Is This a System Feature or a Bug? Asking for $50 Worth of a Friend...

[noblino]

Let’s talk about the simplicity of Etsy Ads. The system is so basic, it’s practically charming—perfect for beginners, really. But no matter your skill level, there’s one glaring issue that’s impossible to ignore:

I set a daily budget, and Etsy conveniently distributes it across my products. Sounds good so far. A portion of this budget goes to keyword ads (search-based placements), and another portion goes to product placements in... well, who knows where? In my case, it’s roughly a 50:50 split between the two.

Here’s the kicker: Every single product placement ad I’ve run has delivered a conversion rate of exactly 0. Nada. Zilch. Across every single product.

Let me break this down:

• I’m paying for placements.
• I have no idea where these ads are being shown.
• I can’t see how much I’m paying per click or per placement.
• All I know is that these placements don’t convert.

At least with keyword ads, I can analyze performance and turn off underperformers. But what about these mysterious product placements? What do I do with them? Last month alone, I spent over $50 on product placements with a conversion rate of 0. Surely, this must be a glitch in the system—or, dare I say, something much more intentional?

Etsy, I implore you: Please give us sellers the tools to manage where our ads are being placed and how our budget is being spent. This level of opaqueness is not only frustrating but also feels borderline exploitative.

We can monitor and control keyword ad performance (to an extent), but where is the transparency for the other 50% of our ad spend? Sellers deserve to know where their hard-earned dollars are going—and more importantly, to opt out of ad placements that perform worse than a rock in a rainstorm.

Thoughts? Similar experiences? Or am I missing some magical trick here?

[PlatypusDream]

The search engine doesn't like multiple languages in the same listing. It's too confusing.

Etsy does hide items from search that don't follow the Terms of Use. These include medical and metaphysical healing claims. It also includes resold items and items with intellectual property infringement.

This may be the reason why you aren't getting results with ads.

[noblino]

Thanks for your reply, but honestly, I don’t really get it—it doesn’t seem to address my question or anything I mentioned.

To clarify, my issue is with the lack of transparency in Etsy Ads. Keyword ads are fine—they’re trackable, and I can see how they’re performing. But placement ads (like category ads and similar) are a different story. They make up about 50% of my ad budget, yet they deliver a 0.0% conversion rate, and there’s no documentation or insight into where these ads are being shown or how they’re performing.

Just to be clear: I don’t sell medical products, and I don’t have bilingual listings. My question is purely about ad management and why we can’t see more details about these placement ads.

Could you take another look?

[PlatypusDream]

@noblino 

YES, those things directly impact if your listings are shown by ads.

Etsy shadowban certain keywords and listings so they specifically won’t be shown in search.

And multiple languages can prevent them from being placed by ads as well.

[UniqueGiftOrnaments]

You need to read this:  https://www.etsy.com/legal/policy/medical-claims/239976157654

[noblino]

this has nothing to do with my issue nor question. please have another look. thanks

[TheVintagePineapple]

If the Ads aren't working for you, stop using them.

What the other posters are telling you is true.  You do have medical and metaphysical claims in the Tensor Ring listings.  Things such as ''Strengthens self-confidence, self-esteem and self-love.''  and ''Calms, relaxes mind and body''  are claims.

Medical Claims - Our House Rules | Etsy

Services - Our House Rules | Etsy

Everything on your list is either a medical claim or a metaphysical claim and would be reason for Etsy to remove your listings.

[noblino]

Thanks for your reply, and I appreciate the mention of medical and metaphysical claims—I did overlook that. However, those products aren’t being advertised and aren’t part of the issue I described.

Let me clarify further: I’m referring to the “Performance of Etsy Ads” dashboard. This dashboard displays promoted listings and some statistics, such as views, clicks, click-through rate, orders, ROAS, etc. When I click on a listing to view detailed stats, I can see “Search terms and orders for this ad.” From this section, I can analyze keyword clicks.

Here’s where the problem starts: when I add up the keyword clicks, I get 49 clicks. However, according to the dashboard, 103 clicks are being counted in total. Considering the total ad spend ($67), I assume the 103 clicks—not just the 49 keyword clicks—are being charged.

The difference (54 clicks) is attributed to placement ads, as explained by Etsy support. Placement ads are shown in areas like other listings (similar products), category pages, etc., rather than via search keywords.

