Do you know how many people visit classified websites?
As of 2023, the number is 354.6 million. It’s astounding, right?
Therefore, it’s quite understandable that a huge number of people trying to get on with how to make a classified website.
As the number is increasing so does the revenue of these websites. This list of industries and niches will also continue to grow. If you are looking to build a classified website then the sky is the limit of your desire.
So, let us dive into an online classified website development guide and get into making a classified portal so you have all the information to help build yours.
Online Classified Market Size Overview
The stats show an even more positive picture of the growing market. Here are the stats backing up:
The online classified market is expected to expand significantly, increasing from USD 126 billion in 2024 to USD 741.47 billion by 2032 .
This growth represents a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 24.80% over the forecast period from 2024 to 2032. In 2023, the market was valued at USD 100.96 billion.
The market presence and user engagement are expanding rapidly showing if you create a classified website, you will be ahead in the market in upcoming time.
What is an Online Classified Website?
An online classified website is a marketplace where people can promote their goods or search for services such as jobs, housing, and products.
Think of it as an online version of a bulletin board — like job listings, real estate offers, stuff for sale, and services. Ads can be created for free or at a low cost to describe price and contact information.
These are sorted into various categories depending on the type of item or service you want to search for. Some of the most popular examples are Craigslist and OLX.
Online classified sites bring buyers and sellers together, employers with job seekers, and service providers to those who need their services all without having to leave the comfort of our offices or living rooms.
Besides that, it applies not only to buyers and sellers. In fact, classified websites are pretty popular amongst the business owner to start their own classified business.
A well-managed classified website not only bridges connections among people, but it also can generate a great profit; if it’s developed properly.
Before you embark on a journey, let’s get to know about the different types of classified websites that you can build.
Different types of Classified Websites
The market features several classified websites, with each serving a different purpose. Understanding the distinctions among these sites is crucial, especially when you are planning to create a classified website.
Here are the main types:
1. Horizontal Classifieds-
Contains a huge number of types in classes, from regular occupations and vehicles real estate to relationships-mates person advertisements. It was how those websites were built to target a broad audience and serve any kind of ad.
This has uses like Craigslist or Gumtree. These sites offer compilation to users like you who want to buy/Sell and trade across categories.
2. Theme Classifieds-
These are a ripper kind of electronic property that caters to some interest location, topics, or demographic. These are the vertical sites, ones that cater to one particular niche market (think Hired for a specific type of tech jobs) or horizontal.
They develop special classified sites to have a more targeted user experience that gives them the audience who are seeking only a particular category.
3. Geo-based Local Classifieds-
These websites cater only to the needs of smaller regions with the ability to allow transactions and services in that region. These folks are there for the local buyers and sellers right in their cities, towns, and communities.
Examples include: Nextdoor Local community boards This is what enables people to more easily know if other real-life individuals near them have similar interests and in transactions facilitates the conduct of business exchange data.
4. Vertical Classifieds-
These are sites that cater to a distinct and niche market or vertical, providing extensive search listings as well as data on the subject. For example property sites (Zillow), automotive websites (Autotrader), or Job boards i.e. INDEED.
Compared to regular horizontal classifieds, vertical-focused services advertise a significantly more relevant dataset and specific attributes that characterize their customer base.
5. Auction Classified-
Similar to a classified ad but not quite. Both eBay and most local auction sites(some).
The listing of property for auction is open to sellers and through the bidding process, buyer interest and purchase momentum are achieved with equilibrium coming out on value.
6. Social Media Classifieds-
These are websites that let users place their product as a listing in social media.
Many of them are online social media and commerce platforms, that leverage connectivity to create community exposure through the power of network effects.
7. Professional Classifieds-
They are aimed at specific professional sectors where the person looking for a particular type of service or opportunity will have an appropriate niche site to look through.
A lot of the time, these sites have extensive directories and powerful search modules that are designed with professionals in mind. Upwork (industry agnostic) Mediabistro for media jobs etc.
Whether they are general marketplaces, focused platforms, or any other hybrid types, each type is modernized to satisfy a variety of buyers.
Regardless of their type, to make a classified website you should consult with an experienced web development company to ensure user friendly and seamless experience.
With that being said, let’s check out how to build a classified website like OLX.
Classified Website Development Process: Step-By-Step Guide
Do you want to develop a classified website? Whether you want to create a classified app or website, there are some steps you need to follow to bring your dream to reality.
Well, take the help of this classified website development guide to grasp a better understanding of those steps, get to know them all below:
1. Define the Scope and Features
The first step to develop a classified website is the definition of its scope or what needs it should cover.
Decide what the main use of your website is going to be: local ads, niche market, or all-around classifieds site. Recognize the core features of user registration, ad posting, search filters, and categories.
This leads to a better foundation for the later stages i.e., the development and design stage by planning in detail about its features and objectives.
2. Select a Platform and Hosting
You can choose any platform to build a classified ad website.
Content Management Systems (CMS) such as WordPress, Joomla, or Drupal have pre-build templates and plugins to use for this purpose.
Alternatively, you can opt for a customized classified site platform development suited well for this. The first thing that you have to do is choose your platform and get a web hosting provider so where your website will be hosted.
3. Design the Layout
Ui/UX design is an important step to make a classified website visually appealing.
Start with a basic layout that has all the required components like search bars, categories, user dashboards, and ad listing.
Ensure the design is intuitive, easy to navigate, and has a logical flow of information. Focus on responsiveness to guarantee compatibility with various devices and screen sizes.
