You were pretty enthusiastic about selling on eBay.
And we understand your aspiration to win a new sales channel. With two billion daily transactions, this platform has become a coveted destination for many sellers.
So, you painted the picture of overnight success in your mind. You thought all the items would be immediately sold out the moment you list them.
Ha! What a naive person you were! But you’ve learned that hard way.
As it turned out, it’s not enough to list your goods on the official eBay site. Apart from this, you also have to figure out how to get eBay listing on first page to sell them.
This adds some extra work to your daily agenda, but it’s definitely not the end of the world.
In this article, you will learn how to use the most popular eBay keywords to make your listings visible to prospects and leverage eBay SEO to boost your sales.
Understanding the Basics – What Are eBay SEO and Keywords?
In general terms, SEO (search engine optimization) stands for the strategy that involves optimizing the website and its pages to get ranked by search engine machines better and appear on top search results. It may include, but is not limited to:
- Keyword selection and distribution
- Use of metadata (titles and descriptions)
- Backlinks relevance
- URL structure
- Website performance and reputation
Keywords are the words or phrases the searchers enter into the search bar to find what they need. When you add keywords to your content, you make it visible to search engines.
When it comes to SEO for eBay listings, you should rely on general principles of SEO and consider this platform’s peculiarities at the same time.
Why?
Because eBay has its own search engine (known as Cassini) that connects the buyer with the matching listings. So, if you would like to sell on this marketplace, you’ve got to master SEO for eBay to comply with the requirements.
How eBay Search Engine Optimization Is Different
To help you grasp the difference between traditional and eBay search engines, let’s consider what goals visitors have when using this or that platform.
In this way, people have different goals. Besides, they have differing levels of awareness about the product, so the pieces of information they will be looking for will not be the same.
eBay Cassini is focused on making the buying process easier for the visitor. So, it allows the shoppers to quickly find the product, learn its features, and decide whether they want to bid or buy the offered position. Here is what the Cassini algorithms value:
- User convenience: buyers make quick decisions and should not dig for any information – they should immediately know about the product, why they should get it, and what will happen after the purchase.
- Reasonable pricing: products with fair prices gain a higher ranking. Besides, free shipping might take the listings to top search positions.
- Seller and listing ratings: the eBay search engine cares about shoppers, so buyers are more likely to see offers from sellers with positive customer interaction.
When you optimize your listings for Cassini search engine eBay, you will ensure more people see your listings. This means that you bring your products in front of more people, so you win more potential customers whom you can close for sale.
How to Get Your eBay Listing to the Top with SEO
As you already know, SEO is a complex strategy that involves mastering different facets of the eBay listing. Let’s take a closer look at how to run an effective eBay listing optimization to increase traffic and improve sales.
1. Choose eBay Keywords Wisely
The use of eBay search terms is one of the things you should not ignore when thriving to take your listings to leading positions in search results.
When you list your products, it’s not enough to claim that you are selling, let’s say, wallets. You’ve got to figure out what popular eBay keywords buyers use to search for the items they require.
Considering this, you’ve got to do the eBay keyword research to make sure you use effective keywords in eBay listings.
The effective keyword search strategies are similar to Google search eBay, so here are a few tips on how to spot eBay popular keywords.
How to Do Effective Keyword Research for eBay
Use in-built eBay com official site search
Before we move further, let’s understand how buyers can search products using keywords on eBay.
The most common way to browse the items is to use the search bar. The shopper types the keyword into the line and hits the Search button. Here you can also select categories.
If that’s not enough, the buyer can use an eBay advanced search, which gives plenty of customization. It allows setting the item’s condition, the price range, buying format, location, seller, size, and more. Prospects can visit the advanced search eBay page by hitting the corresponding menu by the Search button.
How can you use these search methods for your benefit? Just be attentive, and you will see the most popular keywords related to your product right under the search bar.
But you may want to run more advanced research and find other great keywords for your listings. So, here is how you can start searching for effective search phrases that would bring the desired results.
Analyze eBay sold listings search results
Another way to figure out what keywords rank on eBay is to analyze sold items. In this way, you can take a look at the listings of your competitors and discover what keywords they use to sell.
You can do the investigation manually. In this way, you should already have a list of keywords at hand. As you check the title and product description, you will spot what search terms the seller has integrated.
Or you can use the keyword search tool that scans the provided link and defines what search terms have been added.
Make use of additional apps
If you have thousands of listings, defining the most successful keywords manually can be daunting and eat all your time. So you may want to use an eBay SEO tool like Ahrefs or Keywordtool.io that would provide you with a list of great keywords.
The Ubersuggest plugin for Chrome is also a handy tool. You can immediately check the search volume for every keyword and see the metrics.
Not all keywords are equal
Some keywords perform better than others. So, you can’t just pick random keywords if you want to drive more traffic to your listings.
- Give preference to long-tail keywords– they are more specific and provide the buyers with more information. For example:
Leather wallet – head keyword
Black leather wallet men trifold – long-tail keyword - Pick keywords with great search volume yet low competition. This will ensure enough buyers see your listing, yet you do not have to compete with many sellers for their attention.
- Use only relevant keywords that describe the product. If you add irrelevant popular keywords for the sake of increasing the listing visibility, you may fall within the Search manipulation policy. If eBay catches you red-handed, they may cancel your listing or hide it from search results.
- Stay away from keyword spamming. Not only does it irritate buyers, but it also violates the eBay policy.
2. Optimize eBay Listing for SEO with Keywords
When you are thinking about a winning SEO eBay listing optimization strategy, you should get ready to roll your sleeves and invest some time in polishing your listing.
