Things An Etsy Shop Owner Should Know

When I first opened my Etsy store years ago, it was much easier to sell my handmade jewelry. The site was younger and not yet international. It was easy to get buyers in the shop and often pieces would sell within days of being listed. Ah, the good old days! I did very well that first summer. That is until school started and I had to return to my teaching job. Etsy was put on the back burner while I worked and raised my son.

Now I’m retired and an “empty nester” and my store is my main priority. But things have changed mightily. Sales are slow and traffic is not moving in my direction. So, after long hours of research and reading, I think I have come across a few things Etsy shop owners should consider if, like me, they need help getting things moving.

First, you have to change the way you view Etsy. For the buyer, Etsy is an online shopping platform. For sellers, Etsy is something completely different. It’s a search engine. Buyers type in what they are looking for and much like other well-known search engines, algorithms are used to return a list of results. High on that list is where you want to be. Now, how do we get there considering the vast numbers of handmade jewelry shops we are competing with? By treating Etsy like a search engine and revising our listings to meet the somewhat murky requirements of the Etsy Search Engine.

First, really examine your listing. Start with the title. Your title should be filled with key words and SEO terms. I found a great keyword helper A keyword tool that suggests possible choices from your word. It’s free and lists hundreds of possible key words. The key words you choose should be

• At the beginning of your title
• Within the title
• At the beginning of your description
• Within the description 
• In your list of tags (You MUST use all 13 tags)

Now obviously you can’t just list words. But these are the places where Etsy looks for key words. The key words are part of how Etsy chooses where you are in the search results. BLook at other stores that perform well in your area. What key terms are they using? Where are they placed? Yes, this is going to mean a lot of editing. New titles, new descriptions and new tags. But if you want to be listed on the top of the search results, it’s a must.

Second, fill out the “Attributes” section as completely as possible for every listing. Try not to just skip over one. For example, I chose “Birthday” for the “Occasion” tab for all my listings. It’s the most common reason people search for gifts. A holiday is the same date for everyone—like December 25th. That’s just one day. But it’s someone’s birthday everyday. Entering sizes is a must along with closure,  personalization and colors. Some buyers may only read your “Attributes” before making a decision to purchase the item. Therefore, fill out that section as if a sale depends on it; because it just might. 

Finally, after you’ve revised your listings and completed the “Attributes” for each one, pay attention to your statistics. I know shop owners who never view their stats page. That is a huge mistake as there is a lot of valuable information there. You will be able to see if your views are increasing after you’ve done the re-writes and “Attributes.”  If some listings are getting views but not others, compare them. See what’s similar and what’s different. You may have to re-write the title and description several times before you get it just right. 

Keep in mind Etsy is a large platform with thousands of sellers. Your category itself may have thousands of shops to compete with. But if you keep tweaking your listings, stay informed about what’s trending on Etsy and market your shop, those sales will come. Remember, think of Etsy as a search engine and that will help you stay focused on how to be found. 

May we all land on that first page of search results!

T.-