Optimize Your eBay Keywords for Search Engines

Your objective when writing eBay titles should be to help buyers find you. Here are a few tips to help your listings appear in eBay and Google searches.

1) Choose the Right Keywords

choose up to five keywords that describe or relate to your item. Think like a buyer, not like a seller. If you are selling a bracelet, use the words jewelry, bangle, and bracelet in the title to catch different buyer searches.

2) Use eBay Real Estate with Discretion

You only get 55 characters for your title. Don't waste this space with meaningless symbols or words that buyers won't search for. Example - "Gorgeous Ralph Lauren sweater we ship fast." Buyers won't be searching for words like gorgeous or "we ship fast." A better title would be, "NEW Women's cashmere Ralph Lauren sweater Medium Red." The title does not need to be a coherent sentence. You are appealing to the search engine. The rest of your listing is for the human being once they find your listing.

3) Less is More on eBay.

Describe your item the in as much detail as possible but in as few words as possible. The listing should contain 200 words of text. Use your keywords 10-14 times in your listing. Avoid non-relevant information. Keep it short and to the point not only for the search engine, but for the human. Too much visual stimuli will drive buyers away.

4) Strategically name your images.

Instead of leaving your photos named something random the way they come off the memory card, name the photo with appropriate keywords. Naming images gives you another chance to get keywords on the page that the search engine will see (humans can't see them).

If you aren't getting traffic or sales, your keywords may be the problem. For help with your keywords, check out my eBay store critique.

Happy Selling!