Etsy sellers know that they need to get their store noticed. However wonderful their offerings are it’s a platform that is very competitive and is only becoming even more so.
In an attempt to ramp up the visibility of their store however, lots of Etsy store owners make a big mistake. The first thing they worry about is “Which social media channel should I focus on to promote my store?” It’s not that promoting on social media is a bad idea – because it’s not – but there is something more important that you need to focus on first; Etsy SEO.
Etsy SEO is a Thing?
Most Etsy store owners are aware of the fact that Etsy has their own search algorithms that determine which stores and products are displayed first in a search. Some vaguely know of a concept known as Etsy SEO. But failing to really understand it – and nor having the time to try to learn – they throw together some catchy sounding titles and tags and hope for the best. And then convince themselves that a big Facebook blast or Pinterest campaign will make up for any SEO mistakes they might be making. Social media marketing is hard, and calls for a lot of time and effort and is then, at best, hit or miss.
However, as any good Etsy SEO expert can tell you (yes, such people do exist) you will get far better results taking the time. And consider spending some cash on consulting with an Etsy SEO expert to get your store’s SEO basics. A lot of time in all likelihood trying to develop social media audiences from scratch is a fact and brainstorming ways to get them to your store rather than anyone else’s.
Why Bother With Etsy SEO?
You have great items in your store. Beautiful things that people will love once they see them. But here’s the thing, your Etsy store lives online, which means shoppers are in for a very different experience than they are in their local high street shop.
In a physical store, there are people who are literally paid just to be there to help you. Not just to take your money but to help you find the products you’ll love. They ask you questions about what you are looking for, what you like, what you don’t like and help you find what you are looking for based on your answers.
Etsy – or any other online marketplace – does not have these people. So customers are on their own. And may have a hard time trying to describe what they are looking for. Good Etsy SEO gets into the minds of these potential customers however and comes up with the keywords, and key phrases – that they would naturally use when trying to describe what they want. These keywords, for Etsy, are often long-tail keywords rather than single words, and the more descriptive the better.
For example, let’s imagine you have created a great image of a cat doing something really funny. And you have put it on a mug because people love cats and people love mugs. Great idea. Right up to the point where the only keywords you add are ‘cat mug’ or maybe ‘cat coffee mug’.
There are hundreds of cat coffee mugs on Etsy. Because, as we mentioned, it’s potentially a big market, there are a lot of cat fans out there. However, if you get a little more descriptive and go for ‘funny cat mug’ or ‘cute, funny cat mug’ those looking for such things are far more likely to find you.
Keyphrases are just a part of the puzzle though. You will also have to come up with great tags, choose the right categories, optimize your images properly and create copy that makes use of your keywords without sounding stupid and spammy.
It’s a lot of work for sure. But once it’s done, it’s done. And people can start finding your store, and if they like your stuff they will share it with their friends. So save the social media worries for now and focus on getting your Etsy SEO right and everything else will flow from there.
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