A clean, well-organized layout enhances user experience and makes it easy for visitors to post ads, browse listings, and interact with the site.
Professional design and usability are key to user satisfaction.
4. Develop the Website
In order to build a classified website on all of these definitions and design ideas, they are followed by the development phase.
It consists of writing and running the backend, such as database connections and back-end logic on the server side whereas implementing it at the front using HTML/CSS/JavaScript.
If you are using a CMS, it might require that the platform be configured first and then appropriate plugins installed thereafter on which to work separately in setting up respective themes appropriately.
All the features need to work perfectly Registration, posting ads, and searching what the user looking for. Otherwise, building a robust and stable classified website is possible by using proven coding practices that undergo rigorous testing in development.
5. Implement Security Measures
This is what you should prioritize while creating a classified website, as this helps to secure user data and prevent hacking. Secure Communications with an SSL Certificate (for traffic between the user and site).
Implement various mechanisms to authenticate the user and access sensitive areas for which he/she is authorized only. You should update software and plugins frequently to counteract any vulnerability. Firewalls and anti-malware tools can guard against cyber threats.
Perform security audits, and penetration testing to address possible vulnerabilities that might lead a user to trust an insecure place for classified websites.
6. Test the Website
It is so important to test drive it and make sure that whatever classified ads website software platform you are using works seamlessly. Start with functional testing that ensures all features are working fine like add post, search feature, and user registration.
Perform usability testing to evaluate the user-friendliness and speed of navigating through your website Test for load times and responsiveness with performance testing. Also, perform a security testing phase to find and remove or patch known exposures.
Through thorough testing, you uncover problems early and fix them long before this product sees the light of day.
7. Launch the site
Once it’s done, you are good to go.
Announce your site launch on different marketing platforms including social media, advertising, or any other. Implement search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to improve visibility in search results and attract organic traffic.
Consider paid advertising campaigns and partnerships with relevant sites or influencers to reach a broader audience.
Track user engagement and collect feedback to help enhance marketing tactics and site aspects. Launching it and marketing properly becomes very important in getting traffic to the classified website and establishing itself as a part of this market.
8. Maintain and Update
Ongoing maintenance and updates are important to ensure the classified website stays relevant.
Update the site, software, plugins, and themes regularly to prevent malware infections from any vulnerability. You should keep an eye on performance metrics, looking out for any slow load times or 404 checkpoints; to fix those issues.
Iterate based on user feedback to add new features, and enhancements as this is important for preventing data loss in case of technical failures, like drive crashes on your server.
Updating and maintaining the site to meet user needs is vital in ensuring its success over time, hence happy users. Ongoing maintenance and updates are essential to ensure the classified website remains functional, secure, and relevant.
So, we hope you have an idea about how to develop a classified website. Now, with that being said, we should talk about the experts you need.
How Techanic Infotech Can Help You Build an Exceptional Classified Website?
You know to make some outstanding and get and competitive edge, an expert team is the need of the hour.
And, you can get it with Techanic Infotech, the best classified website development company .
Whether you need a niche marketplace or a broad-based classified site, Techanic Infotech can ensure a robust, scalable, and engaging platform to connect users and facilitate transactions quickly.
Got an Idea? Hire app developers from us to develop your dream platform.
Conclusion
Since we are now in the age of digitalization, classified websites have grown to facilitate many types and varieties. Whether they are for general marketplaces or catering to niche-specific needs, these sites organize the e-commerce world in an accessible manner by creating places where people can buy goods and services. Listing out the various types of Classified Websites important for business as well those requiring to grab some space on them.
If you follow the steps below while analyzing what your user base would want from such a system, who is going to use it, and what features are required for them, surely you will come out on top with a classified website that users flock to.
By choosing an appropriate platform, design, development services, and internal security measures as well as keeping the website maintained over time your classified can grow into a successful hub of transactions and community engagement.
FAQ's
While both serve the purpose of connecting buyers and sellers, there are key distinctions. A classified website is accessed through a web browser, offering a broader reach but potentially limited user engagement. In contrast, a classified app provides a more immersive experience, tailored to mobile devices and often incorporating features like push notifications and location-based services. This can lead to increased user engagement and loyalty.
The choice of platform depends on factors such as your development expertise, project complexity, and desired features. Native apps (developed for iOS and Android separately) offer optimal performance and access to device-specific features but require more development time and resources. Cross-platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter provide faster development and can target multiple platforms with a single codebase. Hybrid apps combine web technologies with native components, offering a balance between development speed and performance.
Essential features for a classified website app include user registration, ad posting, search functionality, messaging, and payment integration. Additional features can enhance user experience, such as location-based search, category filtering, image and video uploads, and social sharing. Consider your target audience and their specific needs when determining which features to prioritize.
Security is paramount for any online platform. Implement robust security measures such as data encryption, secure authentication, and regular updates to protect user data and prevent unauthorized access. Consider using a trusted backend as a service (Baas) provider to handle data storage and management. Regularly conduct security audits and vulnerability assessments to identify and address potential weaknesses.
The cost of developing a classified website app depends on various factors, including the platform chosen, features included, development team size, and location. Native apps typically have higher development costs compared to cross-platform or hybrid apps. It's essential to obtain detailed estimates from multiple developers to compare pricing and scope of work. Consider factors such as long-term maintenance and updates when evaluating the overall cost of ownership.