Getting on the first page of Etsy search is the dream, isn't it?
With the amount of sellers on Etsy marketplace right now, reaching page 1 on Etsy and understanding the search algorithm is getting harder and harder.
But there are some solid ways you can increase your shop's visibility and help your products getting found on Etsy by potential customers.
In this article, you'll know everything about Etsy search algorithm, its ranking factors and the best practices to improve your listings' ranking. If you want to know how to master Etsy SEO, you will love this guide.
Let's get started.
What Is Etsy SEO & How Does Etsy Rank Listings?
SEO, search engine optimisation, is the process of improving your product listing's visibility in the search engine, and therefore having more views.
Search engines like Google and Yahoo, match what you want you are looking for (search query) to the internet results.
Etsy search is also a search engine. It matches products from Etsy shops to shopper's searches.
Etsy SEO is to optimise your products, shop and other factors so that you have the best chance to rank higher in search results and be seen by more potential customers.
How Etsy Search Algorithm Works
Etsy ranks product listings in two steps: Query matching and Ranking.
Query Matching
- Title
- Tags
- Categories
- Attributes
- Listing Description
Etsy listings that have the buyer's search query keyword in any one of the above will be eligible to rank. but where they will be placed in the search results is yet to be determined.
The Ranking Factors Of Etsy Search Algorithm
After Etsy has all the products that are eligible to rank for a query, Etsy algorithm uses these extra factors to determine the final search ranking of the listings.
Listing Quality Score
This looks at how well a particular product sells/converts. Etsy takes into account the percentage of people clicking, favoriting and buying a product to determine the score. Etsy wants visitors to actually buy the products. The higher the conversion rate, the higher your Etsy ranking will be.
Conversion rate is determined by how many people buy the product (conversion) versus how many people view it. Say two products have 100 people viewing them each, the one that sells 10 will have a higher conversion rate than the product selling only 2. Click here to see how to maximise your Etsy shop conversion rate.
Shoppers' Habits
Etsy looks into the shopper's individual searches, clicks, purchases and more to further determine the ranking of listings. This is the main reason why everyone sees different ranking orders of listings. The most important thing to keep in mind here is to use descriptive long-tail keyword that accurately describe your product so that your product is more likely to show up in front of interested shoppers.
Relevancy
This is how well your listing's titles, tags, etc match what shopper searches for. Exact matching of keywords will improve the ranking.
Product Description
Etsy looks at your product description to further determine the ranking of your listing in Etsy search. Aim to write a short paragraph in the beginning of your listing description that includes 3-5 keywords and describe the benefits and features of the product.
Recency
A new or just renewed product will get a small boost in ranking, but the effect is very small. So renewing all your products constantly will not be helpful, especially because it costs money to renew listings.
Shop's Age
New Etsy store gets a boost in ranking for a period of time.
Customer & Market Experience Score
Achieving these can help customers have a great shopping experience from your shop, and Etsy put significant emphasis on these for your ranking:
- Positive reviews for the particular products (learn how to increase the chance for 5-star reviews here)
- Positive reviews for your shop
- Finished About page
- Completed shop policy especially return policy
- No cases open against your shop
Shipping Price
Online shoppers care about shipping price. Studies show high shipping price scares them away and makes them more likely to abandon the shopping cart. That’s why Etsy makes shipping price a factor that can affect ranking.
In the October 2024 Etsy update, one of the biggest changes is that Etsy will now prioritise listings with domestic U.S. shipping fees under $6. High shipping costs have always been a deterrent for buyers, but now, they could also hurt your search rankings. Etsy's data shows that U.S. shoppers are less likely to complete a purchase if shipping costs exceed $6.
So if your shipping costs are higher than that, your listings would rank lower in search results, making it harder for buyers to find you.
This could be a significant challenge for true handmade sellers trying to compete with factory-produced products, as the costs of labour, materials, and shipping often add up, making it hard to offer a competitive price.
