How to write an Etsy SEO listing like a top seller without paid tools.
SEO is the hottest topic for everyone wanting to increase sales on Etsy. Some stores can't even make their first sale after months, and SEO is believed to be the main reason. However, increasing sales on the platform requires many factors combined. SEO is just one of those.
You don't have to pay for any application to help you get the right keywords for your listing. In fact, Etsy SEO is easier than you think. There is NO secret or advanced technique. It is simple and easy to understand.
I have collected everything for you here. After you read all of this, you can start your Etsy business as a top seller—not only digital download products but also physical ones. Everything is the same!
Name your listing title as what the customer puts in the search bar to improve your Etsy SEO.
You have to put yourself in the customer's shoes. What will you type in the search bar when you come to a marketplace and want to buy something?
Those keywords are called.
"Search Terms".
Include these keywords in your listing details to improve visibility to potential buyers.
For example, when a customer wants to buy a dog collar, they go to Etsy, type "collar for a dog" in the search bar, and scroll for a product that catches their attention. If you sell a dog collar, remember to include this 'search term' in your listing's title.
You don't have to put "a collar for a cat" anywhere in your listing details to reach more audiences. Dog owners are looking for a collar for their dog, not a cat, and cat owners are not looking for a collar for dogs, either. Doing it that way won't damage your listing quality score, but you will miss the chance to reach more dog owners who use different search terms to find a product. And sometimes confuse the algorithm. Because the algorithm is unsure of what you are selling, it randomly puts your listing in front of many target audiences. And it dies before getting the right customers.
All the keywords in your title need to be related to your product.
Etsy SEO is straightforward as it is.
Is the listing title a collection of customer's search terms?
'Yes,' you could say that. But remember that putting the same keyword in your listing's title can lead to "Keyword Stuffing," which is terrible. Repeating the same keyword used to be a technique that was recommended in the past, but it doesn't work anymore.
Keyword stuffing can hurt your listing because it provides a bad experience to customers, and the marketplace doesn't like that. It would be best to make your listing understandable by the algorithm and readable by humans. You can do this by using various types of related keywords in your listing.
Type of Keyword for better Etsy SEO.
1.Focus Keyword
This is the most important keyword for your listing; you must put it at the beginning of your title. It has the most weight for the algorithm and the customers. When you are browsing for a product, you can see there are only a few keywords that you can read. This should clearly tell the customers what this item is. So they don't have to think twice.
2.Related Keyword (Supported Keyword)
The set of keywords that relate to your listing. It could be a synonym, a longtail keyword, or to call your product in a different way. You can also put an occasion when your product is involved. For example: Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, gender reveal party, graduation gift and so on. Moreover, you can bring styles like retro, vintage, modern boho, etc.
You can also use a specific audience as your related keyword. For example, if this product is made for a nurse, you can use 'gift for a nurse' as a related keyword in your listing title. But make sure those keywords are related to your product. Etsy owns its buyer data and preferences. It helps the algorithm to place your product in front of the right customer.
3.Board keyword
A broad keyword is a general keyword that targets a wide audience rather than a specific or niche group. Normally, we keep broad keywords short and clear. For example, "Clipart," "Wall art," and "SVG." These keywords have a wide variety of products in them that you can niche down. You must include it in your title so Etsy’s search algorithm can know exactly how to categorize your product.
Where do you place your keywords for Etsy SEO?
If you have been on the market for a while, you might notice that some best-seller listings have only a short title, no tags, and a short description. Because listing tile holds the most weight in the algorithm, I usually spend most of my energy on this part. But there are other places to put your keywords for better SEO and you shouldn't leave them blank.
- Listing Tile
Complete your listing title with the Focus, Related, and Board keywords. You don't have to repeat them repeatedly; instead, use synonyms. - Tags
Fill all 13 tags, and again, don't repeat them. You must maximize your chances to reach more customers. - Description
Etsy states that they have collected keywords from the first few sentences of the listing description for the search results. But as far as I have experienced, this part won't affect that much. - Alt image text
This could help your image ranking on Google, and customer also comes from Google searches as well.
After you apply 3 types of keywords to these 4 places, you are now good to go. You can check this by viewing Etsy's top-seller listing. Most of them have the same formula. No secret, No hidden keywords.
SEO doesn't make your listing rank higher. The right SEO makes your listing eligible to show on search results, and that's it.
The listing quality score, instead, makes your listing rank on the first page of your niche. While basic ETSY SEO is enough for you, you must put your time and energy into making a high-quality listing to attract the ideal customer. This makes your listing get sales.