Ultimate Guide to Etsy Store SEO

With a staggering 9 million Etsy sellers in 2023, it's natural to feel the pressure of standing out - especially if you're brand-new to the world of Etsy selling. But fear not; this guide outlines all the tools and knowledge you need to boost your shop's visibility through excellent Etsy SEO (search engine optimization). 

This blog post doesn't just explain SEO-related theories and jargon. Instead, it's a practical roadmap designed to equip you with the necessary steps to boost your product rankings on Etsy's marketplace and external search engines like Google.  

Does that sound good? There's a lot to cover, so grab a cup of coffee, and let's dive in!

What is Etsy SEO?

As we hinted at in the introduction, Etsy SEO is an umbrella term for the techniques you can employ to boost your product listings in:

1. Internet search engines (like Google)
2. Etsy's internal search engine (this matches products from Etsy shops to customer searches within Etsy's marketplace). 

Factors Influencing Etsy SEO

So, which factors influence Etsy SEO rankings the most?

In short, your listing quality score is vital. This is a crucial metric in the platform’s search algorithm, which determines how well a listing performs in its search results.

It reflects the likelihood of a listing being relevant and desirable to potential buyers based on various factors.

Here’s a detailed explanation of what influences your listing quality score in Etsy SEO:

Let's take a look:

Relevance: The more similar your listing’s tags, attributes, product descriptions, and titles are to your customer's searches, the higher you’ll rank. 

Listing performance: Two metrics are used to judge your listing performance:

1. Click-through rate (CTR): The frequency at which users click on your Etsy listing when it appears in search results. High click-through rates indicate that the listing is attractive and relevant to the search query.
2. Conversion rate: The rate at which customers actually purchase something from your Etsy listing. A higher conversion rate suggests the listing meets buyers’ expectations and needs.

The age of your listing: New listings may receive a temporary boost in visibility to gauge their performance potential. After that, Etsy considers the listing's historical performance, including sales and engagement metrics.

Overall shop quality: The reputation and performance of your Etsy shop, including shipping reliability, overall sales, and customer service, can impact the quality score of individual listings.

How Can You See Your Listing Quality Score?

Unfortunately, Etsy doesn't explicitly display a numerical or direct listing quality score to sellers. Instead, you're left to infer the quality and performance of your listings through various metrics and tools provided by Etsy.

Here are a few ways you can gauge and improve your Listing Quality Score:

View Your Etsy Shop Stats

Check out the 'Listings' section of your Etsy Shop Manager, and pay special attention to the following metrics:

• Views and visits: Monitor the number of views and visits each listing receives. Higher numbers indicate your listing is getting noticed.
• Favorites: I.e. the number of times a listing is favorited indicates its appeal to buyers.
• Conversion Rate: Track how often visits to a listing result in sales. As mentioned above, a higher conversion rate suggests your listing effectively attracts and convinces buyers.

Customer Feedback

Check the customer reviews and ratings left on your Etsy listings. Glowing customer reviews and high ratings contribute to a better quality score, so you'll want to keep an eye on these!

Steps to Improve Your Listing Quality Score

Okay, now that we've covered the basics. Let's turn our attention to some of the things you can optimize on your listing for maximum Etsy SEO:

1. Research Your Keywords

Keywords are the cornerstones of effective SEO. These are words or phrases internet users type into search engines to look for products and/or information.

Strategically inserting keywords throughout your Etsy listings and shop helps communicate to Etsy and Google who you are and what you sell on Etsy, impacting your visibility.

Below, we've listed just a few of the places you'll need to insert your keywords:

• Tags
• Page titles
• Attributes
• Categories

With that said, here’s how to find the best keywords for your Etsy store:

Think about your products: What makes them stand out? How are they unique? What are they made from? Try to simplify this into single words and phrases.

Walk in your customer’s shoes: Imagine what they might type into Etsy and Google if they were looking for products like yours? Again, boil this down into single words and short phrases.

