Keywords for Ebay Auctions

Keywords alone can make or break your eBay auctions.

eBay, Google, and all of the search engines will look for the title of your eBay auction. The more accurate and full your keyword title is, the better your chances are of getting more traffic and bids.

To fully take advantage of the characters in the auction keyword title box alotted, you should try and use nearly all of the characters in the title box for the item. Research what other eBay sellers are using for keyword titles and see what the common factor is for the sold (completed) items and what items have had the highest bids. A quick search of completed items on eBay will yield your research criteria (NOTE: find the "completed listings" by using the right hand sidebar when searching. You must be logged into your eBay account). Try using the brand name, model, series, sex, size, color, condition, acronyms, material, and any descriptive word you can think of to fill the entire 55 characters.

Here is a good example of how eBay keyword titles can affect your auctions. A handbag is on the right of this text. The color is black, the material is jacquard, the condition is new, it's a makeup or cosmetic case, and it includes an authenticity card. Some are all of these may fit in the title. You may want to try: "Authentic Prada Black Jacquard Cosmetic Bag Case New"

This keyword title adds in the word "bag," the condition, brand, color, a variation of the style, and an important keyword--authentic. It is also important to have the title flow well so readers will grasp what it is you are selling quickly in the sea of competition. Put the order of words in a natural sounding way that customers can easily scan so it makes sense.

A simple eBay keyword title such as

"Black Prada Bag"

will not be as effective. Why? EBay users searching for a "prada cosmetic case" will not find your item! By using this poorly written title, you have isolated your market to only buyers looking for a "prada bag," "black prada," "black bag" (which is a very broad search), or "black prada bag." With the longer keyword title, the possibility of buyers finding your item is much larger, not only to eBay, but for search engine users as well. The more people that see your auction, the higher the possibility of the bids going sky high.

As you can see in this Iphone item, the seller has adequately used all of the characters allotted to maximize his keywords. More keywords and better keywords=more bids and traffic!

A great way to research your keywords is through Terapeak. They'll offer you 90 days of completed Ebay items, as opposed to the traditional 14 days. You'll also see over 2 years of trends in the categories on the site, and other valuable tools. Another way to gain an edge over competitors is through keyword spy, which will tell you what your competitors are using for their keywords and how you can beat them.

Another tool to use the Google Adwords tool. This will give you some excellent keyword suggestion, as well as tell you what other terms competitors might be using for their business.