Search result ranking can really make or break a seller’s success on eBay, especially for those who specialise in popular items such as cell phones. After all, eBay’s search feature is the primary method for buyers to find the items they are looking for. Cassini, eBay’s current search engine, claims to be the best yet for connecting buyers with the best listings for them. Having already shared a few ways sellers can improve their standing with Cassini in a guide last year, read on for seven more techniques to help conquer the almighty eBay search engine. First, a short reminder of how Cassini actually works.

The crux of Cassini

To be able to crack Cassini, it is vital to understand how it works. The exact algorithm remains a mystery to anyone outside of eBay, but these three fundamentals are known:

• Core values – The criteria that Cassini uses to order listings is based on relevance, value, trust and convenience as revealed by eBay.au director Todd Alexander.
• Powered by data – Cassini utilises eBay buyer searching, purchasing and engagement behaviour data to rank listings on the four core values.
• Buyer focus – The central aim of Cassini is to generate more sales and maintain positive transactions for shoppers. To do this, Cassini enables a convenient shopping experience by providing the most relevant listings with the most value from trusted sellers.

The bottom line is that Cassini rewards sellers who have lots of engagement on their listings (i.e. a high view to sales ratio) and positive transactions. Here are more tips for sellers hoping to rank higher on Cassini.

1. Sales

Everyone loves to get a bargain. Putting items on sale can be beneficial for sellers too, for higher engagement (which Cassini loves) and to clear out stock. Use Markdown Manager to discount prices for items and/or shipping costs. Sellers can either choose a few items to put on sale or an entire category. Don’t forget to promote the sale with a newsletter as well as posts on social media.

2. Auctions

More interactive and exciting than a standard fixed price listing, auctions are a great way to get more buyer engagement. Shoppers are likely to check the listing multiple times to see how many others are watching the auction and where the bidding currently is. Every time they visit the listing, there is a chance they may see and purchase other items in the same Store.

3. Outside traffic

Advertise listings on social media and other (non-eBay) websites to help drive more traffic. Auction Nudge is an easy way to automatically display eBay listings on a seller’s own website. Keep in mind that it is important to target an appropriate audience as high traffic with no sales is not the type of engagement Cassini is looking for.

4. Responsive listings

With over half of all eBay transactions involving a mobile device in some way, listings that are ‘mobile friendly’ for users on the go can help increase buyer engagement. Check to see the appearance of listings with the Mobile Friendly Test. From improving the item description to enhancing photos, there are plenty of ways to make a listing more optimised for mobile users.

5. Keep busy

Engagement is nothing unless it is consistent. For this reason, sellers should avoid listing a large number of items on one day and then be waiting another week to list more. Distribute listings evenly to encourage constant engagement and interest in items.

6. HTML

As mentioned in our first guide, an accurate and informative item description is favoured by Cassini for its appearance of professionalism and trustworthiness. Something that can impact the effectiveness of a description is irrelevant HTML code that is attached when cutting and pasting online material. Always copy and paste text first into Notepad to remove any extra HTML before copying and pasting back into the eBay description.

7. Combine items

One simple way to provide convenience and perceived value to potential buyers is to bundle relevant items together into one listing. A cell phone advertised with extra accessories included saves the buyer time searching and purchasing the accessories separately. Time is money and shoppers are well aware of this too.

Have you used any other techniques to improve your ranking on Cassini? Share in the comments below!