To clarify again: I’m not talking about the analyzable keyword section. I’m talking about the discrepancy between keyword clicks and total clicks for a promoted listing. I’m paying for the total clicks, not just the keyword clicks. However, I have no information on how those additional 54 clicks (the placement ads) were generated or where they were shown.

Here’s what I do know:

• The 49 keyword clicks resulted in 5 conversions.
• The remaining 54 placement ads delivered 0.0 conversions.
• I can adjust poorly performing keywords, which is great.

But what about the placement ads? I can’t see where they’re shown, how they’re performing, or influence their placement in any way.

Could you provide more clarity or tools regarding these placement ads?

[dippeldiundscribble]

@noblino 

• Harmonisiert Raumenergien, verbessert Wohlbefinden
• Steigert Lebensenergie, aktiviert Vitalität
• Beschleunigt körperliche Heilungsprozesse effektiv 
• Fördert klare, fokussierte geistige Zustände
• Stärkt spirituelles Wachstum, unterstützt Erleuchtung
• Verbessert Wasserstruktur für höhere Qualität
• Neutralisiert Elektrosmog, schützt vor Strahlung
• Fördert Wachstum und Gesundheit von Pflanzen
• Unterstützt tiefere, erfüllendere Meditationserfahrungen
• Stabilisiert Emotionen, fördert Ausgeglichenheit

Das sind ganz klar Medizinische Behauptungen. Und ja, das hat, entgegen deiner Behauptung, auch Einfluss auf die Platzierung in der Suche und kann zur Shop-Schließung führen.

Anstelle dir über Ads Gedanken zu machen, solltest du dich erst mal genauer darüber informieren, was (und wie) auf Etsy verkauft werden darf.

[noblino]

Vielen Dank für den freundlichen Hinweis - ich habe die Listings entsprechend angepasst.

Können wir jetzt bitte über das Problem sprechen, dass ich hier eindringlich geschildert habe?

[dippeldiundscribble]

@noblino 

Wir dürfen Verkäufern nicht helfen, die illegal handeln und gegen die Etsy Richtlinien verstoßen.

- Medizinische Behauptungen

- Wiederverkauf

- Fehlende Verkäuferinformationen (Impressum: Name, Anschrift, Email, Telefonnummer)

- Fehlende AGB

- Fehlende WRB

- Fehlende Datenschutzerklärung

[hopeandjoystudios]

You have no control over where Etsy places those ads. Ex. All the Turkish rug ads they place in almost every search. I assume it is because there are so many of those ads purchased and only so many relevant placements so the rest get placed in "you may also like" placements. "You searched crystals, how about this other metaphysical item". Also since you only seem to ship to Germany,  the number of keyword searches may be smaller resulting in more "you also may like" placements. 

I have seen enough of what I considered non relevant placements to know for me ads are a No. If you have a niche item,  good SEO and photos that meet the listing criteria should be enough. I had to Google what a tresor was so if it is placed in one of my searches it is a waste as most are not stopping a search to Google "what is this item".

[noblino]

Thank you for the first truly useful response. My understanding of Etsy’s ads business is pretty much the same: apparently, there just aren’t enough search queries, so Etsy burns through my budget on 0.0% converting placement ads instead of not spending it.

Sadly, finding any reliable first-hand information about Etsy’s automated campaign management. You’re left to piece it all together yourself. But what’s even worse? The fact that you can’t turn off these 0.0% converting ads. I mean, who in their right mind would want that?

The only reason this is tolerated is that most sellers don’t realize what’s happening.

[JanesAddiction]

I haven’t looked at your store so I can’t comment on what you are selling.  My guess is that the reason you’re not getting more functionality from Etsy ads is because Etsy doesn’t  have the technology to do that.  I imagine it would be pretty expensive to provide that detailed information to all sellers who purchase Etsy ads which would then allow sellers to place ads at specific times and places.  You’re expectations of Etsy’s technical abilities may be too high. 

[LastCentury]

there is no point in wasting money on ads if your listings aren't SEO optimized along with good quality images.

this isn't throw up some stuff, stick an ad on it and watch the sales come pouring in site... that ain't gonna work unless you are doing some major social media marketing to push it along.

some listings I can't tell what you are selling with the poor titles and poor images where the item disappears into the background. Not even the etsy image bots can help your there.

I see the word Popsocket and all i see is counterfeit merchandise where you don't have a license to use the name... etsy does not like that.

so if your listings aren't up to scratch, would there be any decent data to analyze?