Anyone else noticed their items ranking poorly in best match searches?

[shoaltech]

I regularly check where my listings sit in searches when using the best match sorting method. My two main items have been sitting at the very top of page one (positions 1 and 2) for many months. As of yesterday, when I perform the same search I always do, my listings are buried near the bottom of page 2. I can find no reason for this change. There has been no change to the listings themselves, or in my account in any way. No defects of any kind, no negs, nothing.

Has anyone else experienced the same thing?

[twyngwyn]

the 'rules' are ambiguous at best:

Optimising your listings for Best Match | eBay

see here:

eBay Now Uses Price in Best Match Search Algorithm (ecommercebytes.com)

[davewil1964]

I don't check my listings anonymously.

I don't really care where they sit in 'best match'.

Somebody buys, I pack and post.

No point sweating the small stuff.

[love_of_cars]

Isn't there the Promoted Listings thing these days?  I've never really looked into it as the things I sell are quite specific and don't need boosting, but as I understand it the feature allows sellers to get on top of other sellers by paying to promote their listings.

Could be the reason you're seeing it happen?

[offroad7400]

The 'Best Match' search algorithm is a very complex piece of well guarded software and data.  No doubt having your item in the first page of 25 listings is gold.  The results will differ hour to hour, device to device, location to location.  I find it best to use an anonymous device outside your normal network to check  your rankings (I use the gym machines).

Also take into account 'SWAT' and those threats could simply be random throw ins or Sellers who have added in good Item Specifics.  Recently we re-wrote all our listings to make them mobile friendly, removing all superfluous words.  Three out of five sales are done using mobile devices.  Many Sellers have not updated their listings in years and originally wrote them for big PC and laptop screens, but when you view them on a mobile they look clunky.

Currently we have 11 listings of 25 items on first page of 'Best Match' but again that can differ buyer to buyer.  By far the most important specific is the words in your description which is heavily weighted in the search results.

Your best friend is the Traffic Report under Performance tab.

[shoaltech]

offroad7400, thanks for the great info. I agree best match results can vary depending on many factors. Even using different browsers on the same device, results can vary greatly. According to the traffic report, not much has changed - impressions slightly up, clicks slightly down. But sales are hugely down. Also, there's been a big decrease in messages from potential buyers. Yet the traffic reports says not much has changed. It's a bit confusing.