10 Tips for Etsy SEO

With a reported 3.68 million active sellers on Etsy, it can be daunting to figure out how to ensure marketplace visibility.

How will new customers find your store with thousands of similar offerings? How do you ensure your products appear in a prime position on the search list?

The answer to these questions is simple: You need an Etsy SEO (search engine optimization) strategy.

Why You Need an SEO Strategy For Your Etsy Shop

Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the practice of developing content, copy, visuals, and a slew of other factors tailored to increasing search visibility.

While the topic of SEO generally focuses on search engine results pages (SERPs), similar strategies can be employed by the savvy Etsy store owner to ensure products and store listing manifest at the top of the e-commerce site’s search function.

How Etsy Search Works

The Etsy search function is engineered to connect consumers with the products they’re looking for using two distinct factors: ranking and query matching.

Query matching refers to how effectively a potential consumer’s search term pairs with Etsy’s inventory listings. The search function parses attributes, categories, tags, and titles to match them with each searched term.

After query matching occurs, the search engine determines listing rank by aggregating eight definitive score features:

Quality of Listing Score: This metric establishes how well a listing converts. This score increases when a consumer makes a purchase, resulting in a higher quality of listing score.
Customer and Market Experience Score: All shops earn a score calculated using a combination of customer reviews, negative feedback, and the completion of the “about” portion of a shop’s description.
Context-Specific Ranking (CSR) Technology Score: Artificial intelligence (AI) works to understand consumer interest and supply results to suit those needs. Essentially, this ranking studies past behavior to identify current desires.
Relevancy Score: Exact-match keywords earn high rankings in the Etsy search hierarchy. If an exact match isn’t found, search spots are awarded to secondary keyword sources, including attributes, tags, titles, and categories aligning with the consumer’s query.
Shipping Price Score: Etsy shops often charge a good amount for shipping. Stores that ship for free or for a discount earn higher shipping price scores than their more expensive counterparts.
Recency Score: When an item is first posted, it gains a high recency score, which boosts the product for a short time after the initial listing.
Translations and Language Score: Shop information should be conveyed in the language selected by the consumer when they established an Etsy account.
Shoppers’ Habits Score: Much like the CSR technology score, this metric draws on past behavior to determine the current likelihood of purchasing.

While these metrics may seem impossible to influence, there are strategies to raise your ranking in the Etsy search. By optimizing these 10 Etsy SEO areas, you could improve your overall store ranking, potentially gaining increased visibility and reach for your listings.