DAY 18

[Maiook]

Day 18 - Backlinks

Using links in your product description is a useful tool for navigating customers around your shop and keeping them interested. We do all want them to stay around for as long as possible, right.

Here's what you can link to:

1. back to your shop

2. back to a certain shop section (bracelets, tote bags, different sizes.. )

3 . search within your shop: this one is useful if you have a niche product or use a niche material and have those items in different sections of your shop.
For example (I'll use my shop here): I have hand dyed bags available in 4 sizes and listed in 4 categories. What I do is, I do a search within my shop on 'hand dyed bag' and put a link to that search in my product description. This way customers interested in hand dyed bags can check my entire hand dyed collection.

Doing a search within your shop: go to your shop and type a keyword to Search this shop bar. Copy the URL to that search and paste it to your listing.

4. matching items and / or a variation of the product: this is a great way to upsell or sell an additional item or two. Example: If you sell pearl earrings and have a matching bracelet or necklace, you can add a link to them. You never know, you might sell both.


Feel free to post any questions and additional ideas.

[Former_Member]

Finally! 18 days in and something that is already done for every listing in both shops :)
Done.

[Former_Member]

Love back links
I have at least two in every listing - section and shop
For my hair stuff i also have a link to a shop search by color.

Done :)

[Former_Member]

I was actually doing this already when working on my tags... Almost done revising...

[IntuessaJewelryCo]

I feel the same way, Pamela!
Done :)
Still working on tags and titles and I do need to post the BSG.

[TOMgirlApparel]

Yep, done and done!

[BlackCrowCurios]

done

[Former_Member]

Done - I've got backlinks in all my listings, but it is interesting to do a shop search. I hadn't tried that yet.

[AlasseArt]

I have been working on this as I revise my tags.
30 more to go!

[thevintagecrafter]

Have those on almost all listings in both shops -could add some - love the "search in this shop" idea!

[TooSplendidSupplies]

I've been working on this as I can. This is something that Betsi makes SO much easier! Thanks you guys for telling me about that tool.

[KaterinaCollection]

I'm going to be a conscientous objector here.

I had back links on every listing. I had someone that used to work for Google Shopping review a few of my listings. They said if you have links within your listing, you will get dinged, just like the 'free shipping' thing.

So I tested it out. I began removing the links within certain jewelry items. A couple of months later, some days my hits from Google search were more than hits from Etsy search. Not saying that it's like that all the time, but still a statistically significant difference. That never happened before.

So, I 'm going with that. I'm leaving some of the links within the wood items because Tracy opened his wood shop - KnottyWoodCrafts here. He's been doing his own thing there while I clean up our shop here. After fixing this shop, I'm pretty sure he'll be ready for me to fix his :)

[ChrisOsCreations]

I have backlinks for my shop sections, similar items and matching ones but are my descriptions too long?
I've notices that some buyers don't bother to read anything and some others read all the info and sometimes they purchase multiple items due to the backlinks.

[TOMgirlApparel]

Interesting about google shopping. I have many back links and get really good google shopping traffic (I thought). Perhaps I'd get more without the back links? Wonder what is more beneficial though? Getting google shopping traffic or keeping traffic in your shop. Hmmmm.

[KaterinaCollection]

I'm just sharing what I've learned and experienced. I'm still keeping backlinks on the wood items for now. Not saying anyone should follow what I did.

When I started out, I had no links in any of my listings. When Etsy removed the link to the shop section in each listing, I placed links to the section and corresponding other listings when appropriate. That is when my Google hits tanked. When I removed the links more recently, my Google hits went up. There of course could be other explanations for my results.

Anyways, just explaining why I'm not going to be putting the links back into my listings right now. Not saying everyone else should do as I do, since each shop is different.

[VintageRescueSquad]

Because I sell vintage—with vastly different item—links to other items are often too tenuous (a buyer for one item may not like another), so I only use them when it's related items or bulk listings, etc.

Respectfully, I'm not adding many (though I made sure to use them when appropriate).

[TOMgirlApparel]

Always, always, always investigate for yourself instead of taking what you hear as the truth. Let's investigate.

[Former_Member]

Here is the Google Shopping (a/k/a Google Product List Ads) restrictions on titles and listings: https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/2700371?hl=en&ref_topic=2701481

Perhaps an older version of Google shopping would ding you for backlinks? I have had backlinks in my listings since I started and I get regular Google shopping views.

I do think the older version used to be more finicky about that sort of stuff.

[Former_Member]

its pretty easy to check if backlinked listings count against you.

Are there any in google shoppping?

i search on reclaimed wood heart, and the first several etsy listings have them, including mine.

And i see all of my listings in there, and they all have backlinks.

now if people would just use it.

[KaterinaCollection]

@Felisa, that makes sense that the information was older. I still think it's kind of strange that I got the results I did, so I don't want to mess with it.

Removing the links did not change the bounce rate. If people wanted to look further, they did regardless of the links being there or not.

[TOMgirlApparel]

Etsy does a pretty good job of doing back links for us (the side bar photo links to section as well as the top recent items), but with all the testing it is a good idea to help your shoppers any way you can.

One thing I know for sure about google is that they like authenticity. So if you are authentically creating listings for shopper's ease, you are good to go. Of course, you always want to make sure you are not being excluded for any obvious reason.

[MagpieQuilts]

Have them in most listings - am adding as I go through for keywords.

[TomboyPrettyJewelry]

Mmmm, will rethink the back links, but keep them for now. I have a saved document as a template for use when I create listings to keep it uniform and make sure I do not forget something - like measurements.