Not getting views, even though I have a search ad this week. Help!

[Former_Member]

I don't want to waste my $$ on the search ad if I am doing something wrong that I can fix.

Suggestions please!

[Former_Member]

I did search ads a couple of weeks ago. Out of 4638 impressions, I got 22 views and 3 favorites. It's not you.

[Former_Member]

I didn't have any luck with search ads either :)

[Former_Member]

Your listings really are not getting that many views by Internet standards. It usually takes a few hundred views per item to make a sale on the Internet, much more than in person.

With thousands of new shops every day and millions of listings, It is getting harder to be found on Etsy.

Several months ago, Etsy posted this announcement:
www.etsy.com/teams/7716/announcements/discuss/8755743/
which included this statement:
" Diversity is important! Our marketplace is made vibrant by the wide range of products, sellers and styles. In a search sorted by relevancy, we divide up multiple items from the same shop, and prevent your search results from being dominated by one shop."

Etsy is intentionally producing diversified search results on the Relevancy search. I have seen more and more changes in this direction lately.

It has become so important l to SEO for both Etsy Relevancy and for Google to get more views. There are differences between between Google and Etsy but it is possible to SEO for both.

Add SEO to every part of your shop, such as the shop title, section names as well as listings and tags, so that your shop and listings can be found on Etsy's Relevancy search and on Google.

Don't guess on the wording for keyword phrases. Start with using keyword phrases that are often used on Google to search for similar products. The keyword phrases popular on Google are also popular on Etsy.

There are web sites that keep track of keywords and how often they are used. One of these databases is from Google and is free. I suggest using Google's keyword research tool to find the best possible keyword phrases for your listings; adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal?forceLegacy=true

SEO for Google is a lot more than adding keyword phrases but this is the place to start.

[Former_Member]

Absolutely everything I have read about search ads and showcases say that they are rubbish, and have worked for literally no one... just renew your items, revise them, spruce them up a bit with nice pictures, great tags and the first three words in your title being good, and that should help :) oh, and talking on these forums helps too! still a newbie myself but i learn fast ;)

[Former_Member]

Sounds about right. I would work on your tags. Using 3 keywords on a listing for your name on several items can be a waste of tags. The more unique your tags the better chances for your items popping up in the search. Using generic terms or even misspelling words may catch a few but what you want is people looking for what you have.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97191610/shepherds-hook-beaded-bookmark-fairy

For example this listing.

I would use keywords like:
fairy tale
book mark with fairy
purple beaded
silver
decorative bookmark
made of metal
hook book mark
book mark jewelry
handmade

Just a few ideas...

[Former_Member]

wow thank you! I had a hunch it was my titles and tags, aside from being one of probably millions of jewelers on Etsy.

I've had this store for 4 years with 31 sales, this is my last ditch effort before I decide to do exclusively craft shows and facebook.

Good luck to us all! =)

[Former_Member]

" Diversity is important! Our marketplace is made vibrant by the wide range of products, sellers and styles. In a search sorted by relevancy, we divide up multiple items from the same shop, and prevent your search results from being dominated by one shop."

___________________________________________

No offense to Mary, but that's a bunch of baloney on Etsy's part. You have no idea how often I get frustrated when searching for something and I come across entire pages that are dominated by one shop's items. Then I click to the next page and it's the same thing (same shop). They may say they divide up multiple items but they don't. Even my own items come up with more than one on a page and I don't even have that many of each category.

[Former_Member]

One thing that really helped for me was suggested in the recent Etsy Get Found symposium (you may want to go watch it in the Online Labs).

It is to have a friend who is not an Etsy seller search from the homepage for one of your items. Be mindful of what search terms he/she uses and then incorporate those into your tags and titles. I did this exercise with one my friends for 10 minutes and have managed to move from the 10th page in search to the 1st or 2nd.

Here's what I would search for this listing:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/97209717/pink-tree-necklace-rose-quartz-wire

If I were to try to find this from the home page, I would search:
-Silver necklace with pink beads
-Sterling silver necklace, pink tree
-Pink Fertility Tree Necklace
-Rose Fertility Tree
-Fertility Jewelry, silver

[Former_Member]

Judy, I strongly concur! Happens to me all the time.

[Former_Member]

I have been having surprising success with the search ads. They provide me with anywhere from 5% to 10% of my revenue. But its historical success varies. In the past week I have doubled my investment, while in the past month I have nearly quadrupled it. It took some experimenting with items and whatnot, but I eventually found a sweet spot and for whatever reason it's working, and now I'm not touching it!

[Former_Member]

I didnt do too great with search ads either