SEO: 2016 admin update - does social media help?

We have been encouraged to use social media to promote our Etsy shops. Not everyone is on board with this idea. Do I have enough time and energy? Which form of social media is best? Will I enjoy promoting my shop via social media?

Does social media drive traffic to our listings?

A fundamental issue, though, is whether social media for our shops will even have any effect. For an answer to that question, let's consider Etsy admin's answer to a question asked during an Etsy SEO seminar in late 2016:

Q: I heard that relevancy on the search is based on the amounts of views/favorites/sales an item gets after is searched. Am I right?  

Now, I understand that because teams where playing some favorite games, the direct "favoriting" items won't affect his rank. My question is: I share a lot of my listings in social media, and I know for my views that many people are clicking on those links and favoriting some of them. Will this improve in what page my items are shown on the search, or it only gets affected by favoriting through Etsy search engine? 

Can we get some extra tips on how to make it work better for us (ones that aren't on the seller handbook)... 

Admin: Yes you are correct, any external likes or shares outside of Etsy will not affect your visibility on Etsy.com. On the other hand, Google has said that while there isn’t a direct correlation between social and SEO rankings, studies have shown there is correlation between SEO rankings and social signals.

You are also correct in saying favoriting listings or click farming won’t have an effect on your rankings. On the contrary I would think of it as, the more buyers engage with your listing, the more positive signals your listing will send that factor into your visibility on Etsy search.

As for extra tips, we would recommend adding as much relevant content on your listing and shop page as possible. Attributes such as color, size, material and gender would be examples of more descriptive content.

So admin is saying here that Social Media helps with SEO, which is getting traffic into our shops from outside of Etsy. Not directly, but "studies have shown" that it helps... Is that enough assurance to commit to social media?

Each shop owner must decide for themselves.

Etsy Search: what is keyword stuffing?

I've been stuffed after a big dinner. However, I keep hearing about keyword stuffing my Etsy titles and even descriptions. What is that all about?

Keyword stuffing is using many unnatural word combinations in our titles (and text). For years now, Google has been penalizing content with keyword stuffing. Yet many sellers still encourage using every space in our title that Etsy gives us. Why? Because Etsy search has been unintentionally rewarding such practices. The more exact search phrases you used, the more chances to be first in search results. 

How Do I Title This Listing?

Here is an example: I sell antique wooden things, including bobbins from Maine. How should I describe them in my description? 

"Primitive Bobbins - Antique Wooden Spindles - Weaving Spools"

Or "Antique Bobbins / Primitive Wood Bobbins / Rustic Wooden Bobbins from Maine / Antique Weaving Tool / Prim Quills with Wool / Old Bobbins / Etc Etc Etc."

Etsy admin has recently stated that the "search algorithm [will] no longer favor stuffed titles [in order] "to be more aligned with Google's best practices." Google search sees right through such practices, and already penalizes your search results in Google. However, Etsy will be cracking down on doing this as well.

This subject was directly addressed in Etsy's last SEO Admin Question and Answer seminar in October, 2016. Let's get the information right from the source.

Q: Listing titles: keyword stuffing or user friendly?

Some people recommend using every one of our 140 characters in the title and repeating phrases exactly the same as the tags, with the main word repeated multiple times eg:

Beaded Bracelet / Green Bracelet / Boho Bracelet / Handmade Bracelet (and so on.)

On the other hand, optimizing titles for Google Search is a little different:

We all want to direct traffic to our listings

(Taken from this article.)

No one wants to read a list of words. Write your <title> tag text in natural language, making it as compelling to the human reader as possible. 

• Use no more than 70 characters, including spaces

• Keep it unique between pages
• Avoid "keyword stuffing"

Is it possible to achieve a happy medium?

Admin: while we recognize that incentives do exist for sellers to stuff our titles for internal search purposes, they do not follow Google’s best practices. We are working to improve our internal search algorithm to no longer favor stuffed titles, to be more aligned with Google’s best practices. While there isn’t an immediate fix, this is on our radars and we will be communicating when we make the change. Thanks!

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Update on February 6, 2018:

Still wondering if keyword spamming is really a bad practice? 

CindyLou commented about the above post by Etsy admin: 

 "in October 2016, they wanted to improve Etsy search so that title stuffing was no longer beneficial [link]. As of Feb. 2018, we still aren't there yet, but I am seeing some signs of it heading in that direction."

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Update on June 16, 2018

More details about why title stuffing is no longer working.

Six reasons for vintage sellers to specialize - and why not

Every vintage seller faces this dilemma: what kinds of items should I sell? Should I specialize, or be a selling generalist?

As one seller put it: "I am starting to believe that having multiples of items or items with similar tag words helps... (Like having several industrial metal file boxes listed in your shop). Or even specializing in something, or a type of vintage, like having all industrial items listed. That would be something to work toward. Right now my inventory is all over the place. I have mid-century and industrial among others. I would have to start just buying a certain type of vintage. Hard to do when so many different things catch your eye!"

I have been selling vintage online for over 10 years. Here is my take.

I've been a selling generalist.

