Do you have an Etsy shop that isn’t getting enough traffic? Or maybe you’re new to Etsy, setting up your shop listings, and want to get your SEO right away. Whatever the case, this article is all about Etsy SEO tips to help get more traffic to your shop.
I love Etsy and have for over a decade. I enjoy finding products, shops, and sellers that I wouldn’t find anywhere else. I’ve found so many amazing artists and makers on Etsy and purchased endless products as gifts for others and myself. I really like supporting Etsy sellers when I can.
I often find the shops I purchase from on the Etsy platform because of their search feature. This is how so many sellers get their traffic. If you don’t already have a built-in audience to send to your shop, you’re going to rely heavily on Etsy search. This is how shoppers find you.
And that’s what search engine optimization is all about; it’s about choosing keyword phrases that people are searching for on Etsy and working to rank for that phrase. Don’t worry; we’ll chat more about all these Etsy SEO strategies later in the article.
These tips will help any shop, no matter the shop location, what you’re selling in the shop, or even the translation of the shop.
What is Etsy SEO?
Etsy SEO has the same principles as search engine optimization for search engines like Google, in that you optimize your listings to show up in the Etsy search results. So, instead of the need for paid ads or driving your own traffic to your shop, the goal is getting your listings to show up when somebody is searching Etsy for a product.
For example, let’s say you sell baby blankets. You could target a keyword phrase like “custom baby blankets,” and if your SEO is on point, you may show up in the results so that when a customer is typing that phrase in, people will find your blankets.
It’s all about choosing relevant keywords with high search volume and lower competition to appear in the Etsy search algorithm. You’ll want to ensure your phrase has relevancy to what you’re selling in order for the Etsy algorithm to pick you up.
What are Keywords?
Keywords are the words you would type into a search engine or Etsy’s search engine to find an item or answer you’re looking for.
If you go to Etsy to shop for Mother’s Day, you may search for “funny mom sweater” or “dainty pearl necklace” — those are keyword phrases.
The key, pun intended, to keywords is finding phrases that match what you’re selling but have lower competition and high search traffic. This will give you an advantage and a better chance of ranking higher in the search results.
Etsy shop owners should be utilizing keyword phrases in their listings to boost their chances of increasing their sales.
Finding the Best Keywords and Etsy SEO Tool
When choosing keyword phrases to use on Etsy, you don’t want to guess what search terms your customers are using!
That’s where keyword tools come in handy. They can give details about phrases for your listings, including how often it’s searched and how competitive it is.
You really need to use a keyword tool specifically for Etsy to find and choose the best phrases for your listings.
Let’s look at some of those Etsy SEO tools!
1. Marmalead
Marmalead is a beginner-friendly keyword tool that’s straightforward to use. It’s a good, solid tool that’ll help you drill down the best keyword phrases to use in your listings.
Features of Marmalead:
- Keyword search tool – including long tail keywords
- Search volume results
- Competition results
- Seasonality tool – which allows you to see how a phrase performs throughout the year
- Storm feature – which gives you a large list of keywords to consider
- and more!
Marmalead offers a free 7-day trial, which doesn’t require a credit card to try.
2. Sale Samurai
Sale Samurai is an all-in-one Etsy SEO tool for growth. It’s a dynamic keyword tool that gives you power and control over your listings’ SEO to improve your Etsy store’s ranking.
Features of Sale Samurai:
- Keyword research tool
- Chrome extension
- Competitor analysis
- Use Sale Samurai while inside Etsy!
- Downloadable data
- Monitor best sellers and learn from them
- Keyword suggestions, tag counts, and more!
Sale Samurai offers a limited free trial. You will need to use a payment method to sign up for the free trial, but you can cancel at any time.
3. Alura.io
Alura.io is a powerful Etsy keyword tool similar to the two mentioned above. Like Marmalead and Sale Samurai, you’ll use Alura to find keyword phrases that’ll pull in traffic to your listing. The goal is to find a phrase with good traffic but low competition.