Use Etsy’s search bar: Use Etsy Search to validate your keyword ideas. Simply head to Etsy and type in your proposed keywords. Etsy Search will then suggest keywords based on real-life previous searches and current trends.

For example, if you plan on selling earrings, type “earrings” into the search bar. When we did this, the following words popped up:

• Earrings
• Earrings dangle
• Earrings set
• Earrings holder
• Earrings studs
• Earrings stack

Then, try adding the word “for” after your keyword. We did this and got the following results:

• Earrings for men
• Earrings for wedding
• Earrings for kids
• Earrings for women
• Earrings for loop

Alternatively, try “with,” and you’ll likely see even more results, like we did:

• Earrings with dangle
• Earrings with charms
• Earrings with backs
• Earrings with a chain
• Earrings with cuff

...And so on. 

Look at your competitors: Check out Etsy’s best-selling products in the same categories as yours. How are they described and titled? Pay attention to reoccurring keywords used across the top listings.

Use keyword tools: Leverage keyword research tools designed explicitly for Etsy, such as eRank. This platform offers keyword suggestions, search volume data, and competition analysis tailored to Etsy.

Now, amalgamate all the above, prioritizing words you’ve found using keyword tools and from your competitor research. After all, if it works for them, it could work for you, too. 

2. Optimize Your Shop Title and Shop Name for Relevancy

Armed with keywords to optimize your shop for, let's turn our attention to your Etsy shop title and name.

First, we want to stress that your Etsy shop title and shop name are two different things.

In contrast, your shop title is a short description or tagline that helps convey your shop's purpose. This is limited to 55 characters and is displayed under your shop name on your shop’s homepage and in search results.

Below are a couple of examples to illustrate the difference:

• Shop Name: If you sell handmade jewelry, your shop name might be “ElegantGems.”
• Shop Title: In contrast, your shop title could be “Handcrafted Jewelry & Accessories.”

How to Optimize Your Etsy Shop Name

• Relevance: Choose a name that reflects the products you sell. If possible, incorporate a keyword that potential customers might use to search for your items.
• Simplicity: Keep it short, easy to spell, and remember.
• Uniqueness: Make sure it stands out and isn’t too similar to other shop names.
• Avoid Special Characters: These can be hard to remember and sometimes affect searchability.

How to Optimize Your Etsy Shop Title

Keep your shop title concise while incorporating as many relevant keywords as possible without making it look spammy. Start with the most important keyword that best describes your shop, and then, if possible, include a few secondary keywords relevant to your products.

3. Optimize Your About Section for Relevancy

The 'About' section is your chance to tell customers who you are, what you do, and what your story is. This should draw customers in and allow them to identify with your brand through your narrative, images, and videos, such as behind-the-scenes photos or a day-in-the-life video.

Again, be sure to sprinkle keywords throughout the text in a way that reads naturally.

Pro Tip: Add links to your social media handles within your About section to further engagement. 

4. Optimize Product Titles and Descriptions for Relevancy and Engagement

When writing your product titles, remember they can't be more than 140 characters long, and for maximum SEO juice, put the most relevant/main keyword at the beginning of your product title.

But you must make sure that this looks natural and readable. Not only does this indicate to search engines what you're selling, allowing them to rank you accordingly, but it also makes it easy for customers to immediately see what you’re selling, encouraging them to click on your listing.

Again, product descriptions must be readable, engaging, and naturally incorporate keywords and phrases shoppers are searching for.

5. Optimize Your Product Tags

Product tags are descriptive labels or product properties that you can create to help categorize your catalog and make your wares more searchable—a win-win!

Example product tags include a product's color, brand, size, etc.  Etsy allows you to use 13 tags per item. We recommend using them all to help you rank higher in Etsy listings.

Pro Tip: Be sure to include relevant keywords and phrases where you can.

Remember: You can use short descriptive phrases to help describe your product. For example, “vintage dad t-shirt” vs. “vintage” and “dad t-shirt.”

