ETSY SEO CRASH COURSE

THE ULTIMATE SEO

CRASH COURSE FOR
ETSY SELLERS

Everything you need to know about SEO

for your successful Etsy business

Miri CAMPBELL
 ETSY SEO CRASH COURSE

INTRODUCTION

This ebook will shed light on how Etsy works and tell you what you need to do to boost your ranking
and sales on Etsy. In these pages, I give you an in-depth explanation of what you need to focus on
to get your shop ranked in searches and how to convert this traff ic to sales.
Put simply, I want to give you the foundation you need so that you can make speedy progress
building your prof itable Etsy shop.

When I think back, SEO was for a long time something I was terrif ied of - I avoided it like the plague.
I pretended that SEO didn’t exist. It seemed so complicated and I never got it or understood what
to do. Finally, I pulled myself together and faced this terrifying SEO monster and realized that it is
in fact, a pussy cat. It’s actually not that complicated. And when you use it right it leads to some
magnif icent results.

By the end of this course, I want you to have tamed your SEO monster too, so that you can reap the
rewards by using its mighty power for good.

I’m going to break SEO down into f riendly bite-size pieces and walk you through some simple SEO
strategies that will bring your Etsy shop more traff ic, conversions and sales.

Let me dispel the fear that you have around SEO. I promise if you spend a little time with me now,
you’ll go away feeling you can’t wait to take action and get started. In fact, the beauty of SEO is that
even starting with a small strategy can make a big impact.

So, to get started - SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization which simply means making what
you share in your corner of the web compatible with search engines so your people can f ind you.

First ensure you have a beautiful store

Now before you even start to think about addressing SEO for your Etsy business you need to have a
good hard look at your Etsy shop and check it over it to make sure that when your customers f ind
you, they get excited by what they see and want to stick around.

Awesome product photos, clear titles and well-written product descriptions, complete shop policies
and about section all help to achieve the look of a well-cared for shop.

You also want to make sure that your shop appears full of beautiful, desirable items. Aim to have no
less than 50 items as this makes your shop appear more established and increases the chance that
a customer will f ind you in a search.

You want to be sending your customers to a gorgeous storef ront that is a real pleasure for them to
shop in.

Now let’s get started with the SEO nitty gritty

When a customer searches in Etsy, Etsy determines which shops are most relevant and produces a
rank list. Where your shop appears on this rank list depends on multiple factors like:

◊ How you use relevant keywords in your title, tags and descriptions

◊ Item attribute relevancy

◊ That you’ve produced high quality listings

◊ Customers have a 5-star experience interacting with your shop

◊ How recent your items are

The next section will explain how boost your Etsy ranking in each of these areas.

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HOW TO GET FOUND ON ETSY

A customer will search for the exact items they want to buy so you need to make sure that your
products show up in this search. Where you appear in the search is known as your search ranking.
Your goal is to appear on the f irst page of search results so that your customers can f ind you easily.

So how can you appear on the f irst page? The Etsy search looks for the following factors:

1. Tag and title relevancy

Whatever a customer types into Etsy search needs to match the titles and tags for your product.
Phrases work better in search than individual words. So, for example “wild one party evite” would be
found higher in a search than products listed with “wild one”, “party” and “evite” as separate words.
Also, if a phrase or word appears in the title and the tags for a listing, then it will appear higher in a
search. Words at the beginning of a product’s title are treated as more important than words at the
end.

2. Item attribute relevancy

Etsy enable you to add attributes to the product listing which give information about things like the
colours or uses of your products. The information f rom these attributes is considered in Etsy search
too. So, select as many attributes that are relevant to your product to increase your product’s search
ranking.

3. Listing quality
Your listing quality is about how well your products do in a search. If a customer clicks, favourites, or
buys your product after they’ve found it in a search, then this boosts your listing’s quality score.

