With a minimum number of clicks, you can launch your Etsy store in no time. However, opening a store doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll start making money.
To sell your handmade items on Etsy, shoppers need to find them. That’s where the importance of Etsy SEO comes into play. Focusing on optimizing your Etsy listings will increase your product’s visibility. More viewers mean more sales.
So, how do you optimize products on Etsy? Great question.
We’ve put together some starting points along with a few Etsy SEO tips to get your products in front of the right audience.
#1 – Put the Category in Your Title
As you know, it’s important to include the category in your title. These words are what shoppers are likely to type in when searching for a particular product.
For example, if you make pocket watches, you’d most likely list your product within the pocket watch subcategory. Make sure you include “pocket watch” in your product title since potential shoppers are most likely using those keywords when searching.
#2 – Use Longtail Keywords In Titles
The shorter a keyword is, the more traffic it will get. That’s a good thing, right? Not necessarily. Using a “longtail” keyword (a phrase with three or more words that is more specific) may likely bring in more sales.
Well, how does that make any sense?
People who use a shorter, more generic, keyword are often browsing and don’t know what they want. They’ll also be bombarded with a ton of products to sift through, which means more competition for you.
People searching with a more specific keyword are often more likely to make a purchase, and there’ll be less products to sift through, meaning less competition for you.
To continue with the earlier example, a generic keyword a person might use would be “watches” which would generate a ton of product listings to comb through. A person further down the sales funnel might use a longtail keyword such as “antique pocket watch” which would generate fewer results, but those results are exactly what they’re searching for, their specific ecommerce niche.
Using “antique pocket watch” in your product title will ensure your product listing is shown to these potential buyers.
#3 – Put Primary Keyword in Title First
The first 30 characters (approximately) are the most important for SEO. The first keyword in your title should be your money word. That means you shouldn’t put anything unnecessary in that prime spot such as size, color, or brand name.
#4 – Include Synonyms
Each person will use different words to search for the same product. While it’s important to put your primary keyword first in your product title, you should still consider other words the product may be known and searched by.
Capitalize on this and use synonyms after your keywords in a product title or include them in your product description and tags.
#5 – Vary Keywords for Similar Products
Etsy does what is called “declumping” which means Etsy won’t include more than one or two items for each seller in search results.
So, that means you shouldn’t use the same primary keyword for more than a couple of items. If you do, you’re essentially competing against yourself for a spot at the top of the search results.
Make sure more products show up in different search results by using different keyword variations for similar products.
#6 – Don’t Be Too Creative with Titles
As a seller on Etsy, you’re a creative and unique business owner. While it may be tempting to allow your creativity to extend product names, it’s better if you don’t. It makes for a very ineffective title, a common Etsy seller mistake.
People who are searching for products won’t use cutesy or overly creative terms. For example, if you sell original paintings, you don’t want to put the unique name of your painting in the title. Instead, use terms like “abstract painting, acrylic on canvas” in your title and save the painting’s title for the product description.
#7 – Use Keywords in Tags
Etsy allows up to 13 tags for your items, which is another great opportunity to add in relevant search terms. Each tag can be 20 characters long, so think of as many search terms as you can and add them to your tags. Here are a few types of keywords to use:
- Synonyms such as “timepiece” and “wristwatch” for your watches
- Descriptors “mens watch” or “wooden watch” or “antique watch”
- Long tail keywords “antique mens watch” or “1925 gold watch” or “engraved pocketwatch” or “anniversary watch”
Etsy states that you shouldn’t repeat any categories or attributes because those are already accounted for in the search results. Save the more specific keywords for the tags.
Final Thoughts about Etsy SEO
Even if you have unique, high-quality products, an attractive and inviting shop, detailed product images, and quick shipping, if no one sees your listings, you won’t have any sales. To optimize your listings even further, check out these do’s and don’ts of listing products on Etsy.
Have any other Etsy SEO tips that worked for you in the past? Let us know in the comments below.
Looking for a tool to help you with listing? Give our Etsy listing tool a try for free today!
Etsy stopped “declumping” and will now show entire pages of one shops items- I’m competing against a seller who has over 700 listings and who’s products are shown almost exclusively on the first two pages for that keyword. So what can I do?
Hey Diane,
We’re sorry that Etsy’s new update is making selling difficult. If none of the suggestions we provided are helping you stand out, would you consider multichannel selling? The more platforms your product is on, the more potential it has of being seen. There are several other handmade marketplaces that are great alternatives to Etsy. You can view them here: Best Places to Sell Handmade Products. You’ll also find some suggestions from entrepreneurs just like you in the comments. Keep us posted on your success!
Happy Selling!
Is that true that Etsy has stopped “declumping?” If so, do you know about when they did? I wonder if it has anything to do with my sudden drop in sales.
Hey Kelly,
We know that clumping on Etsy has been a problem for some sellers in the past and if there have been changes, we’re not exactly sure when it happened. Searching through Etsy Community boards, we see mixed answers to this question so it’s difficult to determine where Etsy stands as of now. If you or other sellers have any additional information we’re eager to listen and have a discussion. But for now, try out some of the tips we mention in this post to help improve your visibility and sales.
Good Luck!
My shop was killing it until Etsy transitioned to the free shipping model. I adjusted my shop to free shipping but nearly all of my listings dropped from the top of page 1 to page 5 and beyond. Never could figure out how to get them back. I’ve got nearly 400 five star feedback rating and have been in biz since 2016. The thing that ticks me off is that there are so many irrelevant products showing up above my listings that are not even close to the product search term. I took a major revenue hit because of this. I really wish there was a way to boost my listings back to the top positions, but all of the adjustments I’ve made to the listings haven’t helped. The sad part is I’m a search engine optimization specialist for my day job. I can rank sites on Google no problem, but can’t figure out Etsy’s search algorithm to save my life.
Hey Christian,
We appreciate the comment, and we’re sorry your experience with Etsy has not been exemplary. If you’re looking for more information about selling on Etsy, we have several articles that might help. Two that come to mind include Essential Etsy Selling Tips and the Do’s and Don’ts of Etsy Listings. May we also suggest an alternative to selling your products on Etsy? Here are some of the top handmade sites that you can start listing on today! We hope this helps!
Happy Selling!
Thanks for the information. It’s also important to realize the average ecommerce conversion rate is between 1 to 3% so don’t get discouraged.
Hey Josh,
You’re absolutely right! Selling online isn’t supposed to be easy, but it can be very rewarding. Just keep on pushing forward!
Thanks
Bookmarked your website for easy access! These articles are great
Hey Zach,
Thanks for your support! We’re glad you find our content useful. If you want to receive new article updates and weekly tips, join our Ecommerce Tips email list. Just visit our blog home page and sign up today.
Happy Selling!
Love the articles and the great, straightforward approach without gimmicks .. I have bookmarked as well. Thank you !
Hey Susan,
We’re glad you liked the article. If you’re looking for more Etsy listing tips, check out our Do’s and Don’ts for Etsy Product listings. We hope this helps!
Thanks