Features of Alura:
- Etsy sales dashboard – a quick look at your revenue, orders, and more
- Keyword finder
- Product research tool – a deep dive into product ideas to analyze other shops
- Chrome extension
- Listing helper tool – which helps you improve your shop and listings
- and more!
Alura has a free trial, which doesn’t require a payment method to use.
4. Everbee
Everbee is the last tool that we’re going to review today. It’s the same as the rest in that it’s a keyword research tool for anyone with an Etsy shop who would like to boost their visits and sales.
Features of Everbee:
- Chrome plugin
- Shop dashboard
- Sales channel to easily keep track of your shop’s sales
- Product and research tools
- “My listings” section, which analyzes your listings
- Built-in Etsy profit calculator
- And more!
You can sign up for a free trial of Everbee without adding a payment method!
How to Optimize Your Etsy Shop
Before optimizing each product listing, you’ll want to optimize your shop front in the Etsy marketplace. This isn’t as hard as it may sound. Once you know the basics, you’ll be able to breeze through this part.
The Image Header
Whether you choose the big banner or the mini banner, you will need an image for the header section of your shop. It’s best to include pictures of your products and/or the name of your shop and tagline. While they do currently offer a “no banner” option, it’s advisable you use a banner in this section of your shop.
Shop Subtitle
Underneath the name of your shop, you’ll find the subtitle. This is a place to utilize keywords. Instead of typing in something like “fun cards for fun occasions,” consider something like “Birthday cards and thank you cards for funny people.” See how I incorporated birthday cards AND thank you cards, which are keyword phrases people search for?
Shop Announcement
This is a great place to be short, sweet, and to the point about what your shop is about, but also to include SEO keyword phrases. Although I don’t believe this section is vital to your SEO at this time, it can’t hurt to include keyword phrases naturally. Don’t ever keyword stuff – that’s old school and has no relevancy in today’s world of optimization.
About Section
Filling out all sections of your site is essential to your shop’s ranking with Etsy. This includes the About section. It’ll help your shoppers get to know you and your product and improve your “customer and market experience score,” which Etsy looks at when ranking your shop.
Product Listings
To create quality listings for Etsy search, you’ll need to optimize the following areas within each of your product listings.
1. Title
When crafting titles for your listings, consider what your potential buyer is searching for. Instead of something like “Painted Bumble Bee Print” for your bee artwork, buyers are more likely to be searching for a “whimsical art print,” a “playful art print,” or even a “nursery art print.” Get into the mind of your buyer – or better yet, use one of the keyword tools mentioned above; it’ll help greatly when choosing keyword phrases.
2. Tags
Etsy lets you choose up to 13 tags per listing; use them all. Choosing long-tail keywords over short keywords is advisable, as that’s what most shoppers use to search.
For example, how often do you visit a site and type in “art” when you need an art piece for your kitchen? Likely not often, but you probably type in something like “kitchen art,” “vegetable kitchen art,” or “kitchen art quotes.” You get the idea.
That’s not to say you can’t use shorter keywords at all, but you should aim for more long-tail than short-tail when possible or where it makes sense.
3. Categories
Instead of doing categories in the section name, with names like “custom art,” “art prints,” “nature art,” “t-shirts,” “mugs,” and so on – think about keyword phrases that are being searched with descriptive longer-tailed keywords.
An example of a t-shirt shop could be:
- Funny Teacher Shirts
- Mom T-Shirts
- Flower Shirts
- Christian T-shirts
- and so on
Not only will this improve your Etsy SEO, but it also helps the shoppers navigate your storefront better. If they’re interested in Christian shirts, they’ll see that in your categories.
4. Attributes
Another area that can help with Etsy search engine optimization is attributes. Attributes are the options in each listing that come after the categories.
You’ll notice options like:
- Colors
- Dimensions
- Occasions
- Room
- Subject
- And other options, depending on your chosen category
Attributes can help your shoppers find you more easily in search.
