Post by KatieJoy on Mar 4, 2015 5:29:57 GMT -5
Welcome to SEO week!
SEO can be tricky for some and easy for others. It's all about keywords, trending items and being savvy with what consumers want. You can do SEO and you will get it. SEO is all about PATIENCE. Results do not happen over night (unfortunately) us Etsy sellers must have the patience to make the necessary changes for long term improvement rather than short term. When you make any significant changes your views WILL DROP. This is because search engines need to update themselves. They do this is in a every 6 week period. No one knows the exact dates of when search engines send out their search bots, this is to stop people manipulating the system. But do no fret if your views drop, they WILL come back eventually and they will start to get better and better. Great right!? So hold your horses, sip lots of coffee and have patience for SEO week.
To make things easier I will divide the week up into three sections.
The first section is TITLES. So we all have a chance to complete this weeks task(s) I suggest only choosing 1-3 of your listings, which you want to improve and work on and post them here so we can all encourage and give advice when needed.
Using the skills learned you can transfer them onto your other listings when you have the time.
Here is some information about how to have the best titles for optimal search engine results and Etsy Search results.
For Google: Please do NOT keyword stuff your titles. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66358?hl=en Keyword stuffing is when people list their keywords into a sentence. This is considered spam by Google and other search engine providers. This is also known as negative SEO. Negative SEO is the practice of manipulating your listings and websites to get more views. Google is drastically cutting down on this practice as they want a QUALITY search result for users.
An example, if I was selling tea towels. (Found on Etsy)
A BAD title: Kitchen Hand Towel, Coffee Dish Towel, Mocha Dish Towel, Towel With Ties, Hanging Hand Towel, Tie on Towel, Tea Towel, Brown Hand Towel
A GOOD title: Flour Sack Tea Towel: Dear Coffee I Love You Hand Screen Printed
Another GOOD title: French Linen Tea Towel Rustic Country style made by mooshop
Another GOOD title: Organic cotton Tea towel, green and gold stripe.
Titles should be a simple description of what your product is. Please do not try to determine what your product is used for in your titles. That is what descriptions are there for. Example, another BAD title: Hand screen printed Tea Towel · More Coffee Please! Dish Cloth · House warming gift ·Kitchenware · Houseware ·Decor
This person hasn't included loads of 'tea towels' keywords but they have provided keywords that presume the function of the item. This is ALSO keyword stuffing. There is nothing wrong with ONE function being mentioned. But having a list of functions is keyword stuffing. List your functions in your descriptions, not your titles.
For Etsy:
Just like above, titles should be a simple description of what your item is. Users will not see past the first 5- 6 words of your title in the search results anyway. AND Etsy only uses your TAGS to search. So why bother with a paragraph title when in fact it makes no difference on your Etsy Searches but it will have a negative impact of your google/bing/yahoo etc search results?
Please post below your listings that you're going to be improving on this week. And lets tackle those titles together!
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DESCRIPTIONS and understanding META DESCRIPTIONS.
As descriptions can take time, this will be done today, Wednesday and Thursday.
Descriptions are very important.
I have provided a step by step instruction on how to write a 'perfect' description on Etsy.
Instructions
Answer the following questions and writing prompts as best as possible. When you’re done, insert your
answers into your item descriptions.
1. Introduction
Write a short introduction that injects some personality into your item description. Think about
why this item is awesome, what the biggest selling point is, and what you’re most proud of. Four
to five sentences is more than enough.
To improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), include the most search-worthy words
from your item title in the first line of your item description copy.
If you’re not good at writing, use this prompt to get your creative juices flowing:
“My/This [ITEM NAME] is [adjective 1], [adjective 2], and [adjective 3].”
My/This ______________ is ___________, ___________, and __________.
2. What are the top five features your customers most care about for this item?
Here are some ideas to get started, think about addressing:
• Dimensions and and weight
• Various colour options?
• Is it safe for children?
3. What is your WOW factor?
Do you offer free shipping? Product customization at no extra charge? Personal consultation?
Outstanding customer service? Tell us about it!
. Do you currently have a sale or special offer going on? If so, use this copy. Alter
for seasons, events, etc., as necessary.