Etsy has introduced a new bulk pricing editing tool to speed up the process. The tool allows you to shift some of your shipping costs into the item price, which can help you stay competitive while still keeping your listings visible. For example, if you charge $10 for shipping, you could raise your item price by $4 and reduce the shipping fee to $6 or less, which helps you not get penalised by the search algorithm. This is what the bulk pricing tool looks like:
Keep in mind that this update only affects domestic US to US sales. If you’re an international seller or selling to international customers, this change doesn’t affect you. This change also doesn’t apply to listings over $35 that already has a free shipping guarantee, digital products, or listings that use calculated shipping. But offering free shipping can still improve the conversion rate of your shop. Learn the best practices in this article.
Listing Photos Requirement
Listings with fewer than five high-quality images may see a dip in visibility. Etsy also flags images smaller than 2,000 pixels wide, so if your photos have a resolution lower than that, now’s the time to update them. Also, Etsy discourages using collages for the thumbnail photo (first photo). Save this article for my recommendations for listing photo requirements.
Etsy Shop Return Policies
Etsy now requires all listings to have a clear return policy, even if you don’t accept returns. Listings without a return policy could see their search rankings drop, as transparency is becoming an even bigger factor in Etsy’s algorithm.
If you haven’t set a return policy, make sure to update it in your shop dashboard. Even if you don’t accept returns, having a policy in place that says so can improve trust with potential buyers and avoid penalties in the algorithm.
Translations & Language
You don’t need to worry about this one given that you use English for your products and shop. Etsy just wants your shop to use the same language as the ‘shop language’ you chose when you open your shop.
Shop Location
In EU, Australia and Canada, the local shops will rank higher than non-local shops. Given that you are not moving your whole business to another country for a slight boost in search ranking, there’s not much you can do about this.
Three Steps To Rank Better On Etsy Search
Knowing these ranking factors help us find the right strategies to improve the visibility of your products to potential customers.
One of the most important strategies is to align your keyword with what buyers are searching. Think like your potential customers in this process.
In this process, we will:
- Brainstorm and come up with keywords
- Choose the right and best keywords
- Put them into your listings' titles and tags
After these Etsy SEO tips, your product listings would likely get a boost in search results.
01 - Coming Up With Keywords With Keyword Research
Researching keywords is knowing what specific keywords your customers are searching for.
Here are a few ways to help you come up with a pool of keywords.
Getting Some Initial Keyword Ideas
Try describing your items with a few short sentences. Here are some points to inspire your thought process:
- Physical attributes (e.g. material, color, size, style, etc.)
- Who is it for (e.g. mum, boyfriend, bridesmaid, teacher, etc.)
- Uses (e.g. gifting, motivation, healing, etc.)
- Occasion (e.g. wedding, prom, baby shower, etc.)
- Seasons
- Holidays and Festivals (e.g. Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Christmas)
Knowing What Your Customers Are Searching For - Etsy Search Bar
Etsy search is the best place to start brainstorming your keywords. Why? Because that is based on what shoppers actually look for.
When you type something in the search bar, you will notice Etsy start making suggestions. These are the search terms that shoppers around the world actually use.
Type in what you are selling in the search box, and you will get autocomplete suggestions from the search box. For example, when I put in “necklace”, I get relevant keywords like “necklace for men”, “necklace charm”, etc.
You can also click into product listings, scroll down to the bottom of the page, and see more closely related search terms. Etsy uses these to inspire and encourage shoppers to browse more related products. Add the ones relevant to you to the pool of keywords.
Bonus place to find keywords: Amazon, eBay and even Google search.
Inspired By Relevant Keywords From Close Competitors
Your competitors have probably been in the market longer, or have more sales than you. They have likely done keyword research themselves.
Look at the keywords of their similar items and mark down the keywords that are suitable for your products.
02 - Finding The Best Keywords For Etsy Listings
To find the best keywords, aim for those with high demand from shoppers and manageable competition on Etsy.
Etsy search bar reveals some valuable information about shoppers' demand. When you are typing, the keywords that rank high in the list of suggestions tend to have higher demand. The list change from time to time, so keep in mind to check back every few months.
For competition, the longer the keyword, the less competition there will be. The term "men silver gemstone bracelet" will be easier to rank than "gemstone".
This brings us to the concept of long-tail keyword.
Let's look at this example:
You should aim for long-tail keywords that are 2-5 words long. Short keywords like “necklace” have too much competition. It’s almost impossible to rank for short keywords. Also, shoppers typing “necklace” probably are just browsing and are not ready to buy.
