eBay SEO: titles, item specifics and photos that get you into filtered searches

eBay SEO comes down to three things a seller controls: an 80-character title in buyers' words, item specifics filled in so filtered searches include the listing, and plain photos with no added text. eBay's search, called Best Match, ranks listings by how closely they match the words a buyer typed, how popular the item is, its price, and the quality of the listing, meaning the description, photos and the rest.

This guide covers each of them, plus condition and returns, and a weekly check for listings that get no views.

How does eBay search match a listing?

When a buyer searches, eBay looks for listings whose words match theirs, then sorts them by Best Match. Two parts of a listing carry most of the matching:

• The title, up to 80 characters.
• The item specifics, the structured fields such as brand, size, colour and material, which buyers use to filter results.

The description and photos count too, through the listing quality Best Match weighs, but they cannot rescue a listing whose title and item specifics do not match what buyers type and filter. Get those two right first, then make the rest of the listing worth the click.

Then eBay buyers narrow the results with filters: by size, by brand, by condition. And eBay is clear about what happens to a listing without them: it appears in filtered results only when the matching item specific is filled in.

How long can an eBay title be?

An eBay title can be up to 80 characters, and eBay's advice to sellers on titles is short and specific:

• "You can use only 80 characters."
• "Include keywords in the title that customers are likely to use in their search queries."
• "Avoid writing entire words in capital letters or with asterisks and other markers between words." eBay says these can lower your ranking.

eBay suggests a format: condition where it matters, the brand, the product name, the model number, the variant and an additional keyword. For a pair of trainers that might be: brand, model name, "running shoes", "men's size 10", colour.

Habits that make the 80 characters count:

• Lead with what the item is, in buyers' words, with the brand if it is a reason to buy.
• Include the model number for anything buyers search by model: electronics, parts, collectables.
• Add the variant a buyer filters by: size, colour, capacity.
• Skip filler such as "look", "wow", "L@@K" or "great". They use characters and add nothing, and eBay advises against markers between words.
• Never add words that are not about the item. eBay's search manipulation policy does not allow keywords not directly related to the item, or comparisons with other products.

Three titles built this way, each under 80 characters, with "Brand" standing in for the real brand:

• Brand Air Glide 3 Running Shoes Mens Size 10 Black Mesh Road Trainers (69 characters)
• Brand X200 Wireless Headphones Noise Cancelling Over Ear Bluetooth Black (72)
• Brand Cast Iron Skillet 10 Inch Pre-Seasoned Frying Pan Oven Safe (65)

Each starts with words a buyer types, carries the model or size a buyer filters by, and has room left over rather than filler. The same facts then go into the item specifics, so the listing matches the search and the filter.

Why do eBay item specifics matter for search?

eBay item specifics matter because buyers filter by them, and a listing without the matching specific is missing from that filtered search. eBay calls item specifics "descriptive keywords that tell a buyer about your item", and says "Buyers use item specifics to filter their search results". That is the most important sentence in eBay SEO. A buyer who filters to "Size: 10" never sees a pair of size 10 shoes listed without the size filled in.

eBay sorts item specifics into groups:

eBay's advice: complete them in that order, Required, then Required soon, then Recommended. Its listing form shows a meter of how complete your item specifics are, and ranks the recommended ones by how often buyers searched them in the past 30 days.

A few practical points:

• Use eBay's values where offered. Choosing "Navy" from the list matches the filter; typing "dark blue" may not.
• Fill specifics even when the title says it. The title matches searches; the specific matches filters. Both are needed.
• Keep values short and exact. eBay's developer specification limits names to 40 characters and values to 50, with up to 30 values for some specifics.
• Fill missing specifics on old listings. eBay's Seller Hub can show listings with missing specifics so you can add them in bulk.

Sellers asking on eBay's community why their listings get no views are often told the same thing: fill in the item specifics.

How does the eBay category affect search?

The eBay category you choose decides which item specifics eBay offers, and so which filters your listing can appear in. A phone case listed under "Cell Phone Accessories" gets compatibility filters; the same case listed under a general category does not. Choose the most specific category that fits, and check that the item specifics it offers describe your item. If they do not, the category is wrong: move the listing to one that fits.

How do you title used, vintage and collectable items on eBay?

For used and collectable items, eBay buyers search with details a new-item title would skip:

• The exact model, edition or year, written the way collectors write it.
• The condition where it is a selling point, such as "new with tags" or "sealed".
• What is included, such as "with box" or "with charger", because buyers filter on completeness.

Keep the order: what it is first, then the details. A title that starts with "rare" or "vintage" spends its first words on something buyers rarely type first.

