Etsy SEO Tips

After creating tons of Etsy seller videos and hanging out in Etsy seller groups to share Etsy SEO tips, I’ve realized many sellers do not understand Etsy SEO. I see variations of the question “what is SEO on Etsy” way too often.

This means many sellers are missing out on the most powerful sales tool Etsy offers.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

SEO is an acronym for search engine optimization.

SEO on Etsy is the process that helps your shop show up more often in searches both on Etsy and on sites like Google.

By optimizing your Etsy listings with good keywords and content you make it easier for buyers to find you when they search for things.

SEO is just the process of making it easier for people searching to find the thing they wanted. This applies to any website that is based around a search engine, including Etsy.

Search algorithms want to connect users with what they are looking for when they type in keywords. SEO is the process of optimizing your content to match what people are searching for so the algorithm shows your product during a search.

SEO can be complicated which is why so many people tend to be confused. Even with some knowledge of SEO I see sellers explaining it wrong or sharing incorrect information.

SEO is also something that is always changing because search engine algorithms are changing as well.

Etsy SEO Tips

There is no way to guarantee you will be at the top of a search result. Don’t ever fall for someone selling you that promise with a course or any paid offer.

However, there are ways to improve your shop’s SEO so you show up more often for interested buyers.

Here are some of the best Etsy SEO tips that you can implement to improve your search engine optimization.

Select Accurate Keywords

Using accurate and descriptive keywords that people search for is a huge part of Etsy SEO.

Finding the best possible words to describe your listings and shop is incredibly important. Once you find those keywords you should implement them in your listings.

You can do this in a number of ways but the beginning should be thinking like a customer would. What would they search for to find your products? What are they looking for?

Asking questions about what your buyer is looking for will naturally lead you to keyword ideas.

Use Gift & Buying Phrases

When you are looking for keywords for your products you should be descriptive but you should also think about different reasons your product might be purchased.

Etsy is driven by people buying gifts for occasions like weddings, graduations, and Christmas. At least half of the traffic on Etsy is gift purchase related.

You should think about gift phrases that might apply to your product to bring in search traffic.

Gift phrases would be things like:

• gift for him for Valentine’s Day
• wedding gift for couple unique
• nurse graduation gift

There are many different occasions and ways people search for gifts. Brainstorm types of occasions that might apply to your product. These keywords will add to your SEO beyond just your descriptive keywords.

Utilize Etsy Auto Populate Function

One way to find keywords people are using on Etsy is to utilize the auto populate function on the search bar.

When you are on the Etsy website you can start typing anything into the search bar and additional suggestions will show up.

These things that show up are things people are searching for! These could be successful keywords to use for improving your listings in search.

The auto populate function on Etsy will give you lots of ideas. As as example, when you type “spring door” you’ll see Etsy populate some potential ideas for you:

• spring door hanger
• spring door sign
• svg spring door hanger
• spring door decoration

This can help you come up with descriptive keywords that you know people are using.

Try Using Etsy Keyword Tools

It’s possible to find good keywords just by using your own industry knowledge and the Etsy search bar. But using Etsy keyword tools can give you extra information and an edge on competition.

There are several decent Etsy keyword tools that give you additional information that can be helpful.

These sites can give you information about keyword volume, how seasonal a keyword might be, and how many sales other shops using these keywords are getting. Having more information can help you choose which keywords you want to use with your limited space.

A few Etsy keyword tools that might help you research:

• Erank
• Marmalead
• SaleSamurai

It’s important to note that these tools don’t use the proprietary search information from Etsy. They calculate their info in other ways. But using these tools to research potential keywords and discover more has made many shops successful with SEO.

It’s important to remember that finding good keywords is not the only factor for SEO. You have to also then implement these keywords into your listings and shop.

Keep reading for more things you can do to improve your shop for more sales.

Optimize Your Shop Title

Your shop title on etsy is the little bit of text that shows up under your shop name. It can be up to 55 characters and plays a part in your shop’s SEO.

Your shop title becomes the page title for your shop page and this is what shows up in search engines like Google.

Using this space to be descriptive so people can find you via searching. If you have a strong brand name or tagline you can use it here or use keywords for what you sell.

It’s easy to edit your shop title:

• go to Shop Manager
• in the left menu under “Sales Channels” click the pencil icon next to your shop name
• click Edit or the pencil icon next to the text under your shop name
• type in the text you want to use
• click the black Save button

Changing your shop title can help you improve your shop’s overall ability to be found via search.

