Does number of views influence best match algorithm?
I read somewhere on the internet that the number of views will influence the best match algorithm. Does anyone know if this is true? I'd like to know if it specifically pertains to auctions as I only list in this format.
43 comments
luckythewinner
·1 year agoBest Match is a weighted scoring system that considers dozens if not hundreds of factors.
Some of those factors have been reported by eBay over the years ... such as price; return policy; free shipping; time remaining; seller rating; distance from buyer to seller; item specifics; etc.
I have to imagine that if number of views is considered in the algorithm, it would not have very much impact.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoI doubt these are all weighted the same, though. It doesn't matter how much free shipping and item specifics occur if views are consistent with lack of interest upon viewing - that will drag down the entire listing. It's why having a desirable item trumps pretty much everything else.
luckythewinner
·1 year agoIn my post, I said it was a weighted scoring system.
If they are all weighted the same, it would not be weighted scoring system ... 🤔
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoPlease re-read your post - it implies that because there are so many different procedures in an algorithm, you doubt if 'views' mean much. I was trying to clarify that I think they do.
gurlcat
·1 year agoI have yet to see anyone say why they don't think eBay would prioritize showing high-view listings (and again, I don't mean high views that accumulated over a long time, but quickly, showing lots of immediate interest from buyers).
So as to take my jewelry interest bias out of the picture, let's say I collect "Zippo lighters" and use that as my search term, sorted by Best Match, without doing any left-screen refinements for any of the criteria you mentioned, because supposedly eBay will sort results assuming that I find those factors important.
If that were true, then why would the mere 60 results on Page 1 (out of 85,000 Zippo lighter listings) include ones like these? -Both are several hundred miles from me, neither accept returns, neither have free shipping (in fact both have high shipping, one atrociously so), neither have perfect feedback (and one is pretty atrocious), neither have any item specifics besides category and condition, and both are far from the lowest prices.
Sure maybe eBay could have dozens or hundreds of criteria in the algorithm, and we could speculate on what they might be ... but it would be absurd to ignore the thing they went so far as to reveal in the thumbnail, bolded: the number of watchers, which ties to number of views.
These otherwise crappy listings are on Page 1 because they're HOT, and eBay will keep prioritizing them until either someone buys them or the attention fades.
reallynicestamps
·1 year agospecifically pertains to auctions as I only list in this format.
Buyers don't like auctions and many of the Views you get will be useless because the buyer doesn't want to wait around for seven days to learn they have lost.
That's why "Newly Listed" and "About to Close" are popular Searches.
Viewers view.
Watchers watch.
Buyers buy.
ten_o_nine
·1 year agoI don't think views directly impact the best match algorithm. From what I understand, eBay's algorithm prioritizes demand, relevance, and other factors like price and seller performance. Whether you're listing in auction or fixed-price format, focusing on providing accurate and detailed descriptions, as well as competitive pricing, can help improve visibility in search results.
gurlcat
·1 year agoeBay might be motivated to show buyers competitively priced can openers or DVD's, but in categories like collectibles and popular fashion (which the listing I mentioned in message 24 is kind of a combination of both those things), buyers with money to spend don't want cheap; they want 'wow.' That brooch is definitely on the higher end of prices, but still remains on page 1 in Best Match. There is no way that could be true without accounting for how much attention it is getting from buyers.
I don't understand why anybody here doubts that views are important (if not paramount) in BM placement. Other than actually being a good "match" of the search term, what else would a smart business want to make most visible beside what people obviously want to look at? I do think @chapeau-noir is correct about a fall-off over time, and that would make sense if the item only got lots of views at first, but then the frequency tapered off, which would most likely indicate the item being a bit overpriced, or maybe some other deal-breaker that buyers don't see until they view the whole listing.
You know what wouldn't surprise me? If repeat buyer views are part of the algorithm. Listings that people can't help but come back to and look at again - that not only tells eBay people are really thinking about pulling the trigger and buying; it's also a listing bringing buyers back to the platform, period. Even a buyer who knows they're only gawking with no intent to buy, may come to gawk again, and then buy a can opener or DVD.
Picture a downtown or mall store of any kind of merchandise. What goes in the display window, practical or sexy, affordable or enviable, trustworthy or legendary?
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year agoluckythewinner
·1 year agoYou know what wouldn't surprise me? If repeat buyer views are part of the algorithm. Listings that people can't help but come back to and look at again
It would surprise me if eBay prioritized repeat views by the same account. IMHO that would lend itself to manipulation by unscrupulous sellers.
I have yet to see anyone say why they don't think eBay would prioritize showing high-view listings (and again, I don't mean high views that accumulated over a long time, but quickly, showing lots of immediate interest from buyers).
If you recall, the OP was asking about auctions, not fixed price listings. In the case of auctions, I would think that the number of bids would be a far more effective way to judge interest rather than the number of views. I would also think the number of watchers would be a better way to judge interest instead of the number of views, too.
gurlcat
·1 year agoFair points! And I am usually one to be a stickler about answering what an OP actually asked, not something else, so shame on me, LOL. (Actually I think I either didn't fully read the post or read it while distracted, which is just as bad as mindfully sidelining).
