Optimizing your Listing for Google Shopping
Every week, eBay gets millions of site visits from paid-search marketing, including Google Shopping. Getting listings to show up in Google Shopping isn’t free, but like we said before, our sellers pay nothing extra for this exposure. It’s an investment eBay makes in our sellers, and one we know is worth it. To make sure your listings actually do show up at this critical shopping moment, sellers need to make sure their listings are formatted correctly and contain the right data. Unfortunately, approximately 12% of otherwise-eligible listings are being rejected because of a handful of fixable issues. eBay is committed to helping you get your listings displayed, so we teamed up with Google to make a simple, helpful video that explains how Google Shopping works and what you should be doing to optimize your listings. Here’s the complete list of what every seller should be doing to make sure their listings are approved: Use high-quality images. Product images should be 800 x 800 pixels, on white backgrounds, with no text or watermarks. Show only single-quantity items, not multiples or bundles. Change photo backgrounds to white with image clean up tools in the eBay mobile app, and follow these other best practices for the best quality images. Write well-structured product titles. Don’t include promotional text like "free shipping," all capital letters, or gimmicky foreign characters. Front-load your titles with relevant keywords and organize them in a readable, logical order. Don’t use acronyms that all buyers won’t know or understand. Include item specifics. Include all relevant item specifics. You should complete all of the “required” and as many of the “recommended” specifics within eBay as you can. For Clothing, Shoes & Accessories, Google won’t display your listings, unless you provide the item specifics for Color, Size, Age Group & Gender. Include an MPN, GTIN, ISBN, or UPC whenever possible. Include manufacturer details and colors. The steps are simple, but we recognize that completing them across multiple listings may take time. You don’t have to do it all at once. Set aside a few hours a week to optimize your listings. Consider it a small investment that can put your business in front of the hundreds of millions of people searching on Google every day! Regards, eBay INCBT TeamDid you know that using social media can help you connect with more buyers?
Your buyers are social - millions of people use social media every day. They share their passions with the world and they connect with what they love. Make your business part of the conversation and turn followers into buyers. Research tells us that 98% of digital consumers are also social media users, 74% of people trust social media to guide their purchasing decisions, and 55% of all buyers actively do research on social networks. For eBay sellers in particular, social media marketing is an effective way to get in front of customers early in their shopping process and inspire them to make their purchase from you. Our consumer-facing accounts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter are important ways we drive traffic to the marketplace, display the value and breadth of our inventory, inspire shoppers with seller stories, and foster community by showing off unique, only-on-eBay finds. Here are some tips for putting the power of social media to work for your business. Be authentic Consider your target audience and how you can build your relationship with it. Stay true to who you are as a seller and be a person to build trust and credibility. Consider your options Think about what people use each social media channel for. Explore each carefully before deciding where to start. Generally speaking, people use Facebook for staying in touch. Twitter for breaking news. Blogs for telling stories. YouTube for videos. Starting out Create a separate account for your business. Facebook requires you to create a separate page for your business. Post about your eBay listings on your business page instead of your personal Facebook profile. Create separate business accounts for Twitter and Pinterest, too! Start small. Start with one channel and build up your presence. Focus your efforts on activities that are most likely going to give a good return on your time investment. Listen and engage. Contribute the conversation by creating fresh, genuine content throughout the week. Take time to listen to what your followers and followers are saying about you on social channels. Respond to your customers promptly to take advantage social media power to cultivate loyal customers. Cross-promote your channels. Post your YouTube videos on your blog, or update Facebook when you have a new blog post, including the link. Point Twitter followers to your blog. Be creative. Don't expect instant results. It takes time to build a presence on any channel. As long as you regularly post interesting content, yours will grow. Sellers can also utilize some additional tools available from eBay. Including a range of Giphys at Giphy.com/ebay and stickers on Instagram. Carve out time in the day to dedicate to social media marketing, and treat it as an investment in your business. Read more about social media on our Sell Global page. Regards, eBay INCBT Team