Optimize Your Shop Sections

You can optimize your shop sections to improve your shop’s SEO in addition to making the customer experience better.

Each section in your shop has it’s own landing page and these pages all have a page title based on the shop section name.

Editing your shop sections to be descriptive and use good keywords will help people find these sections via search. The titles for the sections becomes the page title which shows up in search engines.

Etsy limits the section names to 24 characters and automatically includes the section name in the page title.

This means you need to choose the best keyword option for each shop section.

To change the shop section name you do the following:

• go to Shop Manager
• go to Listings in the left menu
• on the right menu, click on “Manage” next to Sections
• click on the pencil icon next to shop section you want to edit
• type in the Shop Section name and click “Save Changes”

Changing your shop sections to be more descriptive with better keywords will help your shop’s SEO.

After editing your shop’s SEO you will then move on to optimizing individual product listings.

Listing Item SEO

Each product listing on Etsy is an opportunity for someone to find you via search.

This is why many people on Etsy work towards a goal of 100 or more listings. It gives you more chances to be discovered among the millions of other sellers.

Your listing SEO will be made up of a few parts: item title, item description, and tags.

For each of these you will utilize the keywords you discovered during your research phase and implement them on your listing.

Item Title

The item title is used to create the page title for your listing and the beginning of the title is the most important.

You should use the best keyword to clearly describe your product at the beginning of your item title. This should be a keyword shoppers will use and it will be the first things customers see on Etsy searches and in Google as well.

Item Description

The item description for your product is something I often see sellers neglect but it is very important for SEO.

The first 160 characters of your item description is used to create a meta description. This description is what shows up in search engines and can influence people to click on your item or not.

The whole description is important because search engines view all of the on page content as important. You should use this space to describe your product using various keywords you researched and people might use.

Item Tags

The keywords you used in your title and description will also be used for your tags.

You can easily copy the keywords you used in your title and then paste them exactly as tags.

Some of your longer keyword phrases won’t work as tags due to length. For these you can break them down into two tags if it makes sense.

Adding the same keyword in the title and using it in the description and including it as a tag gives the signal to Etsy that this listing is very relevant for anyone searching that term.

Get Links To Your Listings

According to Etsy, links from outside websites to your listings improves their rankings. This is very similar to how SEO works for websites trying to rank for keywords on Google.

Very few sellers focus on doing something like getting links to their listings. All of their time is focus on over optimizing listings which means this is a fantastic option to focus on.

You can get links to your listings in a few ways:

• start your own blog and link back to listings
• get other bloggers and influencers to link to your products
• pitch your products to reporters for potential news features

Finding ways to promote your products outside of Etsy and earn links to your products will actually increase your visibility inside of Etsy via search.

Those are just a few of the ways you can use search engine optimization on Etsy. Doing these things will improve the chances that people find you when searching.

Things To Avoid

While there is not a clear list of all the do’s and don’ts of Etsy SEO, there are a few common things to avoid with any form of SEO.

Here are some things you should avoid doing:

• Don’t stuff your listing with keywords. Write your listing content for people using relevant keywords where needed. Do not write strings of keywords that make no sense to the end user just to please a search engine.
• Don’t use filler or useless content. Being useful to the customer means you have efficient and descriptive content that helps them on the buying decision. Anything beyond this just to try and rank for search terms does not help you.
• Don’t buy links from other sources. You want to generate links back to your shop but you should never pay for these. That’s a no-no for most search engines. Focus instead of generating press and natural mentions of your shop.

Those are a few things to avoid. Making sure you avoid these mistakes is one of the best Etsy SEO tips I can give some shop owners.

In general use common sense and focus on your end user – not a search engine.

More Etsy SEO Tips

These basic Etsy SEO tips will help you get started bringing in more customers via search.

If you want to keep learning there are many articles and guides inside the Etsy seller handbook. The Etsy seller handbook is where Etsy provides useful information for sellers to improve their shops and make more sales.

Here are some useful Etsy SEO tips and related articles in the seller handbook:

• How Etsy Search Works
• Keywords 101: Everything You Need to Know
• Optimizing Your Shop for Etsy Search
• Your Search Questions, Answered

These guides along with others in the seller handbook will give you a solid foundation in understanding and implementing SEO on Etsy.

There are also many useful Etsy tutorials here on Pennies Not Perfection:

• Etsy Seller Resources
• How To Get Sales On Etsy
• How To Get Reviews On Etsy

Selling on Etsy can be a life changing side hustle. It’s something that I’ve seen change multiple people’s lives. I wish that for you and hope this resource can help you make it happen!