4. Customer experience
Etsy want people to have an amazing experience when they buy something so that they keep
coming back for more. To measure a customer’s experience, they take into account your customer
reviews and the way your shop is set up. If you have consistent 5-star reviews, a completed About
section, and completed shop policies, your placement in a search will be higher.

5. Recency
How recently an item was listed or re-listed affects where it will appear in a search with newer items
appearing higher than older. So when an item in your shop auto-renews, for example after a sale,
it will appear at a higher ranking in a further search. And when you add new items to your shop,
these will also experience this recency boost. Etsy wants shops to continue adding new items and
so rewards you for doing so. Some people use the tactic of manually renewing listings or using an
automated service like Etsy On Sale to take advantage of the recency effect. This will cost you $0.20
for each listing that you renew, however, so might be a strategy you only choose to use occasionally.

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HOW TO FIND KEYWORDS FOR ETSY SEO

So, now you know how the Etsy search works, we need to choose what keywords you are going to
use.

Keywords are simply the words a customer would use if they were searching for your item. It is very
important that you use a strategy for identifying your keywords and don’t just guess or pick them
randomly. If you haven’t given careful thought to why you are using a particular keyword, then you
shouldn’t be using it. You need to know that the keywords you have chosen will be effective.

With that in mind, let’s consider how you should go about choosing your keywords.

Each keyword must describe your product exactly.

Avoid using any complex tags or correct jargon. When customers search, they use broad, generic
terms and simple language. You need to ask yourself, what would my customer search for if looking
for a product like mine? Use the same words your customer would.

Use different focus keywords for similar products.

If you repeat the same keywords for similar products, your items are competing with each other
Different customers search in different ways. You want to make sure as many people see your items
as possible. Changing the words you use helps to attract this larger audience. Plus, with a wider
range of keywords, your products are more diverse. If one keyword suddenly stopped trending or
being searched for, you still have the other keywords to drive traff ic to your shop.

Use a focus keyword strategy.

Etsy allows you to choose 13 tags (keywords). From these you need to choose one focus keyword
that you repeat all over your listing. You’ll put this word at the beginning of your title, in your tags,
and throughout your description. One word or phrase to describe your product that you repeat all
over the place in your title, tags and description. And the tag that you choose must describe your
product exactly using words that customers would search for.

Be accurate with your keywords.

If over time, customers click on a particular item of yours and then don’t buy it, this tells Etsy that
your item is not a good match for that keyword. Etsy will notice and log this and then stop ranking
you highly for this keyword. That is, Etsy will send fewer people your way when they type in your
keyword. But, if Etsy f inds people searching for your keyword and people then go on to buy your
item, Etsy will rank your item highly for the keyword. For example, let’s say you were using the
keyword phrase, “panda party kit” and lots of customers clicked on it but no-one bought the kit,
then your product would appear lower and lower down a search for this keyword. However, if a
customer searched for “panda party kit” and bought your item, your product would appear higher
in the search next time. So, be accurate with your choice of keywords.

Not spending time polishing and perfecting your tags and titles can mean that an otherwise
amazing shop with awesome products can fail.

In summary, the key message is: spend time researching your tags and titles and be super accurate
and specif ic when choosing keywords to describe your product

So, now you know what keywords you should be using, how do you f ind them?

The next section will show you some of the f ree tools you can use to build up a list keywords AND
give you my All Time Favourite, Most-Loved, Results-Proven method of f inding the best and most
effective keywords for my Etsy shops - Marmalead.

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TOOLS FOR FINDING KEYWORDS FOR ETSY SEO

So now you know what keywords you should be choosing, how do you f ind them?

Let’s say I want to f ind some keywords for this product:

One of the f irst things I can do is go to the Etsy search bar. Type in your broad main keyword and
look at the drop-down list of suggestions that Etsy provides. I chose to type in “unicorn party”. Etsy
then gives me a drop down of popular searches related to “unicorn party”. You can then use these
suggestions as keywords.

