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SEO: Frequently Asked Questions
by
Former_Member
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05-26-2016
10:54 PM
SEO: Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Please give us a brief explanation of search engine optimization.
A: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's unpaid results - often referred to as "natural," "organic," or "earned" results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.
Here is a video for SEO beginners that explains Search Engine Optimization very nicely: http://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo
--------------------------------------------------------
Q: Are there any basic 'must do's' or rules to follow for SEO?
A: Use keywords that shoppers use. Research keywords before using them. Use keywords in the title and sprinkled throughout the text. This is the basic must do to be found on Etsy and on all other search engines, such as Google. There are other SEO rules but most do not apply for searches within Etsy.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is there a formula for writing headings/titles that will improve SEO?
A: Use at least one keyword phrase that shoppers use. For online venues such as Etsy.com, use a mix of targeted long tail keywords and general keywords. Use a keyword research tool, such as Google Adwords Keyword Planner to find keywords that are popular with shoppers. Use the keyword phrases exactly as they are reported on Keyword Planner. It is amazing how much SEO improves when using keywords that shoppers use.
Etsy will find any keyword phrase anywhere in the listing title. Please the keywords at the front of the title that you would like to visible in Etsy searches (35 characters) and Google searches (66 characters of whole words that include the words “by YourShopName.”)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. How do I decide on keywords to use, and how popular is too popular to compete with when it comes to keywords?
A. The Targeted keywords should be at least in the mid-hundreds, more it possible. One example is the targeted keyword phrase, “afghan crochet pattern” which is used on Google around 1,000 times per month or “baby blanket crochet pattern” which is used around 1,900 times each month. The general keyword phrase, “crochet patterns” is used 60,500 times each month – lots of competition for this keyword phrase which is why targeted keyword phrases are important – less competition on Etsy and on Google and usually easier to get seen.
Keywords that are popular on Google are popular everywhere, including Etsy.
---------------------------------------------------
Q: If I have my list of great keywords, where do I put them to use them to their full potential? Should I repeat them in title, description and tags?
A: Yes, use your great keywords in all those places.
----------------------------------------------------------
Q: Are there any keyword tools you would recommend?
A: I highly recommend Google Adwords Keyword Planner, which shows keywords that shoppers use and how often each keyword is used each month. Google also suggests up to 800 alternate keywords to your own ideas, often making excellent suggestions for keywords we do not think of. Keyword Planner is also free. See adwords.google.com.
For Etsy sellers, Marmalead.com, which is much easier to use than Keyword Planner, can be a good place to start. Keep in mind that Marmalead shows which keywords are popular with Etsy sellers, not with Etsy shoppers. Keyword ideas found on Marmalead should be researched on Keyword Planner to see if and how popular the keywords are with shoppers.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: How often do I need to update my content to ensure it is relevant for SEO?
A: For ecommerce, including Etsy, ongoing sales and renewals of sold items, keep content fresh. Most SEO articles about keeping content fresh refer to almost anything else other than ecommerce, such as blogs and weather, sports and news websites.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Can you please explain how SEO works with images and what we should be including there.
A: Each image includes a snippet of information called the ALT tag that is part of the code that identifies each image. This is the piece of text that Google reads to see what each image is about. On Etsy, the whole listing title is copied into the ALT tag. This is a good reason use good keywords in the listing title. On other websites, such as your own website, you will have to add the image ALT tag yourself.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: I get emails all the time about improving SEO and Google ranking for my website. What are your thoughts on paying someone to do this?
A: An SEO professional can do much better SEO work for your website than you ever could on your own. Just make sure the person you hire has credentials, references that can be verified and only uses ethical “white hat” SEO. There are many SEO practices that are called “black hat” SEO that are not ethical and can cause your website to be penalized and even banned by Google. Personally, I would not trust unsolicited emails about SEO services.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is it best to have really specific keywords, or can you use more general terms to still get your target customers find you? (eg i make kids dress ups and have had quite a few people find me with Google searches for 'dragon mask' or 'kangaroo tail' but i get lost in the 100s of results for crown or costumes? What is the best way to work towards getting to the top of those more general searches?
A: Use a mix of targeted and general keywords. See my answers above for more detail about how and where to find these keywords. Ranking high on Etsy for general keywords is all about SALES. As sale history accumulates for the targeted keywords, the sales history is also building for the general keywords in the same listing title. With enough sales, listings for general keyword searches are displayed on page 1, 2, etc.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: How often should one update their keywords? I read that you shouldn't change your text too often, because Google doesn't like that. But how often is too often?
A: Once you find keywords that are just right for your listings, Keep them! Only change keywords when you find better keywords. There are long time sellers on Etsy who have not changed keywords in years. There are gift keywords, including Christmas Gift keywords that can be added to listings. Adding Christmas Keywords could involve removing other keywords when the listing titles are filled up completely.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: How unique do unique descriptions have to be? Is it enough to just move the words around in the sentence, eg in one I might write "Pretty small green and white damask mini pegs for scrapbook embellishment." and in the other I might write "For your special scrapbook embellishment, use green and white damask mini pegs."
A: Google does not have a straightforward answer for this question. It would be nice if we could easily measure against a standard but it's not that simple. The only way to find out is to test the keywords you are using in the listings, especially the keywords that are using in many listings, on google.com. If all the listings from your Etsy shop or website come up close together in a reasonable place in the search results, then Google thinks you have unique content, otherwise it's back to editing the description. It is so much work to create a unique description for every listing that I think it is fine to have at least a few listings do well in Google searches. At least a few listings are getting seen and can lead people into your shop or website.
