How to Pick Good Keywords for Titles
Jun 6, 2025
One of the most overlooked but critical skills for resellers is writing strong titles that actually sell. A sharp, keyword-rich title can make the difference between a listing that lingers for weeks and one that’s picked up within hours. The key is to consistently weave in the types of words buyers actually use when they search. It’s far less about creativity and far more about precision and relevance.
Why Keywords Matter for Resellers
When potential buyers search online marketplaces or auction platforms, they typically type in straightforward, descriptive terms — like a brand name, model number, color, or size. That search pulls data from listing titles first. If you’re not including the right keywords, you’re invisible, no matter how competitively you price your products. For resellers, keyword optimization isn’t optional, it’s survival.
Start With the Basics: Brand, Model, Size, and Color
The most important keywords are usually the most literal ones. Include:
Brand: Buyers frequently search by brand, often as their first word. For example, “Nike” or “Samsung.”
Model: A specific ID like “iPhone 13” or “ThinkPad T480” narrows down interest to motivated buyers.
Size: Especially for clothing, shoes, or even furniture — “Men’s Large” or “Size 10” could be the deciding factor.
Color: “Black leather jacket” or “Red dress” quickly communicates product identity.
These words are not filler; they’re essential. A title that simply says “Vintage Jacket” is far weaker than one that says “Levi’s Vintage Denim Jacket Men’s Large Blue.”
Use Simple and Common Nouns
After brand, model, size, and color, consider general but useful nouns that anchor your product. “Laptop,” “Sneakers,” “Dining Table,” or “Winter Coat” will connect your listing to broad searches where buyers haven’t yet made a highly specific decision.
Avoid jargon or insider slang that buyers aren’t likely to search. Instead, stick to universal language. For example, write “sofa” instead of “chesterfield” unless the latter is commonly searched and essential to the item’s identity.
Study What’s Already Working: A Keyword Library
The smartest resellers don’t guess at good keywords—they track them. By maintaining a central library of past successful titles and the keywords that drove sales, you create a repeatable system rather than reinventing the wheel each time. Over time, this collection becomes a reference you can draw from depending on category. For example, if you notice listings with “4K UHD” outperform those with just “4K,” you’ll know to standardize that phrasing.
Tools like Gavelbase can help resellers build and reference such libraries since it was designed with auction data tracking in mind. Alternatively, you could use simple spreadsheets, or even lightweight note-taking apps, but having a searchable history tied to performance speeds decision-making considerably.
Research New Keywords Strategically
Even with a library, you’ll need fresh ideas as trends evolve. Ways to research include:
Marketplace Search Suggestions: Type in part of your product name and watch what auto-complete provides. Those suggestions are real buyer queries.
Google Trends: See whether a keyword is gaining traction or fading.
Competing Listings: Look at what similar products use in their top listings and note common elements.
Order Matters
It’s not enough to include keywords; placement influences click-throughs and search rankings. Put the most important keywords—brand and model—first. Descriptive details like color and size should follow. For example:
“Canon EOS 80D DSLR Camera Body Black 24MP”
That structure immediately tells a buyer what the item is and whether it matches their needs.
Avoid Keyword Stuffing
While keywords sell, repeating too many of them looks unprofessional and can even drive buyers away. Instead of: “Nike Nike Shoes Running Shoes Sneakers Blue Size 10 Nike Used,” write: “Nike Air Zoom Pegasus Running Shoes Men’s Size 10 Blue.” It’s tight, descriptive, and avoids turning your title into spam.
Test, Track, Adjust
Finally, great keywords aren’t static. Monitor what drives views and conversions. If your jeans listings with the term “denim” pull better results than “pants,” update accordingly. Small changes compound into larger improvements across dozens or hundreds of listings.
This is where the keyword library again pays off. Record which variations outperform over time. If you have the ability to cross-reference results with a history of sales, as with platforms like Gavelbase, you’ll turn your keyword library into a predictive tool instead of just a memory bank.
Example Workflow
Check your keyword library for past proven terms.
Research fresh keywords via auto-complete and trend tools.
Draft your title, prioritizing brand and model first, then size and color, then a clear noun.
List the item and monitor performance compared to similar listings.
Update your library with results for future optimization.
Reselling thrives on efficiency, and having great titles is one of the fastest ways to position your products front-and-center for buyers. With practice, your keyword picking will become second nature, but only if you treat it as a deliberate system rather than an afterthought.