Etsy SEO can be a powerful way to bring in customers and generate sales. But too often I find Etsy sellers completely unaware or confused about SEO. What does Etsy SEO mean? How can SEO help a shop?
What is SEO? What is Etsy SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization.
SEO on Etsy is the process of optimizing your shop and listings to show up more often and higher in search results. This process helps your shop earn more traffic from 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.
Why Etsy SEO Matters
Etsy SEO is important because Etsy is primarily a search engine.
Every day millions of people type product words into the Etsy search bar while looking for things to buy. Etsy shows them a variety of options in response to their query.
With SEO, you could be one of the shops shown to people looking to buy.
The whole site is built around the concept of customers searching the marketplace to find the product they want. Your shop shows up along with millions of others whenever a person searches for something.
The main reason why people sell on Etsy is because there is already a customer base on the platform. SEO is the way that you reach that customer base and show up in front of them.
Without SEO you have to actively drive traffic to your shop via social media, email or other methods. If you aren’t utilizing Etsy SEO then you might as well sell on your own website because you aren’t utilizing the benefit of Etsy’s customer base.
Etsy SEO Factors
There are many factors that search engines consider in order to create results for users.
Etsy does not share all of the factors they consider for rankings. However, they’ve shared a lot of info about the important ones so sellers know how to improve their shops.
These are all potential factors in how your listings are ranked in Etsy search:
- Quality of your listing (all fields filled out, how users interact with the listing, etc.)
- Keywords used in the listing (the words used in the listing content)
- Matching results (search term match your listing titles, tags, categories, and attributes)
- Shop reputation (customer replies, shop policies, reviews, refunds, etc.)
- Recency (new and renewed listings get a small temporary boost)
- Shipping prices (free shipping is prioritized in search results)
- Shopper habits (Etsy technology shows buyers customized results you won’t see)
These factors all contribute to where your products show up in search results.
In order to improve your search traffic you need to improve as many of these items as possible.
How Does Etsy SEO Work?
By now you probably understand how important Etsy SEO is to your shop.
Let’s look at how you implement search engine optimization and the steps it includes.
Etsy SEO as a process will include the following steps:
- Finding the best keywords people are searching for to match your products
- Optimizing important elements of your product listings to include these keywords
- Improving the content of your product listing to better serve the customer
- Providing excellent customer service to keep your scoring high on factors beyond keywords
- Get links to your shop and product listings from other websites
These are practical steps that can then be broken down even further as you work on each one.
Etsy SEO is one that combines optimizing the improvement of listings along with being a good seller who provides an excellent experience.
Moving through these steps and improving your shop and listings can help you rank higher on Etsy searches.
More Etsy SEO Tips
If you’re interested in learning more tips to improve your SEO on Etsy, check out this list of Etsy SEO tips.
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 SEO 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.
You can also find useful Etsy tips tutorials here on Pennies Not Perfection:
Using SEO to improve your shop and get more sales is worth doing. You’ll find it’s the most passive way to drive traffic and earn more money from your Etsy shop. Good luck improving your Etsy SEO!
Mary is the founder of Pennies Not Perfection where she shares her journey to build wealth through online income. She quit her day job in 2021 after she paid off her debt and doubled her 9-5 salary.
Mary's favorite free financial tool is Personal Capital. She uses their free tools to track net worth and work toward to financial freedom.
Her favorite investment platform is M1 Finance, where she built a custom portfolio for free with no fees. She shares her portfolio growth and savings progress every month on YouTube.