Here are a few other pro tips for optimizing your product tags:

• Don’t repeat tag phrases. So, rather than repeating “dad gift,” try “present for dad.” Y
• You don’t need to use plurals because Etsy will still match. For example, use “hat” instead of “hats.”
• Be careful not to misspell your tags.
• If you plan to sell your wares abroad, use regional or colloquial phrases to target more than just your home country audience. For example, soccer (in the US) and football (in the UK). Your target audience needs to identify what you’re selling. 

Etsy automatically translates tags for you (as long as you've manually added your default language and the languages you want to be translated into).

6. Choose The Correct Categories and Subcategories for Your Products

A quick search on Etsy reveals that products on its marketplace are organized by an extensive list of categories and subcategories.

Your products must fall into these preset categories, i.e., you can’t add your own, so picking the right ones is crucial for ensuring your products get found by Etsy shoppers. As you might have guessed, Etsy categories and subcategories act like keywords that help Etsy showcase the right products to match customer searches.

Examples of Etsy categories and their respective subcategories include:

• Art & Collectibles: prints, sculpture, painting, glass art, etc
• Bath & Beauty: bath accessories, fragrances, skincare etc
• Clothing: women’s clothing, men’s clothing, gender-neutral adult clothing, etc. 

It’s worth keeping an eye on Etsy categories and subcategories in case Etsy ever changes or adds to them. This will help ensure your products continue to fall into the correct product categories. 

7. Add Relevant Product Attributes

Unlike product tags, product attributes are predefined options Etsy provides when you create a listing. You can pick the attributes that apply to your product to help communicate specific details about it.

Like tags, attributes help Etsy categorize your product accurately and improve its search visibility.

Typical attributes you can use to improve your product rankings include:

• Color
• Size
• Purpose
• Material
• Unique features
• Style
• Whether it can be customized
• Where it’s made

...And more

Different products naturally have various attributes. For example, a t-shirt may have attributes like size, color, material, etc.. In contrast, a poster may focus more on material, style, whether bulk purchase is available, etc.

8. Optimize Your Shipping Prices

Did you know that offering free shipping can positively affect your Etsy SEO and overall visibility?

Etsy's search algorithm prioritizes listings offering free shipping or free shipping guarantees, making your listings appear higher in search results.

In addition, many buyers use the “free delivery” filter when searching for items. So, if you're offering free shipping, your relevant listings are likelier to be included in these filtered search results, increasing the chances of being seen by potential buyers.

Lastly, listings with free shipping are often more attractive to buyers. In fact, 70% abandon their carts if they have to pay for shipping. So, it stands to reason that a “free shipping” badge will increase the likelihood of shoppers clicking on your listing, which can improve your overall click-through rate (CTR). As mentioned earlier, search algorithms often favor a higher CTR, potentially boosting your search ranking.

How Do You Offer Free Shipping On Etsy?

There are two ways you can offer free shipping on Etsy:

1. Include shipping costs in product prices: I.e., you adjust your product prices to cover shipping costs.
2. Free shipping guarantee: This is where you offer free shipping on orders over a certain amount, encouraging larger purchases.

Pro Tip: In the US, if you set up an Etsy free delivery guarantee, all items costing $35+ will show a FREE DELIVERY badge on search results. 

9. Optimize Your Product Images

Etsy allows you to add up to ten pictures and one video per product listing. The lead photo is obviously the one buyers see first, so it must be good. Etsy customers agree, with 90% stating that image quality is “extremely” or “very” important in purchase decisions.

This is why the Etsy algorithm prioritizes listings with high-quality images. Etsy recommends that you fully take advantage of the 10-photo rule, with product images taken at all possible angles to showcase them to customers. 

Your video can be 3-15 seconds long with a minimum resolution of 500 pixels. 

Ensure each video showcases your product’s main features and has your brand name, logo, and color palette so that customers can identify it with you and not one of your competitors. 

