Is SEO Enough? When Does Copywriting Help?

[#1]

How can you tell if the writing in your shop actually makes a difference? Maybe it’s enough just to get your SEO right. How much time should you spend polishing those product descriptions, your "About" page, or anything else?

Lucky you! There’s a way to figure it out, based on a few simple factors. Read through and see how much effort (or not) you need to spend on the copy (the writing) in your shop.

PRICE
The higher the price, the longer it takes for buyers to decide. Good copy is needed to keep buyers engaged, give them something to think about, and cultivate a relationship.

The lower the price, the shorter the “sales cycle.” Buyers might purchase based on the photo alone.

COMPLEXITY
Is your product or service easy to understand? Not a lot of parts to explain? Fewer complications, less emphasis on the text. On the other hand, if it requires a lot of explanation, your writing better be good - clear, precise, easy to understand.

COMPETITION
Lots of other shops selling a similar item or service? Then you better get busy with that copy! Figure out what makes your item different, more valuable and more desirable than others. If you’re the only one selling something of interest, maybe informative text isn’t quite as urgent.

VISUAL QUALITIES
Does your item have visual appeal and come across well in photos? If yes, then you’re already selling with your photo. If not, good copy needs to pick up the slack.

SALES HISTORY & REVIEWS
If you’ve sold a lot in the past, and have great reviews, buyers are already halfway to a purchase. They might glance at your writing, but happy previous customers are very convincing. Fewer sales, a harder transaction, more emphasis on using your writing to engage and persuade.

IMPACT
Is this a significant purchase for buyers? Is it going to change their lives in some way? If yes, they’ll take longer to decide, and will spend more time reading. Make sure your copy is up to the task.

If you’re providing something that’s impersonal, temporary or solely for entertainment, there’s less pressure on the writing.

SEO
How good a job did you really do with your SEO? Can you confirm that you’re successfully pulling in customers who already are looking for items or services like yours? If so, you might be able to get away with lower quality writing that just gets across the facts.

If you aren’t sure about your SEO, and are talking frequently to casual visitors who are just browsing, boost your copy with great selling points, engaging language and convincing information.

So how did you do? Have you been spending time on the right things? Need to switch focus? Have a better understanding of how to use your writing time? What do you think?

[BCCopywriting]

Claudia: Glad the tips were useful! I think a lot of sellers who are located outside the U.S. would be interested in more information on this subject. Let us know how you do!

[BCCopywriting]

Lori: I agree with you that copy can quickly get too long. Bullets are a nice, clean way to present information, especially for mobile visitors. Starting off with a focused, engaging paragraph is perfect, and allows you to incorporate your top performing SEO phrases in a natural way. Thanks for your comments!

[BCCopywriting]

More on SEO and copywriting coming soon!

[GarKnitAndPurl]

Hello Barbara. I have a question. How long would you go with a shop not having sales to think that maybe Etsy isn't working for you?

[BCCopywriting]

Kristin: Sorry you haven't had the sales you were hoping for. Good news, though. I took a look, and I see lots of opportunities for improvements that can bring more buyers into your shop, and improve the way you present your items for stronger customer engagement once they've arrived. Check with Mary for an SEO overview - you definitely will benefit from improved titles and tags in your listings (and this will improve the keywords in your text, too). Lots of suggestions for the writing, also. Not enough room here to go into detail, unfortunately, But there are two videos on basic shop writing and product descriptions at: http://www.facebook.com/chaconsulting (scroll down). And Mary has been providing lots of excellent SEO advice in her Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1686821111533696. Both of us offer critiques in our shops, if you wanted to look into that. But don't give up yet! With changes, I think you could definitely get those sales up!

[GarKnitAndPurl]

Thank you for the encouragement. It may sound silly but I don't even know what the SEO means?!?! I will defiantly take you up on those suggestions. :)

[Former_Member]

Kristen,

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. On Etsy, "adding SEO" means making every part of your shop and listings search engine friendly so that shoppers can better find your shop and listings on both Etsy and on Google.

[GarKnitAndPurl]

Thank you Mary. I guess I just don't understand how you know what an SEO is really. Is it a specific thing? How do you know if you have it or not? I am not very tech savvy. I'm going to keep reading up on this and try to figure it out.

[VivaTerraVintage]

Hi Mary My shop has been open a little over a year. I am doing pretty well for a vintage seller but really am trying to take things to the next level. I was wondering if I could run this by you. I usually set up my listings like this
Title - Keyword phrases that are not necessarily reflective of the brand or maker, year made, pattern etc.
Tags - I repeat keywords

Description
I put a title that is more descriptive for example -
Nippon Tokusei Porcelain Tea Set c1900-1910
then the description, uses, and condition. (I will now start to repeat keywords here after watching your video)
Below that I put measurements
Then some extra stuff like the fact that I have layaway etc,
In between each section of the description I put a line like this *******

I would appreciate any suggestions you have for how I should be doing things differently.

[BCCopywriting]

Hi, Tracey! I don't think Mary will see your question here, since I don't think she checks in this thread. Do you want to cut-and-paste into your own thread? On the main page, go to "Create a Thread," and then enter the information and post. Or you could ask the question in her SEO Facebook group. Either way. Thanks!

[VivaTerraVintage]

Sorry Baraara. I meant to address you with this question.

[BCCopywriting]

Tracey: I went and browsed through a few listings at your shop. Beautiful items! The porcelain wine goblets are gorgeous. I love vintage and enjoyed seeing everything.

Overall, I think your warm, friendly and informative tone is very nice, and I think would appeal to buyers. You talk about the right things in the right way. However, there's so much competition for these vintage items in various categories. Is there anything more that you can say about some of these items (where the descriptions are shorter) that would be appealing and would keep the buyer reading for a bit longer? Just a suggestion.

Also, the new format needs to be tweaked in terms of the opener. The new first line is very SEO-unfriendly. Your first line should be a natural sounding sentence that incorporates your best SEO phrase. And by the way, make sure - once you've identified and used your best SEO keywords in your title - that you repeat those exactly in your description. For example, I noticed "porcelain wine goblet" in the title, but the description says "porcelain goblet." For best results, these should match up.

Hope these few comments help! Let me know how you do, and if any of your changes have an effect on views and sales!

[VivaTerraVintage]

@Barbara thanks so much! I kind of knew that the first line wasn't really a good idea but it is so hard to use strong keywords and incorporate the information needed for the shopper that knows their vintage or collector.

[dashingcrafts]

Thank you for the Tips Barbara. I am new to this group and learning a lot from your posts.

[BCCopywriting]

Crajshree/Dashing Crafts: Wonderful! Glad to hear the information has been helpful!