4 minute read

Etsy Success: Item Listing Makeovers

Daniellexo reviews a clothing designer's listings and shares her top tips for being found on Etsy.

Avatar image for Danielle Maveal by Danielle Maveal
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Some of us learn best in a hands-on, real world setting. So last week HeyMichelle and I jumped on our webcams and recorded Etsy Shop critiques in Etsy's Online Labs. We looked at a range of Etsy sellers, from vintage to handmade, newbie to expert, and gave them tips to grow their shops and get discovered in Etsy search results. This week we're going to continue the series with item listing makeovers right here in the Seller Handbook.

Let's start with a question from Cherie, the designer behind BrandybuckClothiers, and see if we can help her improve her item listings.

Cherie says, "Hi, I feel like my shop has extremely low views. I think my titles are clear and descriptive. Maybe no one is shopping for the things I make? I don't know. My friends order from me in person when I wear my own shirts and skirts and jackets."

I recently got up on my soapbox in the Etsy Success Forum to tell Etsy sellers, "All views are not created equal!" Now that Etsy's search defaults to most relevant listings, our goal is to quickly connect buyers using search with the most relevant items. That means less digging through pages of most recently listed, but a fewer number of more relevant items.  That should, for many of you, mean that you won't need as many views to get a sale as in the past. We want serious shoppers to find you.

I can see why your friends and family are practically buying the clothes off your back! The clothing in your shop looks beautifully and thoughtfully designed and made. Now, let's dig in and see how we can help the rest of the world find you...

menslinenshirt-example

Even before the change to relevancy, I've suggested that sellers should not give buyers too many options in their custom item listings. I would suggest you list each color of dress shirt you have separately. This will help with search optimization, too! A buyer looking for a White Linen Men's Shirt will find yours if that's what your title reads. So try that — "White Linen Men's Shirt – Custom and Handmade for You." That title starts with four great keywords and ends with something to entice your buyer.

Note: If you make something that is not usually made by hand, "handmade" is a great keyword that will bring in buyers who might be looking for handmade items through a web search.

In the case of handmade dress shirts, I wonder if you've figured out exactly who that buyer would be. Is it a bride planning a handmade wedding? Is it men who are looking for custom couture clothing? Only you can really sit down and determine who you want your customer to be and how to write up your item listings to appeal to them. Once you do that, things will get much, much easier. This handy Customer Profiling Worksheet by GraceDobush should help you identify your target market.

A few notes on the tags you're using:

  • There are some tags here that I don't imagine a buyer using – "new design" is one of them.
  • You use the tag "men" twice; this is not necessary. Instead, replace one of those with a common phrase — perhaps "men's shirt"?
  • Knowing your customer will help you. Want to reach the wedding market? "Groom" would be a great tag to use!
  • You use "short sleeve" and "long sleeve." Stay focused and just pick one. That will open you up for another relevant keyword.
  • Check out your top keywords found in your Shop Stats for more ideas.
  • Pop into your Etsy Teams and ask for help! Or start a thread where you can jointly brainstorm keywords to use in your titles and tags.

Hope that helps, Cherie!  I'll ask our readers to leave a comment below if they have any further ideas for you.

Avatar image for Danielle Maveal Words by Danielle Maveal

Before working for Etsy, Danielle also managed two jewelry studios/shops in Toronto and Detroit, and even had her own gallery in Brooklyn. Then she found a really cool website that allowed her to sell her own work. Within 3 months, she quit her job and ran an Etsy shop full time (she almost hit 1,000 sales before Etsy hired her!).

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