Catherine "Cat" Seda

Friday, May 19, 2006

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for eBay Stores

There are two big reasons to create an eBay Store, instead of simply launching item listings. First of all, you’ll get time-saving and money-making eBay tools for free. Second, your Store can get indexed in the organic search engine results for free.

In 2005, I joined the eBay University instructor team. It's so much fun! I’ve also learned insider tips for doing SEO for an eBay Store. Here are 3 essential tips. Ready?

Put Keywords in Your eBay Store URL
Using your company name in your eBay Store URL is a good branding move but bad SEO move if you don’t have relevant keywords as part of your company name. Let’s say you sell cat toys and your company name is Feline Fun. Here’s a possible URL to help you make the most of your SEO potential -- http://stores.ebay.com/Feline-Fun-Cat-Toys

Choose a Store Template that Shows the Description
Use relevant keywords in your store description and choose an eBay Store design template that displays this description to visitors. If you hide copy from visitors, search engines won’t give you credit for it either.

Check Your eBay Store Traffic Reports
eBay is investing a lot of time and money into making their eBay Stores SEO friendly. Without a lot of effort, you could score pretty high rankings. Be sure to check your free eBay Store Traffic Reports to spot keywords that are delivering rankings and traffic to your eBay Store. These keywords are likely perfect for your web site too.

Want more eBay marketing tips? Download the free booklet I wrote, Entrepreneur's 101 Tips for Starting and Growing Your Business on eBay.