“We’re having a [SUMMER/HOLIDAY] sale. [INSERT DATES and details.]”
5. What other items might your customers be interested in?
Include the title and link to three of those items.
6. Insert shameless self-promotion
Were you featured in a publication or website? Did someone cool or famous wear/use your
item? If so, share the details.
[AS SEEN IN: NAME, NAME, NAME]
7. Testimonials
(optional)
Insert up to three awesome customer testimonials here, complete with their names if they’re
cool with it.
8. How are you different from your competitor? (optional)
What unique beliefs do you have
about your product, your industry, or the world in general?
Write three things you and your business stand for.
META DESCRIPTIONS and DESCRIPTIONS.
Meta Description
, what is this! Meta description tags, while not as important to search engine rankings as other data, are extremely
important in gaining user click-through to your site. These short paragraphs are your opportunity to
advertise your content to searchers and let them know you have exactly what they’re looking for. The meta
description should employ the keywords intelligently, but also create a compelling description that a
searcher will want to click. Direct relevance to the page and uniqueness between each page’s meta
description is key. The description should optimally be between 150-160 characters. That is why we should REPEAT our titles on the first line of our descriptions.
The first 160 characters of the Item Description are used for the meta description.
Example of a GOOD Item Description
“This Oatmeal Bar Soap is handmade using organic vanilla and oatmeal. Not only is this oatmeal soap a
perfect gift but a portion of the sales benefits a charity. Learn more about it in my profile. The use of
organic vanilla and oatmeal makes this bar soap quite luxurious. The vanilla scent helps keep bathroom
odors at bay.
The soap is oval shaped and weighs approximately ¼ lb. If you’re interested in other shapes or colors of
soap, please let me know as we can customize your order.”
Meta Description becomes: “This Oatmeal Bar Soap is handmade using organic vanilla and oatmeal. Not
only is this oatmeal soap a perfect gift but a portion of the sales benefits a charity.”
This creates an enticing meta description that will be displayed in the search engines, as well as gives the
users all the information they need about the product on the page.
Example of a BAD Item Description
“Shape: Oval
Weight: ¼ lb
Color: Rose
Ingredients: Oatmeal, vanilla
A portion of the sales benefits a charity, learn more about it in my profile. If you need any other shapes or
colors please let us know. We can customize your order to fit your needs”
Meta Description becomes: “Shape: Oval Weight: ¼ lb Color: Rose Ingredients: Oatmeal, vanilla A portion
of the sales benefits a charity, learn more about it in my profile. If you need any…”
Notice that this meta description doesn't even mention that this page is about soap. Additionally, with the
body text this way, the search engines won’t be able to determine that this page is about soap either.
Remember to make sure it’s obvious what the page is about without going overboard.
Good luck everyone!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAGS
Tags are annoying but necessary thing we all have to do to get found on Etsy search. We should use all 13 tags allocated to us. We must try to use search phrases rather than one worded tags as much as possible. And our phrases should be keywords that are related and already found in our titles and descriptions.
Lets look at keywords.
How to Judge the Value of a Keyword
1) Volume -- The first factor to look at when determining the value of a keyword is volume. Are there
enough people searching for a term to justify optimizing for it? If the answer is yes, ask yourself whether or not it is realistic that you will rank for that term?
In other words, you probably will not rank for a high volume term such as ‘jewelry,’ but there’s a good
chance you could rank for less competitive 2-3 word search terms such as ‘handmade gold necklaces.’
2) Intent -- The second, and most important factor to look at when determining the value of a keyword is
intent. Target the keywords that people looking for what you sell are most likely to search for. In other
words, you might find many people search for the terms ‘cheap jewelry’ or ‘jewelry cleaner,’ but if these
terms don’t align with the products you sell, you should not target these keywords because these visitors
will not become customers.
So when you do your keyword research, first identify what people are searching for the most, then think
about what the people making those searches are looking for. If you can provide a relevant page for
someone searching for a given term, and the term has reasonable volume, target your page with those
keywords.
You can see popular keywords by typing into the Etsy search bar and seeing what they automatically suggest for you. You can also LOOK AT YOUR SHOP STATS and see what the most popular keywords you have. If you have a GoogleAdWords account, use it!
