Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is CraigslistAdTracker?
2. How long has CraigslistAdTracker.com being around?
3. How many people use CraigslistAdTracker.com?
4. Can I use CraigslistAdTracker to track any website?
5. What if I get blocked by craigslist for using a tracker?
6. Do you support hit counters or page counters?
7. What makes CraiglistAdTracker the best tool for online classified ad tracking?
8. How much does it cost?
9. Who is flagging my ads and how to stop them on craigslist?
10. Why is craigslist blocking old ads with tracking codes when I try to repost?
11. What is the browser plugin?
12. Why are my ads being ghosted?

1. What is CraigslistAdTracker?
   CraigslistAdTracker is a web service designed specifically to track ads on the various online classified ad listing networks including but not limited to craigslist. The tracking reports are designed to help advertisers get the insights they need and to help measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns. Please note that this site is not affiliated with craigslist.org in any way.
2. How long has CraigslistAdTracker.com being around?
   The site was officially made available in July 2009. I have personally being using a version of it since 2004 when I started posting on craigslist and tracking my personal website.
3. How many people use CraigslistAdTracker.com?
   Over 25000 users have signed up to use our service for their various marketing effort. We have Real estate agents, Autodealers, Small business owners, Virtual assistants and people from all different walks of life using our service. They track Housing, For sale, Jobs, Services and other listing categories on the various ad listing networks.
4. Can I use CraigslistAdTracker to track any website?
   Yes you can use CraigslistAdTracker to track any web page or website that allows HTML code or outside image linking. The major online classified ad listing networks (i.e craiglist, backpage, oodle, postlets) allow this. You can also use CraigslistAdTracker to track personal blogs and websites.
5. What if I get blocked by craigslist for using a tracker?
   Yes this is a possibility. However, as long as craigslist allow users to link outside images to their ads, there will always be tracking that works under craigslist radar. CraigslistAdTracker offers an invisible tracker to reduce the possibility of having your ad noticed as using a tracking device. This feature is highly recommended for craigslist tracking. You can always remove our tracking codes from your ads if you wish to stop tracking them or if craigslist will not allow them anymore. Please report any blocking by craigslist related to using our tracking code immediately to us via the contact form. Please do not abuse craigslist. They are our friend.
6. Do you support hit counters or page counters?
   Yes. Even though CraigslistAdTracker provides more detailed stats for users, it can also be used as a hit counter or page counter so users can easily see the number of page hits without having to log on to their account to view a more detailed traffic report. Please see our FREE hit counter page for more information.
7. What makes CraiglistAdTracker the best tool for online classified ad tracking?
   We are all about providing value to our customers by giving them the best tools to help manage and measure the effectiveness of their classified marketing campaigns. Our tracking method gives our customers the essential information they need to know what is working and what is not.
8. How much does it cost?
   CraigslistAdTracker is a mostly free service with some usage restrictions for free membership. However, we offer a premium service for as low as $14.95/month to users that want unlimited access to all of our site features and services. Please see Premium for more information.
9. Who is flagging my ads and how to avoid flagging on craigslist?
   Unfortunately, there is not much any of us can do about flagging on craigslist since we can't control the actions of visitors viewing our ads. Craigslist makes it very easy for viewers to flag any ad for any reason just by clicking one of the links they provide for flagging. Also we have heard of several automated tools that competitors use to flag other advertisers selling the same services or products. In any case, there are several proven ways to help avoid and reduce flagging on craigslist but there is no 100% full proof method. To learn more about our solution to avoid and reduce flagging, please see Craigslist Image Ads for more information.
10. Why is craigslist blocking old ads with tracking codes when I try to repost?
    From time to time, craigslist blocks certain domain names or links to external websites in an effort to reduce spam on their website. Since our tracking codes and forms use external links, it is possible that some of our links will be blocked when you try to repost or edit an ad that was previously posted with a link from us. Please note that this does not happen very often. In any case, we have developed smart ways to get around the blocking by using lots of different domain names and link patterns.
    
    You will need to replace your old tracking link with a new one. You can do this manually by logging in to your account to generate a new link from your existing tracker or you can do this automatically by using our browser plugin.
    
    Tips:

    1. Avoid using the same codes or links in several ads. Use one link per ad.
    2. Use our browser plugin to automatically replace your links to avoid cl filtering

    
    Note: We do not spam craigslist and we do not condone spamming. Craigslist provides an invaluable service to all of us and we respect and appreciate their effort to keep their site clean.
11. What is the browser plugin?
    The browser plugin is a convenient way to add tracking to your craigslist and backpage ads. See benefits below:

    1. It makes adding a new tracking code much quicker (no copy and paste)
    2. It automatically replaces old blocked tracking codes when reposting or editing old ads with tracking installed
    3. It conveniently shows a summary stats of your ad on your browser toolbar
12. Why are my ads being ghosted?
    There are several articles and tips online that can help you with craigslist ghosting problems. Just search for "prevent craigslist ghosting" using your favorite search engine and you will get numerous sites providing suggestions on how to prevent your ads from being ghosted.
    
    However, we cannot guarantee the effectiveness of any ghosting prevention methods. You will need to do some personal research and trial and error to find out what works for you.
    
    Disclaimer: Our software does not protect you from being ghosted on craigslist. We use lots of different domain names when generating tracking codes to help get around craigslist filtering.