Google searches are disappearing

[1AEON]

Dear Etsy,
my Google searches are disappearing, this month especially. but it's an obvious downward statistic from January. Is this another google -algorithm change? Can you guys elaborate on this, or make an announcement? It effects all the vendors. I rather know, than not know. Perhaps it's something Etsy can improve or we are all on our own.
Thank you so much!

[Former_Member]

I've noticed it too. No idea?

[heartsabustin]

There are a ton of people who are saying they've fallen into a black hole the last couple of weeks.

[Former_Member]

I wonder if when the categories changed, it changed how items were appearing in google searches. Therefore, as far google is concerned, the items disappeared. I'm guessing here.

[maydaylabels]

Did you lose standing for a major keyword or are views down across many keywords?

[1AEON]

The overall views are the same, but the sales, emails and 'Google.com' views are gone down dramatically.

[DAWTextilesQuilting]

I heard that Google just implemented a new algorithm last week.

[EchidnaArtandCards]

May I ask how your items come up in google searches? When I search for something on Google, "popular items" on Etsy come up, but never specific listings. Please explain.

[1AEON]

Anita, not sure your questions was directed to me, if yes, I try to explain: Im saying if you go to your stats and look at your traffic sources, you could see several sources including the ones from -'Etsy.com', - 'direct traffic' and if you do your job right, -'google.com'.
Now you can just click on each sources and change the timeline, for example "this year" and you could see how you did on google in that time period.
The weird thing is Im keep having views from google India, Russia, Turkey, Germany...but not from the US or just very low number of searches...It should (and use to be) be a much higher number. When people find my stores from the 'google.com' - I have a ton of sales, when not (like right now) hardly any sales.

[1AEON]

So I googled: google algorithm update 2015
https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=google+algorithm+update+2015&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8
You will find your answers, why and what changed.

[maydaylabels]

1AEON, do you mean the update they just did/are doing where they'll privilege websites that respond well in mobile formats? If so, that shouldn't affect your Etsy views, as Etsy is mobile-friendly.

[1AEON]

Well, if you read the links, it seems a bit more than that. Many sellers' sales are done, coincidentally the views/searches from Google are also down. Last time it happened Google changed an algorithm. I'm no expert, but seems like they just did it again. So I might be wrong, but it seemed logical. I'm just trying to figure out the reason:)

[maydaylabels]

I honestly don't understand google either; luckily it is maybe 10% of our search views, so I don't worry about it too much. Because Etsy dominates the larger google searches (they lead to those Etsy Popular product pages, or whatever) the best thing for us is to be relevant for Etsy's search, which moves us up in those pages. I do know that google doesn't have to change an algorithm to affect your ranking; you can move up and down due to competition, reevaluation of your backlinks/ keyword phrases, etc. It is good to target a wide variety of keyword phrases, especially specific long-tail ones, so that any particular reshuffle doesn't affect you much.

By the way, we bought your cat shirt on the 10th day after we discovered Etsy, 6 years ago. It was too much cat for a shirt, so we cut out the front of the shirt and framed it and it is still hanging over our mantel.

[Former_Member]

No change on my side regarding google searches. However, I have always been quite low. This is the views from browse sections that have completely disapeared...

[maydaylabels]

I've never had any luck with Browse; you have great photos and a trendy product, so you've got a better chance at showing up there, but it's not something I'd ever count on. It's too murky; Etsy changes it frequently and is never all that clear about how it works.

[WilliamsGiftshop]

Matthew/Sara, Google views might not be (have been) the biggest source of traffic, but after 8.5 years of selling on Etsy I know that about 85% of my new customers come straight from Google.
And new customers account for about the same percentage (85%) of my overall sales.
So yes, those view Google views in my stats, be it just a small amount, are the most important ones!
Mine too have dropped. Not disappeared, but dropped.
(On the other hand I think that Etsy stats are, and have always been, off. In my humble opinion they never worked properly.)

[Former_Member]

I've had 6 Google views just today, and I think I got a sale because of them. But overall, my Google searches have been down over the last two years pretty dramatically. It might explain why my sales have dropped off so badly since 2013.

[1AEON]

Matthew and Sara, wow!
I'm speechless :) Thank you os much for the nice words....
Gabe/1AEON

[Former_Member]

Regarding google, I've made a test with "moonstone necklace" in french and the first etsy item I found in google image was at the end of page 4... But there was plenty of item in first pages from a french site called "a little market" that have been bought recently by Etsy.
I have read something about google searching local now. As Etsy is in US, could it be that there is less relevancy when making search in google abroad ?
Have you noticed anything regarding the countries regrading your stats ?

[Former_Member]

Just checked my Google all time stats. Looks like all google sources, the peak was in 2013 and then has dropped to almost nothing in 2015. Google product listing ads peaked in 2014 and has dropped in 2015. Something's up.

[Former_Member]

Ouch, that hurt. i just checked mine. My peak was in 2012 and now I'm all but invisible on google. Well, that's a drag. So, I followed your lead 1Aeon and found this tidbit of information: http://searchengineland.com/google-mobile-friendly-ranking-factor-runs-real-time-page-page-basis-216... We have until April 21 to get ourselves mobile friendly or face google extinction (even more so than now).

[maydaylabels]

Etsy is already mobile friendly

[Former_Member]

No google views at all today, that hasn't happened in 3 years. So something is definitely different.

[Former_Member]

I posted this topic over in the forums so we can get some more feedback.

[Former_Member]

There have been no significant Google Algorithm updates for several months - http://moz.com/google-algorithm-change

Etsy made a few changes in the past few months that could effect views but not likely from Google.

For example, Etsy now only displays one listing from each shop on each page of the Relevancy search results. Before this change, shops with a high volume of sales and using keywords popular with shoppers did have several listings on each page of Relevancy search results, after the first page. This should not effect views from Google.

I opened a new shop on Etsy 6 months ago and views from Etsy and from Google have been great and going up each month.

Do your stats show low views from both google.com and Google product ads?