You only get 55 characters to attract potential buyers to your auction, so you’d better make the most of them. Writing a title for an eBay auction is different than writing a title for say, a term paper or a print ad. There are zillions of things listed on eBay with new auctions being added every second, and the only way your ad will be seen is if you use good keywords that people actually search for. So how do you know what those keywords are? eBay provides lists of popular items and most searched keywords that you can look up. If you aren’t sure whether you should call your item pumpkin or orange, you can look here to see which one people search for more. You also need to think like a buyer. What would you search for if you were looking for a similar item.

While it might seem obvious, be sure to include WHAT THE ITEM IS. If it is a pair of shoes, always put "shoes" in the title. You can use other descriptive terms like "sandals" and "loafers" but don’t miss the obvious. Remember there are regional differences too. In some places people call pants pants, others use trousers or slacks. The more words for what the item is that you can fit into the title, the better your chances of someone finding your auction.

Put in the COLOR of the item. Most people when they are shopping don’t just want a sweater, they want a red sweater. Yes, they can see from your gallery photo that your sweater is red, but if you don't have red in your title and that is what they search for, your listing won't show up for them. While it may be tempting to try to describe the exact shade in the title only do so if you have extra space. Stick with a basic, searchable color first like pink or green and then if there is room you can use qualifiers like raspberry pink or mint green.

Put in the BRAND NAME and make sure you spell it correctly. Have the tag in front of you when you type in your title. If the tag is written in a hard to read script, do more research if you aren't sure of the brand and correct spelling. Many a great item doesn’t get found or sells for a song to savvy buyers who know to search on common misspellings.

While we’re talking about spelling, sometimes it’s a good idea to include ALTERNATE SPELLINGS and COMMON MISSPELLINGS and ABBREVIATIONS in addition to the correct spelling. Things like periods and apostrophes can throw off the search engine, so it there is room, you might want to include, for example Chico’s and Chicos or J. J Crew. Some things are difficult to spell and you might want to anticipate that your buyers will enter multiple misspellings in to the search because they don’t know the correct spelling – are you selling a mannequin, mannikin, or a maniquin? Only the first spelling is correct, but searches on the other terms do turn up a good number of options. Some people will search for American Eagle Outfitters and others will search for AEO. This is where that list of searched keywords can come in handy.

If there is a STYLE NAME or a PATTERN NAME put that too. When buying pants or jeans someone may want an exact brand and style they already own, such as Banana Republic Martin Fit, because they know exactly how they fit. Some clothing brands like Gymboree and Lilly Pulitzer have names for their fabric patterns and lines that loyal buyers know and will search for. Designer purses also usually have a style name that is important to include. If you cannot find the style name on the manufacturers website, the various community discussion boards are a good place to go for this information.

Put in the SIZE of the item. If there is more than one way to write the size and you have room, use all the alternatives. Small can be listed as "S" "SM" or "Small". Extra extra large can be listed as "XXL" or "2XL". A 4 petite can be listed as "4P 4 P Petite".

If you have space after all of that, include OTHER DESCRIPTIVES. Fabric content (velvet, mohair, wool, silk, cashmere) can be an important keyword, as can prints or patterns (floral, flowered, houndstooth, tartan). Do some research on completed auctions to see what other keywords might be important for selling your particular item. For vintage lingerie, nylon and sweep (if it is a large one) are important. For some brands slinky knit or Santana knit are desirable. While someone very well may search for a cashmere sweater or a silk scarf, they probably won’t search for an acrylic sweater or a polyester scarf. This doesn’t mean that they won’t buy those items or that you shouldn’t list them and be honest in the description about what the item is made from; you just don’t need to waste valuable title space on words someone probably won’t search on.

Other terms you can use are related to STYLE and LIFESTYLE and again you will need to research to see which ones to use and which ones apply to your item. Style keywords can include things like wrap dress, cropped or fitted jacket, long skirt, fuzzy sweater, low rise, boot cut or flare jeans. What I’m calling lifestyle keywords are things like Goth, EMO, boho, rockabilly, VLV, etc. If you use words like this, make sure they apply – not everything black is Goth and if you list your item as Goth and it isn’t you aren’t attracting a buyer who is interested in your product and are wasting valuable keyword space that could be better used to attract the right buyer for your auction.

In addition to what you SHOULD put in your title, there are a lot of things you SHOULDN’T put in your title. Space wasters like L@@K, Great, Gorgeous, and Stunning. Extra characters like asterisks, slashes, dashes, that take up space and could throw off the search engine. And don’t Keyword Spam. With all of the words and descriptions you need to fit into your title, it is a wonder anyone has room to keyword spam, anyway, but don’t do it. It terms off a lot of potential buyers and sooner or later someone will bid on something that came up when they title searched for Bebe, only to be disappointed to receive a no-name dress that they didn’t read in the fine print wasn’t actually that brand at all.

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