Congratulations! You’re selling your products on Etsy. While this is exciting, it’s likely overwhelming―there is a sea of various products awash on a veritable tsunami wave of different marketplace options. The good news? There are countless ways to improve how customers find you―and ultimately, improve your sales. Etsy’s thriving marketplace is home to millions of active customers, and was home to 90.5 million users who made at least one purchase in the last 12 months, up by 50% from last year’s 60.3 million.
You too can learn how to get noticed on Etsy and improve your Etsy ranking . . . so read on!
How to Get Found on Etsy
Tip 1: Publish New Listings
List often and offer many products on Etsy
Etsy recommends a minimum of 20 products to improve search rankings, as multiple listings provide more opportunities to rank for keywords. Even if your products are similar, this creates ample ways to use different descriptor keywords. This method can help you determine which keywords are most successful for your particular products. You will notice certain products are viewed or purchased more often than others, and you’ll want to analyze what is successful about certain listings. Is it the keywords? Or perhaps the product description? Maybe it’s the angle or colors of the photograph? Do extreme close-up shots or bright backdrops attract more customers to your product?
Create a strategic listing schedule for all of your products
Note that when people favorite your shop, they will get updates about new products as you list them. This is a good opportunity for longer-term engagement with potential and existing customers―not to mention a great way for you to stay in touch and create brand champions. This is the best strategy for how to get noticed on Etsy. For this reason, you might want to create a listing schedule. Perhaps you can post three items per week so those potential customers continue to receive regular notifications about your listings. This also has the additional benefit of helping you stay top of mind with your existing customers.
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If you are running short on ideas for new products, partner with a print on demand resource. Printbest has an Etsy integration. This is a great way to increase the products you can offer with little upfront effort. You can offer a variety of products, including T-shirts for both men and women, mugs, canvas prints, and even custom puzzles. To get started, simply take a few moments to connect your store, and you will soon be able to offer up to 71 types of additional products. The simple print on demand system allows you to create and sell products without upfront investment in inventory or equipment. It will also save you the hassle of packaging orders, as Printbest automatically handles fulfillment from your online store and ships directly to your customers. Shipping fees begin at just $3.99 per order, with product prices averaging 20% lower than competitors.
Tip 2: Use Good SEO Practices
What is SEO?
This acronym stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the practice of increasing the quality and quantity of organic (unpaid) visits to any site through search engine results. SEO will ultimately assist you in how to get found on Etsy. You will want to use keywords customers are searching for so Etsy’s search engine can connect them to the right products. Using keywords with higher relevance means you’re more likely to show up in search results.
How do I figure out where to place keywords?
It’s important to list your keywords in the listing title, listing description, and listing tags. Put your most important keywords in the first 30 words of your listing, as that will help the Etsy algorithm rank your products. What’s an algorithm, you may ask? An algorithm is defined as a sequence of computer-implementable instructions that solve a class of specific problems or perform a computation. All this means is that you’re helping Etsy’s site technically identify your products so it routes them to the right customers.
What keywords should I use?
“Long Tail Keywords” are the best way to find customers who may be ready to buy. These are defined as keyword phrases of three to five words. As more specific keywords, they allow you to target niche demographics. For example, the phrase “women’s T-shirt” will return many results, but the phrase “women’s donut T-shirt” will direct more specific customers to your listing.
Using shorter or vague keywords are better for people looking for ideas. For example, “baby shower gifts” is a good phrase to integrate if you have products for a specific niche of gifts for expectant mothers. Consider using synonyms, as well. A customer might search for “graduation lawn sign” as well as “graduation yard sign.” For more information about keywords, you might want to check out Etsy seller tools including the Ultimate Guide to Etsy Search or Using Search Analytics to Understand Your Search Traffic. For a more general primer on SEO to help you get oriented to general technical aspects of search engine science, download Hubspot’s Ultimate Guide to SEO in 2021.
Tip 3: Test Your Photos
Determine how to shoot your best product photos
Good photos are one of the key differentiating factors in successful Etsy products that sell. In fact, in Etsy’s buyers surveys, 90% of shoppers said the quality of photos are extremely important or very important indicators as to whether a purchase was made, followed by cost of the item, shipping cost, and reviews.
While good photos are integral, you also need to determine what types of photos will attract your specific niche. Different types of photos will work with different people. Maybe your audience will respond best to close-up photos with models or “lifestyle photos,” or action shots of a model using the product. Perhaps a blank white background will best showcase your product and drive sales; or maybe a bright primary-colored background. Jewelry may be showcased with a textured background, or might look better with a white background.
Etsy allows up to 10 images per product, so provide ample photos, and test images to see which ones drive results by reviewing your Etsy stats often. For more resources, check out Etsy’s Ultimate Guide to Product Photography or the handbook on Why Product Photography Is Important for more information.
Make your profile page count
Other photos to consider are those on your seller profile page, where you’ll want to upload images of yourself. This promotes authentic connection with your audience. They are supporting you, an independent retailer, instead of shopping at a larger retailer, so this is a great opportunity to “humanize” the experience for your customer. Check out 4 Tips to Improve Your Seller Profile on eBay, Etsy & Amazon for more information.
Tip 4: Share, Share, Share Your Listings Everywhere!
One way to improve your search rankings on Etsy is to post links to your products on social media, your blog, or other sites to create backlinks. Backlinks are links from other websites that are listed on you web page. That means posting your product on Facebook, Instagram, and other sites with a link back to Etsy will improve how easily your product is found.
Products with many backlinks will be ranked with “more authority” (ranked higher) by Google. Sharing bright, crisp, and clear product photos and videos along with a fun description will promote customers to click through your link. What’s more, sharing older products by describing them in a new way may improve product ranking.
Another key place to share products is via a newsletter or email to your friends and existing customers. Encourage your friends and family to share your products, too. Check out the Etsy Guide to Harnessing the Power of Social Media for Your Business for more information on each platform.
Tip 5: Review Your Etsy Stats
Need a great way to continuously improve your store and listings? Review your Etsy stats.
There are a number of great Etsy seller tools built right into your shop marketplace. Create a system for checking in on your store numbers periodically, say around the beginning or end of each month. You will want to calculate data, and derive the larger meaning in trends for your overall shop.
For example, if there is lots of traffic to one listing, but no purchases, what does that mean? Perhaps the product listing is unclear, or maybe you haven’t clarified the materials used. Maybe the description is unrelated to search terms, or perhaps your shipping costs are too high. You can refine your product listings continuously in this way: review your products periodically, pay special attention to what is working, and replicate these listings as much as possible. Then compare before and after statistics to see what’s working. Be patient throughout this process, as it can take awhile for the algorithm to begin registering your changes and deliver new traffic to your improved listings.
Now You’re Ranking — What's Next?
While gaining traction on Etsy and getting noticed can be difficult and is not a precise science, it’s possible to continuously improve your rankings and sales using these five simple tips. To get started, begin by publishing new listings to ensure you have a minimum of 20 products. If you need more products, consider Printbest as your retail partner. Our Printbest Etsy integration can create a new resource for affordable products. We’ll even print on demand and dropship directly to your customers, saving you countless hours and pennies.