On the other hand, long-tail keywords are specific. Because it is not general, you will face less competition and will be easier to rank for them. Also, if a shopper typed the whole 3-word phrase in, they have a pretty good idea of what they want to buy, and they are probably ready to purchase. This can lead to higher conversion rate. Like we said before, a higher conversion rate will further push you up in the search results as it’s one of the main ranking factors.
It's also useful to 'mix and match' some shorter keywords to make longer ones. Remember that longer keywords have less competition. For example, from "silver gemstone jewelry" and "gift idea for him", you can get extra keywords like "silver gift for him" and "gemstone jewelry gift idea".
There are some good keyword research tools in the market if you don't want to do it manually. Click here to see my recommendation after testing 17 Etsy keyword research tools in the market.
03 - How To Optimise Etsy Product Listings For SEO
Use Descriptive, Keyword-Rich Listing Title
Once you have a selected list of keywords. It's time to put them in action in the product titles and tags.
Choose the most descriptive keywords for the front of the title. The keywords in the front carries more weight than the ones at the back. And they are also seen by shoppers first. It's helpful for buyers to understand your product quickly.
Be careful not to have too much repetition. I'd suggest using a good variety of keywords that are descriptive of the product.
Match The Keyword In Title And Tags
Match the exact phrase of long-tail keyword in both your title and your tag. Say if you are selling a white midi dress, put ‘white midi dress’ in both your title and your tag.
Use All 13 Tags In Each Listing
Maximise your chance to rank by using all 13 Etsy tags for each listing.
Additional Strategies To Improve Ranking For Etsy Search Algorithm
Encourage Positive Reviews
Try encourage positive reviews from customers as higher shop reviews will improve your shop ranking. Other than providing good customer service, try reaching out to them with a thank you message and ask them what they think of your product after their purchase.
Finish About Page & Shop Policy
Filling out your about page and shop policy as they are one of the ranking factors that Etsy cares about. Not to mention they will help your conversion rate as well as it reassures potential customers that your shop is trustworthy.
Craft Compelling Listing Description To Improve Conversion Rate
Writing good listing description helps shoppers understand your product and why is it a right fit for them. This helps improve the conversion rate of your listing, and boost the listing quality score, which is one of the ranking factors.
Clean & Eye-Catching Product Photos
Click rate is one of the ranking factors in Etsy search algorithm. Aim to have product photos with clean background to stand out in the Etsy search results. Read this guide for some Etsy product photo inspirations.
Bring In External Traffic
Extra traffic is always good. Have an online presence on social media like Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest, write your own blogs, etc can send targeted traffic to your Etsy store, which can improve ranking in the long run.
Some Common Questions About Etsy Search
How Long Does It Take For Etsy SEO To Work?
It differs from shop to shop. Usually shops see their listings rank within hours, but some others say it takes 1-2 days before they see their products on Etsy search.
Should I Include Categories And Attributes As Tags?
No, Etsy automatically puts your categories and attributes as tags already. You don’t need to repeat them because that would waste the valuable 13 tag space.
Do Plurals Matter?
No, whether it’s plural or not count as the same thing. “Dress” and “dresses” are the same to Etsy.
Is It Bad To Use The Same Set Of Keywords?
Technically this shouldn’t affect your ranking of items, but it limits the keywords that you can rank for, leading to potentially lower views and sales. So mix up the keywords and use different ones if you can.
What's Next
Congrats on finishing this SEO guide! I hope you've gained some valuable insights about how to rank your products higher in Etsy search.
SEO is just one area towards building your successful Etsy shop. There are still many areas you need to master:
- Optimised listing photos to increase the chance of shopper clicking and buying from you
- Engaging product descriptions that entice shoppers and clearly convey features and benefits
- Exceptional customer service to build trust, loyalty, and encourage repeat business
- Efficient shop management to streamline your workflow and save you time
All of that can be achieved with GYC Etsy Academy 2.0, which is the complete system that can transform you from a burned-out artist to a profitable Etsy seller – all while giving you back 10+ hours every single week with the GYC Resources Library.
