myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 26, 2006 04:16:07 PM new
Which do you think is the most important for a title?
Using the full name of the state or putting the word "Postcard" into each one.
I definitely don't have enough title space now, and if I use 8 or 9 characters for the word Postcard or Postcards then there goes something else important
I was reading the store boards and sure enough, if someone types in Illinois Postcard they won't see mine Or Brownwood Postcard etc.
It would seem that if someone were searching for a postcard specifically they would put that in their search.
What do you think?
|
neglus
|
posted on June 26, 2006 04:25:56 PM new
Jane (my sister) and I figured this out a few months ago. With Keyword Expansion being used in some categories and not in others, and buyers being "trained" to use the words for what they are seeking in their search, I think we are seeing more and more people using "postcard" in their search. Since the "postcard" category has not been keyword expanded (LOL - Didn't know what else to call it) looks like we have to use "postcard" to reach the greatest number of buyers. I hate it too - what a WASTE!
-------------------------------------
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 26, 2006 04:45:18 PM new
So, what are you two giving up in the title to add that loooong word?
I'm pretty sure people searching Texas or Florida put the whole name in rather than abbreviation (not sure though...wish I did know). While Pennsylvania searchers may use the abbreviation just because it is shorter.
I've seen lots of postcard sellers who don't put much other than the state and city in the title but I hate to do that.
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 26, 2006 04:46:25 PM new
I remember seeing your discussion on the board about this but for some reason it just didn't dawn on me how serious that really was.
It could explain why my sales took a 50% drop a year ago though.
|
neglus
|
posted on June 26, 2006 05:16:30 PM new
I gave up the full name of the state unless it fits - I do use the full name for some states though because the abbreviation is another word (ie: Indiana, Oregon, Maine, Ohio). Perhaps this isn't right either. Who knows? Ebay does  now THAT I would pay for!
-------------------------------------
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
|
pixiamom
|
posted on June 26, 2006 05:45:43 PM new
I once had a buyer critique my listings. He said I used too many superfluous words ('Lovely', for one) and left out important keywords like 'postcard'. It sure got my panties in a bunch until I realized he was right. When I do a quick and dirty search in titles only, I usually include the word postcard. Now, postcard is usually the last word I give up. As Neglus pointed out, some state abbreviations are useless -- I've known for years that you have to search on Oregon instead of OR. I just realized that too many people use ca as an abbreviation for circa, rendering it useless as a keyword. I wish someone (else) would take the lead in the Postcard Collector's eBay Discussion Group to give group-sanctioned advise to eBay on how their new intuitive searches could make life easier for us.
[ edited by pixiamom on Jun 26, 2006 05:46 PM ]
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 26, 2006 06:51:32 PM new
Thank you both for the input.
I have to revise all my listings because I redid my categories so might as well work on the titles while I'm at it.
And, then, Ebay can change everything next month and I can do it all over again!
|
vintagepostcardsdotorg
|
posted on June 28, 2006 02:58:04 PM new
hi Linda,
i'm not jumping through any more eBay hoops and changing my listings/taking up valuable real estate in the title by adding the word "postcard." i am basically just sick of changing things to suit eBay.
http://stores.ebay.com/postcards-postcards
http://www.vintagepostcards.org
http://www.vintage-postcards.blogspot.com/
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 28, 2006 05:37:42 PM new
Me too (tired of the changes). But, something happened around October of 2004 that caused my sales to drop like a rock. I never could figure out what it was. I lost PS status soon after.
I believe that is about the time the enhanced search took over and they stopped returning everything in the postcards category when someone was already there but still put the word "postcard" in their search.
Even I search for Brownwood Postcards when I look for my hometown so I don't get everything under the sun. I just never gave it much thought until I started reading the stores boards.
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 28, 2006 05:45:27 PM new
Strange thing is, most of my sales lately have been from foreign buyers. And, they have been for major US cities.
The smaller cities might just type in the city and state, but for Boston, New York etc, I would think they would definitely have to put the word Postcard in their search.
Maybe they search title and description?
|
vintagepostcardsdotorg
|
posted on June 29, 2006 12:59:16 AM new
i've had an uptick in foreign buyers, too, since the SIS debacle. the SIS rollback in April only applies to U.S. and Canadian listings...so, that means, that everyone else on the planet still has stores in search. i think that's what's led to my increased foreign buyers. well, that and the sorry-*ss condition of the USD.
http://stores.ebay.com/postcards-postcards
http://www.vintagepostcards.org
http://www.vintage-postcards.blogspot.com/
|
neglus
|
posted on June 29, 2006 04:55:01 AM new
I am not going to take the time to revise my listings...hopefully people will go to "see other" links.
As for being seen on other sites...it seems stores AREN'T BEING SEEN in ebay India, Sweden (I tested these myself and only auctions show) and a few other international sites!
http://forums.ebay.com/db2/thread.jspa?threadID=2000168754&tstart=0&mod=1151579789732
I always wondered why Norwegians are such great postcard buyers and Swedes are not....this kind of answers the question!
-------------------------------------
http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 29, 2006 08:04:42 AM new
As I understand it (from postings on the stores boards with replies from pinks) most of the other countries are starting to phase out US listings from their regular search results
That is something I wish they would do here. If they did, I wouldn't mind the fact we don't show up over there. But, here we still get slammed with every listing from every English speaking country while they have to click to include ours
Maybe it isn't hitting Germany yet because I still get quite a few buys from people from there. Or, since they are all buying USA cards from me, maybe they have all decided to shop the .com site.
|
getalife
|
posted on June 29, 2006 08:05:18 AM new
I buy postcards from the states of Florida and Alabama. I type in Al* and Fl*. This covers the abbreviations for FLorida and ALabama. I realize this won't work for all states but....
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 29, 2006 10:05:25 AM new
Do you type in the word Postcard?
Thank you for the information about using abbreviations. Guess we would have to use both and there just isn't enough room for the abbreviation, the full state name and the word postcard
|
pixiamom
|
posted on June 30, 2006 04:02:15 PM new
Not to beat a dead horse but why does a title only search for 'postcard' in the postcard category bring up the same listings that a search for 'postcards' does but a search for 'car' in the postcard category does not bring up the same listings as a search for 'cars' ?
|
pixiamom
|
posted on June 30, 2006 04:07:21 PM new
Getalife- you must be exhausted going through the search results. I type in al* and get 3500+ listings. I type in (al,alabama) and get only 338.
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 30, 2006 04:48:27 PM new
Pixia...wouldn't it be WONDERFUL if Ebay would just get some form of consistency and stick to it?
How confusing must that be for the average buyer? Who knows how to search anymore!
|
irked
|
posted on June 30, 2006 05:18:59 PM new
IF I was in market for a postcard from a certain place I would search for that name also with postcard and include search title and descriptions that gets most of them ... I just did Alabama postcard search no description got 67 listings, I got 263 searching descriptions also. Just typing in Alabama I get loads of stuff 3293 items found for alabama no descriptions searched and with descriptions I get 21,729 items found for alabama. not being specific on what kind and just doing search for postcard I get 145,677 items found for postcard with descriptions---YIKES. I would think POSTCARD somewhere in your title or description will make huge difference.
When I list I try and think like I need the item what would I search for and try to get that into title if possible but Always get it into description for sure even variations on spelling will be in my decriptions so misspelled words will find them---- hopefully
**************
You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me!
|
myfavorites4u
|
posted on June 30, 2006 06:17:01 PM new
irked...if they search title and description then I am covered. I always have the word postcard and I'm sure to get the abbreviation and the full state name in there somewhere. I haven't tried to add all styles of the abbreviation though, so that is a great suggestion.
|