And I bet you're right that watchers (and probably repeat same-account views) are weighted more heavily than single views, because so many times a listing turns out to be way less appealing than its' search thumbnail (the tiny size of the thumbnail photo alone can be deceiving, not to mention a load of other deal-breakers a buyer might find in the listing). But watchers and repeat-viewers signal real interest.
-I would think those might even outweigh the relevancy of bids on auctions, because so many buyers don't want to bid until the last day or even the final seconds, so they put it on Watch until then, maybe checking now and then to see how high the bids are going.
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year ago@mam98031 In one of the posts, you mentioned, sorry I don't have time to find it right now, but you said that the Sort Order on Search is sticky. I have NEVER had it be sticky. Not when it was first introduced & not 30 seconds ago, when I tested it to see if something changed. Is there perhaps a setting or something that I'm not aware of? How are you getting yours to be sticky?
mam98031
·1 year agoNo. You may need to report it. Mine has been sticky for a very long time. I remember a couple years ago or so that all of a sudden it wasn't sticky but a couple weeks later it was back to normal. At least normal for me.
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year ago@mam98031 That's wild, from day 1 it has never been sticky for me & it still isn't & I've heard the same from other users. I wasn't aware that it was actually sticky for anyone, so I'm not sure there's anything to report. Just to be clear, you're saying you do a search, change the sort order, then get out of eBay, go back in & you still have the same sort order? Mine isn't even sticky if I change SCREENS & go back & never has been. It ALWAYS defaults to Best Match, even if I just go to another screen & come back & do the same sort. You can change screens or get out & go back & it retains your sort order preference? Can you double check? This would blow me away if it's true!
mam98031
·1 year agoMine is sticky. Whatever I select my search to sort by, will be the same the next time I go in and search for something unless I change it.
gurlcat
·1 year agoHeck yeah it does, but not just total views as a raw number, but rather views per time, or in other words, quickly-accumulating views after listing. This is why I don't recommend listing in the middle of the night when people are sleeping, better to post when they might see your item and click on it.
Quickly-accumulating watchers might help too, hard to say because those two things tend to go hand-in-hand.
Anyway if you want proof, here you go.
A friend listed a very desirable Trifari brooch Tuesday. There are a bazillion Trifari brooches out there, 27,000 current listings on eBay alone. So many that even with that one being only 5 days old, it's on page 13 of a 'Trifari brooch' general search, sorted by Newly Listed.
But sorted by 'Best Match' ..... well I checked from both my accounts just now, and on one I saw it listed 6th from the top of Page 1, and the other 7th. -And NO, not as a sponsored listing. I don't know how many views it has at this point, but I know it already has 24 watchers (I believe like 11 of them were on day one).
So you tell me, if it's not buyer interest keeping it at the top of Best Match, then what else could it be?
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year agoIDK about auctions specifically, though but logically speaking, from a former programmer's POV, there wouldn't be a separate search algorithm for different types of listings, there would only be one. We have been told in the past that hits affect placement, but along with 256 or so other factors. Most of them are kept secret & certainly the weight factors of each one is a secret. But we have for sure heard that it can affect placement & that can be both positively & negatively. In other words, lots of views are not always = good. Lots of views with many sales can be good, lots of views with no sales, can be bad (that applies more to FP).
However, I don't work for eBay & I don't know for sure, I'm just talking from a general programming standpoint & also from info that eBay has shared in the past.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoWhen people search for hats and up come car tires, I show them how to get out of best match.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoMost people who get that result, do not come to this forum to be advised.
Most Ebay buyers do not visit the Ebay forums.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year ago@mozartbach1971
Amazon pioneered ignoring the basic rules of SEO. its A9 Search was optimized to display the items based on their likelihood of selling. Ebay's Best Match attempts to emulate that behavior.
This link is to the Ebay recommendations for optimizing for best match
https://www.ebay.com/help/selling/listings/listing-tips/optimising-listings-best-match?id=4166&st=3&pos=1&query=Optimizing%20your%20listings%20for%20Best%20Match&intent=best%20match&lucenceai=lucenceai&docId=HELP1086
The following extract answers your question
Our Best Match algorithm—the formula eBay uses to sort listings—considers a number of different factors. These include:
How Ebay measures "How Popular the item is" is unknown but the number of views may be an input to that factor.
mam98031
·1 year agoIt would be my guess that most buyers do not search using Best Match, but more likely low to high. I don't have any stats on that, just my guess.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year ago@mam98031
I respectfully disagree.
Many buyers do not search low to high for very good reasons
1. They always use the default search which is Best Match. They take the path of least resistance.
2. They use broader searches than they should and often the cheapest offers are the least relevant
3. Condition often influences price and if they are collectors condition is often their major concern.
4. Scummy sellers create variation listing which include a low-ball irrelevant variant to skew the placement in a low to high search.
5. Scummy sellers lowball their prices, and then fail to deliver.
As is often the case, there are no rules of thumb for Ebay. Everything depends on what category you are dealing with.
mam98031
·1 year agoAnd I respectfully disagree with you.
