Etsy SEO Makes Me Work Very Hard

The summer doldrums are not just for sailors at sea; they also occur for many sellers on Etsy during the hot and languorous summer months when all their potential buyers are out changing the fragile pasty tone of their skin to a nice, crisp burn. That’s a good plug, right? *The sun gives you cancer; come back to Etsy!*

In an attempt to win the affections of the few remaining surfers who prefer to hang ten with their fingers on a keyboard and mouse, I’ve been perusing Etsy’s Search Engine Optimization guides, with discouraging realizations.

Apparently, in order to get attention from Google, one needs to name each item with the most descriptive titles in descending order of importance.

For instance, this title: “Fire, water, and bone earrings - carnelian, amazonite, and fish vertebrae” sucks. A cute and interesting first bit of the title will win you no friends, because nobody (okay, weirdo, hardly anybody) is looking for “fire water bone earrings” in Google.

I have yet to figure out exactly WHICH words are the best to put first in order to get the most results. Here’s the listing: http://www.etsy.com/listing/77666258/fire-water-and-bone-earrings-carnelian

The materials are carnelian, amazonite, and fish bones. But do more people search for the names of gemstones, or their colors? Should I rename this “Blue and orange bone earrings” or “Carnelian and amazonite bone earrings” or maybe “Fish bone earrings with gemstone”?

This is where more research comes in, I guess. With 80 listings right now on Etsy, this is going to take a very. Long. Time.

I just hope it’s worth it.

Edit: I got help at the Sassy Critique Team headquarters, 

http://www.etsy.com/teams/7702/sassy-critiques?ref=pr_teams

asking for guidance on this whole SEO listing process. Less than 24 hours later, I received a very helpful reply that has allowed me some relief in my SEO title confusion.

Here is part of the response, to better aid others with similar questions in their quest for better Search Engine Optimization.

“Hi HerWhimsy,

“Here is how I would title that item for better SEO...

“"Gemstone Earrings, Bone Fish Vertebrae Carnelian Amazonite, Orange White Silver"

“Forget the "and" "with" they take up valuable space needed for key words and don't help with searches at all.

“SEO:

“1) Item Titles: The title should be what a person would google to find the item (try to think like a buyer). The first 55 characters are pulled by search engines, so use them wisely. Fill them with descriptive keywords.

“It's important that the defining word (sign, photo, bracelet, etc.) be in the first 2-3 words. Be sure to add colors, materials, chain lengths, style notes, etc. People search with adjectives and descriptors a lot, so it's important to have them in your titles.

“Please do not use "names" for titles (like "Debra Handbag") - title should describe the handbag ("Cotton Slouch Handbag, Long Handles, Red Blue Black") Avoid punctuation and words like "a", "and", "the", "of" or "with".

“2) 6) Tags - Tagging is how your buyers (and treasury curators) find you! Remember to tag for colors too as those are the most common tags curators use when looking for treasury listings. Guidelines and tips on tagging: tinyurl.com/39rf6l Etsy gives you 3 drop down menu tags and 13 tags that you supply to help your item get found. Be sure to use them all, or you could be missing out on opportunities to be found in Etsy searches. The more keywords you use, the more likely you are to be found. You can also tag your shop name. Once you use a word once you do not need to repeat it. Remember tag accurately with words that a buyer might use/search to find you.”

Good advice that I thought I'd pass on. Now I gotta get down to work. There are 80 listings that need lots of work.