Etsy search visibility page: More insights than ever before

[MaxwellTang]

Hi everyone! My name is Maxwell, and I lead Etsy's Search and Ads teams. The core of my work is helping buyers find their perfect item while ensuring sellers have ample opportunities for growth. I was a part of the team that brought the new Etsy search visibility page in Shop Manager to life, and I’m excited to share it with you today! 

When shoppers are searching on Etsy, it’s important that they can easily find quality listings from shops they can trust. This includes accurate and complete listing information from shops with a track record of good customer service. Connecting shoppers with quality listings more often helps build trust so that they come back to shops like yours again and again.

That's why Etsy search currently takes into account your shop, customer service, and listing quality.  We’ve heard from sellers consistently over the years that you need more transparency into what goes into Etsy search ranking to help optimize your listings. We’re excited to announce the new Etsy search visibility page in Shop Manager—offering you more insights about how you appear in search along with recommended actions to help you improve.

This page will show you how your listings are performing in these key areas:

Your shop 

• Buyers want to know who they’re purchasing from, which is important when building trust in your shop and building your brand. For example, your shop should have a shop icon, which helps to represent your business.

Customer service

• You work hard to give your customers the best experience. Shops that consistently meet our customer service standards are prioritized in search. 
• We include factors like a shop’s average review rating, message response rate, and case rate from the past three months in our search ranking.

Your listings

• Buyers are looking for high-quality and clear listings that help them feel more confident making a purchase. Each of your listings should have things like multiple high quality photos and a return policy.
• We want to make it easier for buyers to find shipping prices that meet their expectations, so starting October 1, we’ll be factoring US domestic shipping prices into search for US listings. We know that shipping needs vary based on the type of item or where it's shipping from, so we'll exclude certain categories and items shipped from outside the US from this new search criteria. We're also giving you better tools to adjust prices if you choose.

You’ll receive an email today about this announcement, but in the meantime you can head to the Seller Handbook to learn more about the Etsy search visibility page. Want to share your thoughts about this new resource? Let us know here.

And don't forget to tune in to Etsy Up on September 10 at 1pm ET to hear from Etsy experts on topics like search optimization, listing quality tips, ways to enhance the customer experiences, and so much more!

Your questions, answered 

Q: I have a lot of listings and updating my photos is going to take time. Is there an easier way to do this? 

A: The new Etsy search visibility page is also available on the Etsy Seller app, making it easy to take photos on your phone and quickly make updates to your listings. You can also see all your personalized insights and recommendations directly from the app. Make sure you’re running the latest version of the app to see these new features!

Q: I made all my updates, why am I not seeing my listings higher in search?

A: Changes can take up to one day to reflect in search. Also keep in mind there are several other factors that impact where your listing shows up in search for any individual keyword, including keyword relevance and any search filters buyers may apply. You can find more education on this in the Etsy search visibility page, and check out How Etsy Search Works for an in-depth guide. Also remember to abide by Etsy policies to ensure that your listings can continue to show up or be sold on Etsy.

Q: Why did my insight disappear even though I didn’t make any changes yet?

You’ll only see insights for your active listings, so if you deactivate a listing or put yourself in Vacation Mode, insights on your Etsy search visibility page or in your listing form may change.

Photography (updated 8/30)

Q: What is photo resolution and how does it impact your search ranking?

High-resolution is a fancy way of saying a digital photo is super clear and sharp, even if you zoom in super close. Having sharper, clearer photos, especially for your first photo, helps to make them pop to buyers and to make it clear what you’re selling.

The Etsy search visibility page only looks at your first listing photo, since that’s the first image buyers will see when they’re searching on Etsy. Images should be at least 0.4 megapixels, but we recommend 2000px for the shortest side of the image, and a resolution of 72PPI for listing images. If you aren’t sure of the megapixels of your image, some programs on your phone or computer can provide it.

While your first listing photo is what buyers see in search results, the rest of your listing photos can help convert that click to a sale. As a best practice, make sure all of your listing photos have a high resolution, are clear, and well lit.

Q: How can I make sure my photos are properly lit?

To ensure your items stand out, it's important to have well-lit primary photos that clearly display the product, as these images are often compared with others in search results. Make sure your photos are not too dark or overly bright, avoid excessive glare and overexposure, and check that colors are accurate and shadows don't obscure the product. 

We understand that some primary photos may appear dark, either because the item for sale is dark in nature (e.g. brown fabric, a photo of a nightscape), or that having low lighting is necessary to accurately display the details of your product (e.g. a lamp that casts certain patterns when lit) and we have measures in place to prevent these types of listing images from being flagged.

Pro tip: The Etsy search visibility page is also available on the Etsy Seller app, making it easy to take photos on your phone and quickly make updates to your listings. There you can make adjustments to the color and brightness of your photos. Remember that digital editing may not always fix an issue like glare or overexposure, and sometimes retaking the photo is necessary for best results. 

Q: What are collage images and why should you avoid using them in your first listing photo?

We consider a listing photo to be a collage if the photo combines multiple images into one single photo. A lot of times this is done digitally using photo-editing software to piece together a few images. We understand that sellers sometimes do this in order to show variations of a product, but having a collage as the primary image for your listing can prevent users from distinguishing the item for sale since the primary photo for your listing will show up as a thumbnail in search results.

If the item you’re selling is a collage–for example, a framed collection of newspaper clippings, or a blanket with multiple pictures of a family printed on it–make sure the primary image is a singular photo of the finished product.

Also keep in mind you’re welcome to use a collaged photo for any of your secondary images. Remember, you can have up to 10 photos and one video for each listing.