In this article, we are going to cover the new Etsy algorithm and everything you need to know to get some more traffic and sales to your Etsy shop.
Now, this is something that a lot of you guys have asked for, and I’m really excited to share all of my strategies and we’re going to use the most current Etsy algorithm to work in our favor. This way, we’re not just throwing spaghetti at a wall. You are going to walk away with a real actionable game plan that we can measure and really see the results. In this article, we are going to learn how to use the current Etsy algorithm to increase your traffic and sales.
Inside my private membership community, Creative Entrepreneur 101, we’re also going to do keyword research together. This way you can tell what keywords you want to rank for, and what’s really going to move the needle the most in your particular shop. From there, we’re going to finish up by creating systems and routines so that you can track your progress.
It’s going to be the most impactful if we check back in a few weeks and see how our efforts have helped us grow. So let’s dive in!
Let’s start with the details of the new Etsy algorithm. When we understand how Etsy is working behind the scenes, we’re going to be able to play by their rules better and get the most bang for our buck when it comes to our efforts.
I’ve broken this article down to a handful of the most impactful changes that we can make to our listings. So that way they show up better and we can start making some more money with your Etsy shop.
1.) Long-Tail Keywords & The Etsy Algorithm
The first thing we’re going to do is increase your traffic on Etsy using long-tail keywords. What that means is you’re just going to use phrases, two words together, or maybe a short sentence, instead of trying to use one word. In general, the one-word keywords start to get really oversaturated, and you start to drown out. Plus they’re not quite as descriptive for your future customers, and so the results are going to be broader and it’s not going to help your people find you as easy as they could. A good example of a long-tail keyword would be, “short lace blush dress” instead of “dress.” Or “vegan bath bombs” instead of “bath bombs.” Having a couple phrases together is really going to help you stand out.
Using long-tail keywords is going to help you niche down and help your audience find you easier. This is one area where being broad and being vague, isn’t going to serve you. Number one, it doesn’t work with Etsy’s algorithm. Also, you’re going to appeal to your people and be found a lot easier by the people that are excited about what you’re making when you niche down.
Quick tip: If the tag that you’d like to use is longer than 20 characters, just use two tags in the tag section at the bottom of your listings, side-by-side. Etsy is going to string them together naturally and it’s all going to work just fine.
2.) Include Keywords in Your Listing Title
My next tip is to use your focus keyword in the title of your listing.
The reason we’re going to do this is because Etsy’s shop listings are also reported to Google. This is amazing because Google shopping is where millions of people are already shopping every single day without necessarily logging on to Etsy first. Getting your products to show up on Google and Etsy is a pretty great opportunity here.
By using our focus keyword that our customers are already searching for in the title of our listing, it’s going to help that product show up a lot better across both Etsy and Google.
3.) Add Your Focus Keyword To Your Tags As Well
Next, we’re going to use phrases in both the title and the tags. The exact phrase matches are stronger than matches on individual words. Therefore, tags and phrases that appear in both the title and the tag of your listings, are considered more relevant than a listing with that word or phrase in the title or tags alone.
In short, you’re going to want to repeat that tag or long-tail keyword in the title and the tags at the bottom of your listing. This is an area where we’re not going to want to try to save space and get in more keywords. Be sure that the same tag is used in the title of your product and the tags at the bottom of your listing page.
Keep in mind that within the tags section of your listing, there’s no need to repeat words. For example, if I was selling a dress, to say, “women’s dress, blue dress, summer dress, casual dress” but by repeating the word “dress” in those tags, I’m missing a huge opportunity to add more keywords that my people are already looking for. Avoid repeating words within your tags except for within your high-impact, long-tail keywords that you’d like to rank for. You don’t have to repeat words in your other tags. Instead, use this opportunity to get more keywords into that tag section.
4.) The Etsy Algorithm Wants You To Be Current & List Often
Next, be current. Etsy’s algorithm reviews how recently an item was listed or relisted. It might be a good idea to set a reminder on your phone and log in and renew a couple listings. Try it out for a month and see what kind of sales increase.
