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Seller News August 2011

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Giving you space to write better item titles

In September, the number of characters available for your item title will be increased from 55 to 80 characters, helping you to more accurately describe items and write relevant item titles.

Great item titles help you to attract more potential buyers. See our writing tips below and take advantage of the extra characters if you need to.

How to write effective item titles

  • Make sure your title accurately describes the item. Keyword spamming and misleading titles are against eBay’s search and manipulation policy
  • Think like a buyer – use the words a buyer would use to search for your item.
  • Include terms to describe the item that are consistent with the market and which will be familiar to buyers. (Using different terms can actually prevent buyers from seeing your item.)
  • Add keywords that highlight what’s unique about your listing.
  • Don’t use all capital letters – it’s hard to read.
  • Don’t include multiple synonyms – for example ‘ipad I pad 32gb 32 GB’ – they make it hard for the buyer to read.
  • Don’t use special characters and gimmicks – for example ‘L@@K!!’ as buyers don’t use these terms in searches and it makes your title less readable and relevant.
  • There’s no need for punctuation. It makes it harder for the reader to scan.
Take action
By when Action
Now Read our writing a good title help guide
Now Review the Seller Checklist for an overview of the changes

Frequently asked questions

  1. Why is eBay expanding the title length to 80 characters?
  2. Does eBay offer any tools to help me change/update my existing listing titles?
  3. How do I optimise my titles so search engines can find my items?
  4. Does this change affect subtitles?
  5. Does the third-party application I use to manage my listings support this new title length?
  6. Can I edit the titles of active listings?
  7. What happens to my visibility in search if I edit an active listing?
  8. How will my title appear in search results?

  1. Why is eBay expanding the title length to 80 characters?

    In some situations, the 55 character limit didn’t allow you to include all the most relevant keywords. The new 80 character limit is consistent with many other ecommerce sites and allows sellers to create titles optimised for buyer searches without being too long to read.

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  2. Does eBay offer any tools to help me change/update my existing listing titles?

    Yes. From September all eBay tools will support edits to titles and the new 80-character limit.

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  3. How do I optimise my titles so search engines can find my items?

    You can optimise your title by following the best practices we outline in the writing a good title help guide.

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  4. Does this change affect subtitles?

    No, this change only affects item titles. We recommend that you continue to use subtitles to differentiate yourself, especially when listing with matching products from the eBay catalogue.

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  5. Does the third-party application I use to manage my listings support this new title length?

    Popular third-party application providers have been notified about the change. Contact your provider for specific details.

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  6. Can I edit the titles of active listings?

    You can edit the titles of active auction-style listings as long as there are no bids and you make the change at least 12 hours before the listing end time.

    You can edit the titles of active fixed-price listings as long as you haven’t made any sales from that listing and there’s no pending Best Offer.

    If your listing doesn’t meet any of the requirements mentioned above, you won’t be able to edit your title. You’ll have to end your listing to change any details and then relist your item.

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  7. What happens to my visibility in search if I edit an active listing?

    There is no effect on the recent search impressions and recent sales elements of Best Match of a listing if you edit its title.

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  8. How will my title appear in search results?

    Your title may not be displayed in full on the search results page but the full title is considered in the search. The full title will appear on the item page.

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