Members have the option to select how they want a search to return from the options on the upper right side of the search return pages. A member can select whatever format they want from the options. That remains sticky until the member changes it to something else.
So while new buyers may search by Best Match, it is my opinion that those that have a little experience with the site do not.
As far as scamming on the site, it is an equal opportunity situation as both buyers and sellers participate in to take advantage of some other member.
my-cottage-books-and-antiques
·1 year ago@mam98031 some years ago eBay actually provided the percentage of searches using Best Match. As I recall, it was above 90 %. Whether that has changed much since then, I don't know
mam98031
·1 year agoDepends on how many years ago. Certainly things change over time, people get more use to shopping on the internet, so they find the most efficient ways for them to shop. I'm confident in saying it has changed over time.
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year ago@mam98031 @my-cottage-books-and-antiques I heard a number fairly recently, though I don't recall where I heard it, maybe at Open, but it was in the neighborhood of 74-80%. It was very high. Which is exactly what I'd expect as a programmer. Most people don't even realize they can change the sort order & even of the people who do, most people are too lazy to do it or don't see a need. LOL, I know I can do it & I do on occasion for a specific reason, but 99% of the time, even I leave it at BM.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoThey can choose but most do not for the reasons I noted.
It is not like the days when Ebay was the greatest entertainment on the internet. Ebay is just another way to spend your money and move on to something more worthy of your time and more interesting.
mam98031
·1 year agoIDK, I have not facts to back it up. Google AI says: Most buyers on eBay likely do not rely solely on the default "Best Match" sort, but rather change the sort order to "lowest price," "ending soonest," or "newly listed" to find desired items. While Best Match is the default setting and aims to show the most relevant and likely-to-sell items, many buyers prefer to actively filter results based on price or listing time rather than accepting the algorithm's personalized recommendations.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoGoogle AI is not facts. Its results are influenced by posts like yours and mine on this forum.
The current state of the art of large model AI cannot differentiate between truth and lies in its training materials.
In researching some Broadway plays both GoogleAI and Chatgpt yield results which conflict with IBDB and the Playbill databases which are extremely reliable sources. The AI programs use incorrect information from Wikipedia to get their result.
If someone did a search for hats and bought a tire, that will influence Best Match and would also influence a more sophisticated AI product.
You do not want to recognize that some level of error comes with the use of technology, unless it suits your argument.
The truth of the matter is more sellers complain about the Ebay and Amazon searches than buyers because they feel they are not getting their just placement.
And a further truth is that many products are not going to be efficiently located by buyers using any search. They sell based on aesthetic characteristics and words are not a substitute for aesthetics when shopping.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoAmazon simply adapted the basic rules of SEO to sales rather than information.
tobaccocardyahoo
·1 year agoHardly, the A9 search was extremely controversial because it used parameters not found in the search terms or the listings.
It used history of what was purchased when a particular search was done, for example.
Amazon sellers have been complaining for years that their standard SEO does not yield the search results they expect.
And Amazon made it exceptionally clear that attempting to use standard SEO would not be effective.
Spamming keywords like classic SEO reduces your chances of selling on Amazon. It might just do that on Ebay too.
mozartbach1971
OP1 year agoOur Best Match algorithm—the formula eBay uses to sort listings—considers a number of different factors. These include:
How Ebay measures "How Popular the item is" is unknown but the number of views may be an input to that factor.
In regards to "Your track record as a seller" Does this include the dollar amount of your sales? In other words if you had eight hundred dollars in sales the past week, would you get better search results opposed to if you had only a hundred dollars in sales?
meme6253
·1 year agoYou can't trust everything you read,Especially from the internet, But to possibly get an answer to your question, You would need to be able to talk to the Tech staff at Ebay, I doubt if anyone here would be able to properly answer your question.
mam98031
·1 year agoThat would not help. This is a closely held secret by Ebay and understandably so. If this was known, it could be used and abused.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoIt's always changing, anyway, with procedures being rewritten, metric status changing, etc.
There are basic rules of SEO (as they stand now) that can pretty well clue one in as to general function, though - eBay's search algorithm is not going to deviate from the basics even if the details do, and OP's was a very basic question.
If I have something with many views but no purchase, I redo the listing.
chapeau-noir
·1 year agoIf a listing has many views and no purchase, the scenario is that the item in question will steadily fall in placement due to relevancy (or lack thereof).
mozartbach1971
OP1 year agoIf a listing has many views and no purchase, the scenario is that the item in question will steadily fall in placement due to relevancy (or lack thereof).
I only run auctions would this rule apply to auctions?
simply-the-best-for-you
·1 year agoIt's not a "rule" & I addressed this in my reply to you. As I already stated, it's less likely to apply to auctions, than to apply to MV/MQ FP listings. As I also said, no one really is privy to this b/c eBay does not publish it. You may want to check out my post 23, where I explained that mo' watchers (or views) does not necessarily = mo' betta. There are a lot more variables that come into play.
mam98031
·1 year ago@mozartbach1971
There are very few things that we know for sure affecting the algorithm. This is a closely held secret by Ebay.
inhawaii
·1 year agoUnless you get a ebay employee to answer you, I doubt you will get a (accurate) answer to this question.