One of the other questions I always get asked, how do I reinforce the search engine visibility of my eBay shop?

With everyone jostling to promote their products, it's worth taking the time to think about what you can do to generate more traffic. As most sellers know, search engines generate a fair proportion of eBay's traffic. Last month, Google yielded approximately 30 per cent of the total traffic to one website I manage for a client, so it's worth ensuring that your listings are replete with search-engine-friendly content. Have you applied descriptive text and a title? Do you have About Me and Custom Pages, implementing cross-promotion rules? By taking advantage of eBay's My World and posting a blog, product reviews and discussion group contributions can also go a long way.

Think about what greets the expectant visitor once they've landed on your listing. The listing's overall presentation and text should be as professional as possible. Your listing title is your most important real estate on eBay, and if you're not sure what title will yield the best results, consult Google Keyword Selector. Consider running two slightly different listings, ending at different times (if your margins allow). Run a completed item search to get a feel for what item titles work best, and use Marketplace Pro along with eBay's Pulse -- both good traffic reporting tools — to qualify your instinct.

Whether you're a seasoned pro or an aspiring seller, be generous with your content. Not only could this help you bolster your search rankings, your prospective buyers will appreciate it, too.