While many business owners have heard about SEO for growing their businesses, did you know that implementing a search engine optimization strategy for Etsy is the perfect way to do just that? If you want to boost your listings appearing in search, Etsy SEO is worth learning and implementing.
Etsy SEO shouldn’t be complicated or overwhelming. As an SEO expert, I love helping people understand the ins and outs of SEO.
In today’s blog post, we’ll explore Etsy SEO, how search works on Etsy, and tips to make the most of your search potential on Etsy. Let’s get started!
Etsy SEO is worth investing in, but why?
There are tons of people shopping on Etsy—and the number of people shopping on the platform increases every year. According to Marketplace Pulse, in quarter 3 of 2020, the number of active buyers was 69.65 million, up by 58% year-over-year from 44.21 million.
More buyers mean more chances to sell your products, boost your revenue, and grow your business.
But to take advantage of those fantastic outcomes, you have to be visible on Etsy’s search, which is where Etsy SEO comes in.
How Does Search Even Work On Etsy?
Etsy’s search feature is a powerful tool for businesses and consumers alike. When you get started on Etsy, you might not fully dive into the power of search, but it’s so important for growing your business.
Search matches up buyers with the items they are looking for, and it has two main parts: query matching and ranking.
Query matching is when a buyer enters a query, and Etsy evaluates the inventory of listings to see what matches that search query. They do this using titles, tags, categories, and attributes to match up keywords searched by users. This is why optimizing each part of your listing is so important for appearing in a search.
Ranking is something Etsy does behind the scenes. Once they have gathered all of the listings that match a visitor’s search query, they use information about each listing to rank the listings. This helps people see the items they are more likely to purchase earlier in the search results.
Here are some of the factors Etsy takes into account during search ranking:
SEO can sometimes feel complicated and overwhelming. There are no guaranteed ways to appear at the top of the search results, but luckily, there are some tips and tricks to make the most Etsy SEO.
These tips will help you boost your business and take advantage of all that Etsy SEO has to offer!
Focus On Finding the Best Keywords
The first key step in improving your Etsy SEO is finding the best relevant keywords for your shop and your item listings. Finding relevant keywords starts with understanding your customers and why they might search for your products.
If you’re struggling to think of relevant, specific keywords, here are some tips.
First, think like a shopper! What words would you search for if you were trying to find your products or shop as a consumer? This also will apply to the tags you use within your listings.
Another idea is to dig through your Etsy reports. Etsy has a native reporting tool built right in that offers important insights into how people tend to find your listings—it shows the actual search terms that led to your listings. To check this out for yourself, click “Shop Manager” on your Etsy dashboard, and then click “Stats.”
Related: Buying Intent Keywords: What Are They and Why Do You Need Them?
Optimize Essential Parts of Each Listing You Create
You need to optimize your listings for SEO in order to appear in search results. This starts in two key places: your listing title and your description.
If you already have listings posted and aren’t optimized for search, you can edit them super easily under your Shop Manager listings.
Your item title creates the page title for that listing. Make sure you clearly describe the item, using keywords a shopper might use, at the beginning of your title.
The item description is important for more than just describing your product—weave in keywords throughout and make sure that the first 160 characters include those keywords. Etsy automatically uses the first 160 characters to create your meta description for the page on Google, which is the text shown under a search result on Google.
Optimize Your Actual Etsy Shop, Too
You can optimize your shop itself, too. Focus on your shop title, which becomes the ‘page title’ for your shop page. You can edit your title to match up with how you think people might search for your shop or your products.
Your shop sections should be named to align with keywords and SEO. This helps people navigate your shop and boosts your chances of appearing in search results, so it’s worth taking the time to do!
Add Tags and Optimize Them Based On Keywords
Tags on Etsy have two prominent roles—helping buyers discover related/similar products and helping Etsy perform that query matching process.
You can add up to 13 tags for each listing you post on Etsy. Make them count by varying them to cover a wide range of search terms and keywords—use a mix of general category type tags and more specific product tags.
Each tag can be up to 20 characters long and can include multiple words (which are recommended—just like Google recommends long-tail keywords!)
Are you ready to take on Etsy SEO? It’s completely worth it to take the time and optimize your Etsy. You’ll be amazed at how much an Etsy SEO strategy will boost your business.
Need a little help to create an impactful SEO strategy for your business? I can help! As an SEO expert, I offer consultations and custom SEO packages to suit your needs and help you grow without the stress of mastering SEO on different platforms.
Let’s chat today and figure out what will work best for you!
Welcome! My name is Glenneth and I live in beautiful East Tennessee. I wear many hats: CEO of The Visibility Method, SEO & Google Ads Expert, content creator, and more. I love technology, social media, and weight lifting. My favorite place to hang out is the hammock in my backyard. My favorite colors are pink and orange. My favorite team is the Vols. And I LOVE to get email so please drop me a note and say hi!