What photos does eBay accept?

eBay accepts photos at least 500 pixels on the longest side, with no added borders, text, artwork, marketing material or watermarks on any photo, as eBay's “Picture policy” sets out. eBay's help suggests about 1,600 pixels on the longest side, and allows up to 24 photos per listing.

eBay's advice on taking them:

• “Use a plain, uncluttered backdrop to make your item stand out.”
• “Show the scale. Let the buyer understand the actual size of the item.”
• “Take lots of detailed, close-up pictures from different angles.”
• “Avoid using props.”

eBay's no-text rule catches sellers who list on Amazon too. A labelled feature image or a size image with measurements written on it, both fine on Amazon, are not allowed on eBay. Use plain photos, and put the measurements in the item specifics and description instead.

For the first photo:

• The item alone, on a plain background, filling the frame.
• For used items, the item itself, not a stock photo, so buyers see its condition.

eBay says a video, where you add one, appears in the second position in the photo gallery.

How do you describe condition on eBay?

Describe condition on eBay plainly, because condition is part of eBay search: buyers filter by it. Three habits cover it:

• Choose the right condition from eBay's list.
• Describe the condition in the description, including any defects or damage, as eBay asks: "Provide a complete and accurate item description, including its condition, and specify any defects or damages."
• Photograph every flaw you describe.

Returns and shipping go in eBay's fields for them, not in the description, so they show where buyers look for them.

How should an eBay description read on a phone?

An eBay description should open with what the item is, its condition and its key details, in short paragraphs a phone can show. eBay says more than half of eBay transactions are viewed on mobile before purchase, and advises a base font size of 16 pixels, nothing under 12. eBay shows a short mobile summary of your description on phones, built from its first part, and its developer guide explains how.

So the description should:

• Open with a few lines that say what the item is, its condition and its key details.
• Use short paragraphs and lists, as eBay suggests.
• Avoid conflicting information, and active content such as video, animation or counters.

Does price affect eBay search?

Yes. eBay lists price among the things Best Match weighs. For fixed-price listings, check what the same item has sold for recently, not what others are asking. eBay's advice for auctions is to set a lower starting price to attract more bidders. A listing priced well above recent sales can be perfectly written and still sit unseen.

What are the most common eBay SEO mistakes?

Empty item specifics, capitals and symbols in the title, and text on photos are the most common eBay SEO mistakes:

• Empty item specifics. The listing vanishes from every filtered search.
• Words in capitals and symbols in the title. eBay says they can lower ranking.
• Unrelated keywords, such as another brand's name for comparison. eBay's search manipulation policy does not allow them.
• Text on photos. Not allowed on any eBay photo.
• A stock photo for a used item. Buyers want to see the item they will receive.
• The wrong category, which hides the right filters.
• Condition described vaguely. "Good" means different things to different people; describe the flaws.

Why does an eBay listing get no views?

An eBay listing with no views usually has one clear gap, in its title, item specifics, first photo, category or price. Once a week, look at the listings that have had no views or no watchers; the list below finds the gap in a few minutes per listing:

1. Search for it as a buyer would, using the words a buyer would type. Does it appear? Where?
2. Check the title: the item's name in buyers' words, the brand and the model where they matter, no filler.
3. Check the item specifics: every Required and Recommended one filled in, using eBay's values.
4. Check the first photo: the item alone, plain background, sharp, no added text.
5. Check the category. An item in the wrong category is missing the right item specifics and filters.
6. Check the price against sold listings for the same item.
7. Change one thing at a time and give it a week, so you know what worked.

How Commicorn helps

• An eBay title in 80 characters, written from your facts, with the brand and model where they belong and no shouting capitals.
• Item specifics filled in in your export, from the facts you gave us, for eBay's filters.
• Photos eBay accepts. Your eBay images go in without added words, rings or frames, and callout images with words are left out of your eBay folder.
• A description for eBay as a ready file, with a mobile summary that fits eBay's limit, in one font at sizes eBay suggests.

Commicorn writes eBay titles and fills item specifics from your product. Start free.

Questions sellers ask

How many characters can an eBay title have?

Eighty characters. Lead with what the item is in buyers' words, with the brand and model where they matter, and skip filler such as "L@@K".

Do eBay item specifics affect search?

Yes. eBay says buyers use item specifics to filter their search results, and a listing appears in filtered results only when the matching item specific is filled in.

Can I put text on eBay photos?

No. eBay does not allow added borders, text, artwork, marketing material or watermarks on any photo. Put measurements in the item specifics and description instead.

How many photos can an eBay listing have?

Up to 24, each at least 500 pixels on the longest side; eBay's help suggests about 1,600 pixels.

Can I mention other brands in an eBay title?

Not for comparison. eBay's search manipulation policy does not allow keywords not directly related to the item, or comparisons with other products.