eBay caters to 187 million users worldwide as of 2021. Still, just listing a shop on the platform is not going to get you sales. To reach out to your customers before the competition and to stand out amongst the 1.7 billion eBay listings, you need eBay listing Optimization.
Getting leads and conversion for your eBay store is different from any other eCommerce platform. Its search engine Cassini works like Google and is aimed to assist and satisfy buyers. Cassini’s algorithm works on two grounds: product SEO and seller SEO. While product SEO analyzes whether the listing is useful for the respective buyer or not, seller SEO checks the seller’s reputation, authenticity, reviews, shipping mechanism, and customer support. So, you need to tune your listings in line with Cassini’s ranking factors if you wish to rank higher on eBay.
Let’s discuss the 5 tips that will assist you in managing SEO for eBay and attracting prospective leads to your listings
#1 Create A Searchable, Meaningful Title
eBay listing optimization begins with coining an informative title that is useful for the users. But, you should avoid stuffing it with keywords. Doing so will degrade the quality of your listing titles and impact their coherence negatively.
eBay provides a limit of 80 characters to create a meaningful and strong product title. You can utilize this by adding 2 to 3 keywords, size, color material, or target audience demographic. Take a look at this example,
Title 1 – ‘Jambo Small Kids Jigsaw Puzzle, Animal Images, Kids Indoor game’
Title 2 – ‘Jambo Animal Image Jigsaw Puzzle, 80 Square Blocks, Indoor Game for Under 10 For Sale’
Similarly, your titles should focus on the buyer’s need instead of filling in irrelevant keywords. A meaningful title with exact keywords is appreciated by Cassini and rewarded in the form of search ranks.
#2 Split Test & Optimize Product Images
Show the buyer, in detail, what they will get.
Cassini’s product SEO encourages the minute product details that you cover through pictures. The platform provides 12 spaces for product images and an option to buy extra slots if so required. It also provides a tool called photo uploader to edit images before publishing them. You can go through eBay’s image guidelines and check the terms set for product photos.
You can use this space to upload product images showing different sides or angles, its accessories, packaging, ingredients, infographics, its usage or operation, etc. High-quality images are crucial for eBay listing optimization.
Do not forget to use appropriate alt tags on your product photos. It helps the search engines identify the image. In case you are confused between two different styles of images, take a split test to find the best one.
#3 Get An Attractive Template, Write Useful Product Descriptions
Product descriptions are another crucial part of SEO for eBay. While they cannot be bookish and tedious to read, they should also not leave any specifications unexplained. The best ones answer every buyer’s question, remain crisp and focussed, and do not entertain fluff.
So, your description can include the following:
- Use your main keywords and LSI’s in the natural flow.
- Describe every detail of your product
- Use proper formatting with bullet points
- Include size, material, warranty, service, and usage guidelines
- Provide customer support and relevant contact details
Sellers can also utilize eBay templates to make their descriptions more attractive and complete. It can help sellers build mini-one page websites with options of images, formatting, and more.
Another style can be defining specifics by using product identifiers and qualifiers. This increases the chances of your product being found on search results by respective users.
#4 Research on Keywords, Do Not Spam
While doing SEO for eBay, keyword research can be done by analyzing competitors, researching your customers, and using keyword-finding tools.
As already discussed, eBay’s search engine Cassini works on two different grounds – product SEO and seller SEO. So, in product SEO, keywords are crucial to be included in titles, image alt tags, and descriptions.
There are certain things you should remember while using keywords:
- Find relevant keywords with high volume.
- Use LSI keywords like Sell, refurbished, used, etc.
- Do not use more than three keywords in the title.
- Try to naturally fill in keywords in the description, so the meaning is not lost.
- Keep the keyword proximity in mind while writing your description.
#5 Strive For Buyer Satisfaction and Get Reviews
eBay’s goal is to establish itself as a buyer-oriented eCommerce platform. Its seller SEO method is aimed at providing customer satisfaction. It expects the same to be the objective of the vendor’s eBay shop.
The following tricks can help you get positive feedback from buyers:
- Get eBay ‘Fast and Free’ tags:
This service provides a guaranteed delivery date with a countdown timer. Such listings also get priority ranks due to buyers’ automatic preference for the facility.
- Invest in A+ customer experience:
This helps sellers build loyalty and retain customers. It also gets you positive reviews. Reviews appear right at the top of your page, it impacts the buying decision of visitors.
- Create an attractive seller bio:
Seller bios can help build your image and trust amongst your customers. An engaging, interesting, and relevant seller story helps convert customers too.
- Offer Competitive Prices:
Understand the competition you are facing on eBay. Setting irrelevantly high prices won’t help you win buyers. The buyer today is very informed; it can analyze whether the quoted price is justified or not. So, be reasonable while setting costs.
Conclusion
eBay listing optimization is a complex task. But, if you understand the basics, it will surely work for you. You may also use tools to create a good listing. eBay’s search engine Cassini is focused on helping consumers buy what they need and it wants the sellers to work on the same lines.
Remembering the following points can help you with the basics:
- You need to work on product SEO and seller SEO separately
- Focus on high volume keywords and LSIs
- Create meaningful titles, user friendly descriptions and high quality professional photos
- Select right category for your listing
- Maintain a good customer support system
- Maintain a quick trackable delivery system.
If you ensure that your eBay store is helping buyers with quality products, professional customer support, and legitimate after sales service, you will surely experience better sales and growth.