Good luck!
SEO can be tricky for some and easy for others. It's all about keywords, trending items and being savvy with what consumers want. You can do SEO and you will get it. SEO is all about PATIENCE. Results do not happen over night (unfortunately) us Etsy sellers must have the patience to make the necessary changes for long term improvement rather than short term. When you make any significant changes your views WILL DROP. This is because search engines need to update themselves. They do this is in a every 6 week period. No one knows the exact dates of when search engines send out their search bots, this is to stop people manipulating the system. But do no fret if your views drop, they WILL come back eventually and they will start to get better and better. Great right!? So hold your horses, sip lots of coffee and have patience for SEO week.
To make things easier I will divide the week up into three sections.
The first section is TITLES. So we all have a chance to complete this weeks task(s) I suggest only choosing 1-3 of your listings, which you want to improve and work on and post them here so we can all encourage and give advice when needed.
Using the skills learned you can transfer them onto your other listings when you have the time.
Here is some information about how to have the best titles for optimal search engine results and Etsy Search results.
For Google: Please do NOT keyword stuff your titles. support.google.com/webmasters/answer/66358?hl=en Keyword stuffing is when people list their keywords into a sentence. This is considered spam by Google and other search engine providers. This is also known as negative SEO. Negative SEO is the practice of manipulating your listings and websites to get more views. Google is drastically cutting down on this practice as they want a QUALITY search result for users.
An example, if I was selling tea towels. (Found on Etsy)
A BAD title: Kitchen Hand Towel, Coffee Dish Towel, Mocha Dish Towel, Towel With Ties, Hanging Hand Towel, Tie on Towel, Tea Towel, Brown Hand Towel
A GOOD title: Flour Sack Tea Towel: Dear Coffee I Love You Hand Screen Printed
Another GOOD title: French Linen Tea Towel Rustic Country style made by mooshop
Another GOOD title: Organic cotton Tea towel, green and gold stripe.
Titles should be a simple description of what your product is. Please do not try to determine what your product is used for in your titles. That is what descriptions are there for. Example, another BAD title: Hand screen printed Tea Towel · More Coffee Please! Dish Cloth · House warming gift ·Kitchenware · Houseware ·Decor
This person hasn't included loads of 'tea towels' keywords but they have provided keywords that presume the function of the item. This is ALSO keyword stuffing. There is nothing wrong with ONE function being mentioned. But having a list of functions is keyword stuffing. List your functions in your descriptions, not your titles.
For Etsy:
Just like above, titles should be a simple description of what your item is. Users will not see past the first 5- 6 words of your title in the search results anyway. AND Etsy only uses your TAGS to search. So why bother with a paragraph title when in fact it makes no difference on your Etsy Searches but it will have a negative impact of your google/bing/yahoo etc search results?
Please post below your listings that you're going to be improving on this week. And lets tackle those titles together!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DESCRIPTIONS and understanding META DESCRIPTIONS.
As descriptions can take time, this will be done today, Wednesday and Thursday.
Descriptions are very important.
I have provided a step by step instruction on how to write a 'perfect' description on Etsy.
Instructions
Answer the following questions and writing prompts as best as possible. When you’re done, insert your
answers into your item descriptions.
1. Introduction
Write a short introduction that injects some personality into your item description. Think about
why this item is awesome, what the biggest selling point is, and what you’re most proud of. Four
to five sentences is more than enough.
To improve your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), include the most search-worthy words
from your item title in the first line of your item description copy.
If you’re not good at writing, use this prompt to get your creative juices flowing:
“My/This [ITEM NAME] is [adjective 1], [adjective 2], and [adjective 3].”
My/This ______________ is ___________, ___________, and __________.
2. What are the top five features your customers most care about for this item?
Here are some ideas to get started, think about addressing:
• Dimensions and and weight
• Various colour options?
• Is it safe for children?
3. What is your WOW factor?
Do you offer free shipping? Product customization at no extra charge? Personal consultation?
Outstanding customer service? Tell us about it!
. Do you currently have a sale or special offer going on? If so, use this copy. Alter
for seasons, events, etc., as necessary.
“We’re having a [SUMMER/HOLIDAY] sale. [INSERT DATES and details.]”