5. Listing Description
This is a great place to add a few keyword phrases you want to target for each listing. You don’t want to keyword stuff, like many used to do. Now, you should aim to naturally add a search term or two into the first paragraph of the listing.
An example would be something along the lines of:
“This beautiful red ruby necklace is the perfect wedding anniversary gift or even Mother’s Day gift for the woman who has it all.”
The keyword phrases within this sentence would be “wedding anniversary gift” and “Mother’s Day gift.”
6. Use High Quality Photos
Optimizing your listing isn’t just about keywords; it’s also about helping the potential buyer have the best experience shopping in your store. Pictures are one of the most important parts of an online listing, where the buyer can’t see or touch the product.
Use natural light or a lightbox to take well-lit photos that showcase every part of your product so the buyer has an accurate idea of what it’ll be before it shows up at their door.
Etsy allows ten photos. I’d recommend using as many of those photos as you can. Here are some great tips for taking photos at home.
7. Lower Shipping Prices
Etsy favors listings with lower or free shipping prices as they know many buyers prefer this. While this can be tricky for the shop owner, it isn’t impossible to offer free shipping.
You just need to incorporate the shipping costs into the item’s price. So, instead of charging $25 with a $5 shipping price on top of it, simply increase your price to $30 for the item.
List Often
While this isn’t always possible, depending on what you’re selling, adding new listings often can boost your shop in the search results.
There are two reasons for this:
- New listings often get a temporary boost in search.
- The more optimized listings you have, the better the chances for traffic because there are more listings to appear in search.
This is why you’ll hear Etsy “experts” preaching to digital and template shop owners, and even print-on-demand shops, to list multiple items a week in order to increase your traffic.
However, if you’re an artist or maker, this isn’t always doable, as this means you have to be cranking out more work, more quickly.
So, while listing often may help, I don’t believe it’s vital to your success with Etsy search. You don’t want a stagnant shop in the eyes of Etsy, but listing several items each week isn’t necessary for every shop.
Good Reviews
It’s always good to strive for 5-star reviews. If a customer has two shops to choose between, the one with better reviews will likely win out.
Etsy does consider your ratings, but beyond pleasing Etsy, you want to appeal to your customers. Aiming for good reviews should be every shop owner’s goal.
Some ways to increase your chances of good reviews:
- Excellent photos so your customer knows exactly what they’re getting before it arrives. This includes demonstrating the product’s size, color, etc., to the best of your ability.
- Include a video in your Etsy listings so they can see it in action.
- Complete and thorough product descriptions are helpful in getting a high-scored review.
- Quick shipping is another great way to make a customer happy.
- Excellent communication is critical if there will be a delay in production or shipping, for example.
- Ask for a review after they’ve received their item. You can send a follow-up email requesting a review after your customer receives their item. Include that if they have any trouble with their order, to let you know as you’re happy to help.
Need More Traffic, Add Social Media
You don’t have to rely solely on Etsy search to get clicks to your listings and shop. Social media is a great way to drive traffic and sales, as well as build a loyal customer base.
Some of the more common platforms would be:
I’d also advise creating a Pinterest account and utilizing that visual search engine.
Consider Adding a Blog
A blog acts as a landing page for your site, allowing you to show your business behind the scenes. It’s also an opportunity to bring in traffic through Google searches, which you can send to your shop if you link to it.
While having a blog for your Etsy shop isn’t necessary, it can be a great asset for any business. Here are some easy steps for starting a blog.
Etsy SEO Tips Conclusion
Running an Etsy shop is fun, rewarding, and can be profitable. If you’re new to SEO, it may feel overwhelming, but it will become second nature to you in time and should help your shop attract more traffic.
One of the perks of selling on Etsy is the opportunity for organic search traffic from their search engine, so don’t leave that on the table!
Following these steps will give you a leg up on the shops not following Etsy SEO and give you a better chance of showing up when someone searches for what you’re selling.
Wishing you the best with your shop!
Just getting started with your business? Be sure to grab this free business plan template!
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