Six reasons for vintage sellers to specialize

1. Buyers will love your niche "boutique" and return for more purchases. You are not as dependent on being found in search, either on Etsy or search engines.
2. You become an expert rather than having to research everything.
3. If you sell similar types of things, there are often advantages to having the same types of items to catalog, store and package.
4. Sell something you love and it will be obvious. Your enthusiasm will attract shoppers and encourage buying from your shop
5. You develop your own brand. When people think of your shop, they think of a specific item or style. They are inclined to shop with you when they want that kind of item. It is easier to identify your target audience and market to them. This is huge with search going to artificial intelligence.
6. (Added 1/16/20) Etsy said in a podcast a while back that using the same search terms in multiple listings can help you rank better over time. For example, if someone searches for "tooled leather purse" and finds (and buys!) your listing, the next time someone searches "tooled leather purse," any listings in your shop with those words will rank higher. 

Can we be too specialized?

At the same time, we must be balanced. There are risks to becoming too specialized. The market can change. We must be ready to accommodate shifts in market tastes. No one wants to be stuck with a lot of unsalable merchandise.

Having a large, diverse inventory helps a shop to be on-trend for something at any given time.

One big reason not to specialize

The more we specialize, the more we increase our cost to source our items to sell. We must cast our buying net wider than selling generalists. We have to develop more ways to obtain more specialized vintage wares to resell. If you live in a rural area, sourcing niche items to resell can become difficult.

If we do not specialize, we can just buy anything we see that is reasonably priced and resell it. For example, I often go to auctions and purchase whatever I think I can resell at a profit. I live in a rural area and that works for me.

Of course we can specialize some, which is what many sellers do.

So, what kind of buying and selling do you do? Are you a specialist or not?

30 ways to improve Etsy sales

Managing our Etsy shops is kind of like riding a bike. Staying balanced. Going forward. Never stop moving. Etsy's algorithm likes to see constant movement. 

30 ways to improve your shop's sales

1. Think like a customer. What do you like about other shops? How would you like to be treated? What search terms do you use to shop for items? What pictures do you click on when browsing?
2. Look professional. Fill your store with merchandise. Have an avatar (shop icon) and profile photo.. Complete your "About" page. Fill out your shop policies. Set a decade of manufacture.
3. Feature awesome "clickable" item photos. Use all ten slots to show additional angles.
4. Craft titles with the most important key words and phrases at the beginning. Keep them to 70 characters. Create matching tags for the most important keyword combinations. Keep key word lists for your product lines.
5. Avoid spammy titles, stuffed with keywords. Don't repeat the same word twice in your title. Vary your titles and tags so your items show up in more different searches.
6. Compose short, but complete item descriptions that include the item's size and condition. Anticipate the questions of buyers. Don't use boilerplate. (Don't copy sections of your descriptions word-for-word from listing to listing.)
7. In your item description, avoid copying and pasting your title at the start of the description. Rather, sprinkle the keywords from your title conversationally into the first few sentences.
8. Create an original, cohesive brand. Find your niche. Let your unique style shine. Buy and resell what you love.
9. Specialize in what you carry in your shop by style or type of item. Who is your target market? Do some market research.
10. At the same time, don't be too narrow in your product offerings. If your items aren't on trend, adjust your mix.
11. Sell items at a variety of price points to attract a variety of buyers. Keep your prices reasonable while still making a profit. Find what price points work for you.
12. Ship quickly. Provide great customer service so customers come back. Do something extra, like gift wrap or enclose a small gift.
13. Operate your shop legally. Pay your taxes. Follow all copyright and trademark laws. (You can get shut down for violating Etsy policies.)

    

    Do shop updates regularly

14. Sell with integrity. Make sure all of your vintage items are at least 20 years old. Tell the truth. Disclose all item flaws.
15. Do regular Shop Updates. Here are some ideas for vintage sellers.
16. Use good grammar and spelling.
17. Try Etsy promoted item advertising.
18. Try Etsy's Shopping Engine Advertising
19. Avoid team mass clicking games (affects our conversion rate).
20. Avoid team mass favoriting games.
21. Be active in social media.
    
22. Start a blog. Search engines love them.
23. Adjust the tags, titles and photos of low-performing items. Fill out the attributes. Make sure your items are in the right categories.
24. Keep your shop active. Renew expiring items. List new ones. Tweak listings by changing out the first photo.
25. Offer fresh product. Stale items fall to the bottom of search. 
26. Package your items with care and style. Mail them quickly.
27. The Etsy marketplace is constantly changing. Pay attention to what is going on by checking the forums and/or being active with a vintage team or two.
28. Test out searching for your items to see where they appear. How do your items look compared with the rest of the search results?
29. Visit your shop on a mobile device. Note how it looks, as well as your items. Make any needed changes.
30. Spend your time wisely. Use the tools Etsy gives you. Learn how to read your stats. Effectively use Etsy's Listing Manager. 

Were there enough references?

Small tweaks daily to your Etsy shops can improve sales. What are you doing today? 

Tags for relevancy, admin answers

For sellers, "Etsy Relevancy" is critical. We want our items to appear when buyers search. And we want them at the top of search. That's not asking much, is it?

First, what is a tag?