Quick tip, when you fix the keywords of an old listing, instead of just editing the existing listing, duplicate it. Then tweak and fix the keywords of the new listing so you can measure the impact of your efforts.
Duplicating and updating old listings is going to give you a small boost in the algorithm since it’s considered brand new. This little boost should last anywhere from a few hours to a few days. And in doing this process, you’re also going to be able to split test and see how these new keywords are actually performing.
5.) Avoid Keyword Stuffing
My next tip is don’t keyword stuff. Keyword stuffing is basically when you create a nonsense sentence in your listing of a slew of keywords. For example, you might see things like, “women’s dress, summer trendy, fashion sequence, free shipping.” It’s not a sentence, it doesn’t make sense. That’s keyword stuffing, and Etsy doesn’t like it. The platform will actually penalize your account if you do. So don’t keyword stuff.
6.) Use the first 160 characters of your description wisely.
Since Etsy’s new algorithm works so hand-in-hand with Google, the first 160 characters of your listing description are going to be used for what’s called the meta description. If you’ve searched anything on Google, you’ll see that within their search engine (before you click on the website itself) it will list the title of that page in bold followed by a sentence or two directly underneath it. This sentence is called your meta description.
Etsy is now working very similarly. The platform uses the first 160 characters to report to Google. To take advantage of this, make sure you include the same tag as you used in your title in the first 160 characters of your listing description.
To clarify, your main focus tag is now in your title, in the first sentence or two of your listing (to be sure that it shows up well on Google) and also in the tag below your listing.
For a bonus, if you want to stretch yourself, make sure to include a really great description of your product that includes your focus tag and add a call to action within the first 160 characters of your product description. By adding a call to action, it’s going to increase your click-throughs on Google and your traffic and your sales as a whole.
7.) Sprinkle tags throughout your listing description
But we’re not going to stop using tags in the first one or two sentences of our listings, because both Etsy and Google’s search engines are going to crawl your entire page and look for tags and keywords. The new algorithm is so sophisticated that it actually uses the text in your description to gather more information about your item to see if it’s worth sharing with more customers. To take advantage of this, be sure to sprinkle your other tags naturally throughout the listing.
8.) Add keywords to your shop sections
My next tip (and this is one that a lot of Etsy shops don’t do) is usually a huge missed opportunity, is to add keywords to your shop sections. Your shop sections that help organize your listings and make it easier for customers to shop your products are also searchable. It’s a really good opportunity to put keywords in your shop categories and sections… plus Etsy and Google really like it.
9.) Create Inbound Links
My last tip for you is to create inbound links. An inbound link is when any other site links directly to your Etsy shop. Etsy recommends getting inbound links to your shop so that you earn higher placement in search results on their platform and others. If you have completed the 8 Step Success Blueprint, you already know just how valuable a blog can be for your business…this is just another example of why.
When you share your process of making your projects on your blog and a link to your Etsy shop, that counts as an inbound link. Then, if you share it again on social media that counts as another inbound link. Having articles hosted on your blog and linked with your Etsy shop all count as inbound links. You can also get inbound links through social media shares, through guest blog posts on friends’ blogs or other blogs in your niche, and by working with influencers.
If you have your own website, this creates the opportunity to automatically create inbound links to your Etsy shop. According to search engines, having more inbound links gives your webpage more credibility and makes you look more established and trustworthy within their algorithm.
Now we’ve gone into where to place our keywords, the Etsy algorithm, everything that Etsy wants for you to get more traffic and sales.
Inside my private membership community, I have created 2 more workshops that cover the keyword aspect of things. After all, we really want to be using the best keywords for your Etsy shop so you get the most results from your efforts. We also want to make sure that we’re using keywords that are being searched for a lot, that has low competition. That way, you’re not competing with everybody and finding your paying customers sooner.
I invite you to join us today and I’ll teach you everything you need to know to do keyword research and grow your income, traffic, and sales. You can access all of our past workshops (which are valuable courses in themselves) create a personalized action-plan for your shop, and access our 8 Step-Succes Blueprint…. all for just $35. Learn more by clicking here.
