You might be asking yourself “Where does my Etsy shop rank?”
Because fair enough, you want your Etsy shop to be #1 – or as close as you can – so that you can get more views, and more sales of your product!
But the fact is that ranking per se in the Etsy search engine doessssss’nt really exist . . . yet everyone does see their results in a certain order . . . so whaaaaaat the heck is going on?🤷
Let’s take a look at this mystery . . .
Ready? Let’s dive in.
The first thing I want to clear up today is the mistaken idea that your Etsy shop has a set ranking number.
Ranking on Etsy SEO isn’t a “set” thing— a product will not be number 1 on a search results page for everyone or number 272 on the Etsy search results page for everyone.
Ranking is fluid – it’s something that changes based on who the Etsy shopper is, and is different for each shopper . . . so technically, rank doesn’t really exist.
The reason for that is that the search engine algorithm Etsy uses is based on personalization.
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So – what does that mean?
And in 2021, with the introduction of what’s called their “ X-Walk” search technology – they have doubled down on those personalization efforts.
What this means is that if you – the person reading this article – and me, Deb, type the exact same search term on Etsy, we’re not going to see the same results because the Etsy SEO search algorithm will take into consideration our past searches, our past purchases, and past things that we’ve each favorited on the platform.
So Etsy starts essentially building a profile about you and I, filled with information about what we like and don’t like and what we click on and don’t click on.
Then Etsy uses this profile to start showing you more of what you like, and showing me more of what I like.
Not only that but with X-Walk, Etsy also looks at what each shopper types into the search bar IN RELATION to what others shoppers have typed and interacted with.
So what does this all mean?
It means that a particular Etsy listing is not going to be shown at exactly the same rank level, or in the “same spot” on the Etsy search results page, for everyone. Your Etsy listing might be number 2 in my Etsy search results, but it might be on page 64 for someone else.
I dive more deeply into the Etsy SEO algorithm in my article Understanding Etsy SEO: Complete Guide to Etsy’s Search Algorithm, but this gives you the gist of why set ranking per se doesn’t exist on Etsy.
Now something that might trip you up a little bit is the Etsy rank checker features that some Etsy SEO tools out there offer.
So for example, eRank has a tool called rank checker, and typically what it does is give you an idea of what your rank would be IF (yes . . . IF!) context specific ranking didn’t exist.
It also removes all the ads; the promoted listings that show up in front of the organic Etsy search results.
My personal opinion is that because eRank removes promotional listings and the CSR, the rank checker feature is not really helpful and the “rank” that eRank shows you is not really something helpful that you should obsess over.
Now – don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against eRank! I actually love and use the tool every week myself, I even have an article about using eRank for Etsy SEO!
But at the end of the day it’s important to remember that your “rank” in tools like eRank is not not an accurate reflection of your rank in actual searches by real people . . . because ranking does not really exist. The search results (and what products come first) for identical keywords are different for every person that searches on Etsy.
You can’t be number one for everyone— it’s truly not feasible — so let’s not aim for that. Instead, you want to focus on things you can control.
Some of you may be throwing up your hands now and saying “well if I can’t increase my ranking, because it will be different for every Etsy shopper, then WHAT do I do Deb??”
And I have four pieces of advice for you:
First, don’t worry about ranking tools!
The absolute truth is that those things are not helpful – they remove CSR and promotional listings, both of which are a huge factor in where your product shows up in Etsy search results. (and you have no control over either one!)
In a nutshell, they’re a waste of your very valuable time and it does you no good to worry about it.
Second, don’t “search yourself” or ask your friends to search for your products.
I see many people search their own terms on Etsy to see where in the result list their product listings show up, or asking their friends “hey, can you please type this into Etsy and let me know if you see my products and on which page?”
Again, doing this doesn’t tell you anything about your ranking for any other shopper searching on Etsy, and your time can be better spent on something else.
Third, stop wondering about “where does my Etsy shop rank” and worrying about any “set rank” for your products! Remember, ranking is fluid, so this is also not a good use of your time.
Instead, spend your time learning how ranking works and what the 7 criteria that affect your ranking for every single person that visits Etsy are.
And finally, spend time optimizing the ranking factors that you CAN control!
We have loads of helpful articles at Tizzit.co that focus on actionable Etsy SEO criteria and best practices that will improve your product rankings in Etsy.
One especially important factor I advise Etsy sellers to spend time on is learning the best keywords for your product descriptions. This will help your product listings rank higher in Etsy search results and make your Etsy store more successful.
These important product description keywords are called “long tail keywords”; I have an entire article that explains what Etsy SEO long tail keywords are and how to choose the best keywords that will move your listing up in Etsy search results!
Thanks for reading and until next time, aurevoir!
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