For those of you who use Craigslist to post listings for your rentals, houses for sale, and more – your ability to make your listing stand out may be changing quite dramatically.
At least in certain markets, (Florida, Texas, Washington, and Others) it appears that Craigslist has discontinued it’s use of certain HTML tags within listings that allow users to customize their posts using third party web applications, like Postlets or vFlyer. In addition, it would appear that links to outside websites may also no longer work.
In the past, these third party companies allowed you to upload all the property information directly on their web application, and a long code was generated that you simply “Copied and Pasted” into your Craigslist ad. This code includes numerous “tags” which direct Craigslist to show certain items, like logos, photos, tables, and more.
However, with the subtle change, all “enhanced ads” have been denied by Craigslist – making each and every ad look similar. Take a look at the photo below to see an example of what posts “used” to look like – and what they look like now:
How Companies Used HTML with Craigslist
There were two primary ways that these third party companies used html to create enhanced craigslist listings
- Html with tables, fonts, and multiple images (Postlet’s Model)
- One giant photo used for the listing, that is hosted on their servers. (vFlyer’s method)
Both models accomplished the same purpose – to make your Craigslist posting stand out above the hundreds of other listings by including larger photos, a more visually appealing look and flow, and the ability to showcase your company’s brand and logo.
However, it appears that at least in many areas both these methods have been given the ax by Craigslist, even retroactively for older listings.