Selling on eBay - How Can I Keyword Optimize My eBay Listings

eBay's success has increased exponentially since its creation, and this success has attracted increasing numbers of buyers and sellers. Selling on eBay successfully has become much harder, especially with many larger companies now having a presence there. So, how do you make sure potential buyers find your auction and store listings?

One of the most important ways to ensure your listings are found by visitors to eBay is to use appropriate keywords within your store and listings. If you don't understand the concept of keywords, they are simply a significant word or phrase in the title and description of an item that corresponds with the words people will be using in their searches. The keywords need to be relevant to the items being sold and the phrases prospective purchasers are using to find items like the ones you are selling.

Adding Keywords to Your Store Description and Categories

If you have an eBay store, the first place you should be concentrating on using keywords is within your store description where you tell visitors the types of products you sell. This is the place you should be using the broader keywords. For example, if you sell used books, you might you the phrases used books, first editions and collectible books.

The next place to use your keywords is within your store categories. Each category can have sub-categories and if you have a store focused on one kind of product it makes sense to break that down into sub categories.

Decide on your primary keyword first. For example, if you sell used books you might use the main category as Collectible Books, and then narrow the keywords down in the sub-category to First Editions and then narrow it down again to categories within First Editions entitled History, Biographies etc.

How to Optimize the Listings for Keyword Searches?

For effective optimization you should include your primary keywords and secondary keywords within the title and description of your listings. Try to make it look natural and not as if you have "stuffed" the keywords into the description just for the sake of it. Certainly aim to put those keywords in the first and last paragraphs of the listing and bold or highlight them to make them stand out (this will tell the automated robots that search eBay and the Internet as a whole that these are the most important words on the page).

Creating store descriptions, categories, listing titles and listing descriptions that include appropriate keywords is vital when selling on eBay; it's the only way visitors will ever find your auctions and store items. Too many sellers on eBay are missing out on potential profits by neglecting to list their items properly. Make sure you're not one of them.