When it comes to ecommerce marketing, search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical part of every successful brand strategy. After all, how can people purchase your products if they can’t find them online?
SEO solves the number one problem for Etsy sellers: discoverability. In the real world, customers can wander the shelves and discover new items as they walk by. When shopping online, customers can only discover products they’re already looking for.
That means that reaching the first few pages of search results is critical to long-term success. Unfortunately, in the highly saturated world of ecommerce, it’s almost impossible to compete without a good plan.
Lucky for you, we’ve put together this handy guide to teach you how to optimize Etsy listings and drive more sales for your shop!
What Is SEO on Etsy
Etsy listing optimization is fundamentally the same as regular SEO with just a few key differences. Normally, a brand will attract visitors with a blog or about page on their website full of highly relevant keywords.
On Etsy, you don’t have as much to work with. Etsy doesn’t have an integrated blogging feature, and shop announcements and descriptions aren’t searchable on Google in the same way as a web page on your own domain.
However, listing on Etsy does come with a distinct advantage: when you list your products on Etsy, you are competing with a significantly smaller pool of sellers than if you host your store under your own domain.
Etsy’s powerful algorithm and targetted audience make it faster and cheaper for Etsy sellers to get traffic than if they host their own store on a platform like Shopify. For that reason, optimizing your Etsy SEO should be one of the top priorities for your store.
Best Etsy SEO Tips
Maximizing SEO for Etsy requires a little bit of creativity and lots of attention to detail. As a seller, it’s your job to think like your ideal buyer:
- What keywords are your buyers searching for?
- How crowded are the results for those keywords?
- How can you use those keywords in your listings?
- How can you combine keywords to create new opportunities?
Keep reading for a few critical Etsy SEO tips that will help you sell more products on Etsy.
Use Long-Tail Keywords
One of the best Etsy SEO tips is to focus on long-tail keywords. A short-tail keyword is a simple search term like “stickers,” or maybe “cool summer stickers.”
A long-tail keyword, on the other hand, is a complex string of search terms that narrows down search results. For example, if you’re looking for a cheap gift for your young daughter, you might type “cute summer stickers for 5 year old girls” into the search bar.
A strong Etsy SEO strategy will rely heavily on long-tail keywords.
Find Out What People Are Searching For
When you’re picking your long-tail keywords, it’s important to choose keywords for things people are actually searching for.
To get an idea of what people are searching for, open a private browser window and start typing keyword terms into the search bar, then see what Etsy suggests. Repeat this for all of your products.
If you’ve already listed some of your items, search for some of the keywords you’ve targeted with your listings and browse for the search results to see where your items appear.
If your items aren’t appearing on the first three pages, you either need to integrate the keywords better or change your strategy and target different long-tail keywords.
Use Keywords In Your Titles, Tags, And Product Descriptions
Once you know what people are searching for and you’ve discovered a few long tail keywords that don’t populate a lot of listings, alter your product titles and descriptions to include your target keywords.
You can use up to 13 tags for your products, so make sure you use all of them to make your listings appear in relevant categories. Also, make sure you include several of your primary keywords in your product titles.
In your product description, you’ll want to use all your target keywords as many times as you can without doing too much. You should weave the keywords into your descriptions as naturally as possible to help Etsy identify your products and show them under the right search terms.
If You Run Etsy Ads, Turn Off Irrelevant Search Terms
One of the toughest things about SEO is that, sometimes, your products might appear under terms you don’t want them to.
At first, that sounds like it might be helpful, but when your products appear under irrelevant search terms, people are unlikely to click on them, and when people don’t click on your products, it signals to Etsy that your listings aren’t popular.
Fortunately, Etsy gives the option to turn off irrelevant search terms for your Etsy ads!
To do this, go to the Etsy Shop Manager, then click on Marketing on the left side. In the submenu, click on Etsy Ads. Then, click on Manage Advertised Listings.
That will display a table with all your listings. Under one of your listing titles, click the link that says “Seach Terms.” On the next page, you’ll see a table showing which terms Etsy is advertising your listings under. Turn off any terms that aren’t relevant.
How to Find Keywords?
- Use Etsy SEO tools like erank.com or Marmalead.com
- Utilize Google Trends for popular search terms
- Research popular keywords using Etsy Search
- Brainstorm to come up with 4 keywords total:
- The first should be the main keyword that your audience is likely to search, e.g. “green necklace”
- The second and third should be related keywords that they may search for after the first.
Some Other Tips For Leveraging This Encompasses The Following:
Note that in the past, search engines like Google prioritized websites/stores with high numbers of inbound links. However, this is no longer the case. Focus on the relevance and quality of your links to establish your credibility as a reputable source to search engine ranking pages (SERPs).
1) Contact Influencers for Promotions or Sponsorships
Reaching out to influencers for product promotions or sponsorships can greatly enhance your product visibility and attract a larger audience. Choose influencers who align with your brand and target market, and communicate the details and benefits of the partnership. Utilize unique tracking links and specific discount codes to accurately measure the impact of the collaboration. Make sure to follow up with influencers and thank them for their support, as building long-term relationships can lead to future opportunities for growth.
2) Promote a Referral Program
It is a powerful tool to increase visibility and drive sales on Etsy. Encourage satisfied customers to spread the word about your products by offering incentives for referrals, such as discounts or special promotions. Make it easy for them to refer friends by providing clear instructions and sharing links on social media and in email signatures. Keep track of your referral program’s success by tracking the number of referrals and their impact on sales. This will help you optimize your program over time and ensure that it continues to drive growth for your Etsy shop.
3) Always Monitor new Potential Keywords
To increase your product ranking on Etsy in 2023, it’s important to constantly monitor new potential keywords. Research and find relevant keywords to add to your product titles and tags. Utilize long-tail keywords and synonyms to reach a wider audience. Regularly review and update your keywords to stay ahead of changes in search algorithms and trends. Additionally, make sure your product descriptions are well-written and accurately describe your product. By staying on top of keyword optimization, you can improve your search visibility and attract more potential customers to your shop.
4) Put Extra Care into Creating your Titles
Creating a title is one of the most important aspects of Etsy SEO. A strong title will help your product rank higher in search results and attract more potential customers. Here are some tips to help increase your product ranking in 2023:
- Use keywords: Use relevant keywords in your title that describe your product and its features.
- Keep it short and sweet: Limit your title to around 80 characters so it doesn’t get cut off in search results.
- Be specific: Be descriptive and include specific details about your product in your title.
- Make it unique: Avoid using generic terms or phrases that are commonly used by other sellers.
- By following these tips, you can create compelling titles that will help your product stand out and increase its visibility in search results. Additionally, optimize other aspects of your listing such as tags, descriptions, and images to further improve your product’s ranking.
How To Optimize Your Etsy Shop With AI
These key SEO tips should help you optimize your Etsy store for search so you can drive more sales on Etsy! If you combine healthy SEO with a strong content strategy, you’ll start to attract more and more customers to your store over time.
There’s one last step you can take to optimize your Etsy SEO: use AI to take your Etsy strategy to the next level. Roketfy offers a robust selection of AI tools that analyze the market for trending and growing keywords to help you write better titles and product descriptions.
You can use Roketfy’s powerful artificial intelligence to get an edge over your competition and maximize your sales on Etsy.
If you’re ready to grow your Etsy store with the power of artificial intelligence, explore Roketfy today!
