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There’s Something About Craig
By Cameron Ferroni | November 26, 2007
As I sat in my office today trying to decide what to write about in this week’s LocalPoint installment, I suddenly remembered that my wife really wanted to go see Iron & Wine at the Moore theatre here in Seattle next Monday night. (Really, I wasn’t procrastinating - really) So where did I turn? Without a second’s hesitation I went to Craig’s List. And it struck me all over again. There is just something about that site that truly sets it apart. I can say unequivocally that it is my favorite local site. So that got me thinking. What is it that sets it apart?
Let’s start with the assertion that it represents the antithesis of almost every “hot” topic in the Local industry right now, with perhaps the one exception that it is totally user driven. And maybe, just maybe, that is the secret sauce that keeps it going. Take a look at it though - first, the design is beyond simplistic, I’m not sure that they even use a font tag anywhere in their HTML - no AJAX, Javascript, GWT, Silverlight required. Second, they don’t worry about things like maps, neighborhoods, locations etc - hey mr. user, you just type in where your listing is, and we’ll trust you. Third, no need to “signup”, create a profile etc - you can if you want to, and it makes posting a little easier, but even then it’s not so much a profile as a way for them to limit spam postings. Fourth, no advertising - they make money off the fact that in some cities, some people are actually willing to pay for certain types of listings (for those of you interested, they charge for job listings in San Francisco, Boston, Chicago, LA, NY, Orange County, Portland, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle and Washington DC, and brokered real estate listings in NY). Fifth, they aren’t particularly social - they have discussion groups, and there’s the obvious personals aspect, but the discussion groups aren’t their bread and butter, and it’s a far cry from the social networking craze we’ve seen. Sixth - SEO isn’t really their gig either - occasionally I get results from search, but that seems like a byproduct, and most of the time those listings are already expired - this is direct navigation at its finest.
So with all of that, what makes this local site, so popular, and what can we learn from it? Well, I’d assert it comes down to a basic, fundamental principle: It provides a useful service for customers. The fact is I can go on there and buy just about anything, I don’t have to worry about scalpers, and I can generally get what I wanted within a day or so. Sure, compared to eBay it doesn’t have the depth of goods, or the glitzy listings, or that rush I get when I “win” an auction (come on - win? really?), or the trust factor of the rating system, and compared to Amazon it doesn’t have the selection or the peace of mind of buying new, but there’s something about meeting a guy in a parking lot of a convenience store to buy a computer that is an experience all its own. Seriously though, there is something to be said for hooking up with someone via email, and personally exchanging the goods for the cash that makes it seem better.
At the end of the day, I assert that it really boils down to the fact that the simplicity of the experience and the personal nature of the interactions make this stand head and shoulder above any other online service of its type. For those of us in the industry we would do well to take this to heart - and maybe, just maybe, spend less time worried about our slick UI, our SEO strategies, and our mapping technology, and spend more time worried about the specific value proposition for users. I know that I will….
Topics: Web site, Local SEO, Local Search, Content |
November 26th, 2007 at 7:06 pm
[…] Ferroni of Marchex wrote today about the special place Craigslist holds for him… … it really boils down to the fact […]
November 27th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I think that there are too many spotty faced kids who have never been in the real world building things that they think are cool, but sometimes all people want are simple facts. If you take a look at Financial Markets, billions of dollars are traded around simple but true information
November 27th, 2007 at 1:14 pm
To state the obvious, ultimately Craigslist is great because it’s the marketplace that’s emerged where you have to be. All of the features and UI/UX components you mention above (no login, free, simple, etc.) have made it very attractive for users, and hence, it’s become the place where as a ‘Seller’ you have to be and as a ‘Buyer’ you have to check. Similar to eBay, that’s created a virtuous cycle.
At the same time, the CL River of Information can make it a less fulfilling experience as you begin to desire a little bit more information.
For instance, if you’re looking to buy something, it surely would be helpful to know a little bit more about the seller — some historical ratings/reviews, even if limited, would be nice to see (or at least the ability to glimpse this seller’s past listing activity, to gauge the types of things they’ve sold/bought before).
In our space (local education/tutoring/classes), we think it will be very useful to enable reviews/location/pricing and other information. We see this as a supplement to the fluidity/river of CL information, providing Teachers/Tutors/Coaches a way to build a permanent location to direct their CL ‘customers’ where they can get a little bit better sense of their quality/experience/etc.
Again — I’m a huge fan of Craigslist — I’m on it multiple times per week as both a lister and buyer — I just think there are many niches/categories where it can be supplmented with additional information/services, and that Craig will also be totally psyched to see these proliferate.
Dave