As you might remember from the last newsletter, online buyers have only their sight to rely on when making a purchase - all their other senses are redundant.

This is why what you write is equally as important as how good your photos are...

A great title helps you get more traffic, while a good description gives people the confidence to click Buy.

On the other hand, a poor title can see your listing sent to the bottom of the search results. And a bad description can put otherwise keen buyers off, because they feel they don't quite know enough about the item to purchase.

How To Write The Best Title

Your item title is almost like your 'shop front', as getting customers to click into your listing is as crucial for online sellers as it is for brick and mortar stores to get customers to walk through their doors.

However, the tactics for getting someone to click into your listing are vastly different. While a traditional shop front might be dressed up with a Christmas-themed display featuring all sorts of eye-pleasing bells and whistles, you can forget all that with an online listing.

You have only 55 characters to entice customers into your listing and you need to use them carefully.

Compare the two listing titles below. (You may remember these images from our previous newsletter).

Listing A

Listing B

As a casual buyer on eBay myself, I have come across some shocking listing titles (such as one that simply read 'top') - and I'm sure you have too. While Listing A's title is not as bad as this, read on to find out why Listing B is SO much better.

Just imagining yourself in a buyer's shoes will go a long way to helping you write a great item title - it is easy to understand a buyer's frustration when they come across a listing that says only 'top'. (I only noticed this listing because the auction was about to close - there were no bids on it, coincidentally).

It follows naturally that a way to remedy this is by describing the item accurately.

Nonetheless, it is the seller's loss if they happened to have exactly what the buyer wanted, but they did not market it correctly. Lazy marketing can mean your listing doesn't even feature in the search results for someone looking for what you're selling.

Sellers often ask: Why isn't placing my listing in the correct item category enough to get it noticed?

This is a common mistaken assumption made by unseasoned sellers. The volume of items for sale on eBay means that there are thousands of items listed in every category, and even in sub-categories. Buyers do not have the attention span to trawl through hundreds of listings, and are very likely to narrow their search results by making a specific search.

Therefore if you don't place enough detail in your listing title, it is unlikely your item will rank highly in a buyer's search. It is still very important that you place your item in the correct category, as buyers often drill down by category to refine their initial search. You have the option of placing your listing it in up to two categories - so make sure you do some research beforehand to find out where it is most likely to sell.

Putting your item in the correct category, and giving it an accurate, detailed item title will also help to boost it to the top of the search results.  

You can employ a technique called 'front-loading' to help your listing's ranking even further. This is a basic keyword optimization technique where you start your item title with the most important keywords - that is, the words people are most likely to search for. Generally, this is the brand name or make, item name, followed by model number, item name, size, condition, material and so on. Just take a look at some of the top listings on eBay for your item to get ideas.

Remember, buyers are unlikely to use terms such as 'hot' and 'amazing' in their search, so avoid wasting any of your 55 characters on these unnecessary words.

 As you can see from Listing B's title above - it is simply a bunch of keywords. It doesn't read as a logical sentence, yet it makes an effective title because it contains all the important information. The seller has used capital letters to distinguish the important keywords a buyer may be searching for.

You'll also notice that the seller is targeting different markets - from those searching for Fair Trade items, to those looking for a yoga tank or tie die clothing. Listing A lacks any specific descriptors, and wastes valuable characters on the phrase 'for ladies' - which makes for a very general item title.

How To Write The Best Description

If you are selling an exceptional product that many buyers are interested in, but write a poor description for it, chances are you will have a million and one questions about your auction.

If you are selling a relatively common product and write a poor description for it, chances are your product will simply not sell.

Compare Listing A and Listing B's item descriptions shown below.

Listing A

Listing B

 

 

 

No prizes here for guessing which listing is more likely to sell! Let me tell you how you can write a description as good as Listing B's...

Your listing description needs to be thorough, honest and attractive to buyers. To do this you need to follow a few simple rules:

1. List ALL the features and benefits of the item - don't assume that buyers will know these without you telling them. Also, do not simply copy and paste your item description from someone else's listing or the manufacturer's website - you will raise the buyer's suspicions about your legitimacy.

Be sure to include all the relevant but boring details about your item too. For example, the item's make, model number and part numbers, dimensions and weight.

2. Be honest - detail any flaws or item history that a buyer should know about. For example, Listing B says 'please expect very minor variations as each is handmade'.

3. Be consistent - any details you illustrate with your photos should also be reflected in your written text. Don't list your item as brand new and then say it's been used once. Inconsistencies such as these will make buyers doubtful about your trustworthiness.

4. Add a personal touch - tell a story about the item, such as what you like about it or find it useful for. Personalizing your listing can be an effective way to boost interest. For example, Listing B says 'my crafters actually make these shirts and the fabric is soooo soft and the cut so flattering', and describes it as being perfect for yoga.

5. Make your sale terms and conditions easily accessible, simple and friendly. Do not write these in a manner that gives the impression you are only out to cover your own back. Using a friendly, reasonable tone, and offering the buyer some sort of guarantee or product reassurance is much more likely to encourage browsers to become buyers!

6. Present your text carefully - no-one wants to read an item description that has been chucked carelessly into one long and boring paragraph. Use bullet points and short paragraphs to make your description pleasing on the eye and easy to read.

7. Don't break eBay's rules . Engaging in practices such as keyword spamming to get your listing noticed is not allowed, and will not do you any favors in gaining buyer's trust.

Quick recap: Action steps

1. Determine the best words for your listing title.
2. Determine the best order for your listing title's keywords. Do away with grammar and useless adjectives. Double-check your spelling.
3. Follow the rules listed above for writing a good listing description.
4. Get a second pair of eyes to check over your listing for spelling and any points that you may have forgotten.

That's all for this newsletter, we hope it has been useful to you - and that you will be writing perfect listing titles and descriptions in no time!

Did you know buyers are more likely to bid when someone else has already bid on the same item? Keep an eye out for SaleHoo's next newsletter, where we will be covering how to choose the best listing and pricing techniques to make a sale!