Flea's Field is Swinging For the Fences!

When I opened Flea's Field at OnlineAuction.com, in December of 2009, I had no idea how much work two stores would entail. Eager to establish a sports collectibles and trading card store, I slowly began the process of listing the thousands of trading cards our family has collected over the years. I use the word slowly generously, as the holiday season, family commitments and school activities managed to bring my listing to a crawl. This summer, however, Flea's Field is swinging for the fences, as I dedicate more and more time to filling that store!

It starts with baseball trading cards. In my collection, you'll find 13 large volumes of baseball cards, all sorted alphabetically, by player name. Right now only 1 volume has been completely listed. There are over 500 card auctions live in my store, with current selections in the C's of the alphabet. I am doing it right, with proper SEO in mind, of course. That takes time. Titles and subtitles are carefully planned and repeated in my description. Photos are titled and tagged using Picasa. Research on current pricing is completed at Beckett. And every now and then I share an interesting card on either Facebook or Twitter.

How's your listing going? Just this past week I was helping a seller who is new to OLA. She wanted a few tips on creating auctions that are Search Engine Optimized, setting up a template and decorating her store. I am afraid she may have been a bit overwhelmed, but just stop to think about this for a moment and you'll see how logical, and how easy, it really is.

Start with a solid template. Include all the pertinent information that you will use in every listing. (Things like your store policies, payment methods accepted, shipping details, and return policies should be standard on every auction.) Set that template so that this information is after your description, but before the last paragraph of the description. Your last paragraph should contain your title again, (leave a space for it), and any links you want to share with your customers. How about a link back to your storefront for easy access? You may also choose to include a link to your blog, or a social networking address. Put all of that in the last section!

Now that your template is set, SEO for individual auctions can be simple if you remember these guidelines:

• 72 character maximum in your title
• 50 characters maximum in your subtitle, (Yes, you should use a keyword rich subtitle!)
• Repeat your title in the very first words of your description, and plug it back in at the end.
• Use a keyword rich, detail orientated description.
• Title and Tag any images.
• Share!

Are all of my auctions perfect? Of course not! (That's why I love the Sell Similar feature at OLA! Easy editing!) I am confidant though, that I have served them well upon creation, and that they have a greater chance of being seen, noticed and purchased.

All it takes is a little practice... a little repetition, and these steps will become second-nature to you!

So why not join me in taking time this summer to vamp up your listings, restock your stores, and get your name out into the world of social networking? Find me at Twitter or Facebook! And don't forget to stop by Flea's Field and see what's new!

Like this:
1998 Pacific Home Run Hitters #9 Vinny Castilla Baseball Trading Card