5 Websites that Will Advertise Your Small Business Online for Free Without Placing an Ad

5 Websites that Will Advertise Your Small Business Online for Free Without Placing an Ad
Page content

Websites That Will Advertise Your Business for Free

For entrepreneurs, budget is the greatest concern when considering advertising opportunities. Start-up businesses often don’t have the money to devote to more expensive online marketing options like pay per click services or banner ad placements. Fortunately, there are many opportunities online for free small business advertising. Part 1 of this series on free internet advertising highlighted five online options for marketing your business without placing an actual ad. Part 2 showcases 5 different websites where you can place an ad or include your business listing for free.

**

1. Your Own Free Personalized Website

Your own website is perhaps the biggest “ad placement” for your venture. A website is an essential part of online marketing efforts since you reap the full benefits of other free advertising for small businesses when users can click to your site for more information. Believe it or not, there are several online options for creating a free small business website. Look at the following websites or check with your internet provider to see if your package already includes space for a website.

Free website options: www.wetpaint.com, www.webs.com, www.weebly.com

2. Reciprocal Advertising Networks

If you are willing to include advertising on your website or blog, you can take advantage of free reciprocal advertising networks like www.spottt.com. By submitting your site, online ads (and links) for your website or products will appear on other websites throughout the network. An additional benefit is the tracking feature which allows you to see how many users click on your ads.

3. Search Engines and Directories

Although search engine spiders will probably reach and index your website at some point, you can expedite the process by manually submitting your site to popular engines like www.yahoo.com or www.google.com. Through manual submission you can add a listing in the alphabetical directories under the topic areas of your choice. In addition to the major engines, consider submitting your website to local or industry-specific search directories.

4. Online Content Warehouses

Your expertise in your professional field or industry is one of your business’ selling points. Use it to your advantage by submitting articles to informational websites like www.ehow.com. The site doesn’t require a specific writing application process and allows you to categorize your submissions. You can add external links to your website and promote it on your profile page.

whynotad

5. Advertising Portals

Online portals for free display or classified ads can be a good option for advertising specific products and services. They allow users to categorize their ads with a variety of parameters to increase exposure and provide contact information and website links. Users have the option of browsing categorically, searching and bookmarking ads of interest.

Consider these free advertising portals: www.whynotad.com, www.inetgiant.com

This post is part of the series: Free Internet Advertising for Small Businesses

Although marketing is essential to the success of a small business, many start-ups simply don’t have the budget for traditional advertising options. This 2 part series offers online options for free small business advertising.

  1. Does Free Fit Into Your Online Advertising Budget?
  2. 5 Websites that Will Advertise Your Small Business Online for Free (part 2 of 2)