Dashes in listing title

 

I tend to use dashes like this - in my listing titles. Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?

 

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Old enough to know better. Young enough to do it again. Crazy enough to try
Message 1 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

You have 80 keystrokes to sell your item.

Both a space between words and a hyphen/dash are a keystroke, but the dash needs three keystrokes.

I don't think dashes are searchable.

 

But hey, you're the one who says he's 'crazy enough to try'.  Woman Tongue

Message 2 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

Two points here.......

 

1 - How does search treat dashes? In my experience they are completely ignored

 

2 - Do the dashes make your titles more or less readable? Usually yes and if you have the space available then why not use them

 

I use similar "punctuation" on occasion when stringing a bunch of keywords together makes the title hard to read with clarity.

 

 



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 3 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

For fun I tried searching for "------" nothing comes up, it won't search for just dashes.....
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Dashes in listing title

Ross, I looked at your titles. Dashes, commas, adjectives that are non-searchable. You use very few searchable words in your titles.

 

If you are happy enough with the results you are getting, who cares. You want to work harder? Your titles could use a lot of updating. Results should be, I said should be, more sales.

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Message 5 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

I actually looked at the listings this time, there are very few dashes in the descriptions. As far as I know a single dash makes no difference. For fun I searched for 25-500V which is in one of the titles. Your item was number 5. One problem with searching with a dash is that it also qualifies things with the beginning or end - ie (25 and 500V in the title but not necessarily together) the 4 items before yours had 25 and 500V separately in the title presumably from sellers qualifying in casssinisearchland higher than you....
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Dashes in listing title

 


@mr.elmwood wrote:

Ross, I looked at your titles. Dashes, commas, adjectives that are non-searchable. You use very few searchable words in your titles.

 

If you are happy enough with the results you are getting, who cares. You want to work harder? Your titles could use a lot of updating. Results should be, I said should be, more sales.



Ok I am always ready to learn - would you mind taking one of my titles and reworking it.

 

The searchable words I tend to use are: restored, tube, radio, recapped, working. Then I use the type ie. General Electric and also use the material it is made of ie. plastic, urea or bakelite.

 

By the way my sell rate is 95% - albeit, I only sell about 50 radios a season - my selling season is middle of October to mid May. I do have a lot in stock right now.

 

Anyway if you could spare the time I would appreciate your advice.

 

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Old enough to know better. Young enough to do it again. Crazy enough to try
Message 7 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

What I know about radios could be written on the head of a pin. You have different searchers: collectors, wanna be owners, gift givers, purse string controllers.

 

Collectors, I would guess, buy for their own reasons. Wanna be's just buy because they want. Gift givers would never find your items unless they were pointed to them. Purse string controllers. Hum?

 

PSC's are an interesting group. I was wondering why a lot of my auto parts were going to female names. In a conversation with people who know, women control the purse strings in the relationship. Guys can find all they want, you are really selling to the female partner "wife".

 

To whom are you selling, men or women? The genders tend to look at listings differently. Men see what they want to buy. Women look at the keywords, terms, refund policy, etc.

 

I do not have empirical evidence, but, I have a 45 day return policy. The husband says "I want this" and the wife say "What is the warranty for OUR money?".

 

Re: Restored Mitchell Lullaby bed lamp tube radio - recapped and working well

 

Maybe: Mitchell Lullaby Bed Lamp Tube Radio BROWN S1250 Light Bakelight Mylar New Plug 47 48

 

I did not count and have no idea how many characters I used. There are 80. Capitalize every word. Use keywords that are nouns for the product.

 

By selling it, it is assumed it is "working well". Saying that in the title is redundant and uses up advertising keywords.

 

I am NOT be critical. I am gently suggesting ideas that may, or may not, help you move to another level of selling.

 

I "think" that the rest of your listing is excellent. I just "think" you are not getting them in the door.

 

 

 

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Message 8 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

By selling it, it is assumed it is "working well". Saying that in the title is redundant and uses up advertising keywords.

