Buyers, not shoppers, are the ones you want to target if you are selling retail on the net. If you don’t know the difference, or don’t care – you’re going to get buried in search. Highlighting the importance of this is the newest change in eBay’s search algorithm. Now, if your fixed priced item gets more views and fewer purchases, your listing status will be lowered. In other words, if your keyword title targets shoppers instead of buyers your listing will be taken off the first page. Knowing who and how to target a buyer with your keywords is important, and the difference subtle. But, understanding the difference will help attract buyers and will defiantly make your listings much more effective!
I used to think that a ‘keyword rich’ title simply meant stuffing as many keywords into a title as possible. If that meant a title was just a string of keywords instead of a statement, so be it. In my mind a title like: Canon Digital Camera with Camcorder & Memory Card would help shoppers on eBay find my item. However, as search terms become more valuable for finding what seekers are looking for, it’s important to understand how to use keywords in your title effectively.
Understanding who and where your customer is in the “buy cycle” can help you hone in on the correct keywords that will attract purchases (if that’s the purpose of your site – or listing). Your site might not be to attract a sale right away – in that case you’d want a different set of keywords. For instance, if you had a blog that you wanted to attract readers, not necessarily buyers, you might want to target the searcher who is in the research mode. Someone who is simply looking for more information will type in a different keyword string than someone who is ready to buy. The buyer knows specifically what they want and will type in more specific brand and model information, the researcher may type in some less specific.
Let’s take a quick look at the three types customers, or researchers and where they are in the ‘buy cycle’
Browsers are in the information gathering mode. These types are looking for more information about a product or service. They are in the first step in the ‘buy cycle’. This type of looker often types in generic keywords for search. For instance, I’ve recently decided that sometime in the near future I want to buy an RV to do a little traveling – without sleeping on the ground. My first step at gathering information is to find out more about the RV itself. So, I went to Google (knowing nothing) and typed in the simple phrase ‘RV Magazine’ – I don’t know anything about RV’s but my guess is that magazines about the subject will get me started. Notice that the search was two words and they are very generic. I’m a long way from making a purchase at this point, I’m simply trying to find out more information.
Shoppers have identified a need and tend to use more keywords in their searches. These types of searches make up the bulk of searches on Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc. To continue my RV shopping (but still in the gathering mode) I want more information. At this point my searches start getting more specific to the item or service I’m looking for. Like I may type in ‘reviews of class C motor homes’ ‘Winnebago class c RV’ or ‘places to visit on RV vacations.’ If I come to an RV dealership that has the information, it’s possible that I’ll bookmark it for later reference and even come back when I’m ready to purchase. So, it’s a great idea to target the shopper – but don’t expect to have a high rate of purchases from this group of researchers.
Buyers have done all their research and are ready to hit the ‘buy now’ button – once they’ve found specifically the item they want at the price they’re willing to pay. Let’s say I’m ready to head out to the showroom or even ready to start bidding on the RV of my dreams – I’m going to start my Internet search by using, more specific and longer phrases. My search may include: “Pre owned Winnebago Outlook 331C Class C Motor Home”
What researchers have found is that the way people use search, and the number of keywords typed into search tends to get longer and more specific as the buyer gets closer to purchase. You can take advantage of this by considering your product – how a buyer may search for the item as opposed to a browser and tweak your ‘long tail’ keyword string accordingly.
In some cases it’s hard to distinguish the difference between ‘browse’ words and ‘buy’ words – but keep testing until you find the sweet spot. In general, the highest click through and buy ratio will be with the longer, three words (or more) phrases. If there’s a make, model number or type related to your item be sure to put them in. Be as specific as possible about your product and you’re much more likely to find buyers.
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