How much do you invest in Search Ads?

[Former_Member]

I'm wondering how much and how often people invest in Search Ads on Etsy? I've tried it a little bit and while I definitely get an increase in views and likes, I'm wondering if others find it gives them a huge increase in actual sales? Is it good practice to invest in the $5/week option? Do some shops do more? What do you do for your own shop?

[Former_Member]

I had no luck with the add's at all. But now I have over 100 items in my shop, and it really helps a lot.

[Former_Member]

I tried the search ads when it came out. Didn't work very well, so I stopped them after about 3 weeks. Many, many shops did the same thing.

I started them again this morning, with 3 popular listings and very specific keywords. Got views and favorites already, but no sales for now. I invested in the 5$ option. We'll see how this goes. I haven't got much hopes, though!

I saw in threads that some shops had very successful ads running, but most find the ads useless. Guess it depends on the kind of items you're selling, your photos (are they clickable enough?), the keywords you choose and the items...But if there's one tip I can tell you, definitely go with less items promoted and specific tags.

[HausofAriella]

Nothing. I've tried search ads a few times. I experimented with just promoting some items, promoting everything, using fewer keywords, using more keywords, etc. Sometimes I did notice an increase in views and favs, though the most recent time the increase was negligible. I think I used search ads for seven or eight weeks (though at different times) and I got one $10 sale from them during that time. I think that adding more items is the best thing you can do for your shop. If you want to spend money on something to promote your shop on Etsy, renew a couple of older items every day.

[Former_Member]

First week I tried them, I did well & got three sales. For several weeks after, on and off, I got a few views, but no sales. I came to the conclusion that for me, they don't work. Investing the time in relevancy, SEO & promoting off Etsy works better for me and as a result, my sales are great.

[Former_Member]

I did not have any luck with search ads either. And, I have noticed that when I search the ads that come up are not usually very good products/photos.

[MomNMiaDesigns]

Search ads can be useful, but you need to carefully choose the search words you are running them with. Read the current marketing report (Etsy releases them every month) and see what the coming trends, etc are.
I do $5/week. Some months I don't see much return on them as far as sales, but I get a ton of views and favorites. This month I've spent $13 on search ads, and got $257 in sales from those ads. Pretty good return on the investment in my book.

[HausofAriella]

Maria, you're not the first one who sells kids' stuff that seems to have done very well with search ads. Perhaps some categories just do better than others.

[Former_Member]

Ariella - You make a good point. Since I sell digital downloads, I wonder if search ads would be relatively pointless.

Everyone has good talking points though.

Several of you mentioned that having more items really helped--100 seems to be some sort of a magic number people keep mentioning. Do you think that's because people are more attracted to shops with greater inventory, or because more items = more keywords and items that can pop up in searches?

Because my items are digital, I literally have a cache of hundreds I can and want to list, but figure that's not the greatest idea unless sales increase and justify the cost. Most digital image shops have large inventories, but I'm assuming the increase is gradual as sales warrant it, but maybe I'm wrong...dunno.

Any thoughts?

[Former_Member]

I used to do the $5/week one, but it did nothing for me. A few extra views a day. I don't find them worth it.
I get more views a day just posting here in the forums than paying Etsy for the ads.

[HausofAriella]

100 isn't a magic number, but having more items does make it more likely that people will find your shop and it gives them a lot of variety to choose from, so they're more likely to find something they like. You have a lot of items now, but I think you should more - just a couple a day - particularly if you can add more variety to the your listings. The only thing to consider is that you need to make sure your shop stays well organized so people can find what they're looking for easily.

[hipposdream]

Subscribed now for the first time on search ads (yesterday) so really curious today to see how it goes.
I have selected a lot of items just to get a taste on how search ads work and what they can/will do.
I have some viewers in my shop but I would actually like to get more buyers, like everybody.... :-)
Some extra tips on search ads are more the welcome. Thanks!

