eBay

pierrelebel · ‎09-08-2015

Signs of Hope for eBay's Exposure in Google Search

By Ina Steiner
EcommerceBytes.com
September 08, 2015

http://www.ecommercebytes.com/cab/abn/y15/m09/i08/s02

triber · ‎09-08-2015

I have noticed this recently, not so much with my own listings, but looking for for comps when pricing. Sometimes eBay listings are coming up first on a Google search.

art-in-the-making · ‎09-08-2015

i don't know how ebay tolerates google's behaviour.

I can easily do numerous examples of searches where google brings stuff up on poor quality sites way ahead of ebay item placement

considering ebay's size and number of listings it should be far more high profile in google searches

pierrelebel · ‎09-08-2015

"i don't know how ebay tolerates google's behaviour."

What do you mean?

Google is a very large company with a market capitalization of over US$430 billions

eBay is a large company with a market capitalization of about US$32 billions

In other words, Google is twelve times bigger than eBay. The business model at Google is to get money from advertisers on their search result pages. The more money eBay gives Google, the better the placement for eBay.

It is all about money and nothing but money.

art-in-the-making · ‎09-08-2015

I don't know what ebay could or should do - but it just seems to me like they caved in to google far too easily and have just continued in this impotent mode for years for no reason

Citing the market cap is of little value. I know a small business person who sued one of Canada's wealthiest moguls over a business deal and won.

Maybe ebay actually likes it the way it is. i.e. - if you are looking for something specific, it is still often far more effective to search on eBay than it is on google. If you knew everything from eBay would come up on Google right away - you would be less likely to go to ebay's site to look for anything.

pierrelebel · ‎09-08-2015

" it is still often far more effective to search on eBay than it is on google. "

That is correct.

In the "good old days" when eBay offered Omniture traffic results, traffic coming from Google for my listings was a small fraction of the overall results. I understand other sellers may have different results.

The way I have seen it for seventeen years is that if someone wants to buy on eBay, they search for that product on eBay, not Google or any other search engine (Yahoo, Bing, etc...).

momcqueen · ‎09-08-2015

@pierrelebel wrote:..... In other words, Google is twelve times bigger than eBay. The business model at Google is to get money from advertisers on their search result pages. The more money eBay gives Google, the better the placement for eBay.

It is all about money and nothing but money.

Exactly.

Even companies as big as Apple don't fare well when they try to tangle with Google. (Think the trainwreck that was Apple Maps.) eBay needs to throw gold, wine, women whatever at Google, plain and simple. The transient nature of auctions doesn't help much, either. There is only one way to deal with Google and that is to give them whatever they ask for and hope they don't decide to squish you anyway. They are too big, all all-powerful and too all-encompassing to be treated any differently. This is their moment.

rose-dee · ‎09-08-2015

Yes, Google will soon rule many aspects of our lives, directly or indirectly. They will become the arbiter of everything.

I don't know how new this is, but I recently noticed that when I did a search on Google by keyword(s) relevant to my categories, in addition to the drop-down list (which I notice includes some of my eBay listings), and the usual results lists, there is a pane to the right with actual thumbnails of items for sale. When you click, you're taken directly to the listing in whatever online store it may be located -- I didn't see any for eBay.

They apparently call this "googleleadservices" -- you'll see that URL zip quickly by before you're dropped onto the relevant listing.

With so many sellers out there paying for this kind of exposure, it's no wonder that "regular" search results aren't getting buyers' attention.

momcqueen · ‎09-08-2015

Oh yes, I did notice that. I believe it began recently, within only the past few weeks. Or at least that is the first time it caught my attention.

I honestly thought those barges that Google had built off the East and West Coasts a few years ago were secret headquarters from which they planned to overtake all forms of worldly government. (I'm just kidding.... but wait, now there's men in black suits with earpieces knocking at my door.....)

pocomocomputing · ‎09-08-2015

@mjwl2006 wrote:
Oh yes, I did notice that. I believe it began recently, within only the past few weeks. Or at least that is the first time it caught my attention.

I honestly thought those barges that Google had built off the East and West Coasts a few years ago were secret headquarters from which they planned to overtake all forms of worldly government. (I'm just kidding.... but wait, now there's men in black suits with earpieces knocking at my door.....)

Worry more about the men in white suits with "butterfly" nets knocking at your door.

rose-dee · ‎09-08-2015

It's when they start dropping out of the sky (from the Google drones) that we'll all need to run..... run.... RUN...!!!!

momcqueen · ‎09-09-2015

@pocomocomputing wrote:
@mjwl2006 wrote:
Oh yes, I did notice that. I believe it began recently, within only the past few weeks. Or at least that is the first time it caught my attention.

I honestly thought those barges that Google had built off the East and West Coasts a few years ago were secret headquarters from which they planned to overtake all forms of worldly government. (I'm just kidding.... but wait, now there's men in black suits with earpieces knocking at my door.....)
Worry more about the men in white suits with "butterfly" nets knocking at your door.

Heh heh, yes. I'm certain they'll be back soon. My tinfoil hat tells me so. (((Eyes dart nervously.)))