How to Improve Your Listings

When a user searches for something on GunBroker.com the search engine will return the most relevant items to the user at the top of the list. Relevant items are determined by the search engine algorithm and the algorithm is updated regularly to adjust what is the most relevant. As the seller, you control the determining factors in your search placement by how you construct your listing.

The following parts of the listing are among the components used by the search algorithm to determine the most relevant listings. All these items are not weighted equally but all play an important part in determining relevance.

• Category
• Title
• Subtitle
• Characteristics
• Description

Category

Make sure your item is listed in the proper category. There are many categories from which to select when you list your item. Browse categories or use the Find category feature, which suggests categories containing items with keywords similar to what you enter. For helpful information on category selection, see Selecting the Correct Category. Items that are not in the appropriate category will be treated as less relevant.

Title and Subtitle

To make the title and subtitle relevant include the manufacturer, model name, model number, caliber or gauge and important characteristics that match the item exactly. Words at the beginning of the title are considered more important than words at the end. State specifically and fully what the item is. Stating what the item is “Like” or “Not” will reduce the relevance of the listing. Avoid abbreviations unless they are extremely common such as a manufacturer name (S&W, FN, etc.).

Characteristics

If you have characteristic information such as UPC, manufacturer part number or SKU be sure to add it to the listing. If the category you are listing in has additional characteristics fill them out accurately. Inaccurate or conflicting characteristics will be less relevant.

Description

The description of your listing should state the most important details first. The search terms that buyers are using should be listed first. This includes terms such as manufacturer, model name, model number, caliber/gauge and characteristics that match the item exactly. These are generally considered more important than color, finish or other descriptive terms that may be included. History, condition of the item, specific features and accessories included should come after the above information.

Do not distract from the item you are selling with terms that do not describe the actual item for sale. Things like “similar to” another brand or “also comes in red” when your item is blue will reduce its relevance score. This also confuses the buyer as well as the search engine. Extraneous words dilute the relevancy of the important terms. In the above example, mentioning blue and red together does not clearly describe what color the item is to the search engine.

Including information about your business or your selling policies also reduces the relevance of the words that describe your actual item. “A family business in Dakota, Ohio since 1925 here to serve you in any way possible” is nice but does not describe the item and will make your item harder to find and return lower in the results. Save things like payment terms and shipping policies for the Additional Terms of Sale.