If your advert does not appear in the search results, this does not automatically mean that it has been deleted or that there is a technical fault. First, check the status of the advert and the advert type selected on the search page. Then check the search term, the category, the location, the search radius and all other filters.
Important: The search on suchen.expert only searches the advert type you are currently viewing. The sorting option then only determines the order of the adverts that already match your search and the selected filters.
What should I check first?
Check the following one by one:
- Is the advert set to ‘Active’ in your account?
- Have you selected the correct advert type on the search page?
- Are you using a suitable and correctly spelt search term?
- Are any filters from a previous search still active?
- Are the category, location and search radius correct?
- Has a time period or other criterion been selected that excludes your advert?
- Is the advert still current and available?
- Has the search page been reloaded since the last change?
Even a single mismatch can prevent an advert from appearing in a particular results list.
Does the search scan all advert types at the same time?
No. The search only ever takes into account the currently selected advert type.
Advert types include:
- Lost
- Found
- Free to a good home
- Incidents
- Services
- Marketplace
- Events
For example, if an advert has been published under ‘Marketplace’, it will not be found while ‘Lost’, ‘Found’ or another advert type is selected on the search page.
First switch to ‘Marketplace’ and run the search there again.
The same applies to all other advert types. An advert for a service is only searched for within the ‘Services’ advert type. An event must be searched for under ‘Events’.
What status must my advert have?
An advert must always be active in order to appear in search results as normal. However, the status alone does not guarantee that it will be displayed in every search. The advert type, search term, category, location, search radius and other filters must also match the advert.
The most important status indicators are as follows:
- Active: The advert has been published and may appear in relevant search results.
- Pending: The review or processing has not yet been completed. In the meantime, the advert will not yet appear as an active advert in the regular search results.
- Rejected: The advert has not been published. Check the reason given, correct the relevant details and resubmit it using the function provided.
- Deactivated: The advert is currently inactive and is therefore not displayed in the regular search results. If the offer is still valid, you can reactivate it via the advert management section, provided that the relevant function is available.
- Deleted: A deleted advert no longer appears as an active search result. If you wish to republish the offer, you may need to create a new advert with up-to-date details.
- Archived: An archived advert is not treated in the same way as an active advert in the standard search results. Check in the advert management section to see if it can be put back online.
Following editing, reactivation or republishing, a further review may be required.
Further information:
Why might an active advert still be missing from a search result?
An active advert may be missing from a particular list of results if:
- a different advert type has been selected,
- the search term does not match the advert,
- the search term contains a typo,
- a search phrase that is too long or too specific has been used,
- a different category or subcategory has been selected,
- the specified location or search radius excludes the advert,
- a price, time period or feature filter does not match the advert,
- filters from a previous search are still active,
- the selected availability or date does not match,
- the advert appears further down the sorted results list,
- the page has not yet been reloaded following approval or a change.
Reset your search step by step. First, select only the correct advert type and use as few restrictions as possible. Then activate additional filters one by one.
How should I check the search term?
Start with a short, unambiguous term that actually matches the item or service on offer.
Check:
- the correct spelling,
- singular and plural forms,
- terms written as compounds or as separate words,
- common synonyms,
- alternative names,
- model or product names,
- unnecessary special characters,
- additional words that might narrow the search down too much.
For example, do not search for a very long phrase straight away. For a bicycle, start with ‘bicycle’ and then add the make, model, colour or size.
If the search page allows you to search without entering a term, you can try removing the search term entirely. Then check whether the advert appears with the correct advert type, the appropriate category and the correct search area.
Do not use long strings of repeated search terms, hashtags or inappropriate terms. Such details make an advert harder to understand and do not guarantee better discoverability.
Further information:
How can I make sure my advert is easy to find in the search results? Can I use hashtags or keywords?
How do I check the category and other filters?
The search criteria and filters together determine which adverts are eligible as results. Even a single inappropriate filter can exclude your advert.
Depending on the advert type, check:
- category,
- subcategory,
- type of offer,
- price range,
- condition,
- time period,
- date,
- provider type,
- additional features,
- other type-specific filters.
Reset all additional filters as a test. Then select only the correct advert type and search again.
Then add the desired filters one by one. After each step, check whether the advert still appears. This way, you can identify which filter is excluding the advert.
Please note that certain filters from a previous search may still be selected. Therefore, check not only the visible search term, but all the search criteria currently set.
How do I check the location and search radius?
If the selected advert type allows filtering by location or distance, the location and search radius must match the advert.
Check:
- which location is saved in the advert,
- which location has been selected on the search page,
- whether the search radius is large enough,
- whether the correct postcode is being used,
- whether a place with a similar name has been selected,
- whether a saved location from a previous search has been carried over,
- whether automatic location detection is using a different place,
- whether a location filter is completely excluding the advert.
Try increasing the search radius or removing the location restriction, provided the search page offers this option for the selected advert type.
Only change the advert’s location if the information stored there is actually incorrect. Do not enter an incorrect location simply to make the advert appear in a different search area.
