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Etsy SEO Guide (2023) - Improve Your Etsy Shop Search Ranking

Last Updated:

July 11, 2023

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Search & SEO
Table Of Content
Growing Your Craft is supported by Etsy sellers. When you purchase/subscribe through affiliate links in this guide, I'll earn some coffee money at no extra cost to you.

Getting on the first page of Etsy search is the dream, isn't it?

At the time of writing, one of my listing is ranking in the first spot on the first page of the competitive 'product label' keyword.

With the amount of sellers on Etsy marketplace right now, reaching the top and beating 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.

If you want to know how to rank higher on Etsy search, you will love this guide.


What Is Etsy SEO and How Does Etsy Rank Listings?

SEO, search engine optimization, 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 optimize 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.


Etsy SEO 101 - How Etsy Search Algorithm Works

Etsy ranks product listings in two steps: Query matching and Ranking.

Query Matching


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

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.

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.


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.


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 And Market Experience Score

Etsy also looks at your shop’s review, policy and more. Achieving these will help your ranking:

Shipping Price

Etsy ranks shops higher if they offer free shipping to the US for orders over US$35. This could be difficult to do if you are outside the US. But there are solid ways that you can make free shipping work for your shop.

Listings offering free shipping also gets a badge that can make them stand out a bit more

Translations And 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.

Shoppers' Habits

Etsy looks into the searches, clicks, purchases and more of shoppers as a ranking factor for search. Good practices for this include:

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.

How 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:

  1. Brainstorm and come up with keywords
  2. Choose the right and best keywords
  3. Put them into your listings' titles and tags

After these Etsy SEO tips, your product listings would likely get a boost in search results.

Keyword Research - Coming Up With Keywords

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:

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.

For example, after typing 'necklace' and a space, some longer keywords (longtail keywords) are suggested


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. A good (and free!) tool to help with that is keyword.io.


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.


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:

The keyword 'necklace' has almost 5 million results on Etsy search which makes it almost impossible to rank for

Compared to 'raw amethyst necklace', which only has about 15000 results. You are much more likely to succeed if you aim for there longtail keywords


You should aim for long-tail keywords that are at least 2-3 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. Alura is a great choice for all-in-one keyword research on Etsy.

I go into more details of this in my Etsy SEO course in Growing Your Craft Etsy Academy.


How To Optimize Product Listings For Etsy 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

Maximize your chance to rank by using all 13 Etsy tags for each listing.


Other Strategies To Improve Ranking On Etsy Search

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 And 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 And 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.

Product listings in competitive keywords like 'wedding invitation' have professional photos, great reviews and great SEO practice


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 More Q&A’s

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.


Looking to grow your Etsy shop?
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