However, one major disadvantage is that there are no data attached to these keywords – you don’t
know how competitive they are or how many people are searching for them. Therefore, I suggest
you only take these words as a starting point and then enter them into other keyword f inding tools
to get more information about how effective they are as keywords.

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Other keyword-f inding tools you might like to try are illustrated here:

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BUT my favourite and one I urge you to consider using is MARMALEAD ...

Marmalead is the best tool you can use to f ind keywords.

It is specif ically set up for Etsy sellers and takes all of the guesswork out of choosing effective
keywords that drive traff ic to your shop.

Marmalead uses data to help you to:

◊ choose 13 tags that are proven to be the words buyers use

◊ shows you what is trending on Etsy

◊ it allows you to compare effectiveness of different keywords

◊ tells you exactly what you need to do to f ix your listings to rank well on Etsy

By the way, I don’t have any aff iliate links with Marmalead, so this is a completely genuine
recommendation.

I just wanted to share with you the tool I use every day to keep on top of my SEO.

I think you will f ind it valuable too.

Marmalead has a number of helpful tutorials on how to use its services. Why don’t you go check
them out?

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WHERE TO PLACE KEYWORDS FOR SUCCESSFUL SEO

When you have a list of killer keywords then the next step is positioning them to have maximum
impact. Here are the best spots to place your keywords to get ranked by Etsy:

1. Title
Include a short but clear descriptive title using all 140 characters. Use the focus keyword at the very
beginning followed by other keywords that make it crystal clear to shoppers what it is that you’re
selling. The f irst 40 characters of your title are the most important as in a search this is the only
part of the title that will appear. The rest will be truncated, only becoming visible if the customer
clicks on your listing. So, make the f irst 40 characters count and use your most relevant keywords
here.

When you f ill your title with your carefully chosen keywords, you still need to make sure it makes
sense to your customer. Etsy loves well crafted, easy to read titles that describe your items fully,
so aim to separate keyword phrases with punctuation so that your titles are readable. Also, Etsy
doesn’t like words repeated in titles so try not to do this.

2. Tags
Tags are Etsy’s word for keywords and help to match a customer’s query with your product. You
can add up to 13 tags for each listing and each tag can be up to 20 characters. Take the keywords
directly f rom your title and include these as tags. If they’re too long, then split them into two
tags and place next to each other. If you have any other tags left over, use other words that your
customer would use to search for your product.

Etsy’s advice is to be as specif ic as possible when choosing your tags so choose the exact wording
shoppers would type into a search to f ind your item. For example, someone looking for an art print
is likely to be specif ic with their search terms and type in “baby boy nursery art” instead of just “art
print”.

Get used to studying key performance indicators in the Stats section of your Etsy shop and commit
to updating any tags that are not driving traff ic.

Aim to use different tags for similar items. By diversifying your tags, you can get your listings in
f ront of more customers and your items won’t be competing with each other.

Don’t waste tags to include plurals of keywords. When a customer enters a search term, Etsy looks
at the root of the word and matches with any similar root words in your tags.

If a tag is already included in categories and attributes then you don’t need to repeat it in your tags.
For example if you had the category and attributes as shown below, you wouldn’t need to repeat
“birthday invitations” or “pink and green” in your tags.

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3. Product Description
Again, as for the product title, aim to use your focus keyword in the beginning of your description.
This description should be engaging, written in natural easy-to-read language and include
everything the shopper needs to know such as what the item is, how to order, shop policies, and
returns. When your customer is fully informed about your product, they’re more likely to buy.

Note that Google uses the f irst 155 characters of your product description for your meta-description
(a snippet providing a summary of your item that appears in Google search results). So, to make
the most of this include your focus keyword, a short description of the item followed with a call to
action in the f irst 155 characters. Like this:

Optimize for on-page SEO by including all of your 13 tag keywords in natural sounding sentences
in your description. Try not to stuff these words unnaturally and avoid listing all of your 13 tags at
the beginning of your description in one long line separated by commas. Google and Etsy both
hate unnatural keyword use as it can be very confusing for customers. Instead, include your tags
as naturally as possible in sentences and this will help you to rank higher in search results when a
buyer searches for one of your tags.

