Thursday, September 8, 2011

Relevancy: Changing Tags and Titles On The Fly


If you look above, you'll notice that there are currently 7,758,086 items listed in the Handmade category on Etsy. That was of the time I started writing this article. In a field of so many items how can you possibly get your item found? The very first step is knowing how people search for things on the Internet. (I wrote an article about How People Search Here.) The second thing to do is Title and Tag your items in a way that they come up in the searches. (Here are articles on Titles and Tags.)

Today I would like to talk about changing your Titles and Tags 'on the fly' when special circumstances present themselves. Take for example the Etsy Wedding Newsletter that is sent out weekly. They always have certain trends that link over to a search. This week my Renaissance Wedding Costume Knight's Chainmail Coif was featured in the costume section of the newsletter. If you were to click on the "Full Costuming" link it would have taken you to an Etsy Search page that had the search "Wedding Costume" already filled out for you with the first page of listings shown.

If you were to take some of the items in your shop that are considered "wedding costume" elements and change the title and tags to include the search phrase "wedding costume" you would certainly have a good chance of being seen when someone clicks on the link from the email. You do not have to be featured to utilize the current trends within Etsy's many newsletters. You just have to be willing to do a little bit of research and jump on the band wagon.

This goes beyond just the Etsy Newsletters, (you should sign up for all of them) it translates to what is going on in the world of entertainment and fashion. If a movie is coming out and one of your items has something to do with that movie, changing the title and tags to match what people might be searching for can help you be found. With Google it can take a little bit longer to be picked up with the new titles and tags, but Etsy is within minutes.

Being found in the first few pages of an Etsy search is great as long as it is a search that many people do. Being found in an Etsy Search that an Etsy Newsletter has already set up is even better. Follow trends and never consider your shop to be to the point where it is done. Things change and you have to go with the flow.

I would like to hear your thoughts on this subject so please leave your comments and questions.

7 comments:

  1. I am still trying to get in this habit, thanks for the reminders!

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  2. I completely agree with the idea that we need to keep up with what's new, and use all the tools we can to end up in searches. But it also pays to stay true to one's art and not chase the market in trying to be trendy.

    Interesting idea, though...keeping up with what might be "searchable" in connections to what's current.

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  3. Terrific article! I only subscribe to Etsy Finds - now I'm going to check out the other newsletters. Pay attention to the change of seasons (got orange? Tag it 'autumn') and holidays - I had several patriotic items in my shop left over from July 4th. I tagged them '9 11' and they've been featured in treasuries all week.

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  4. JDConwell, I would never suggest chasing the market rather than being yourself. I just meant if you can re-title and re-tag your item because it IS relevant with the current search trends then go for it. On the Etsy Finds newsletter recently sent out, it had some Steampunk jewelry listed in the email. Though none of my items were featured, when you clicked on the link in the email that went to the search I had nine items in the first 5 pages. I had already optimized my Steampunk jewelry for the search. I made a sale because of it, too. So, yes, stay true to your art, but pay attention to popular trends and if your items are a fit, optimize for it.

    rrizzart, Great advice as always. Look for every opportunity to put your art in front of those who will buy it!

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  5. I think this is a great piece of advice, and one that I would never have thought of. I'm going to keep an eye on those newsletters and see what tags I might be able to tweak. Thanks!!

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  6. It had not occured to me to tailor my key words to the Etsy news letters, it makes so much sense! Thanks for writing this blog - your advice is very practical.

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  7. Just came across your blog and I'm so glad I did! I'm off to subscribe to ALL the newsletters...

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