 

Not really, for vintage electronics much of what is offered on eBay is actually not "working well", sold for display or for parts purposes.



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 9 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

I agree, but, isn't that the option below the title? it is in auto parts. "new, used, not working or for parts"
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Message 10 of 16
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Dashes in listing title


@mr.elmwood wrote:
I agree, but, isn't that the option below the title? it is in auto parts. "new, used, not working or for parts"

Sure it is BUT and it's a huge but, you have to get people to the actual listing page (or description in the case of mobile shoppers) before anyone can see all that wonderful stuff that is included there.

 

Sellers get so obsessed with keywords that they make their titles so unreadable that buyers who are browsing either by category or search results are not enticed to click through to the listing page.

 

Generally speaking you won't sell anything on eBay if you can convince a buyer to click through to the listing page, a buyer that wants only  working radios gets tired of clicking through only to find it's a parts only listing, these buyers will be drawn to a listing with has a condition statement in the Title.

 

Even if you don't actually make a sale, when buyers do a search the listings they click through to the listing page get a search bump while those that don't get clicked through are demoted (the old views/impressions ratio that is still a huge factor in Best Match placement).

 

 



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 11 of 16
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Dashes in listing title


@recped wrote:

@mr.elmwood wrote:
I agree, but, isn't that the option below the title? it is in auto parts. "new, used, not working or for parts"

Sure it is BUT and it's a huge but, you have to get people to the actual listing page (or description in the case of mobile shoppers) before anyone can see all that wonderful stuff that is included there.

 

Sellers get so obsessed with keywords that they make their titles so unreadable that buyers who are browsing either by category or search results are not enticed to click through to the listing page.

 

Generally speaking you won't sell anything on eBay if you can convince a buyer to click through to the listing page, a buyer that wants only  working radios gets tired of clicking through only to find it's a parts only listing, these buyers will be drawn to a listing with has a condition statement in the Title.

 

Even if you don't actually make a sale, when buyers do a search the listings they click through to the listing page get a search bump while those that don't get clicked through are demoted (the old views/impressions ratio that is still a huge factor in Best Match placement).

 

 


A different opinion than mine, but equally, if not more, valid than mine.
Objectively, the goal is get Ross more sales, not to be critical of Ross's efforts.
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Message 12 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

My advice for Ross

 

Use all the available Item Specifics, I think Brand is one eBay provides and then add some custom IS like Model Number, Colour, Size, Material, etc.

 

Use of Item Specifics may help your search ranking, it will definitely help mobile users who are less likely to view the actual description section.

 

 

 

 



"What else could I do? I had no trade so I became a peddler" - Lazarus Greenberg 1915
- answering Trolls is voluntary, my policy is not to participate.
Message 13 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

"My" understanding of Cassini (sp), search, and placement, is that the title, pictures, description, return policy, item specifics are all looked at.

 

Ross, use as many of the item specifics as you can. My understanding is that plays heavily into search.

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Message 14 of 16
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Dashes in listing title

 

Thanks for all the help and suggestions - I will definitively put some of them into practise.

 

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__________________________________________________________

Old enough to know better. Young enough to do it again. Crazy enough to try
Message 15 of 16
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Dashes in listing title


@recped wrote:

Sellers get so obsessed with keywords that they make their titles so unreadable that buyers who are browsing either by category or search results are not enticed to click through to the listing page.

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I have no hard evidence or statistics on which to base this opinion (does anyone but eBay?), however I completely agree with this statement.  Sellers seem to forget the fact that ultimately it's actual people they have to appeal to in titles.  

 

I've seen some sellers say that using descriptive adjectives, etc. in titles is a waste of the 80 characters allotted, because those words may not be searchable, i.e. may not serve to enhance placement.  While that may be true, what's the use of good placement if your item title doesn't read like something that would encourage a buyer to look further?

 

I also agree that using Item Specifics fully, combined with a snappy title in intelligible English that highlights the key features of an item (along with full use of Gallery photos), is the best strategy.  I tend to regard a title like a banner in a store window: will it entice a customer to open the door and go in?

 

 

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