Best Match - I improved my ranking!

[stampingpaws]

Hello,

About 6 hours ago, after studing "Tips on ways to improve your listings" I changed the photos on one of my listings. Previously I had just one photo measuring 510 on longest side, this I replaced with 8 photos that were 1270 on longest side. I just checked my ranking for this item, it has improved from 131 to 97.

By no means definite but Best Match seems to take quantity and size of photos into account. Will be changing all my photos in the next few days.

Best Wishes

[digital*ghost]

When you take a photo with a digital camera, it is given a file name (eg on mine, images are prefaced with SD then a number, in ascending order, so first saved image is SD001, then SD002 etc). When you upload to the computer, you can change the file name to pretty much whatever you want. 

I've always done that so that they're a lot easier to store / find, anyway (that way, I can use a quick keyword search in my image folders, which have several hundred each).  I might have 5 or so images of one item, but instead of 5 file names of just numbers, I group-change the name (by selecting all the images, then right clicking and selecting rename) and would put brand, colour and type - by selecting all images and renaming at once, they're automatically assigned a number to differentiate then, so I'll end up with image titles like brand colour type (1) , brand colour type (2) etc

I don't know how much that does help eBay rankings, but it definitely improves google image search rankings.

[sueken4812]

Okay, thanks for that.  Will give it a try.  You're much more organised than I am.  Mine are all just clumped together in folders.

[moktah]

I don't believe that the Best Match system works as it hasn't worked for me so far. I do almost everything suggested by ebay to improve my best match ranking yet I see other listings in the top 5 spots that follow almost none of the recommendations when mine don't even get to the top 1000. They do things like:

- Offer no returns

- Use different fonts or different coloured fonts

- Use capitals, special symbols and unrelated words in their title

- Provide only a few item specifics

- Poor descriptions

and the list goes on and on.

Most of the top results are guilty of all or most of those offence.

I offer a 2 week returns policy, regular and express shipping, use no special characters, no capitals and only use related keywords in my titles. I use only one font in the same colour throughout my listings' descriptions, I use high quality, high resolution images taken with a Canon 1100D camera (so not a **bleep**py little phone camera), I provide as many item specifics as I can, give detailed descriptions and I have a returns policy and yet my listings hardly ever appear in the top 1000 of the best match results. I put in the effort for no reward. I feel RIPPED OFF BY EBAY!!!

[thecatspjs]

I heard that you must ensure that your listing was prepared between the hours of 10am and 10.30am PST whilst standing on one foot.  The text in the listing must be more than 78 words and less than 100 words and contain no ifs buts or maybes. 

And ... if your feedback is at an uneven number when you list then I think it might be just bad luck and that listing will have no chance to rise in best match rankings.

Tongue-firmly-in-cheek ....

[curraone]

wow this is a great idea - digital ghost - I didn't know that was possible!
thanks

[thecatspjs]

I also heard that if you pop on some red sparkly foot clobber, click your heels together three times and keep repeating the caption below that your wishes may come true and your listings might rise in best match rankings ......

[bigbrickshop]

There are numerous threads on ebay.com, articles on ecommercebytes and videos on youtube with tips on how to rise to the top in Best Match search results. Some of them make sense, others may just be wishful thinking on the seller's behalf because you have to remember that every person searching is supposedly given different results.

And of course then you have to hope your listings actually make it into the search results. In the latest update to the US eBay User Agreement eBay stated that there was no guarantee that listings will even appear!

• We strive to create a marketplace where buyers find what they are looking for. Therefore, the appearance or placement of listings in search and browse results will depend on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

  • buyer's location, search query, browsing site, and history;

  • item's location, listing format, price and shipping cost, terms of service, end time, history, and relevance to the user query;

  • seller's history, Detailed Seller Ratings, and Feedback; and

  • number of listings matching the buyer's query.

    Accordingly, to drive a positive user experience, a listing may not appear in some search and browse results regardless of the sort order chosen by the buyer. 

[sueken4812]

So that's the justification for not showing listings.  Money has been paid to put the listing out there, but it's not being shown because of 'blah blah blah'.. and we have no idea whether it's getting airtime or not...just left in the dark.  

You can't go by 'views' or listing analytics, because they don't give a true picture, of how much air time a listing gets.  

So 'sellers' as customers should have information available to them, showing how often a listing has been 'given air time'...and what value they are getting for our buck.  

[*crikey*mate*]

technically, a certain amount of listings are "free".

do eBay give any guarantees or make any promises as to how they will treat a listing that we didn't pay for?

What committment does eBay actually make to us about any of our listings other than to host them somewhere on their site?

[davewil1964]

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@sportandplay wrote:

There are numerous threads on ebay.com, articles on ecommercebytes and videos on youtube with tips on how to rise to the top in Best Match search results. Some of them make sense, others may just be wishful thinking on the seller's behalf because you have to remember that every person searching is supposedly given different results.

And of course then you have to hope your listings actually make it into the search results. In the latest update to the US eBay User Agreement eBay stated that there was no guarantee that listings will even appear!

• We strive to create a marketplace where buyers find what they are looking for. Therefore, the appearance or placement of listings in search and browse results will depend on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to:

  • buyer's location, search query, browsing site, and history;

  • item's location, listing format, price and shipping cost, terms of service, end time, history, and relevance to the user query;

  • seller's history, Detailed Seller Ratings, and Feedback; and

  • number of listings matching the buyer's query.

    Accordingly, to drive a positive user experience, a listing may not appear in some search and browse results regardless of the sort order chosen by the buyer. 

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The red bit - if I look for auctions only, i would not expect to see BIN. Conversely if I specify BIN...

So, yes I would expect my BIN listings not to be viewable by a member searching for auctions.