plugins and ClassiPress AppTheme up to date
It turns out creating and customizing your very own smart phone classifieds site is easier than you thought with the help of ClassiPress.
Tips and Tricks When Selling a Smart Phone
You have just created your very own classifieds site to allow others to sell their smart phones. If you intend on selling some smart phones of your own the following section will be useful.
- Find the original smart phone box where possible. If you can find the original box, the charger and headphones not only will you be able to sell your phone for more, but it will also be easier to ship.
- Compare the condition and quality of your phone with others for sale online to come up with a sale price you are happy with.
- Your phone can potentially be worth more if it is unlocked. It may be worth while investigating the cost of unlocking your phone prior to listing it online.
- Ensure you back up all the data on your phone and complete a factory reset prior to selling it.
- Send your smart phone in the original box inside a padded envelope to ensure it is not broken during processing and handling.
- Always send a smart phone via a tracked postal service.