Etsy recently made truncated descriptions the standard rather than a test. This is where your item description fades into your reviews. |
| Extra description text is hidden. |
If you are in the latter group, there is a simple solution. Short item descriptions are shown in full. How short? Keep your item descriptions under 1100 characters, including spaces and line breaks, or about 15 lines.
Are your descriptions still fading after you have reduced your characters to 1100? Be sure to take into account how many "hidden characters," line breaks and special characters you use. Reduce your characters until the fading is gone.
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| Use your photo slots for more information |
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| Aim for under 1100 characters. |
Is the prospect of counting to 1100 daunting? Use a character counting program. I use this one. Here is another. And another. Microsoft Word can count characters for you as well.
If you have more to say in your item descriptions, try using your photo slots. Buyers may be more inclined to look at photos than read text anyway. For example, one seller uses her photo slots for routine clothing sizing information.
Here is more information about how to write compelling item descriptions.
Vintage sellers certainly have a unique set of challenges when selling online. How long to make the description is a balancing act. Sellers are trying to make Etsy happy (by keeping it short), make Google happy, and be thorough in describing flaws.
Here is more information about how to write compelling item descriptions.
Vintage sellers certainly have a unique set of challenges when selling online. How long to make the description is a balancing act. Sellers are trying to make Etsy happy (by keeping it short), make Google happy, and be thorough in describing flaws.
How are you doing walking that fine line?
Thanks for joining me for another Etsy Quick Trick!
Great post, Joanne. I will try this.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Joanne...Very helpful!
ReplyDeletethanks. I will change new as I go but not the old ones. I really hope they do away with this layout in the future
ReplyDeleteYou can be kicked out of Google Shopping (and thus the ads Etsy pays for on Google) if there's text in the photos (unless the rules have changed, or if there's something about it only counting on the first photo - though I've read the rules and didn't see anything to that effect). It's not a risk I'm terrible keen to take.
ReplyDeleteI totally hear you! I do believe that Google Shopping's preferences apply more to the first photo, the one that is displayed along with other ads, to give a unified look. Here is the information from Google:
Deletehttps://support.google.com/merchants/answer/7052112?hl=en
"Graphics or illustrations can be included" on the secondary photos.
On a side note, my Google Shopping ads have fallen off considerably. I thought it might be because I stopped using an all-white background. However, I no longer see that background requirement on the page from Google. {Sigh} Back to the drawing board on that.
Thanks Joanne, Did you have information on how to insert photo shots? I had been told longer descriptions helped you get found in search. Now we have to do the opposite to be sure our descriptions are read!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'll try this on random listings!
ReplyDelete