Search SUCKS

[925SilverSecrets]

I type in search box---Handmade Sterling Silver Poison Rings & the first page of ---Recent--- has 54 regular rings, earrings & bracelets. I post every day in the morning ,afternoon & evening & my first visible post in ---Recent--- shows up on page 9.

I've been posting for a year like this & my items in ---Recent-- were always in pages 1 thru 20. Now all of a sudden I'm in no mans land. If this is AI---count me out. Why are all the items mixed up---regular rings should be in regular rings, poison rings with poison rings, bracelets with bracelets & earrings with earrings etc.

I've been on this site for a year & have a whopping 41 sales---hardly worth the time & effort.

It's 2025 Etsy & surely you can do better than this.

[TheVintagePineapple]

It could be because almost every one of your listings start out with the same 3 words in the title, handmade sterling silver.  Why not mix them up and put the more important words first such as 'poison ring' or whatever gemstone is in them.  The same for the earrings' titles.  Get ''earrings'' closer to the beginning of the titles.

Ask for a Critique since there are other things that could be improved.

When you search for your own items and don't click on them, search will think you're not interested in them so they'll show you different ones from other shops.  That could be why you're finding them farther back in the search pages.

[925SilverSecrets]

Sorry but you missed my point completely---I'm not looking to be critiqued---Search is in shambles---I'm in---relevant--- but no longer in recent which was just fine for the last year---something major has changed

[HouseofWhisperingFir]

Indeed as @TheVintagePineapple   has replied, poison and ring should be mixed in the first few title words-( or whatever your main item subject is).

Edit: yes, I agree current search sucks................

[NancyQstudio]

Etsy is working on personalizing a shopper's search.  It's possible someone else is seeing the results differently.  Have you tried searching via a private window to see if there is a change?  I also get different results on the computer from the Etsy app when doing a search.  

Etsy is also trying to guide shoppers through Etsy Picks, the Home page and gift guide.  This has made things more difficult for sellers.  Thankfully, some shoppers still utilize a search bar.  

Here's an article about Etsy at a JP Morgan meeting: https://www.investing.com/news/transcripts/etsy-at-jpmorgan-conference-strategic-moves-amidst-ecomme... 

It discusses Etsy's AI Marketing Strategies.  Etsy is admitting to manipulating search, which we sellers have felt.  I found this article helpful in confirming what I suspected Etsy is doing.  

[HouseofWhisperingFir]

Thanks for sharing.  Just more Etsy talk - a lot of words, no real substance.

[925SilverSecrets]

Thank you for your polite, constructive reply & at least trying to help.

[cindylouwho2]

@NancyQstudio I am curious where you see in that transcript that Etsy is "manipulating" search? They just described the algorithmic changes they have made in the few years, which they have described elsewhere. They always change the search algorithm. 

(There's actually nothing new in the entire transcript, I think. Just the same stuff they have been saying for months and even years. I'm not even planning on writing a separate post on it; just a very short summary in my twice-a-week news update)

[NancyQstudio]

@cindylouwho2 Correct, this is not new information as Etsy is constantly updating algorithms.   But I found it clear, which was helpful.  Etsy is having AI determine what is "cool" for shoppers.  Etsy is "teaching" shoppers how to use the site.  In essence, Etsy is showing what they believe shoppers want to see via compiled research to provide individual shopping experiences.  This is what I felt Etsy was doing with its search system. 

[cindylouwho2]

@NancyQstudio I remember that part being more about browsing, not searching. All the data will be used in search eventually if they can make it work, of course, but that's not the only goal. They want to personalize everything on the site, even things they haven't invented yet. 

I don't think of that as manipulation, though. It's just another algorithm. 

[dorothydomingo]

I interpreted a few of the comments as a nudge-nudge wink-wink manipulation of search.

He talks about "collapsing real estate" in the Home page? Search? and then says "freed up a lot of screen real estate to show you things you didn’t know about Etsy."

So is he just talking about changing what the casual viewer sees when they land on the home page? Or is he talking about ignoring what a shopper actually searches for to show you stuff you didn't ask for?

I'm not clear which method of viewing he's talking about, and I think he's being deliberately vague.

[cindylouwho2]

@dorothydomingo he's talking about the home page, not changing the search ranking. It's mostly about discovery tools, so on the app there will be tabs etc. 

They've been outlining this for a while, so if you find this vague, look up all the other times it has been discussed. It might seem clearer there for you. 

[dorothydomingo]

@cindylouwho2  I do see where, right after that quote, he talks about "pulling out your phone, launch your Etsy app, look at the home screen". So that makes it a little clearer that he's specifically referring to casual users on the home screen in the app.