Additionally, somewhere in your listing provide links to similar products or back to your shop home
page. Adding these links will help to increase engagement and click through rates for your shop
and raise the chance of making multiple sales.

4. Etsy Shop Title

The shop title is the section of text below your shop name. Use your main keywords to describe
your shop and the service you offer in the shop title. The Etsy shop title can be up to 55 characters
long so make it concise and clear. Then, take these keywords and use them in any relevant shop
product descriptions to help your external search ranking.

5. Etsy Shop Sections

Your shop sections help customers navigate around your shop and are also a prime place to put
keywords to boost your SEO. Make sure you are accurately describing these sections using words
your customers would use. You can have up to 20 custom sections, and each section name can be
up to 24 characters.

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SEO KEYWORD RESEARCH

This exercise will help you identify some keywords to use for your product. Look at each box and ask
yourself questions beginning with each question word.
For example for the Unicorn Poster example we used earlier, you might ask “Who would use it?” So
you could write in the WHO box, “Birthday girl”.

PRODUCT:

WHY WHAT HOW

WHEN WHERE WHO

Use the words f rom the boxes to make up keyword phrases

KEYWORD PHRASES RELEVANCY

DEMAND

LOW COMPETITION

ENGAGEMENT

IS IT NICHE?

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SEO KEYWORD RESEARCH

List ideas in each box that relate to your product to help you f ind further keywords.

PRODUCT:

ITEM COLOR MATERIALS

STYLE HOW IT’S MADE USES

WHO USES IT OCCASION OTHER FEATURES

Use the words f rom the boxes to make up keyword phrases

KEYWORD PHRASES RELEVANCY

DEMAND

LOW COMPETITION

ENGAGEMENT

IS IT NICHE?

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ETSY SEO CHECKLIST

Optimize shop so customers are visiting a gorgeous storef ront and want to stick around

Write shop About sections

Complete shop policies

Consider re-listing items to take advantage of recency feature

Etsy shop title – use main keywords for your products

Etsy shop sections – use keywords

Select all of the relevant attributes and categories

Keyword research
Choose a keyword tool to help select relevant keywords

Use accurate keywords exactly describing your item

Use different keywords for similar products

Choose a focus keyword

Etsy titles
Write descriptive title using 140 characters

Place focus keyword at the beginning

Ensure title makes sense to shoppers and is clear

Avoid repeating words

Etsy tags
Take 13 tags directly f rom title (split into 2 if too long)

Use words shoppers would use when searching

Check effectiveness of tags in shop Stats

Avoid using both singular and plurals – Etsy looks at the root word

Ensure tags not repeated in categories and attributes

Product description
Use focus keyword at beginning

Use easy-to-read language explaining all the details a shopper needs to know

Focus on the f irst 155 characters for the meta-description with a call-to-action

Use each of 13 tags in natural sounding sentences in description

Add links to other products

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THANK YOU FOR USING THIS

ULTIMATE SEO CRASH COURSE
FOR ETSY SELLERS
I can’t wait to see the incredible Etsy business you create.
Please share your progress with me. I’m so excited to see where your business journey
takes you and I’d love to hear from you.
You can email me at miri@miricampbell.com

PLEASE SHARE THIS COURSE WITH YOUR FRIENDS

If you loved working through this crash course then it would be really sweet of you if you could
share it with your friends. I’ve created a tweet to help you do this.

“I just learnt everything I need to know about Etsy SEO thanks to MiriCampbell.com.”
[Click to Tweet]

YOU CAN ALSO CONNECT WITH ME HERE:

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Thanks,

Miri xxx