Are you tired of not seeing your products ranking on the first page of Etsy searches? In this article, I’m going to show you my exact keyword strategy that helped me create fully optimized Etsy listings and make more than 30,000 sales on Etsy.
So, SEO on Etsy is an art and I will say that it took me years to master it. But now with this experience, I have developed a bulletproof strategy that allowed me and the hundreds of Etsy sellers I have helped to get their listings on page 1 of Etsy searches.
The reason why it took me so long was because we’re constantly told one thing and then the opposite the day later and I’m sure you are in the same position as I was.
The objective of this video is to lay down the facts about Etsy SEO, backed up by Etsy itself so we’re sure we’re doing the right thing. I’m going to debunk 5 myths that people still believe are true today and give the factual strategy you should follow instead.
Etsy Myth 1: The order of the tags matters
The first myth that I see so many people believe is that the order of the tags matter. No, Etsy has confirmed, the order of your tags has no impact on your listing SEO.
The rule of thumb however is to use all 13 tags, yes, all of them! The reason for this is each tag is a new opportunity for you to appear in these specific searches.
Etsy Myth 2: The broader, the better
The second myth I see people still believe today is the broader the better. A lot of Etsy sellers believe that by using broader keywords they will appear in a larger amount of searches and as a result reach a larger amount of people. While it is true that you will appear in a broader kind of search results it also means that you are going to appear in very non-specific search results leading to you making less sales.
The reason for this is very simple, people who are looking for very broad keywords in the search of Etsy such as jewelry or home decor don’t necessarily know what they’re looking for and as a result they’re more likely to wander around, take a look at a few things and possibly only get inspiration, meaning never buying. On the other hand, if you add tags that are very specific, very descriptive of what you’re selling and nothing more nothing less, you will appear in your potential customers‘ searches leading to more sales.
Etsy Myth 3: Repetition between the title and tags is bad practice
The third myth is to think that repetition between your title and tags will hurt your SEO, it’s actually the complete opposite. Let’s see what Etsy says about this:
So, yes, you can include some keywords in your tags that are not in your titles and vice versa. The important thing to keep in mind is that the algorithm will notice when a keyword is repeated between the title and tags and will give it more weight when it comes to ranking it for a specific search.
Etsy Myth 4: Listing descriptions are analysed by the Etsy algorithm
The fourth myth is thinking that your description matters in Etsy SEO. No, the Etsy algorithm doesn’t look at your descriptions when looking for the best products to rank in customer’s searches.
However, and it’s important, your description is analyzed by Google making it important when you’re trying to appear in Google searches. I would definitely recommend that you avoid any keyword stuffing in your description as I have seen some sellers do, this won’t help the algorithm at all.
What I suggest you do instead is focus on the first few lines of your descriptions and include your most relevant keywords in a clear and easily readable sentence, something that your human customers will understand and will find valuable.
For example, if you’re selling a leather wallet, you could write something like: “Are you looking for the next gift your partner or friend will love? This handmade leather wallet might just be the thing. With its beautiful brown color and its sturdy leather, you can be sure that they will enjoy it for years and years to come.”
Related: Etsy Product Description: How to write Etsy listing descriptions that sell
Etsy Myth 5: SEO modifications should work instantly
The fifth and final myth I see a lot of Etsy sellers fall for is that if it doesn’t work straight away, then it must be wrong. No, constantly tweaking your tags and titles will hurt your performance for the simple reason that SEO takes time to work on Etsy.
It is said that it can take from 14 days to a month for the SEO to work to its full capacity so you’re definitely hurting your shop results by thinking that if you’re not seeing instant results then there must be something wrong.
SEO is all about experimenting and trying new things, new keywords, new strategies so don’t feel defeated when you see that your SEO is not working, it means that there is still room for growth!
So, which of these myths did you believe was true? Let me know in the comments!
Now that we’re on the same page and we know exactly what matters when it comes to Etsy SEO, let’s see exactly how you can create optimized Etsy listings with relevant titles and tags for your listings.
How to find relevant tags for your Etsy listings?
I personally like to start with the tags as these are the keywords that your customers are the most likely to search for. The easiest way to find keywords is to use the search bar and typing the product you’re selling.
Let’s say that you sell greeting cards for example. When you write your main keyword in the search bar, greeting card, you will find many other keywords ideas that you could add in your tags. I personally recommend you use the alphabet trick so you can find even better keywords. When you add the letter a behind your main keyword for example, you will find “greeting card animal”, when you add the letter b you will find “greeting card birthday” or “greeting card baby”.
Make sure to only choose relevant and descriptive keywords for your specific listing and not general keywords.
You can also look for tag ideas by checking your competitors keywords. Still using our greeting card example, let’s choose one of the listings and see the type of keywords they’re using in their title. All of these could be great keywords to include in your 13 tags.
You can also sometimes find a bit more information about the tags they chose by going at the bottom of the page where the tags are shown. Be aware that the first few keywords that you will find here are related to the listing category and not tags. You will want to avoid repeating your category in your tags as the listing attributes and category will act like tags for your Etsy SEO. Here, for example, the first four keywords “Paper and Party Supplies, Paper, Greeting Cards and Blank Cards” are related to the listing category.
However, the rest are tags and in this example, “notecards new baby” could be a great tag to use.
How to write optimized titles for your Etsy listings?
Once you have a list of 13 to 15 tags, you can start drafting your title using the tags we have gathered. The beginning of your title will be the most important as it will be the first keywords the algorithm will pick up but it will also be part of your listing URL which will help with ranking in Google searches.
You have 140 characters to write your titles so be strategic. Start with the most relevant keywords first, repeating the tags as it is or adding more relevant keywords if needed. For example, we found the keyword “notecards new baby” could be interesting but you’re selling packs of 5 greeting cards, then you could add “pack of notecards new baby” in your title instead.
The objective is to have a consistent SEO throughout your listing, your title and your tags work together, not individually. Add as many relevant keywords in your title to fill as many characters as possible and you’re good to go!
And that’s it, following this strategy, you will have a fully optimized Etsy listing that is much more likely to appear at the top of your customers’ searches.
Now, are you ready to take action and bring your Etsy shop to the next level? If so, download your free Etsy guide to help you set up your Etsy shop for success by clicking on this link. It’s 10 pages full of information that you need to know if you’re trying to have a successful Etsy shop.
Thanks!