• 
•  
•  Subscribe in a reader
•  

• Search

• 	Enter your search terms
  	Web Site Submit search form

• Categories

  • Auction Tools
  • Best Match
  • Bidders' Tips
  • eBay Fraud
  • Feedback
  • How-To's
  • Industry News & Analysis
  • Miscellaneous
  • PayPal
  • Reviews
  • Sellers' Insights
  • Archives

• Auction Tools

  • Auction News
  • Auction Software
  • Auction Templates
  • AuctionLink
  • AuctionShopper.info
  • Beyond Best Match
  • Free Best Match eBook
  • Free eBay Sniper

• Recent Posts

  • SEO Basics for eBay Sellers – Getting Found in Google
  • The Benefits of eBay Listings Appearing in Google Search Results
  • How To Get an eBay Listing to Appear in Google
  • Reader Mailbag: Best Match Q&A
  • Etsy Still Dropping Sellers

• Recent Comments

  • Tina on Sell Coupons on eBay
  • very pissed at ETSY on Sellers at Etsy.com are Even More Unhappy Than Sellers on eBay
  • Bert on How to Snipe on eBay
  • Bert on How to Snipe on eBay
  • Faisal on eBay Seller Non-Performance Policy Clarified

In a recent press release, eBay discussed changes to the Best Match search algorithm that they are planning and currently testing on the site.

According to the statement, a series of changes will be released over the next twelve months based on the results of the tests.  eBay’s Vice President of Search Engineering, Hugh Williams, stated that one of the new technologies that he is most excited about involves “machine-learned ranking.”

This means that the order of the search results will be driven by more data factors than we currently use, and we’ll be able to combine these factors using a computer-generated model.  In practice, this means the results will be more relevant to our users, and our search engine will adapt more easily, quickly and accurately to what our customers are doing on the site.  We’re already testing this on a small number of our users, and we’re seeing great results.

For those sellers trying to keep up and adapt to the current Best Match algorithm – good luck – because according to Williams, “Right now, we have over 15 different search ranking algorithms on the U.S. site…”

Last year I reported that eBay’s Keyword Suggestion Tool, the BayEstimator, was no longer being updated with fresh data.  After playing around on it this evening, I noticed that the tool was returning different results for keywords than it did just a couple of months ago.  I had some screen shots that I was trying to replicate to get a better image resolution for the next edition of Best Match Made Simple, but I just couldn’t get the same results.

Could it be that the BayEstimator is now getting fresh data?  A quick experiment with the search term “iPad” shows fresh data!

(The iPad was introduced a year after eBay stopped feeding data to the BayEstimator)

An easy way to get noticed in the eBay search results is to add a bright border to your listing’s gallery image.  There are lot’s of ways to do this, however I wanted to share the absolute simplest tool available to anybody with an internet connection and about 45 seconds to spare.

First simply visit : http://www.lunapic.com/editor/?action=border

The first screen presents a sample image and the ability to upload your own:

After you’ve uploaded your image, it appears on the screen with a purple frame around it.  To change, simply type in a color or select one from the pop-up menu.

Click the “Add Border” button… and your done.

Right-click the image to save it to your computer and use the new image for the gallery thumbnail when you’re ready to list your item.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy!

I just wanted to pass along a couple of eBay keyword tools that I’ve never gotten around to mentioning on AuctionInsights:

CatMan –
Get a deeper understanding of top keywords, hot keywords, sellers and trends on a per-category basis. Simply click on a category name to view the top key words for that category. Check the box(es) next to category names to view trends. Here’s a couple of Steg Larson books compared:

Like the BayEstimator, this tool is offered on the eBay labs website. Here’s the link: http://labs.ebay.com/Catman/

eBaySaurus -

(Think thesaurus – not dinosaurs like I did) Get a view of the eBay query network along different semantic dimensions. Simply enter a keyword and an interactive chart of related keywords appears. The larger the bubble, the more relevant that keyword is. Click on a bubble to find other terms related to that keyword. Expand and drag to your hearts content to get ideas of keywords related to the one you entered. This tool is based on actual search behavior on the eBay site, so it could be the perfect brainstorming tool to jump start your listings.

Here’s a screenshot:

This tool is also on the eBay Labs site: http://labs.ebay.com/demos/qnet/