Reading the eBay Seller Hub traffic report: impressions, views, click-through and conversion
In short
The eBay Seller Hub traffic report, under Performance then Traffic, shows impressions, page views, quantities sold, average click-through rate and average sales conversion, with comparisons over periods of up to 90 days. Read it as a funnel: impressions show reach, click-through shows whether buyers pick you in search, and conversion shows whether the listing closes the sale.
Key takeaways
- The traffic report is in Seller Hub under Performance, then Traffic, with comparisons for periods of up to 90 days.
- It shows impressions, page views, quantities sold, average click-through rate and average sales conversion.
- Low click-through points to what buyers see in search; low conversion points to the listing page itself.
- Each listing's view count opens a traffic history going back up to two years, split by ad and non-ad views.
- Compare your own numbers over time and by listing group rather than with outside benchmarks.
Where is the eBay Seller Hub traffic report?
The eBay Seller Hub traffic report sits on the Performance tab: open Seller Hub, select Performance, then Traffic. eBay's seller handbook describes it as high-level metrics for your listings: impressions, page views, quantities sold, average click-through rate and average sales conversion, with comparisons for periods of up to 90 days and a download option. eBay's Seller Hub help page adds that the Performance tab also shows buyer traffic sources, and that you need at least one sale to use Seller Hub.
The report is most useful when you read it as a funnel, from being seen to being bought, and look for the step where buyers drop away. This guide explains each number, how they connect and what to change when one is weak.
What does each number in the traffic report mean?
| Metric | Plain meaning | What it mainly tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Impressions | How often your listings were shown to buyers, for example in search results | Reach: are buyers finding you? |
| Page views | How often someone opened a listing | Interest |
| Click-through rate | The share of impressions that turned into a view | Whether buyers choose you from the results |
| Quantity sold | Units sold in the period | The outcome |
| Sales conversion | The share of views that turned into a sale | Whether the listing closes the sale |
How eBay counts page views
eBay's page views page gives the detail. A view is counted when someone opens your listing on the website or app. If the same person leaves and comes back, that is a second view. Search results that were not clicked do not count, your own views when logged in do not count, and eBay filters bot traffic both in real time and in a later daily check, so counts can fall slightly after the event. For a fixed-price listing active over 30 days, the view count shown on the listing is a rolling 30-day figure.
For one listing, clicking its view count opens the Listing Traffic History Report, which goes back as far as two years and splits views from Promoted Listings ads from other views.
How do you read the report as a funnel?
Each step depends on the one before. A weak number tells you where to look:
- Low impressions: buyers are not being shown your listings. Look at titles, categories, item specifics and how many listings you have in demand categories.
- Good impressions, low click-through: buyers see you but choose someone else. Look at what shows in search results: the main photo, the title's first words, the total price including postage and the delivery date.
- Good views, low conversion: buyers open the listing but do not buy. Look at the price against sold totals, the photos, the description, return terms and seller feedback.
Our guides to getting more views on eBay listings and to views but no sales cover the fixes for steps 1 and 2, and step 3, in depth.
A worked example
Example: suppose your traffic report for the last 30 days shows:
- 100,000 impressions;
- 1,000 page views, so a click-through rate of 1%;
- 20 items sold, so a sales conversion of 2% of views.
Compare with the previous 30 days: 100,000 impressions, 1,500 views (1.5%) and 30 sold (2%). Impressions are flat and conversion is flat, but click-through has fallen by a third. In this hypothetical case, the problem sits in search results, not on the listing pages. Likely causes are a competitor undercutting your total price, a slower delivery date than before, or a change to your main photos. Checking those first is far quicker than rewriting descriptions that were converting as well as ever.
What should you compare the numbers with?
A single month's figures mean little on their own. Compare them with:
- Your own previous period. Use the comparison option for the same length of period, up to 90 days.
- The same period last year, for seasonal products, so a December peak is not compared with a quiet November.
- Listing groups. Download the report and compare categories or product lines with each other. A store average can hide one range doing very badly.
- Before and after a change. Note the date of every change to titles, prices or postage so you can see its effect.
There is no single good click-through or conversion rate. They vary by category, price and how many competing listings there are. Track the direction of your own numbers, not an outside benchmark.
What else in Seller Hub helps you read traffic?
Traffic sources
The Performance tab shows where buyer traffic comes from. If most views come from eBay search, titles and item specifics are your main levers. If a large share comes from promoted placements, your sales depend partly on ad spend, and you should check that the ad cost is inside your margin.
Promoted Listings figures
Promoted Listings reports, under Marketing, use the word clicks rather than page views. With a general campaign you pay an ad fee only when a promoted item sells within 30 days of a click on the ad. Comparing promoted and non-promoted views in the Listing Traffic History Report shows how much of a listing's traffic the ads are bringing.
Listing quality report
eBay's handbook says the listing quality report, downloadable from the Performance tab, shows sellers how to improve listings on a particular eBay site, and is available to shop subscribers. Use it alongside the traffic report: one shows where buyers drop away, the other suggests what to fix.
What do sudden changes in the report usually mean?
When a number moves sharply, the pattern of what moved with it usually points to the cause. These are the common patterns and the first thing to check for each:
| Pattern | First thing to check |
|---|---|
| Impressions fall across the whole store | Season, ended or out-of-stock listings, or a paused ad campaign |
| Impressions fall for one product group | Recent title or category changes, or new competing listings |
| Click-through falls, impressions steady | Your total price and delivery date against the listings around yours |
| Conversion falls, views steady | A price rise, a postage change, a changed return policy or new negative feedback |
| Views rise, sales flat | Traffic from a new source, such as ads, that is less ready to buy |
Check one cause at a time and change one thing at a time. If you change the title, price and photos on the same day, the next report cannot tell you which change worked.
Look past store averages
Averages hide detail. A store with a steady average conversion can have one range improving and another collapsing. The download lets you sort by listing, so start each monthly check with the listings that had the most impressions and the fewest sales: they have the most to gain from a fix.
On eBay US
eBay.com's Seller Hub has a similar Performance area, but menu names and details can differ between sites and change over time. If you sell on both, read each marketplace's report separately, because buyers, competition and delivery dates differ, and a combined view can hide a problem on one site.
How often should you check the traffic report?
- Weekly: a quick look at the totals against last week, to catch a sudden fall.
- Monthly: a download and a comparison by listing group, then two or three changes on the weakest group.
- After each significant change: two to four weeks later, compare before and after for the listings affected.
Our guide to eBay analytics tools covers the other numbers worth tracking alongside traffic.
A traffic report routine
- Open Seller Hub, then Performance, then Traffic.
- Set the period and compare it with the previous one of the same length.
- Note impressions, click-through rate and sales conversion.
- Find the weakest step in the funnel.
- Download the report and find the listing groups that cause it.
- Make one change per group, matched to the weak step, and note the date.
- Check again in two to four weeks.
Read this way, the traffic report stops being a page of figures and becomes a short list of the next things to fix.
Frequently asked questions
Why are my impressions high but views low?
Buyers are seeing your listings in results but choosing others. Check the main photo, the start of the title, the total price including postage and the delivery date against the listings around yours.
Do my own visits count as page views?
No. eBay says views of your own listing while you are logged in do not count. Bot traffic is also filtered out, which is why counts can fall slightly after a day.
Can I see traffic for a single listing?
Yes. Click the page view count on a listing in Seller Hub to open its Listing Traffic History Report, which covers up to two years and splits ad views from other views.
Why can I not see the traffic report?
eBay says you need at least one sale to use Seller Hub. Once you have a sale, the Performance tab and its traffic report become available.