Does Zibbet do well in Google Searchs? A review and another few tests.

First off, please remember that Google remembers us and shows us what it thinks we want to see.  This means that searching for our own items is likely to result in artificial results for how our items are showing to our buyers.  For this reason, to run these tests, I use things that I don't sell.  I'd love to hear if your tests on someone else's items are similar or different from mine.

Fact.  As of today there are 839  listings for "lampwork earrings" on Zibbet.  I pick this because I'm a fan and often search for new ones to buy.  So I googled that term.  It's how I, as a buyer, shop for new earrings. It's not how Zibbet owner, Jonathan Peacock says buyers shop, but, hey.

So I searched for "lampwork earrings" and here's what I see. 

First I see...

that every page in Google search results shows photos of 4 different lampwork earrings from Etsy or another site, the PHOTOS of them are in the Google Shopping.  Zibbet does not provide this advertising to its customers like Etsy does.  (Although it advertised that it did when it wasn't (have screen shots, J and A)).   So in this search, on every page, I was shown different, gorgeous photos of lampwork earrings, 60 of them.  And if you click on one, you go right to that item to buy.

As a buyer, I probably wouldn't even bother scrolling down the regular search results, I've already clicked on a cute set of earrings I SAW and am shopping at their Etsy shop.  But say I did scroll down to "regular google".   In 15 pages, or 148 results, only ONE listing for a Zibbet item shows.  On page 4.  839 Zibbet listings, only one result in Google for as far as any buyer is likely to search.  Ahead of that lone Zibbet listing are etsy, ebay, alibaba, amazon, artfire, THE FIND.COM, etc.  and dozens and dozens of stand alone websites and blogs, flickr photos, etc.

 Get to the bottom off page 15, and Google gives this message:

In order to show you the most relevant results, we have omitted some entries very similar to the 148 already displayed.
If you like, you can repeat the search with the omitted results included.

 

Wha????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

 

Think your potential customer hasn't already clicked on someone else's by now?  That they are going to REPEAT the search?

Next, I took one of the "most relevant" of those earrings in the ZIBBET search and pasted the exact title into Google search.  "Lampwork Pink Rose Earrings".  The "long tail tag" search that Zibbet owner Jonathan Peacock claims will do the trick and get items from Zibbet found.  Also because they are darned cute!

There are 16 "lampwork pink rose earrings" items at Zibbet search results.  At google, however  10 pages later, those earrings never appeared.  NEVER.  Cut and pasted the exact title and it's invisible for 10 pages of google results!

Again, only ONE Zibbet item showed, on Page 5 (from one of my favorite sellers, yay!).  Curiously, the ONE Zibbet item that showed in Google doesn't show in Zibbet's Own SEARCH using the identical search terms! (they are stunning earrings, by the way!).

 By the time I got to the bottom of Page 10, some pretty non-relevant things were showing, things like photographs that included the words "pink" and "rose".  And again, I've been shown gorgeous lampwork pink rose earrings photos from Etsy.  44 of them.  Think I haven't already clicked on one and gone to Etsy to shop? 

 

SO WHY AREN'T ZIBBET ITEMS SHOWING ON GOOGLE???  WHAT is going on here???? 

But wait! Here's a work around solution provided in the Zibbet forums!  Apparently, NING, the independent site that hosts the Zibbet forums, is in better favor with google.  Because, if you post your items on the Ning-hosted Zibbet forums, they can be found by google!  Or you can post them on Pinterest or Flickr.  Where somehow, the search terms Jonathan Peacock thinks can't be found for our Zibbet items, CAN be found. 

Permalink Reply by foofoogal on Friday

I will say it again and have several times. 

Putting photos on the bottom of the Community board here on main page with a link and having people comment Google picks it up immediately. 

Extremely important tool like a Billboard IMHO. 

Sandy 

So why aren't our Zibbet showing on Google within a reasonable amount of pages?  Why do we have to use an independent site like Ning or Pinterest to capture Google's interest and then redirect to your Zibbet items?  Why isn't Zibbet capturing Google's interest?  (I am not saying the Zibbet items aren't picked up EVER on google, but the back of the pack is the opposite place we need to be!) And all the competitors, standalones and blogs seem to be able to?  People with zero IT, engineering skill or internet interfacing skill or even the ability to build their own sites, are getting found BEFORE ZIBBET.  Why? 

Ask the owners.  And demand a REAL answer.  Them telling you that YOU need to work on YOUR SEO is not it.  Ask them what, exactly, is the issue and what, exactly, Zibbet is doing about these dismal results? 

I'd ask them myself but I was muted from their forums for asking questions like that, apparently.

But, look.  Don't take my word for it.  Run these tests yourself (unless you sell lampwork or earrings, because your results will be substantially different).  Or pick other things BUYERS search for.

I'll publish your results.

Whether they agree with mine or not.

You have my word.  Because I'd just like to get to the bottom of this.  And again, I want my money back.

Zibbet Review: Owner Andrew Gray Characterizes Customers on Forums as "Trolls" while Publicly Declaring He Supports All Sellers

Zibbet owner Andrew Gray joined in a private, invitation only group to encourage the shunning and manipulation of forum threads started by those with questions about the site.  Or in this case a thread that thanked folks for asking those hard questions.  The "trolls" in other words.

Publicly, of course, he claimed he and CEO Jonathan Peacock welcomed robust discussion.  But manipulation of the forum to suppress that kind of discussion by not responding to it and to instead bump "positive" threads, is encouraged by him.  Don't have your magnifying glass?  Here's what he says:
"This is super good advice and will definitely help Zibbet to stay strong.  "Don't feed the trolls"  This is fabulous & profound and the same time. :) A."

And a member responds, "Andrew this group has done an amazing job starting last night keeping the positive threads up and not responding to the obvious baiting.  They did a great job for this community." (Baiting being a thread thanking people for asking hard questions).

To which, Andrew Gray says, "Absolutely!  Good work folks.  the future for the Zibbet community is unquestionably productive, helpful, professional and fun.  Death to petty bickering! A."

Now this is a rare find, this group's posts were super secret so the rest of us only surmised it was being done based on observation of its members and the owner.   It was not private for a while today and these posts were public for all to see.  I showed it on twitter, and whoops!  It suddenly disappeared.

So while Andrew Gray is plotting privately with SOME of his customers to shut up OTHER customers, he's posting this publicly.

3. Giving oxygen to the "us vs them" rhetoric will not be tolerated (by anyone)
4. There is no such thing as favourites with admin. This notion is plain ridiculous.

from his scolding "It's Real Simple" announcement. http://community.zibbet.com/forum/topics/it-s-real-simple

The Zibbet owner mocks the perception held by many of his customers that there is a concerted effort that includes him to divide and conquer the forums to suppress questions everyone has a right to have answered, and systematically mutes without warning to ensure it when he and his "favourites" in his secret hidey hole haven't done a good enough job of it.

And people ask me why I want my money back?  Besides he and Jonathan Peacock saying they were submitting my items to 20 million buyers on The Find.com, when they weren't?   And concealed that info til outed?  $237.  I want it back.  These are not people I want to do business with.