One question I get asked all the time is “Hey Deb, what can I do to improve my Etsy SEO?”
There are a lot of things that go into Etsy SEO, and I know it can be confusing . . . you hear about all of the different pieces of the Etsy SEO puzzle but you may not know how to put them all together.
I have created a lot of different videos and articles on Tizzit.co that help you with individual steps of the Etsy SEO process, but what I want to do in this article is piece it all together and walk you through each step you need to take in order to get better Etsy SEO—
like where to start, and what things you need to learn, and in what order—so that it makes sense to you, you don’t get too overwhelmed AND of course, you get more views of your products.
So are you ready to become an Etsy SEO expert?
Let’s dive in!
Now—before we start—I want you to know that Etsy SEO is a process, and it involves a lot of steps.
And if you look at all the steps at once, it’s too easy to start to feel overwhelmed.
But that is why I’m writing this article, to show you that you can just do ONE STEP at a time, and each step is absolutely doable.
I will show you what order is best, so that each step you do is building on the step you just completed—and together they will make a big difference in your SEO success!
As you work your way through this article, I have videos for you that show you each step of the SEO process in detail and walk you through it, to make it easy to understand and use on your own website!
So, first things first….
Grab this free ETSY SEO GUIDE!
a complete guide to Understanding how etsy search (and ranking) actually works so you can make the most of it and get more views on your products.
The first step that I want to talk to you about is understanding the Etsy SEO search algorithm. This is important because if you don’t understand how the Etsy search works, it’s hard to optimize for it, right?
It feels silly to even say this – but many sellers jump into things without taking the time to understand how the Etsy search actually works.
For example, a lot of sellers still don’t know what Context Specific Ranking, or CSR is.
What CSR basically means is that if two people search the exact same term on Etsy, they will get different results that are based on their previous searches and on what Etsy knows about them.
So you aren’t doing Etsy SEO to be #1 for any certain search term, because one searcher’s #1 might be another person’s #4 for the same search words!
But the good thing is that CSR sends much better traffic to your Etsy Store. So if you work on all of the steps in this video, you will help Etsy show your handmade products to the people most likely to buy them.
So if we boil it down, what I’m saying is to reframe your Etsy SEO goal:
Instead of saying “I want to be #1 in the Etsy search results!” you want to think of it as “I want Etsy to show my products to the shoppers most likely to buy my products!”
Something else you need to get clear on is . . . apart from keywords, what comes into play in the search algorithm? There is much more than keywords that can affect how your products show up in search, so it’s important you get the FULL Etsy SEO picture.
So – even if “learning about the algorithm” doesn’t feel all that exciting – start there!
This is foundational.
Getting your shop optimized for sales with a cohesive brand, fabulous product descriptions and impeccable product photos is AS IMPORTANT as keywords when it comes to making the algorithm fall in love with you and your products.
I made a video as well as a FREE Etsy SEO guide and checklist that explains the Etsy SEO algorithm in all its glory (so not just keywords but ALSO all the other things you should optimize in your shop to get ready for more search traffic).
. . . or if you prefer to read, click to go to the Etsy Search Algorithm article.
It’s also super important that you understand why no product can “rank #1” on Etsy anymore – so I made this video to explain the 2018 SEO Update and help you better understand CSR (or . . . click to view the written version of the Etsy SEO 2018 Changes).
Now that you know how the Etsy search algorithm works, let’s talk about how you can actually optimize your listings to show up in Etsy search results.
OK, once you know how Etsy SEO works and you’ve optimized your shop for sales, it’s time to optimize your listings for search.
There’s a few specific things I want to talk about here:
So – let’s start with optimizing your titles and tags
You need to understand precisely how Etsy uses titles and tags when it decides if a product should show up in a shopper’s search results..
Now . . . I know that titles and tags can be really confusing. Some of you have been told “Your titles MUST match your tags!”—which is NOT true and often just leads you to stuff your titles with keywords (also called keyword stuffing), something the algorithm doesn’t actually like at all.
If you do that, you’re actually probably missing out on HUGE SEO opportunities.
If you avoid mistakes like these you will have much more effective titles and tags and your listings are MUCH more likely to show up in Etsy search results.
In my Etsy Title & Tags video I will show you:
Take a look:
Or—if you prefer to read—here is a link for the article about Etsy Tags and Titles.
Now let’s talk about Long tail keywords. That’s the next thing you’ll want to learn about and leverage in your ETSY SEO strategy.
Most of you have probably heard a lot about “long tail keywords” but are not entirely clear what these are all about.
Long-tail keywords are even more specific, targeted keywords that might have less search volume, but a much higher engagement rate – like “french stripes cotton t-shirt.”
