SEO Optimization Tips for Etsy Shop Owners

So, you have opened your Etsy shop & figure if you post it, they will come, right? Not so fast. I am sure you have probably read up on the importance of great pictures, good tags, a unique niche, and a stellar product, but don't forget about SEO. Search Engine Optimization is a complicated algorithm Google uses to find your shop and your products when a potential buyer does a search through Google. We could delve into the fine details of things, but here are five very simple things to improve your ranking on Google today:

1. Tag Your SHOP. We all know the importance of using all 14 tags when listing an item, but are you aware that you can tag your shop? Simply go to "Your Etsy" then click on "Info & Appearance" located under "Shop Settings". Once on this page, fill in your shop title with the keywords that best describes what you sell, not your name. This is an important tool that Google uses to find out what your shop is all about & what kind of traffic to send to you. This is not something that will effect the name of your actual shop to online shoppers. For example, if you sell leather bracelets in you shop called Sara's Studio, you should have "handmade leather bracelets" listed in your shop title. A lot of people struggle on how to best describe what they sell, but I strongly encourage you to put something other than your name in this section. You can always tweak it later and any description of your shop will give you better SEO with Google than just having your shop's name listed.
2. Content, Content, Content. Google loves good content (& so do shoppers). An item is not going to sell if it is not listed. A shop with good content is going to rank higher than one with a very low content. So get your products listed on your site!
3. Spelling and Grammar. Yes, google robots can tell if your site is loaded with bad grammar and poor spelling. This makes Google think poorly of your shop and drops you in its rankings. So take the time to check your spelling and grammar on your shop listings, announcement, etc. It pays off in how Google (and customers) view you.
4. Update. Google does not like sites that appear to go stale & are not being updated. If you find that you have not added a new listing in a while or changed your shop Announcement, you may want to do so. Don't have anything new to list? Consider re-listing an item for a mere 20 cents. It will not only rank your listing higher on an Etsy search, but will show Google you are an active, current site.
5. Backlinks. Google is a big fan of backlinks. Without delving too deeply into this hefty topic, a backlink is simply a link that leads to your shop. Backlinks increase your traffic and your ranking with Google. An easy way to get some valuable backlinking is through twitter, FB fan pages, and blogging. Don't have any of these? Many bloggers & Facebook fan pages (mine included) offer free promos as well as a section to add your shop links to get you some free backlinks, traffic & promotion. Follow blogs that are looking for new & exciting creations- if they choose your product, they almost always create an organic link to your Etsy Shop.

To start you off, you can get a free backlink to your Etsy Shop by clicking on the "Discussions" section of my Wave of Life Surf Studio's FB page & adding your link. Voila, you have created a backlink that will help improve your SEO score.

I hope this helps! Good luck in all your Etsy Shop endeavors!

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