10. Enhance Shop Quality with Store Policies

You don’t have to include your store policies in your listings. However, it’s advisable because Etsy increases the customer market and experience score for shops with such policies, which affects their listing rankings on Etsy search engines.

It demonstrates to customers that you're a trustworthy and professional brand that's clear about what you offer regarding returns, refunds, etc.

There are a range of policies you could have, for example:

• Returns and exchanges
• Order cancellations
• Privacy (for Europe-based sellers or Etsy stores with EU customers. These must comply with GDPR). 
• Delivery

If you're unsure how to write these policies, don't worry. There are plenty of templates you can use.

11. Secure Inbound Links

Inbound links, also sometimes referred to as backlinks or incoming links, take a person to your website from another website.

Inbound links are good news for your store's SEO because they sign to Google that your store is trustworthy and has high-quality content that people actually want to consume.

As Google increasingly prioritizes websites offering an excellent user experience, this, in turn, will earn you higher rankings in Google searches. 

With that said, here are a few ways to encourage inbound links to your Etsy store:

Etsy blog: Use Etsy’s own blogging tool and website builder, Pattern (additional fees apply). With Pattern, your blog and your Etsy shop are merged into one space. Etsy says that the advantage of having an Etsy blog is that shoppers will “immediately see your blog in the context of your shop, and your products are just a click away.” Use this platform to produce high-quality content that other content creators/internet users link back to, bringing in those all-important backlinks.

External blog: Alternatively, if you have an external eCommerce website from which you're selling products (in addition to Etsy), you can add a blog to your store (if you haven't already done so). Again, the idea is to produce engaging content that people link back to.  

Guest blogging: Identify high-quality blogs in your niche that accept blog posts. Then, reach out to the website owners to see whether there's an opportunity for you to publish a guest post on their blog. When writing your post, incorporate a backlink to your Etsy store naturally within the content (while avoiding being overly promotional!)

12. Get Good Customer Reviews

The Etsy algorithm strongly favors brands that excel in customer service and consistently receive positive reviews.

So, here are several effective strategies to enhance the chances of receiving the kinds of glowing reviews every Etsy seller yearns for:

1. Respond promptly to inquiries: Timely responses to customer queries demonstrate your dedication to customer satisfaction. Aim to reply promptly to messages and address any concerns or questions efficiently.
2. Establish clear shop policies: As mentioned above, transparent policies regarding shipping, returns, and product information instill confidence in buyers. So, ensure your policies are easily accessible and clearly communicated on your Etsy shop.
3. Offer incentives like discount codes: Encourage repeat business and positive feedback by offering discount codes for future purchases. This not only increases customer loyalty but also enhances the overall shopping experience.
4. Personalize customer interactions: Add a personal touch by including handwritten thank-you notes or personalized messages inside each order. Customers appreciate feeling valued and acknowledged, which can lead to enthusiastic reviews.
5. Request feedback and reviews: Politely encourage buyers to leave feedback after their purchase. A gentle reminder or a follow-up message expressing gratitude for their business can prompt satisfied customers to share their positive experiences.

Remember, cultivating good customer reviews is an ongoing effort that requires consistent dedication to providing excellent customer service. By prioritizing the strategies mentioned above, you'll strengthen your brand's reputation on Etsy, which, in turn, will hopefully translate into stellar reviews from happy customers!

Are You Ready to Improve Your Etsy Shop's SEO?

Etsy is a bustling online marketplace where millions of sellers vie for customers' attention, so mastering Etsy SEO isn't just an advantage—it's essential.

Optimizing your Etsy store using the strategies outlined in this guide can massively increase the chances of your shop being seen!

From keyword research to enhancing product listings and fostering customer trust, every step is a stride toward standing out in a sea of sellers.

So, what are you waiting for? There's no time like the present to start putting these strategies into action!

Also, don't forget to tell us how you get on in the comments box below—we'd love to hear about your experiences with Etsy SEO!