Search engine optimisation is an extremely important and cost-effective way of driving buyers to your listings. Nine out of ten internet users visit search engines each month. Learn how you can increase the chances of showing up in the various search engines and bring extra buyers to your listings and shops.   How Search Engines Work   The major search engines use a variety of information to index and rank web pages so they appear when keywords or keyword phrases are searched. Below are some of the most important considerations: Keyword Selection Clear and Structured Content Link to your Pages

• Be specific and complete in how you describe your item:
  eg: Fuji Finepix e550 12MP is far better than Fuji e550

• Item Titles are a maximum of 55 characters long. Use all the available space and always mention the type of product as well as the brand:
  eg: Fuji Finepix e550 12MP Digital Camera

• When you are writing an item description, use abbreviations, alternative names, popular mis-spellings and related terms. Find out more about the terms to use by visiting our Resources section.

eg: Point and Shoot, Fuji Film, Mega Pixel, SLR, Digicam

• When writing the item description, you should include the most important terms four to five times, but make sure the description has sentences that make sense for the buyer. Search engines will ignore simple lists of keywords.

• Never use popular but unrelated keywords (keyword spam). The search engines may ignore that page and it is in breach of eBay policy.
  eg: Fuji Finepix e550 like Canon, not HP

You should try to think like your buyers and aim for popular terms and phrases. Browse our SEO Resources section, which has the most useful links to support you as you do this.

Item descriptions should be at least 200 words long and also clearly written with a strong emphasis on important details.

• Include the important keywords at the top and bottom of your description.
• Use headings and sub-headings - this repeats keywords and highlights their importance
• Describe your item using similar terms and related phrases while also repeating the product's complete and correct name.
• Use fonts and formatting to emphasise selected words: Bold, Italics, Underline, H1, H2 and H3 HTML tags

You can create links very simply with several free eBay features:

• About Me: An About Me page lets you tell the community about yourself and your interests.
• Reviews & Guides: Guides enable eBay members to share their expertise on any topic or category. Reviews offers a forum for eBay members to rate and share their opinions about products. Create a Review or Guide page.

• Find out how to open an eBay shop.
• Learn more about optimising your eBay shop.

Search engines value links from one page to another, especially if they relate to the same subject. You should try to link to your eBay pages from outside eBay too, for example:

• Link your own website to your eBay listings or pages
• Link your blog or friend's pages
• Link from chat rooms and discussion sites

All links must comply with eBay's links policy.