What do you really need to do in order to grow your sales through eBay stores this Festive Season?
n
As an SEO Agency, we work to increase sales for online businesses. Part of our role is to ensure that those selling, either via their own website or by a third-party such as eBay, get the biggest number of conversions possible.
nn
The majority of the helpful tips below can be used across any selling platform, though a few of them are eBay-specific.
n
How to increase your eBay Conversion Rate
- n
- Research Your CompetitorsnWhether you and your business have listed on eBay before, or on another platform, it is important to perform lots of searches “as a buyer” before you start listing your products.nnLook at everything from the obvious; Title, Price, Postage Cost and Description — to the items which are probably less scrutinised by sellers but all products really look at; Product Images / Gallery, Terms and Conditions, Number of Products Available and Seller History.nnThis research means you will be able to see whether their strategies are working (if they’ve good ratings and it looks professional etc) and potentially what their strategies are (are they going for a lower price to sell more or a higher price to increase the margin). In addition to this looking at what the product titles are and the product descriptions and layout you can begin to build a picture of what success looks like on eBay for your specific niche market.n
- Take High-Quality PhotosnA simple and high-quality photo with your product can make you stand ‘head and shoulders above your competition. Photography is extremely important with platforms such as eBay and Amazon because once a user has searched and results are shown, their eyes are drawn to the photos — if you can show professionalism and quality, you are more likely to get that click. nnHere are a few tips for getting the best photography for your products:na. use a good quality camera (not your mobile)nb. use natural daylight where possible (artificial light can be too harsh)nc. take a number of photos (various angles and close-ups)nd. NEVER use a manufacturer’s / commercial image.n
- Create A Great Product TitlenYou have only 80 characters on eBay for your product title, this means you can’t describe your product in full (usually). So instead you need to keep it concise but detailed, you need to include relevant keywords such as Brand, Colour and Size (if you are selling clothing, for example).nnA top tip is that if you have some spare space to deal with in your title tag then you can begin to include descriptive keywords such as “beautiful” and “ideal for ABC” — but your specific detail should always come first when writing an eBay Product Title.n
- Write the Perfect Product DescriptionnDescribing your product is the key to giving your customer that extra bit of confidence they may need to buy with you, over another seller on eBay. The vital thing here is to be honest in describing the product, don’t oversell on underselling — just describe the product in literal terms, use good grammar and double-check your spelling, and don’t simply copy and paste from anywhere (including your own website).nnA great tip, which we tell all eBay customers, is that if you are selling two very similar products (say the same dress in a few colours or a number of plants in different colours) that the majority of the description can be the same, it saves time and is already well written, but you should always have at least 300 characters of unique description for each product listing. This makes a huge difference both to the buyers and potentially to search engines, who really don’t want to see duplicate content.n
- Always Consider the AudiencenIn all of the above you have considered what you want to achieve, but you should also always be considering what the audience is looking for. If you are selling plants, then your audience may want to know extra information such as where the plant will thrive, soil type, when it will bloom or fruit etc — these are all things to put into your description, not simply “ABC is a B-type and is green”. nnThe big tip is to always think as “assumed knowledge” isn’t actually true, you should never assume when selling online. This is the same idea with your photography, if you are selling something tacky then you may cover your photo in a sign saying “50% off” but if you are trying to attract a better audience who are willing to pay that little more and increase your revenue, don’t put text on your photos. (I admit though a logo on your images is a good idea as a watermark).
n
n
n
n
n
