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How can I sell things online for free?

Female business owner accepting a package from a delivery person.

Maybe you already have an online store where you sell your products, or maybe you’re just starting out in the ecommerce world. Either way, online marketplaces are a great option to diversify your customer base and increase your income, as you can capitalise on the site’s already-existing loyal audience. 

If you’re just starting out, it’s not worth paying the fees for high-traffic sites like Amazon and Ebay, so we’ve had a look at two of the best online marketplaces that don’t cost a penny.

Craigslist

Created in San Francisco during the early days of the internet, Craigslist is now the world’s largest online classifieds website where you can advertise anything from houses to plant pots. According to SimilarWeb, the marketplace is ranked 15th in the United States and 48th worldwide, so the site has a large and loyal audience. 

Craigslist is good for selling items locally, as the buyer usually picks up the item in person and hands over the payment in cash. This can help you develop a good relationship and trust with your customers, but isn’t so good for expanding your customer base beyond your immediate area. If you do want to send your products further afield, you will have to handle everything from the point of sale, including the delivery and any after-sales issues. 

Facebook Marketplace

Using the ever-popular social media platform, Facebook Marketplace is a simple and easy way to sell your products. Just upload a picture and description of the item, and people can contact you directly through Facebook messenger. One of the benefits that this platform has over Craigslist is that you can look at the profile of the person you’re selling to by checking out their Facebook profile, which can help you identify scammers or bots. 

Being part of a social media site, Facebook Marketplace is also a good way to expand your audience, as content is easily shareable, either by you or by happy customers. Similar to Craigslist, this platform works better on a local scale, unless you’re prepared to handle delivery and online payment yourself. 

If you’re based in the United States, LetGo and Geebo are also good alternatives for free online marketplaces, but they are not yet available in the UK. 

Free online marketplaces are useful for local sales, but they are often limited if you’re looking to expand your reach beyond your city. If you want to set up your own ecommerce website, why not try out Go Sitebuilder’s 14-day free trial? Their online store has unlimited products, a variety of payment options and you can even create customised discount codes! 

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How to choose the perfect domain name for your online store

Female small business owner stood in the middle of her shop updating her online store via a tablet device. She is wearing dark green clothing and glasses

Your domain name is the first time your users will connect with your brand, and it’s important that you get it right. We’ve put together some tips to help you create a memorable and unique domain name for your online store. 

Does it reflect your brand and product?

If you’ve already developed and established a brand name, then use this for your domain. If that isn’t available, brainstorm words related to your core brand and values that are relevant to your business, and think about your potential customers; does this evoke the concepts and feelings your business represents? If you’re not sure, show some examples to friends and ask them what they think the website is selling and what kind of brand it is – if it’s way off, consider changing it to make it clearer. 

Can you optimise it for SEO?

Including keywords in your domain name will help your site rank higher on search engines and be more visible to potential clients, so pick a name that is specific to your product. However, be aware that this could make your site sound generic (cottontshirts.com) and could also limit what you can offer in the future. You can also use the domain extension .store as it both shows that you’re an ecommerce brand and helps you get that keyword into your domain name.

Is it simple and easy to understand?

You want your domain to be unique, but also memorable. Keep it short (17 characters max) and avoid unnecessary characters, abbreviations and numbers. Avoid unusual spellings and make it easy to say out loud, as then it’s easier to remember. 

When you’re starting out, brainstorm lots of ideas! Choose 10 words that represent your brand personality and your product, and play with different variations until you find one that sounds right. Check if it’s available and remember to buy it quickly; there are bots that buy up domains that have been recently searched to sell that at a profit later. 

A domain name should represent you and your brand, but you need a high-quality website as well! Go Sitebuilder has ecommerce capability, personalised domain names and offers five email addresses with that domain. Try out their 14-day free trial, and use their pre-built themes and designs to create a website that your customers will love. 

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Top tips for designing your own website

Young male sitting in his pottery shop in front of a laptop and writing notes on how he is designing his website. He is wearing a black and white striped top and has glasses

Designing your website is an exciting moment for your company, and really lets you flex your creative muscles! But it’s not just making a beautiful design, although this is important to create a good first impression for your potential clients. We’ve put together a list of top tips of things to think about for your website to help make it look professional and help bring traffic to the site. 

What do your customers want to know?

It’s easy to think about what you want to tell your potential customers, but it’s even more important to think about what information they need. Put yourself in your client’s shoes – when you arrive on the website, can you see what service you provide and how to get it at first glance? If not, your visitors might be put off and move on to another site.

Prepare your content

You should have at least 10 blog posts ready to publish as soon as your website launches. And don’t rush it – your content needs to be high quality. Long-form content which has high-authority links and target keywords will rank higher in search results and drive more traffic to your site. Most importantly, make the content useful and relevant to your target audience! 

Keep your contact details visible and up to date

You want your potential clients to trust you and your brand, and if your site doesn’t have any contact details, they’re likely to become suspicious. 44% of users will leave a company’s website if there’s no contact information. It also creates a better user experience if the contact details are where they expect them to be, so make sure they can easily be found both in the main menu and in the footer of your website. 

Update your website regularly

Once your site is online, you can’t just let it sit there! Using an out of date website framework or plugin makes your computer vulnerable to hackers, so make sure the website creator you use has regular updates. Uploading new and up-to-date content that is useful for your target market both increases trust and helps with SEO, making it easier for users to find your site. 

If you’re ready to put these top tips into action, why not register for a 14-day free trial of Go Sitebuilder? You can design the site, upload your content and launch it in a couple of hours, without any previous knowledge of web design.