But so much of what he says is trying to have it both ways, especially regarding his prior casual dismissal of Etsy not really being about "handmade" anymore but then he's all about personalization and not being like other sites with searchable SKUs or model numbers.

I have a difficult time accepting that the methods he's referring to don't always bleed into search. But then I don't look at the buyer's app on my phone ever. I also know that whatever they've done with the app in the last 6 to 8 months has messed with my stats negatively so I hope some other seller is benefiting from my freed up screen real estate.

[PlatypusDream]

You posted on technical issues… but this isn’t a technical issue. Search is behaving exactly as designed.

Search is now more of a browsing style than exact keyword matching. It is run by AI, and will show you things based on your browsing and purchase history, as well as what items are popular on the site overall.

If you haven’t kept up to date with search engine changes with your shop and listings, you may find your shop has fewer sales.

That is why other posters were offering help with what could be updated.

Etsy does not listen to sellers complain about this. They have openly stated that they don’t care about sellers leaving - they call it “churn”.

Adapt or don’t… it’s up to you.

[925SilverSecrets]

Etsy does not listen to sellers complain about this. They have openly stated that they don’t care about sellers leaving - they call it “churn”.

Yes & that's EXACTLY THE PROBLEM

[timelapse]

@925SilverSecrets - it won't change unless someone with gazillions of bucks buys it and takes it private again. As long as they have to please their shareholders first and foremost, they won't care about sellers.

[ArtDollsbyJD]

@925SilverSecrets   Sorry but search is actually pretty decent especially when compared to other sites I use.

I just searched one of your rings without the Handmade...focusing on the important keywords and your items were on the front page. 

Frankly I would change titles and tags. 

Also limiting to US does mean fewer buyers.  Shipping internationally does open sellers up more.

And actually you have a decent amount of sales for a new seller.

[CrystalskyesHandDyed]

Search is definitely having a problem.  When searching for a specific item, like crochet baby dress, A1 is listing mostly patterns for crochet baby dresses, and not fully crochet baby dresses.  Test this for yourself.  Also, in search, it will only allow you to search 17 pages, and then it tries to get you to search something different.  

[MoonstruckCottage]

@ArtDollsbyJD 

Sorry but search is actually pretty decent especially when compared to other sites I use.

Are you including eBay when you say other sites? Just curious. When I search on eBay, I get exactly what I'm looking for. Here, search can be frustrating as hell. I hear complaints from friends and family on a regular basis.

[BagmakerSupply]

@925SilverSecrets: Because of "personalized searches" you can NOT rely on anyone's search results - particularly your own - to define how your listing is ranked. Even exact word matches to your title no longer ensure that you will appear in search. Plus when the algorithm keeps seeing that you are not purchasing the items it shows you it will eventually stop showing those items to you.

The old way of estimating ranking by searching for your item is dead. If everyone on this forum searched for the exact same phrase they would all get different results. The only way to know your listing's ranking would be for Etsy to share the algorithm but even that changes constantly as they tweak it.

Agreed that almost all sellers will agree that search is a shambles, but the current state of Etsy's organic search is a deliberate corporate design decision.  Etsy is proud of the fact that they provide search results which they think you will actually purchase regardless of what you actually searched for.

[StonesAndLeatherUS]

The search has been a big mess for a long time and it just keeps getting worse. AI and the bots think they know what you want to buy. And a bigger AI program is coming to (in my own opinion) really mess things up big time, more than they are now. Plus there is still too many fake handmade shops reselling and taking up space and spots.

[CanningCrafts]

I just did a search for "Handmade Sterling Silver Poison Rings" & you came up 3 times on page 1 for Most Relevant. When I switched to Newest, you had 10 items on page 1. We all get different search results. You might benefit more if your titles were more diversified. I see multiple items with the exact same title "Handmade Sterling Silver Garnet Poison Ring". So you're competing with yourself in search results.

[FallenAngelBrass]

@925SilverSecrets 

I see one of your rings in the second row on the first page when I search "Handmade Sterling Silver Poison Rings."

[decotini]

I did a search using your words - - and 14 of your shop listings came up on the first page, including one in the first line after the paid ads (line 2).

[925SilverSecrets]

That's puzzling because when I search under---Newest---my preferred search category---I don' see 1 of my listings in the first 10 pages. Since I opened my shop 1 year ago I would always list in the morning, afternoon & evening & would have listings in the--Newest--- category on every page 1 thru 20 at least. That's why I'm paying $40. a month in fees. Then there is the fact that there are all of a sudden more regular rings than poison rings mixed into search.