Gumtree is one of the most popular online classifieds platforms around the world – in South Africa, it is probably the most used platform for selling just about anything online, new or secondhand. Gumtree is also quite prominent in organic search results – just try to Google anything you want to buy, and almost guaranteed, Gumtree is on the first page of search results! The user-friendly platform and dominance in the search engine search results for items for sale make it a go-to sales platform.

So how to make the most out of your Gumtree listings? How do you get them to stand out among the crowd, and show up on Google when people are searching for what you sell? Here are three easy tips to optimise your Gumtree listings:

3 Steps To Optimise Your Gumtree Listings:

1 Pictures: Pictures are almost always the first thing that a user will see when scrolling through listings.

Use good quality and clear pictures of what you are selling, so that there is no confusion about the condition of the item.
Upload multiple images if possible. This gives a potential buyer more assurance of a legitimate offering.
Graphic heavy images with crazy font sprawled all over it just screams cheap and scammy. Stick to well-lit images for a more trusting look

2. Listing Titles: Pictures will grab a user’s attention, but a good title will generally seal the deal for a click-through onto your ad.

Be direct with your titles and try not to waffle on about the item you are selling – leave the selling to the description.
Do not write in ALL CAPS! It may grab attention but most of the time it is negative.
Structure your titles in a way that gives the user the right information so as not to mislead them. e.g. Secondhand Leather Coricraft Couch For Sale In Hillcrest
Remember that some users won’t use the filters to go through the listings on Gumtree, some of them may use the SEARCH function. This is why a good listing title is key to being found easier. This also helps your Gumtree listing to be found easier in the search engine search results pages. Think about the words that someone may type into Google to find that item and use those words in your heading

3. Listing Descriptions: Now this is where you have a chance to really sell your product and attract the best potential buyers to enquire.

Transparency is key. Tell the truth about the condition of the item you are selling. This will head you in the right direction to ensuring a sale doesn’t fall through at the last minute.
If a price is negotiable on an item, state that. After all, you do want to make the sale.
Using bullet points in your description makes it a user friendly read and generally gains a good response.
Include as much relevant information as possible – this increases the credibility and relevancy of the listing.

Bonus Tips:

There is always a little extra that we can do on the Gumtree platform to get listings noticed or sold that much quicker.

Gumtree allows its users to boost a listing for various periods of time. Their algorithm aims to plant the boosted listings in front of the best potential buyers. If you really want to sell something fast, put some money behind the listing and promote it.
If you are selling multiple things like household items, consider creating a separate listing for each item. This makes it easier to stay on top of communication and sales. Then once an item is sold, you simply deactivate that listing.
If you are selling multiple items as a package deal, then make sure that you have clearly stated that in the title and the description and price your listing accordingly.
Be realistic about the price that you are asking for your item. At the end of the day, we just want to get the item sold at a price and condition that is fair for both sides of the party.

Although we don’t place Gumtree ads, we understand how search functions work, and what kind of text and images get the best response from users. By curating information like this and providing it to our clients, we help them in the most important way possible – getting their business more revenue. If you would like to work with a Digital Marketing Agency that looks at all the different ways we can help our clients using our knowledge, give us a shout.