So . . . fewer people search for “french stripes cotton t-shirt” than for “t-shirt,” but guess what? If you sell a t-shirt that fits this exact description and you optimize for that long-tail keyword phrase, the people who search for and find your product are MUCH more likely to …
So the next thing for you to do is to watch my Etsy SEO Long tail keyword video.
It will teach you:
If you prefer the written version, click to read the Etsy Long Tail Keywords article.
NOW, and this is super important—
While you are optimizing your listings titles and tags, make sure you do not jump and make changes too quickly! It’s easy to get excited after learning more about keywords and I often see sellers go and edit keywords on their top listings and do more damage than good.
Then instead of seeing increased traffic and sales from the changes, suddenly visitors and sales can go DOWN!
So to prevent this from happening to you—watch the video I created about making sure YOU are not making this mistake too.
If you prefer to read, click here to read the Etsy SEO Mistake article.
Next I want to talk to you about deciding if you should offer free shipping or not, and how it affects your placement in the Etsy search results.
Some of you are probably thinking “What?? What do you mean offering free shipping or not can affect my Etsy SEO placement in search results?!”
It’s true. In July 2019, Etsy released an announcement stating that priority placement in US search results would be given to items that ship free to US buyers.
This might put you in a really hard position. If you raise your price and offer free shipping, it may make your product price higher than the max price your customer is willing to pay for that kind of product. So it’s fair to worry you might lose sales.
But, it may also increase your sales. If Etsy’s data is right, 20% of people who would usually have abandoned their cart should finish their checkout – that could compensate for people who thought this was “above their max budget.”
There are a lot more details you will want to consider on this one, and ways to figure out if free shipping is the best thing for your Etsy store. . . or not.
The fact is, you can still show up in search, even if you don’t have free shipping. You just need to decide what’s going to work for you and if you want to incorporate free shipping or not.
The next video walks you through the free shipping decision process. It goes into much more depth on the topic and helps you decide if you want to offer Etsy free shipping for your handmade shop.
Written version here: Etsy free shipping over $35—will it increase my Etsy SEO rank?
If you want your handmade shop products to show up on Etsy search results, you need to use tools that show you the best ones to put in your listing. Period.
If you try and guess which are the best keywords, it’s just like throwing spaghetti at the wall—you have no idea which ones will stick!
So . . . which tools will help you find keywords? My two favorite ones are Erank and Marmelead.
Erank and Marmelead are two software companies that help you do keyword research specifically for Etsy, so are great tools to help improve your “Etsy rank”.
The free versions of both of these tools are limited, and upgrading to full versions does cost money . . . money that you might not be swimming in as you’re just getting started. So – are they worth it?
Of course I want you to decide for yourself, So I’ve done a video on both of them to help you decide—but in my honest opinion . . .
(Spoiler alert!): Yes. Yes they are worth it.
Prefer to read instead? Click to read the Using Erank or Marmalead article.
I do want to warn you about something, though.
When you use Erank and Marmalead, make sure to not obsess too much over your grades.
What does that mean?
So basically these programs give your listings a “grade” like this is an A+ listing or this is a “D’ listing. And for some people it’s really really hard to resist the urge to try and fix all the grades and make them A’s.
I totally get it! I can be a bit of a perfectionist myself so if I see a “D” I am like . . . “WAIIIIIT let’s turn this into an A, shall we!?”
But you have to remember that these programs are just suggesting things, they can’t account for everything and they can’t give strategic advice.
So if you have a product listing that is doing well but gets a “D” and you go changing up all your titles and tags just to try and get your grade up, you risk seeing your views drop VERY seriously which is the opposite of what you’re trying to achieve … but also sadly a mistake I see too many sellers make.
In fact I see it so often that I made a video about it to explain to you WHY these grades don’t matter and what to focus on instead.
Watch this video to learn how to make changes without putting your current keyword traffic at risk!
Or view the article here: Don’t Obsess Over Your Marmalead or Erank Grades!
If you review all those resources and follow those action steps, you will be WAY on your WAY my friend!
My absolute best recommendation though, as we dive into things in much more detail, is to check out the Etsy SEO course available over at Tizzit.co.
GET THE ETSY S.E.O SUCCESS BLUEPRINT
READY TO MAKE ETSY S.E.O WORK FOR YOU… FOR GOOD?
THE ETSY SEO BLUEPRINT COURSE WILL HELP YOU GET FOUND IN ETSY SEARCH RESULTS + GET MORE SALES WITH SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE ETSY SEO STRATEGIES ↓
If you think you’d benefit from further help, support, and guidance as you master your Etsy shop SEO strategy; this is the course for you.
So check out the link to learn more and …until next time…. Aurevoir!
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