A.L.O. is a term I coined (deliberately similar in style to S.E.O.) which stands for ?Auction Listing Optimization'. It can be defined as ANYTHING you can do within the eBay environment that increases the number of buyers, or that prompts buyers to go directly to your website. Each month I discuss an A.L.O. technique that you can implement in your eBay business?

I don't know the exact figure, but I'm sure a survey's been done to determine how much time the average buyer will look at an auction listing for, before deciding whether to continue reading or moving on. What I do know for sure is that the figure will be very low ? probably less than 10 seconds.

So what can you do to capture the readers attention and encourage them to read on? A powerful, attention grabbing headline, and that's the subject of this issue's A.L.O. technique.

Famed marketer David Ogilvy wrote: ?On the average, 5 times as many people read the headlines as read the body copy. It follows that, unless your headline sells your product, you have wasted 90 percent of your money."

So you can see that we need to take the issue of our headline very seriously, We use it because hard data says it works. But just browse some eBay listings from a variety of categories and you'll struggle to find a single listing that uses a headline.

What makes a good headline? Actually, there are many components so let's review those now.

1. It must be believable. If you make an outrageous claim, chances are you'll lose the audience unless you immediately provide proof. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

2. Keep it short and to the point. Long headlines can work, but shorter headlines are easier.

3. Make them easy to read. This sounds obvious, but use a font and line spacing that makes it easy for the buyer.

4. Try and make an emotional connection with the reader. People buy more on emotions than anything else, so the earlier you tap into that connection, the better.

5. State a benefit if possible. A compelling benefit gives the reader a good reason to continue reading. It's the ?what's in it for me' factor.

6. Don't try and reinvent the wheel by starting with a blank sheet of paper. Look at headlines from successful marketers and adapt them for your business. This is common sense, but few people do it, they prefer to struggle coming up with something completely new. There's nothing new, it's all been done before (and tested) so it's much smarter to benefit from these proven headlines.

Here are some words and phrases that you can use as headline starters:

Advice... Facts You... Last Minute... Save... Amazing... Finally... Love... Secrets Of... Announcing... Free... Luxury... At Last... Growth... New... Show Me...Bargains... Hate... Breakthrough... Share...How Much... Protect... The Truth Of... Discover... How To... Rewards... Yes...

If you are not currently using a headline, this A.L.O. technique will be a big breakthrough in the effectiveness of your listing. If you're already using headlines, well done, but the next phase is to test a variety of headlines and find which one converts the best. You'll be amazed at how a different choice of headline can increase sales.