5. What other items might your customers be interested in?
Include the title and link to three of those items.
6. Insert shameless self-promotion
Were you featured in a publication or website? Did someone cool or famous wear/use your
item? If so, share the details.
[AS SEEN IN: NAME, NAME, NAME]
7. Testimonials
(optional)
Insert up to three awesome customer testimonials here, complete with their names if they’re
cool with it.
8. How are you different from your competitor? (optional)
What unique beliefs do you have
about your product, your industry, or the world in general?
Write three things you and your business stand for.
META DESCRIPTIONS and DESCRIPTIONS.
Meta Description
, what is this! Meta description tags, while not as important to search engine rankings as other data, are extremely
important in gaining user click-through to your site. These short paragraphs are your opportunity to
advertise your content to searchers and let them know you have exactly what they’re looking for. The meta
description should employ the keywords intelligently, but also create a compelling description that a
searcher will want to click. Direct relevance to the page and uniqueness between each page’s meta
description is key. The description should optimally be between 150-160 characters. That is why we should REPEAT our titles on the first line of our descriptions.
The first 160 characters of the Item Description are used for the meta description.
Example of a GOOD Item Description
“This Oatmeal Bar Soap is handmade using organic vanilla and oatmeal. Not only is this oatmeal soap a
perfect gift but a portion of the sales benefits a charity. Learn more about it in my profile. The use of
organic vanilla and oatmeal makes this bar soap quite luxurious. The vanilla scent helps keep bathroom
odors at bay.
The soap is oval shaped and weighs approximately ¼ lb. If you’re interested in other shapes or colors of
soap, please let me know as we can customize your order.”
Meta Description becomes: “This Oatmeal Bar Soap is handmade using organic vanilla and oatmeal. Not
only is this oatmeal soap a perfect gift but a portion of the sales benefits a charity.”
This creates an enticing meta description that will be displayed in the search engines, as well as gives the
users all the information they need about the product on the page.
Example of a BAD Item Description
“Shape: Oval
Weight: ¼ lb
Color: Rose
Ingredients: Oatmeal, vanilla
A portion of the sales benefits a charity, learn more about it in my profile. If you need any other shapes or
colors please let us know. We can customize your order to fit your needs”
Meta Description becomes: “Shape: Oval Weight: ¼ lb Color: Rose Ingredients: Oatmeal, vanilla A portion
of the sales benefits a charity, learn more about it in my profile. If you need any…”
Notice that this meta description doesn't even mention that this page is about soap. Additionally, with the
body text this way, the search engines won’t be able to determine that this page is about soap either.
Remember to make sure it’s obvious what the page is about without going overboard.
Good luck everyone!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAGS
Tags are annoying but necessary thing we all have to do to get found on Etsy search. We should use all 13 tags allocated to us. We must try to use search phrases rather than one worded tags as much as possible. And our phrases should be keywords that are related and already found in our titles and descriptions.
Lets look at keywords.
How to Judge the Value of a Keyword
1) Volume -- The first factor to look at when determining the value of a keyword is volume. Are there
enough people searching for a term to justify optimizing for it? If the answer is yes, ask yourself whether or not it is realistic that you will rank for that term?
In other words, you probably will not rank for a high volume term such as ‘jewelry,’ but there’s a good
chance you could rank for less competitive 2-3 word search terms such as ‘handmade gold necklaces.’
2) Intent -- The second, and most important factor to look at when determining the value of a keyword is
intent. Target the keywords that people looking for what you sell are most likely to search for. In other
words, you might find many people search for the terms ‘cheap jewelry’ or ‘jewelry cleaner,’ but if these
terms don’t align with the products you sell, you should not target these keywords because these visitors
will not become customers.
So when you do your keyword research, first identify what people are searching for the most, then think
about what the people making those searches are looking for. If you can provide a relevant page for
someone searching for a given term, and the term has reasonable volume, target your page with those
keywords.
You can see popular keywords by typing into the Etsy search bar and seeing what they automatically suggest for you. You can also LOOK AT YOUR SHOP STATS and see what the most popular keywords you have. If you have a GoogleAdWords account, use it!
Good luck!