Tags are words or short phrases, your most important search terms. Etsy listings have 13 tag slots, each with 20 spaces. 

When shoppers search, they type in keywords. Tags (and titles) are examined and relevant results are displayed. Tags are a powerful tool to draw in buyers. Always use them all.

Here is Etsy's tutorial on using tags.

Etsy administrators recently hosted an information session about getting found in searches:

Q: Must word phrases [keywords] within titles and tags match exactly?

Admin: Word phrases within titles and tags don’t need to match exactly. However, tagging your product for “red boots” and having “red boots” in your title will give you a better chance of ranking for “red boots”.

Q: Is it necessary to tag my items with the same phrases used in my titles? If so, what do I do if the phrase is longer than the 20 characters allowed in the tags?

Admin: We recommend using the same keywords in titles and tags for the most important keywords, and targeting other keywords where it makes sense. The tradeoff between the two is either super stressing one keyword vs. the possibility of showing up for others.

If the phrase is longer than 20 characters, we'd recommend breaking it up if possible.

Tag! You are it, the tagging expert now. How are your tags?

Etsy search, the fairness algorithm

Of course, sellers want to get found when buyers search on Etsy. Here is Etsy's basic information.  (Effective November 1, 2017, please note that Etsy's help page no longer states that a diversity of shops will be shown. What is known as “clumping” is now the norm.)

In the past, Etsy wanted to give each seller a chance, to be fair. That meant that search results were spread among many shops.

Algorithms

Etsy has algorithms, or special programs that adjust search results. All big websites use them. (On eBay, it is called "best match.") 

Theories abound as to exactly how Etsy's search algorithm is working. It changes all the time.

One issue of late has been that many sellers report that their sales fluctuate. High, then low, then back up again. This is an example of this phenomenon from my shop:

Here is a blogger who tackles the subject.  She has interesting theories. Here is a second post on the subject.Three points made in the above-referenced blogs:

1. Fairness algorithm. Once you make a sale (at least some of) your listings go to the bottom of search. This allows other shops' items to shine. Until their item sells.

2. "Lights out" or "carousel" theory. Whole groups of shops are rotated lower, then higher in search. It explains why many shops see "nothing for days then ding ding! 4 sales in one evening. Then dead again."

3. The "bucket" theory is based on some admin comments, as well as questions Etsy asks when you start a shop. Etsy puts us into a bucket depending on if we are a new seller, hobby interest, part-time seller or full-time seller. The full-time seller gets a bonus.

This is a new article on the cycles that our items' rankings go through that provides an interesting scenario.

Fairness Algorithm / Rotation

Here's the answer given during Etsy's recent question-and-answer session:

Q: Do you implement a Cap System where listings are hidden/penalized in search when they sell (X number of times) or generate (X amount of revenue), and replaced with listings for (X amount of time) that are less relevant? Are shops given Quotas for Orders/Revenue they are allowed to make per month?

Admin: Hi Athena, we don’t set quotas on shops for the number of orders they are allowed to fulfill a month but we will routinely experiment with different search ordering which might happen to give less popular listings a more prominent position.…..

Admin: Hi everyone, I'm sorry if my initial response wasn't clear. We don't actively rotate successful sellers out of searches. We have been running experiments for as long as Etsy has been around to ensure the mix of results we show users is relevant. This is not a new change we have implemented.

So, the admin comments state that they have been routinely experimenting with "different search ordering" "for as long as Etsy has been around."

Do you see patterns in your shop?

What are long tail keywords?

For Etsy sellers, relevancy is critical. When buyers search, we want our items front and center. 

How do we pick the best terms for describing our items in titles and tags? For that we need a little computer code lingo.

Long Tail Keywords

"Long tail keywords" refer to keyword phrases made up of three or more words.

“Head” terms, or “short tail” terms are the more commonly used general search phrases, generally two words. 

Because people use head terms more often than long tail keywords, the head terms bring in more traffic. Although Long tail keywords are less popular, they are more targeted to specific searches and have less competition. 

An example would be the contrast between the head term “metal bowl” versus the long-tail keywords “vintage white enamelware bowl.” 

Why Should I use Long-Tail Keyword Phrases?

Use a blend of terms to describe your items, both short-tail and long-tail keywords. If you have two or more similar listings, try out different long tail phrases for each. Broaden your reach. Different folks use different keywords to find items. Be sure that your items get found by every buyer searching for your item. 

Monitor your results. Tweak your listings if necessary.

A recent question to Etsy Admin about using long tail keywords:

Q: Is it better to have long tail keywords that are semi popular opposed to long tail keywords that are high in competition on Etsy?

Admin: When deciding between targeting keywords, always err towards the keyword that is most relevant to the product. The best case scenario would be to find keywords that are relevant that have search volume, but that is not always the case. I would try to use a combination of both long tail and head terms to describe the product, when applicable.

The reason long tail keywords are important is that they convert much better than head tail (general) keywords, because they are so specific. For example if someone searched for "purple and orange knit sequined scarf" and it exists on Etsy, the person will likely consider buying it because the chances of finding something that long tail is slim.

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Want to know more? Digging deeper into long-tail keywords.