Google and Etsy Revisited Part 3 - Descriptions

As discussed this week Google looks at titles and descriptions and ignores tags. Etsy looks at titles and tags and ignores descriptions. The key to being found on Etsy and Google is a combination of titles, tags and descriptions. Yesterday I said I write all my tags first. I then take the best tags and use them in my title.

I also use the best tags in my description. I generally even use the tag phrases twice. The rule here is never use your tags phrases more than the number of full paragraphs you have. Well, that is my rule and it seems to work out pretty well. I also throw in my company name in my description so that my tags get associated with my business name.

A good description answers all the questions that a customer might have. A great description does this while enticing the customer to buy. Try and describe as many senses as possible. How does it look, feel, sound, smell and taste? If it is jewelry what is the size? How does it clasp? What metal is it made from? When can you wear it? What kind of outfit does it go well with? What makes it special?

Paint a picture with your description.  Tell a story. Make a statement. Just be sure to answer any potential questions. If someone has to write to ask you a question you have lost an impulse buy.

That is all for today. Stop back by tomorrow for a recap and some more tips. Feel free to send questions to MarketMyShop@gmail.com Also, if you are interested in a topic I have not covered I am always looking for more things to write about to help you out.

Google and Etsy Revisited Part 2 - Tags

Yesterday I talked once again about using your title to the fullest potential. Today I want to revisit how tags and keywords are used.  Google doesn't even really look at your keywords. In fact, most search engines completely ignore them. On the other hand Etsy uses them in their search.

First off, let me just say that tags and keywords are the same thing. If you look at the source code from pages generated by Etsy you will see your tags in the keyword section. So, from this point forward I will call them tags. Tags are very important for multiple reasons. So important in fact I always do my tags first.

Why do I do my tags first? Because I build my title and description around my tags. I choose what i am going to optimize for from my list of tags. I am in a pretty competitive market - jewelry. I know better than to just optimize for "jewelry" or "necklace" or "earrings" because those are just too broad to ever be seen. This is one reason that multiple word tags are so very important.

The difference between "jewelry" and "steampunk jewelry" is 3,060,513 items for jewelry and 72,366 items for steampunk jewelry. Shaving off about three million items really helps people find you. That is just on Etsy. I'll let you compare the searches on Google. The more precise you can get in your tags the easier someone can find you.

When you are creating your tags here are some things to keep in mind:
1. Multiple Spelling - such as "steampunk" and "steam punk" or "jewelry" and "jewellery" - European spelling should be included if you are marketing to the UK or even Canada. Sometimes there is more than one accepted spelling of a word. You may even want to take into consideration adding common misspellings. More than a few people have made money by registering misspelled domain names and putting advertising on them.
2. Multiple Color Names - such as "red" "rose red" "blood red" "crimson red" - Try and think like a customer. If you are marketing an item to someone who is into the Gothic subculture they may look for "blood red" while those into Fantasy may look for "crimson red"
3. Order of Words - such as "Victorian Steampunk" and "Steampunk Victorian" - Etsy uses EXACT TAG MATCH in their algorithm. So "Victorian Steampunk" is NOT the same thing as "Steampunk Victorian" and yes, people search in different ways using the same words.

That is all for today. Tomorrow I will look back at writing descriptions that search engines like. If you have any questions please feel free to email me at MarketMyShop@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

Be sure to check out the archived articles, you'll find much more information there.

Relevancy SEO And Planning Ahead

It is the last day of November and the Christmas buying season is in full swing. If you are not yet optimized for Christmas you are well behind. It isn't impossible to get caught up with Etsy and ArtFire, but as far as Google is concerned, better luck next year. If you want to be optimized for Google, you should have started months ago.

You may want to get a jump on Valentines Day now. Sounds crazy, right? Well, with a little planning, you can have everything in place by February 1st. Google, the all powerful, all knowing search engine runs a little behind. Sure it is okay to rely on just Etsy and ArtFire but if you really want to increase your views and sales you have to feed Google what it wants.

Using relevant coherent titles and keyword rich descriptions is the key to being found on Google and other search engines. It may be close to impossible to be optimized for a broad keyword like "jewelry" but you may be able to get to the top of the search with "pop can tab jewelry" or "natural pine cone jewelry." Your niche is your saving grace. The more specific your medium the better you'll do.

I will be talking more about SEO this week. I will provide real world examples on how to be found in Google. In the meantime, please feel free to ask questions and make comments. Want to send me a note? MarketMyShop@gmail.com

Etsy Search Vs Google Search

Etsy and Google use very different search algorithms. It is sometimes difficult to grasp trying to optimize for both Etsy and Google. Learning what they share and do not share can be the key to being found in both places. Do your best to optimize for both.

They both give weight to the title of your item. Etsy gives strong emphasis on the first three words of your title. Google gives a little weight to your entire title. Put the most important words first.

Etsy gives heavy weight on tags, Google all but ignores them. Using multiple keyword phrases is good for tags on Etsy. Repeating the same word on different tags is good because the Etsy search algorithm is looking for EXACT keyword matches. For example if you have a vintage red leather belt, try to think of ways people would search for it. "vintage leather" and "vintage belt" both describe the item and optimize you for two different phrases. Avoid tag stuffing. If you have a belt that is three colors "red orange blue" is not a way to describe it. You'll want to use the colors in separate tags like "red belt" and "orange leather" and "blue buckle".

Etsy does not use the description in their algorithm but Google uses it very heavily. Try to make sure that you have the keyword phrases listed in your description. Try to use them multiple times as long as you can make it sound conversational or descriptive without sounding too repetitive. I try to use the keyword phrases twice in the description and have some of my other keyword phrases spread out in the description since Google does not look at tags. Please note that since your tags are listed in the main body of your description it is possible that Google does see and use your tags slightly.

There are a lot more factors and variables that go into both search algorithms but I feel like these are the main ones that you have control over. Make your words count. Etsy and Google do not release all of what goes into their search algorithms so we may never know exactly whet they look for but taking steps to optimize for what we do know they are looking for will at least give us a better chance of being found.