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Craigslist keyword research tool?

by Doug McIsaac
11 replies
Is there a keyword research tool available for Craigslist? I'm writing some ads for a client and thought it would be nice to have.

Thanks

Doug
#craigslist #keyword #research #tool
  • Profile picture of the author professorrosado
    Why not google your search term > site:craigslist.com (search term)

    Do most people search craigslist this way?
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  • Profile picture of the author Doug McIsaac
    That's not what I'm looking for, I'm looking for a research tool. Like SEMRush, Google Keyword tool etc...to research the best keywords to use based on traffic.

    Doug
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  • Profile picture of the author KHR
    No, I never see any tools that only Research Keyword for Classified Site.
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  • Profile picture of the author SlfMastery
    I don't think CL releases their traffic data, do they? That would be a gold mine if you knew what people want
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  • Profile picture of the author craigsposterpro
    Never heard of a keyword tool and since Craigslist is a private company, they don't need to. However, you can type your keywords into the top left search box to reveal information about your competition. Drill down into a few of those ads and jot down their phone numbers, Then, simply enter the last 4 digits of each competitor's phone number back into the search box to learn how often they post.
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    • Profile picture of the author professorrosado
      However, measuring how stupid or stubborn people are by repeated postings is not a good factor to base your business on.

      The best way to measure craigslist traffic is testing.
      Simple A/B testing like we do for landing pages.

      Whichever ads produce more click throughs - you keep and test others.
      Then you need to test each part of the sales funnel to optimize the traffic.
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      • Profile picture of the author craigsposterpro
        Originally Posted by professorrosado View Post

        However, measuring how stupid or stubborn people are by repeated postings is not a good factor to base your business on.
        So, the reason for repeated posting is no different than why business owners strive to rank their sites on page 1 of Google - Visibility.

        There are two types of Craigslist visitors
        1) People who only scan page 1 of listings
        2) People who conduct more directed keyword based searches

        You have to accommodate both types of visitors in your ad content by naturally sprinkling keywords into titles and text) AND posting your ads often enough to maintain page 1 positioning during the day. If your competitors posts 15 - 20 times daily and you post only 2 - 3, simply don't plan on capturing much business from the page 1 scanner type visitors.
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        • Profile picture of the author professorrosado
          Originally Posted by craigsposterpro View Post

          So, the reason for repeated posting is no different than why business owners strive to rank their sites on page 1 of Google - Visibility.

          There are two types of Craigslist visitors
          1) People who only scan page 1 of listings
          2) People who conduct more directed keyword based searches

          You have to accommodate both types of visitors in your ad content by naturally sprinkling keywords into titles and text) AND posting your ads often enough to maintain page 1 positioning during the day. If your competitors posts 15 - 20 times daily and you post only 2 - 3, simply don't plan on capturing much business from the page 1 scanner type visitors.
          This is a good treatment of the issue. A more in-depth relationship study should be conducted and I believe that is where the OP stands at now, if so inclined to do so.

          The latter "people conducting keyword based searches" I do not think there is a way to measure that at this point.

          One option is to use google keyword search data to see what people using google to search craigslist are actually looking for.

          Another is to query other search engines built around craigslist to see if that information is obtainable from their respective platforms.

          Yet another is to monitor #hashtags on FB and Twitter (plus other social media) to see what is being promoted on craigslist.

          This article may share more light into why this thread is important to those who develop based on Craigslist::
          :
          Craigslist, 3taps Settle Their Scraping/Antitrust Suits; 3taps To Pay $1M To Be Donated To The EFF | TechCrunch
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          • Profile picture of the author craigsposterpro
            Thanks for sharing that article.

            One option is to use google keyword search data to see what people using google to search craigslist are actually looking for.
            It's not clear to me that Craigslist visitors are "using Google to search Craigslist." Most people just visit the Craigslist site directly. Craigslist ad links that rank on Google are ranking temporarily at best.

            It is also a leap to believe Google keyword search volume is applicable to Craigslist. Maybe the high-level, birds-eye-view, overall relative search figures apply across general niches (plumbing, electrician, carpenter, etc), but then within each niche, I wouldn't think the Google search figures map accurately within Craigslist. The same way product search figures from Google wouldn't necessarily apply to Amazon or eBay.
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  • Profile picture of the author nlanda
    The better you know your target market, the more you'll be able to target those looking on Craigslist for what your client is offering. Test, test, and test some more. It's the name of the game. I've not seen any keyword software specifically for Craigslist, however.
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  • Profile picture of the author jeffs89
    Yeah I'm pretty sure CL wouldn't have that data
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