How to Craft eBay Titles That Sell
A title is one of the prominent factors that define where your listing will appear in organic search results and whether the prospect will open the listing.
When you craft titles for eBay listings, you have an 80-character limit to present your product in the most appealing way.
Below you can see a sponsored listing. It’s not the best example of the winning title as it looks spammy and is hard to read.
So, what makes eBay titles awesome?
- They are keyword-focused. Use only the most relevant and the most powerful keyword to make the title visible to the search engine.
- They are easy to read.Do not add all possible keywords to your title. Make it readable for the buyer.
- They are engaging. Do not just put words together. Ensure every word in the title is meaningful and adds value to the prospect.
And now just compare. Does the title below sound better than the previous one? When you stick to the simple principles mentioned above, you get a descriptive title favorably that is ranked by eBay SEO algorithms and makes sense to buyers.
If you got stuck and have no title ideas at all, you can get inspiration from any eBay title builder.
How to Write a Winning eBay Description
That’s your big moment. You can either make it or break it with the eBay product description.
Even though this field is optional, we strongly recommend you take full advantage of the 200 words to present your item in the best light and add extra keywords to enhance the visibility of your listing. Here are a few tips on how to craft a great sales copy both search engines and buyers love.
- Write for people, not machines. Of course, adding keywords is essential for SEO eBay listing optimization. But you should care about the readability of the description in the first place. If the sales copy looks clunky and is spammed with keywords, your chances of closing the prospect for sale fade away significantly. So, incorporate keywords naturally.
- Highlight benefits, not features.It’s common for sellers to highlight product features in the description. But it’s a big mistake. A feature is nothing more than a cold descriptive fact. Item benefits sound more convincing
- Keep it simple.Overly complicated descriptions can put buyers off. So, make sure you write in simple language (avoid complex sentences and jargon) and express one idea per sentence and paragraph.
- Make it friendly to the eyes.Apply a reasonably-sized font (neither too big nor too small). Choose colors that allow buyers to easily read the text (like the white background and black font).
How to Take Product Photos that Convert
Hmmmm. I’ve never thought that product images are a part of the SEO strategy.
That’s what you may think, and let us confess – your thoughts have reasonable grounds. But let us explain why we believe that images have a direct impact on the success of your eBay SEO optimization efforts.
We tend to judge the book by its cover. So, as eBay says, adding quality images to your listing increases your odds of attracting more buyers. But there is one more hidden aspect. High-resolution product images add to the user experience, which this platform prioritizes. The better user experience you deliver, the better you rank. So, here are a few recommendations on how to take great images to improve your ranking on eBay.
- Do not use stock images. Photography that almost every seller is using won’t help you rank better. Take your own photos instead to stand out among your rivals.
- Use a neutral background.Give preference to white or other one-colored backgrounds.
- Make sure the lighting is good. Take photos in the daytime or get an artificial source of lighting.
- Show the product from different angles.Online buyers might be uncertain whether your item meets their expectations. Pictures help to close the gap of ignorance.
- Take lifestyle images as well.Lifestyle images show the application of the item in real life, which might encourage the shopper to make a purchase.
Use Image Alt Tags
Image alt tags should verbally describe what’s depicted in the image. They make listings accessible for visually impaired people but can also be used to add keywords to improve listing ranking.
- Use relevant keywords only. An eBay search engine is sophisticated enough to index what’s on the image, so add image alt tag text with keywords that describe the picture.
- Keep the text short. You can write as many as 125 characters or less.
Include Unique Identifiers
If you need some explanation of what unique identifiers are and what types you can use for your listings, jump into the Guide to Barcodes: ASIN, UPC, EAN, ISBN, SKU that would lead you through this topic from A to Z.
Meanwhile, let us explain why these unique identifiers matter for SEO for eBay store. The platform suggests that this information helps search engines connect buyers to the products they are looking for and provides them with the data they need to make a purchase. Some product identifiers have become mandatory for certain items:
- Brand
- Manufacturer part number (MPN)
- Global trade item number (GTIN)
These identifiers increase your visibility on eBay and spare you from the need to fill out information manually.
Provide Links to Other Products or Sourcess
You can reference other products, your eBay store, product videos, or freight shipping services approved by eBay in product descriptions. But there are some rules you should stick to.
- The link destination should match the link description. In other words, you should precisely describe what’s waiting for the buyer via the link.
- You can’t direct the customer to a website other than eBay. So, do not add links to listings on other marketplaces or other sites.
3. What Else You Can Do to Rank Better on eBay
Some eBay SEO optimization steps are less explicit than others. So, here are some other things you can work on to bring your eBay listings to top positions.
- Provide stellar customer service – listing rating is considered by Cassini when it ranks the matching offers.
- Fill out store account information – that’s another place to add keywords. Besides, you can tell more about your brand or store to build a stronger connection with customers.
- Use eBay listing management software – automate your workflows and manage your listings, inventory, and orders easier and more efficiently with eBay tools like SellerSkills.
- Know what price format to set – consider eBay pricing tips not to turn prospects away from your listing by inadequate prices
Yeah! Now You Know How to Make Your eBay Listing Work for You
When you add great keywords to titles, product descriptions, your store bio, or image alt tags, that’s just a part of the battle. This step can add more visibility to your listings and drive more sales, but a full SEO upgrade will dramatically boost your odds for showcasing your items in front of more people.
That is why we believe you should employ these eBay SEO tips.
We wish you good luck with improving your eBay listings or creating new ones! From our side, SellerSkills is always ready to scratch your back and take care of monotonous tasks through listing, inventory, and order management optimization.