Currently, there are over 7.5 million active sellers on the Etsy platform. The number of buyers currently exceeds 95.1 million. With consolidated gross merchandise sales topping $13.3 billion in 2022, it’s safe to say that Etsy is a growing platform that is a haven for vintage products and handmade goods. If you want your Etsy store to succeed, however, you must ensure you are utilizing tags. Tags help to increase your store visibility, as the Etsy algorithm helps to connect your store with the right shoppers.
Understanding Etsy Tags and Their Significance
Etsy’s algorithm primarily revolves around query matching. The keywords, or the phrases that users enter to find specific items, are matched with stores. The algorithm will crawl through many listings and advertisements in an attempt to find relevant tags. The most relevant ones will then be shown to the potential buyer. Each tag gives you 13 unique chances of being found on the Etsy site. Each can include up to 20 characters, so it’s helpful to think of as many terms as you can to add them.
If you don’t use Etsy tags, shoppers will probably only be able to find you by entering your shop title.
Types of Etsy Tags and Their Strategic Use
There are numerous types of Etsy tags for you to choose from. Some of them include:
Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are longer and much more specific than standard keyword phrases. Visitors are more likely to use these when they are closer to the point of purchase. Most keywords have a lower search volume but much less competition. Long-tail keywords are also ideal if you want to focus on voice searches. An example of a long-tail keyword would be “14k gold name necklace white gold”.
General Keywords
General keywords are just that. They’re short keywords that are often just one or two words and tend to be searched by people who are browsing. They might have a lot of competition, but they are still essential to your SEO strategy. General keywords are very easy to use, and there’s a chance you are including them without even realizing it. A general keyword could be “white gold necklace”.
Specific Product Descriptions
Product descriptions are a block of text that you will fill out when listing your item. Descriptive terms, size dimensions, and more are all perfect pieces of information to include here, and they can also help you show up for more related terms. A description with keywords could be “14k gold name necklace, in white gold, gold, and sterling silver”.
Researching and Selecting Effective Etsy Tags
Descriptions
Tags are your main opportunity to include up to 13 phrases that describe your product. Tags allow you to show up for relevant phrases, including the size, occasion, technique, style, or even materials you use.
Understanding Buyer Search Patterns
Understanding buyer search patterns is so important if you want to make the most out of your Etsy store. You need to know why you choose your keywords rather than randomly picking them. If you haven’t done keyword research yet, then now is the time for you to change that.
Some of the things to keep in mind when choosing your Etsy tags include avoiding repeating tags and using multiple words in your tags so you can take advantage of more targeted traffic. Always refresh your tags, and know that Etsy still only uses basic words to search, even if you adopt plural keywords. Don’t use tags in different languages; always use tags that describe your product clearly and accurately.
Tools and Resources for Etsy Tags
Below are some of the top tools and resources to create your Etsy tags or do keyword research.
Let’s use the necklace example above. If you use a keyword tool, you’ll notice that, on average, 16,661 searches use this as a keyword. When you enter it into Etsy, however, you’ll see that there are over 5 million products. That means conversion rates for this keyword are likely to be low.
Now, let’s look at a long-tail keyword. If you enter this into a KW research tool, you’ll see that there are 10,827 searches. When you enter this into the Etsy search bar, there are just over 11,000 products. This means your competition has decreased by well over 99.8%. Although you want to target both, you should never overlook how important long-tail keywords are.
If you want to find more keywords, you can type in the Etsy search bar to get a suggested list of keywords based on buyer search volume:
Crafting Optimized Etsy Tags for Your Shop
As mentioned above, you have the opportunity to include 13 phrases that describe your product. Each tag you add allows you to appear in a search. Ensure you are using them all, and avoid multi-word phrases if possible. Using a “white gold necklace” is better than using “white gold” and then “necklace” separately.
Make sure that you also consult your shop statistics. Refresh the tags on any listings that you do not feel as though are getting a lot of traffic, and diversify them. Diversification is also important. If you sell flip-flops and a lot of customers are searching for sandals, you’ll want to add this to your tags.
Another thing you’ll want to do is avoid some top mistakes. Keyword stuffing is a big deal, and it will hinder your listing. Repetition is also a big no-no.
For example, if you have:
Address stamp gifts for wedding gifts and personalized stamp engagement gifts.
Then consider making it:
Custom wedding address stamp for personalized engagement gifts
At one point, keyword stuffing did work on Etsy, but it’s no longer recommended. If you want to get the best result out of your Etsy shop, you can opt for titles that accurately reflect your product. If you want some ideas, then you can find them below:
- Handmade Jewelry, Earrings, Necklaces and Unique Bracelets
- Handcrafted Soy Candles
- Organic Skincare and Natural Beauty Products
- Handmade Pottery | Ceramic Bowls, Plates and Mugs
- Luxury Leather | Wallets, Belts and Bags
Tracking Results and Refining Your Title Tags
Blindly choosing your tags is a huge mistake. You need to ensure that you monitor your shop’s performance and give a lot of thought to your tags. Most of the time, you won’t be able to choose a high-performing tag and rank for it right away. You’ll take a few weeks to see the results you are getting. On top of this, you may notice that your sales fluctuate with the seasons. If you sell handmade goods such as candles or wallets, you may experience a spike around Christmas time. Come January, your sales may drop off, so this might not have anything to do with the keywords you have chosen.
Your conversion rate is a good way for you to know if you are using the right keywords. If people are searching for a specific product, you don’t provide, but your listing is showing up, you may get a lot of clicks but a very low conversion rate overall. By considering things like this, you can surely increase your success overall.
Source: Etsy
As you can see from the image above, the conversion rate for the gig is 1.6% across 46 orders and 2823 visits. Decent conversion rates vary between 2-3%, so changing the keywords could make your listing way more efficient in terms of sales and boost the conversion potential.
Etsy tags are crucial to the overall success of your listing. If you aren’t giving any thought to your Etsy tags or your keywords, then this could result in your listing not converting as much as it could. You may also find that you don’t get much traffic either. Even if you sell the best product in the world, you still need to make sure you consider things like this because people can’t buy from you if you can’t be found.
When you have changed your keywords, make sure that you benchmark your success and track your progress. This will give you a solid indication of whether your changes are working while also alerting you to other steps to elevate your listing overall.
The Etsy algorithm is always changing to keep up with buyer search patterns, too, so high-performing tags may reduce in quality as time goes on. Revisit even your best-performing listings from time to time so you can make sure that they stay that way.
Learn more about Etsy and how to master Etsy SEO to boost your shop’s visibility with Top Etsy SEO Tools.
Mastering Etsy SEO: A Guide to Boosting Your Shop’s Visibility with Top Etsy SEO Tools