If you're time-rich and money-shy there's lots of info on-line on how to achieve good rankings. Basic SEO is not rocket-science.

If you are in a particularly competitve niche SERP-wise then the investment in pro SEO can payoff very nicely. The more advanced stuff takes a lot of time and effort to pick up. Bad moves can prove costly also so beware never to go outside SE's TOS and guidelines.

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Search Engine Optimisation - Red Cardinal Internet Marketing
Internet Consultant Ireland | Search Engine Optimisation Services
Catering Company Dublin - My sister's handmade canape company!

I agree with Richard. Basic SEO is not rocket science, but you are going to have a very tough time breaking into the free classifieds niche. The players in that field have long since been established. If I were you, I would focus a little more. Maybe classifieds for a neglected section of the market.

Regarding CPM advertising, this really does not work without LOTS of traffic. SEO your site, make it perfect. Analyze your visitors. Make sure your site is sticky as you will depend on return visitors.This is essential.

Once you are sure at least half your visitors will return and you have plenty of decent content, start a small PPC campaign. Get more traffic. Make sure you give them a reason to stay! I cannot stress this enough.

DO NOT plaster your site with ads initially. (Do this later when you don't mind loosing 1-10% of your audience).

All of the decent CPM networks have minimum traffic requirements. Be aware of that. DO NOT apply to them unless you have met that requirement.

Then read every article on this site:
Website Publisher - Guides, Tutorials, and Advice for Internet Publishers.

Hope that helps. You have a long road ahead of you. Make sure you're in it for the love.

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Web Design | Search Engine Marketing | Pay Per Click Management

thanks all for this info. Free Classifieds will only be one aspect of it, hoping to do a bit more to try and be a bit different, to break in to the market