As I typed the headline of this article, fond memories of touring with Griff, Marsha Collier and the rest of the crew for eBay University came flooding back. It was something I said at every city back then… and it's still true today, possibly even more so with the Best Match algorithm eBay has been using.
Your 55-character title is the most valuable real estate you will own on eBay. If what the buyer types into the Search box matches what you have in your title, then your item has an opportunity of being found.
Fill all 55 characters with money words—words your buyers are going to use to find you
Should you use all 55 characters? Yes, as much as possible. And they should be filled with money words—words your buyers are going to use to find you. But do you know what those words should be?
Let's say you got a hold of the latest Michael Kors evening bag and you head over to eBay to list it. With more than $100 on the line, are you going to call the item what you know it is? Or are you going to find out what buyers call it? Is it a handbag? Purse? Clutch? Satchel? Tote? Bag? Do you know your buyers' vocabulary? It doesn't matter what you want to call it. It only matters what the buyer with money wants to call it.
By heading over to eBay Pulse, you can quickly ascertain that handbag is the preferred keyword over the others—at least at this moment. But don't stop with just your valuable information from Pulse. While it's true that Pulse will show you the top searches by category on eBay, it won't show you if those keywords convert into sales. For that information, head over to Terapeak.
Terapeak has numerous powerful tools to help you optimize your profits. It will pay for itself many times over with just one or two searches to locate what your buyers are really doing on eBay. No more guessing. Within your Terapeak subscription there is a tool that's similar to Pulse but more in-depth. To locate it, simply go to "Hot Research," then click on "Hot Searches."
This will show you the general Hot Searches on eBay. But the power of this tool is in the search boxes at the top. Simply choose your category to start drilling down into specifics about the vocabulary your buyers are using. This keyword tool provides you with not 10 top searched words/phrases but sometimes hundreds that your buyers are using. This section also allows you to go deeper into the sub-categories on eBay, whereas Pulse usually limits you to a couple sub-categories deep.
So would you use "Mac Lipglass," "Mac Lipgloss" or "Mac Lip Gloss?" Do you know what the people with money are typing in? Terapeak does.
Do you know if buyers are paying more for listings that use one keyword over another?
Powerful, profitable tools
There is another powerful tool on Terapeak called Title Builder, which you will find on the main page of your account. Title Builder allows you to see a dollar amount tied to the keywords you're choosing. Say you're listing a coffee cup from Starbucks on eBay. Do you know if the buyers are searching for mug or cup, or something else? More importantly, do you know if they are paying more for listings that use one keyword over the other? This profitable tool will let you know.
Now there is a free version of this available to everyone as well. You can get to it by going to eBay's Apps Center and then typing "Terapeak Keyword" into the search field. Sign up and start using it to determine the vocabulary that your buyers are using.
eBay also has a keyword tool that does more than Pulse; it's called BayEstimate and is in the eBay Research Lab. This tool will share detailed information about the desirability of a specific keyword. Make sure you read the instructions and FAQs, as there is quite a bit of information here.
Truth be told, I rarely use this tool. I have found discrepancies in the information based upon research on eBay. Odd that a tool from eBay would have different information than the site itself.
My favorite keyword tool is a secret one. It allows you to utilize the information above for your title and then tells you what you need to do to your listing to make it onto the valuable first page of search! It used to be simple to figure out rankings on eBay—a quick search on Terapeak for most profitable ending day and time would do the trick. Now with eBay's new algorithm and the resulting Best Match, things are a bit trickier.
In next month's article we'll talk more about this secret tool because it's doing some amazing things to the OSI Rock Stars business right now. If you can't wait, and want your position on eBay and profits to increase now, head over to BestMatchSecret to learn more about this hidden tool on eBay.
Janelle Elms is a best-selling author, inspiring educator and Visionaire of the OSI Rock Stars. You can hear her on wsRadio every Wednesday on Ask Janelle Radio. Learn the success information you need to grow your business at www.osiRockStars.com. For step-by-step training on how to set up an eBay Store for maximum exposure and profit, visit One Percent Coach.
Opinions expressed here may not be shared by Auctiva Corp. and/or its principals.
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