And why it matters to Australian sellers
If you are selling products online in Australia through platforms like eBay, Amazon or Catch, you are competing in a crowded digital environment. How well your listings are optimised in these spaces determines whether your products are discovered and purchased or overlooked entirely.
That is where Marketplace SEO comes in. But what exactly does it involve?
Marketplace SEO Explained
As the name suggests, Marketplace SEO is the process of improving your product listings so they perform better in search results. This includes through both external search engines such as Google and the internal search functions of platforms like Amazon, eBay, Catch and more. It is about visibility, relevance and conversion.
Optimisation focuses on content, structure and performance. Unlike traditional SEO for a standalone website, marketplace SEO operates within platform-specific rules and constraints. While the end goal is similar to ecommerce SEO, the environment is very different.
One important distinction is that sellers are part of a broader ecosystem, and therefore you don’t control the platform. Instead, you must work within its systems to ensure your listings appear in front of the right customers.
What Makes Marketplace SEO Unique?
Traditional SEO gives you control over your site layout, content and structure. With marketplace SEO, you are subject to each platform’s specific criteria and rank listings.
For example, Amazon may favour fast delivery, product completeness, and customer satisfaction. eBay can prioritise seller history and dispatch speed. Mindahome, by contrast, uses marketplace SEO to index sitter profiles and sitter-by-location pages, allowing homeowners to browse available sitters in their area. This listing-first approach boosts visibility in organic search results and builds trust before any contact is made.
In short, if everyone is optimising according to the individual platform’s criteria, it makes it more difficult to compete alongside similar listings and often for the same audience.
The Foundations of Effective Marketplace SEO
Whether you are a small business or a large retailer, the following elements are key to building visibility and trust within marketplaces.
Clear and Searchable Titles
Use simple, accurate titles that reflect how people search for your product or service. Avoid vague or overly complex language.
Helpful and Structured Descriptions
Make your product or service easy to understand. Include size, material, benefits, instructions or compatibility. Use bullet points to guide the reader through the listing.
Structured Data Where Available
Some marketplaces support structured data to help search engines and internal systems understand product details. This may include fields like brand, pricing and availability.
Leverage User Generated Content
Encourage customer reviews, ratings and submitted photos. This content improves trust and also signals listing quality to the platform’s ranking system.
Optimise for Local Searches
If your offering is tied to a specific location, include suburbs or cities in your listing. This is especially useful for services on platforms like Airtasker or products listed on eBay and Gumtree.
Mobile Friendly and Fast Loading
Ensure your images are high quality and load quickly on mobile devices. A large share of marketplace traffic comes from smartphones. Poor experience leads to missed sales.
Listing Performance Drives Ranking
Platforms reward listings that deliver results. High click-through rates, consistent sales, available stock and positive customer experiences all contribute to better search positioning.
Australian Marketplace Success Stories
AutoGuru offers a great example of localised optimisation. Their listings appear prominently for search terms like car service Sydney and rego check Strathfield. This is achieved through strong location-based content, high-quality reviews and reliable service features.
Happy House Sitters benefits from marketplace SEO by ensuring each house sitting opportunity is clearly matched to location, timing, and homeowner needs. Listings are visible in relevant Google searches, i.e. ‘house sitting brisbane’, and easy to browse on the platform. Features like sitter response ratings also help build trust before homeowners reach out, making the connection process more confident and efficient.
These examples show that marketplace SEO is not limited to product listings. Service-based platforms also benefit from content strategy, user feedback and technical performance.
Steps to Start Optimising
- Research how your customers search by using tools and testing autocomplete suggestions within the marketplace
- Avoid duplicate listings and ensure consistency in your titles and product data
- Collect reviews and encourage customers to submit photos and feedback
- Monitor listing performance through available analytics and make improvements over time
- Keep stock and delivery options reliable to retain ranking strength
Marketplace SEO is not a one-time task. It requires regular updates, performance tracking and a strong understanding of each platform’s rules. For Australian sellers, investing in optimisation means improved discoverability, stronger customer trust and more sustainable results.
If your listing is not being seen, it is not being sold. Marketplace SEO is how you change that.
