Linden Lab Official:Classifieds FAQ

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The in-Viewer classifieds system allows content creators to advertise products and services to fellow Residents. You can gain additional exposure and sales by advertising effectively.

How do I browse and search classifieds?

Classified results show up when doing general searches, and there's a specific Classifieds tab to browse them. Here are instructions for both:

  1. In the search bar in the upper-right, enter a common query such as jewelry or skins and press Enter ↵.
  2. The Find window opens. On the right, look at the header that says Paid Classifieds.
  3. Click any classified to learn more in the sidebar. You can click Teleport to go to the location the classified is advertising (commonly a store), or click Map to show where it is on the World Map.

If you'd prefer to focus exclusively on classifieds:

  1. In the Find window, click the Classifieds tab on top.
    FIND window - Classifieds tab.png
  2. In the search box, enter a query and press Enter ↵ (or the Search button). This searches only classifieds.

How do I place a classified ad?

Classifieds are sorted by price. The highest-paid classifieds appear on top when searching. This video walks you through the below steps and other good-to-know things:

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  1. Position your avatar in the exact place you want the classified to teleport to. For example, at the entrance of your store.
  2. Click the My Profile sidebar tab.
  3. Click the My Picks tab at the top.
  4. In the bottom left, click the + icon and click New Classified. This changes the sidebar tab to show Edit Classified on top.
  5. Fill out the fields as follows:
    • Picture - This auto-populates with the parcel picture (from World menu > Place Profile > About Land) where your avatar is standing, but can be replaced. For example, if you're advertising shoes and you already have a picture of those specific shoes used elsewhere (like the Marketplace), you can use that instead. Simply click the picture to open the Pick: Texture window and replace it with another picture from your inventory.
      • Classified pictures have a usability bug because while the image shown here is square, it's more rectangular elsewhere, and even those sizes aren't entirely consistent. A fix is planned; in the meantime, aim for a balance.
      • You can upload a new picture from your hard drive by using Build menu > Upload > Image (L$10).
    • Title - This auto-populates with the parcel's name. If advertising a specific product rather than a whole location, you'll want to edit it to be more specific.
    • Description - This auto-populates with the parcel's description. Like the title, change this to be specific.
      • Unless you're paying very highly in a broad category like "hair" or "shoes", it may be more useful to focus on a targeted niche and use keywords specific to that niche.
      • Definitely enter relevant keywords, but don't spamdex or your listing may be removed. Keywords are "stemmed", meaning that you don't have to enter every variation. For example, a search for "dance" also searches for "dances", "danced", and "dancing".
      • Entering a hyperlink (like http://wiki.secondlife.com ) automatically makes it clickable. You may want to include one to point people at your store's blog or other source of further information.
      • The length of your description varies depending on which viewer you're using. This is a bug. However, tentatively planned for Nov. 30 is a formal limit of 256 characters, so watch for this change.
    • Location - This shows the exact coordinates your avatar was positioned as instructed above. You can always change this by moving your avatar somewhere else, then click Set to Current Location.
    • Category - Select a specific category. By default, the Classifieds tab in the Find window shows all categories, but you can use a dropdown to narrow it down to one of the selections shown here.
    • Content type - Classified ad content is filtered by maturity, which includes keywords consistent with search in general. Choose an appropriate maturity rating, or else your classified might be removed without warning. This auto-fills with the Parcel lght M.png Moderate or Parcel lght G.png General rating, depending on the region's rating in which you create the classified.
    • Auto renew each week - Check this box if you want this classified to run automatically and continuously without your intervention. Each week from the time you created your classified, you'll be charged the price you choose after you Publish it.
  6. When you've filled out those fields (you can always edit everything about your classified later, except the price), click Publish.
  7. A Publishing Classified window appears. Here, enter the price in Linden Dollars (L$) you want to pay. Higher prices are ranked higher in search (but the price paid for each classified isn't publicly shown). If you checked Auto renew each week, this is also the price you're charged each week for your classified, so make sure you have enough in your total L$ balance to cover that.
  8. In the Publishing Classified window, click Publish to make your ad go public.
  9. The sidebar refreshes with a notification of what you paid, and shows your new classified under the Classifieds section of your profile.

How do I search for the classified I just placed?

Using the "How do I browse and search classifieds?" steps above, you should be able to find your own classified in the same way potential customers do: search for keywords that are in your classified. If you can't find it at first, try using keywords that are more unique to your listing.

KBtip2.png Tip: Allow at least an hour for a classified to appear and update in search.

How do I view and edit my classifieds?

After placing a classified, you can edit everything except the Price for listing.

  1. Click the My Profile sidebar tab.
  2. Click the My Picks tab at the top.
  3. Click a classified, then click Info at the bottom.
    • Notice that Clicks stats are also shown.
  4. If you want to edit, click Edit at the bottom. Now, you can edit the same details you looked at when you first placed the classified.
  5. When you're done editing, click Save at the bottom.

Is there any way to change a classified's price?

As a workaround, create a new classified and copy-and-paste the appropriate info from the first classified into the new one. Then, let the old classified expire by itself, or if you're sure, delete it manually.

KBcaution.png Important: If you delete a classified early, you won't receive a refund for any remaining time left on your classified listing. If you want to stop paying for a recurring classified, make sure the Auto renew each week checkbox is unchecked, because it'll automatically disappear when it expires.

Do classifieds have stats?

Yes. Use these to track activity so you can see how much attention a classified is getting. If you're running multiple classifieds, it can be useful to compare them and adapt your marketing to optimize performance.

To see your stats, view one of your own classifieds (Steps 1-3 of "How do I view and edit my classifieds?" above). When you're viewing one of your own classifieds, you'll see Clicks: with stats next to it, and here's what they mean:

  • teleport - Number of times other Residents have clicked the Teleport button when viewing your classified shown in both the Find window and the extended Classified Info in the sidebar, ,
  • map - Number of times other Residents have clicked the Map button when viewing your classified, shown in the extended Classified Info in the sidebar.
  • profile - Number of times other Residents have clicked the Profile button in Find to show your classified in the sidebar.

Only you, as the classified creator, see these.

We've heard Resident requests for more comprehensive stats, including number of views and clickthroughs in search itself.

How do I know how much other Residents are paying to be listed highly in classifieds?

Awhile ago, we used to show the price paid for each classified when searching. While that's no longer available, you can still view individual prices, because viewing any classified in the sidebar also shows Price for listing.

  1. In the search bar in the upper-right, click the magnifying glass to open the Find window.
  2. Click the Classifieds tab. If you don't search for something specific, this shows the overall highest-paid classifieds.
  3. Click a classified to expand it, then click the Profile button to view it in the sidebar as Classified Info.
  4. In the sidebar, look for Price for listing.

Being top-listed is very competitive, and business owner regularly try to carefully time "outbid" each other in small increments weekly to get a slight edge to be on top. For example, as of this writing (2010-11-01), the top three overall classifieds are paying L$300,002, L$300,001, and L$300,000.

See also