[Former_Member]

I think that the best way to increase your view and fv, (I don't know about sales, jo!!) is participating in groups, teams .... inthis way people see you more. If you find a way to sell more with the ads please share it with me!!

[Former_Member]

Thanks, everyone. Here's hoping to more views and sales for all of us!

[Former_Member]

I invested in the $5 option a couple of different times. I got hardly any views compared to my views from other sources and no sales. Not one. Since I opened not too long ago, I've been doing about 1 sale every 2 days or so. None of them from search ads. I was tired of paying for something that a very large number of other people are probably doing as well. We can't all be on top. I'd rather advertise through my Twitter, Blog, and Facebook. I get more sales from those and it's free. I might try search ads again in the future once my shop is more established and my pictures are better. Right now I just don't have the time or money for it.

I also may try what some of you have suggested about checking the marketing report and choosing my keywords more carefully. Although I think some people are right about some categories doing better in search ads than others. Some categories just do better on Etsy in general than others.

[Former_Member]

I just signed up for a one week $5.00 search ad campaign which will start tomorrow. I selected the items that I get the most views and fav on.

I would like to find out if search ads work for me to get SALES. It will only cost me $5.00 to find this out.

I already get quite a few views from me posting any and everywhere I can but it's not getting me sales....

I will run the adds until I can build up a nice inventory of fresh work in the shop and not just renew items that have not even expired yet.

I deleted items that were not getting looked at much or favored to decrease my listing fees by $5.00 which will be replaced by the search ad cost.

[Former_Member]

None. They did not work and were a waste of money.

[Former_Member]

Search ads will work ONLY if you select the targeted key words that will bring people to your shop.

For example, I sell handcrafted soap dishes, so the best keyword phrase for me is 'soap dish'. However, that isn't an option.

The closest that are available for purchase are (based on my tags) soap, dish, craft, hand, wood, natural.....

None of these terms on their own will be useful in finding a soap dish.

so unless your keywords are really targeted, then I wouldn't even bother with search ads.

[LLFarm]

I tried the search ads when they first came out and had no luck with them. About a month or so ago I tried them again. $5 a week, using many keywords for all items in my shop. I have gotten 10 sales from them. Are they worth it? IDK profit from the sales is much greater than the $5 I spent.

The part the search ads don't tell you is what item was actually purchased from your ad... at least I can't find that info. So I don't actually know what keywords are bringing the sale. I can see what keyword brought a view.

[SelkiePubZines]

When you could do just $1 a week, I did it just for the heck of it. I got a few views, nothing much. Because the featured ads are often repeated as you go from page to page, I think maybe other people, like me, are sort of in the habit of skimming down to the next row.

[Former_Member]

I pay the $5/week and have for some time now. However, I am wayyy upside down in what I've paid and how much money has come in from sales--seriously reconsidering if I should continue. I think if anything it may give me a few more views and have some of my items show up in searches earlier but wondering if its really worth it to continue to have the search ads renewed each week. Perhaps if my SEO were up to par there would be no need to continuing using the search ads....hmmm

[Former_Member]

Tried them twice....first time for about 2 weeks and the second time for about a month. Got nothing from either run...got a couple of views and that was about it. I get more views from promoting my renews on Twitter!

[lewisandbucky]

I don't have to use them anymore, but I did for a while and I paid up to $7.00 per week, I think. It helps to think about it as $1 per day--and a temporary set-up at that. Once I had more items, got better at Tags, and had more favorites, etc, was more active on teams, I didn't need to pay for them anymore. If you look at it as a temporary investment--which is very helpful at first--then you may be more willing to invest some money in it.

[Former_Member]

I'm trying them now for the first time - I have spent thus far 3.94, impressions 4,719, 26 views, 0 sales - i dont' really believe they're worth it - I may not have it set up correctly but I don't think I'll be doing this again!

[Mollymoojewels]

I have recently tried it without much success. I dipped my toe in with the $5 option but didn't see much for it. Think I will try it again though as a temp thing until I get my Tags sorted and reach the all singing, all dancing number 100!