What role do the time period, availability and end date play?
For time-sensitive offers, additional details may determine whether an advert matches a search.
Check:
- whether the start of the offer is in the future,
- whether an end date has already passed,
- whether the advert is still available,
- whether a selected time period filter matches the offer,
- whether the correct event date has been entered for an event,
- whether the advert was automatically deactivated or archived after it ended,
- whether the date and availability are still up to date following a change.
Try removing or expanding the time-period filter. If the offer is still available, correct any inaccurate or expired details in advert management.
Does the sort order affect whether my advert is found?
The sort order does not determine whether an advert meets the search criteria. It only determines the order of results that already match them.
The following factors are particularly decisive for the selection of results:
- the currently selected advert type,
- the search term entered,
- the selected category,
- the location and search radius,
- the active filters,
- the details saved for the advert.
Only then does the selected sort order arrange the relevant results.
A different sort order may therefore display your advert at a different position in the results list. However, it cannot include an advert if it has been excluded on the basis of the advert type, the search term or a filter.
You should therefore also scroll through the rest of the results list. A specific position or an advert appearing on the first visible page cannot be guaranteed.
Does a paid highlight improve the position in the search results?
A paid highlight is no substitute for relevant search criteria.
At present, payment does not influence the order of search results. An additional service therefore does not affect whether an advert is selected as a result based on the advert type, search term and filters, nor does it currently improve its position in the sorted results list.
Visibility should therefore not be assessed on the basis of an expected paid position. Instead, check the advert type, status, search term and filters.
What happens after publication or editing?
After submission or editing, the advert may be reviewed again. During this time, it may be displayed as ‘Pending’ and may not yet appear in the regular search results.
No fixed timeframe can be guaranteed for the review. It may take varying lengths of time depending on workload, content and the checks required. The current status in your advert management section is the determining factor.
Proceed as follows:
- Check the current status of the advert.
- Refresh the advert management page.
- Then refresh the search page as well.
- Check again that the correct advert type and all filters are selected.
- Wait for any ongoing review to complete.
- Do not edit the advert repeatedly without a valid reason.
Repeated changes may necessitate a new review. Do not submit identical duplicates simply because the original advert is still being reviewed.
How can I check the direct advert page?
Open the advert via your advert management section and go to the direct advert page, provided this function is available.
Check the following there:
- whether the correct advert is open,
- whether the current title is displayed,
- whether the price, location and category are correct,
- whether the advert is marked as active, deactivated or archived,
- whether the latest changes are visible,
- whether an error message appears.
A direct advert page that can be accessed does not automatically mean that the advert matches your current search. The advert type, search term and filters must still match.
Make a note of the direct URL or the advert ID. This will make it easier for support to identify the advert in question.
How can I rule out an outdated browser display?
If the status and all search criteria are correct, reload the page completely.
You can also:
- close the search page and reopen it,
- reset all filters,
- log out and perform the public search again,
- use a private browser window,
- try a different up-to-date browser or a different device,
- clear the cache and cookies for suchen.expert if outdated information continues to be displayed.
Clear cookies only if simply reloading the page and carrying out a new search do not help. This may sign you out and remove saved settings.
Before carrying out a cross-check, make a note of the advert type, search term and all filters used. This is the only way to repeat exactly the same search.
What should I avoid when troubleshooting?
Avoid:
- creating multiple identical adverts,
- making repeated changes without a valid reason,
- selecting the wrong advert type,
- choosing an incorrect category,
- an incorrect location,
- misleading search terms,
- long strings of repeated keywords,
- inappropriate hashtags,
- assuming that a different sorting order might include irrelevant results,
- the assumption that a paid add-on service guarantees a better position,
- sharing your password or login details with other people.
Only correct details that are actually incorrect or no longer up to date.
In what order should I check the search?
It is best to proceed in the following order:
- Open the advert management section.
- Check that the status is ‘Active’.
- On the search page, select the exact advert type under which the advert was created.
- Reset all additional filters.
- Check the category, location and search radius.
- Search using a short, distinctive term.
- Check the spelling, singular, plural and possible synonyms.
- Check the time period, availability and end date.
- Re-add the required filters one by one.
- Check the entire list of results and the selected sort order.
- Open the direct advert page.
- Reload the search page.
- If necessary, test the search whilst logged out or in a private browser window.
- Contact support if the active advert still cannot be found.
When should I contact support?
Use the contact form if an advert marked as ‘Active’ cannot be found despite using the correct advert type, a suitable search term and the correct search area, with all filters reset.
Please provide the following where possible:
- the advert ID,
- the full title,
- the direct link to the advert,
- the status currently displayed,
- the advert type,
- the search term used,
- the selected category,
- location and search radius,
- any other active filters,
- the selected sort order,
- the date and approximate time of the test,
- the browser and device used,
- the wording of any error message displayed,
- a screenshot of the search and the advert management page, if this is helpful for describing the error.
Never send your password, full payment details or other login credentials.