More: Copied listings are not flagged as "not original" by search engine bots. Copied listings are not important to SEO unless they are copied word for word without making any changes. Unique text is important for Google SEO but not important for Etsy SEO. Google likes to give unique search results to the people who use the Google search engine and will only give good rankings to one out of all the duplicated listings and the rest will be sent far back in the search results . Etsy at this time does not do anything about duplicated text.
Google does not give ANY guidelines about unique text. The amount of unique text needed for good rankings for all of your listings depends on how much competition those keywords are getting from other websites and Etsy shops. Testing your keywords Google is the only way to find out if there is too much duplicated content in your listings. Google thinks there is too much duplicated text if you can only find one listing for each keyword in your test and the rest are very far back in the search results.
How much does this matter? Not much, in my opinion. Shoppers who find one listing from your shop will find more when they click on that listing on Google. There is so much more ongoing work involved with Google SEO that creating truly unique content for each listing might not be worth the all the work. Creating a unique description for each primary keyword phrase might be enough for most Etsy shop owners.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is it good practice to have the words that are in your item title <h1> in the first sentence of your description as well?
A: Google reads all the text on every web page, no matter how long it is. The first 140 characters of the description are visible in Google searches when someone searches for your shop directly from Google.com. It is a good idea to show what your Etsy shop is about in the first 140 characters.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: What about if you are selling on multiple platforms? Is it good to have the same text for every product description (copy and paste) or should it be completely different each time?
Q: Using the same text on every platform is fine unless you would like all of your listings on every platform to rank well in direct Google searches. Google has made it clear that showing diverse search results. Google does not like duplicate content and moves duplicated web pages to somewhere very far back in the search results. It is fine to use the same keywords on every platform but create unique description text for better Google SEO.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: I sell on my own website, etsy and madeit and would love to know if the duplicate information (i copy and paste) is hurting my Google ranking.
A: One of your duplicated listings will rank better than the rest. Most will be moved far back in the search results.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: What about on social media? So if you copy a chunk of text from a listing and use that in a FB post, is that bad for your SEO?
A: No, social media posts are not permanently indexed by the search engines like web pages are.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: How long should it take for changes to SEO to show up on a google search in the rankings? Is it immediate?
A: Google is very slow to respond to changes. It can take up to four weeks for Google to find every change and addition.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is Google+ a useful/helpful way to improve SEO?
A: No. There is some debate among SEOs on how well social media, including Google+, works to improve SEO. This is what Google has to say about social media and SEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udqtSM-6QbQ
-------------------------------------------------------
Join my SEO Salon Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1686821111533696 for more on SEO for Etsy and for Websites.
Q: Please give us a brief explanation of search engine optimization.
A: Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of affecting the visibility of a website or a web page in a search engine's unpaid results - often referred to as "natural," "organic," or "earned" results. In general, the earlier (or higher ranked on the search results page), and more frequently a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine's users. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, video search, academic search, news search and industry-specific vertical search engines.
As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work, what people search for, the actual search terms or keywords typed into search engines and which search engines are preferred by their targeted audience. Optimizing a website may involve editing its content, HTML and associated coding to both increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. Promoting a site to increase the number of backlinks, or inbound links, is another SEO tactic.
Here is a video for SEO beginners that explains Search Engine Optimization very nicely: http://searchengineland.com/guide/what-is-seo
--------------------------------------------------------
Q: Are there any basic 'must do's' or rules to follow for SEO?
A: Use keywords that shoppers use. Research keywords before using them. Use keywords in the title and sprinkled throughout the text. This is the basic must do to be found on Etsy and on all other search engines, such as Google. There are other SEO rules but most do not apply for searches within Etsy.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is there a formula for writing headings/titles that will improve SEO?
A: Use at least one keyword phrase that shoppers use. For online venues such as Etsy.com, use a mix of targeted long tail keywords and general keywords. Use a keyword research tool, such as Google Adwords Keyword Planner to find keywords that are popular with shoppers. Use the keyword phrases exactly as they are reported on Keyword Planner. It is amazing how much SEO improves when using keywords that shoppers use.
Etsy will find any keyword phrase anywhere in the listing title. Please the keywords at the front of the title that you would like to visible in Etsy searches (35 characters) and Google searches (66 characters of whole words that include the words “by YourShopName.”)
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Q. How do I decide on keywords to use, and how popular is too popular to compete with when it comes to keywords?
A. The Targeted keywords should be at least in the mid-hundreds, more it possible. One example is the targeted keyword phrase, “afghan crochet pattern” which is used on Google around 1,000 times per month or “baby blanket crochet pattern” which is used around 1,900 times each month. The general keyword phrase, “crochet patterns” is used 60,500 times each month – lots of competition for this keyword phrase which is why targeted keyword phrases are important – less competition on Etsy and on Google and usually easier to get seen.
Keywords that are popular on Google are popular everywhere, including Etsy.
---------------------------------------------------
Q: If I have my list of great keywords, where do I put them to use them to their full potential? Should I repeat them in title, description and tags?
A: Yes, use your great keywords in all those places.
----------------------------------------------------------
Q: Are there any keyword tools you would recommend?
A: I highly recommend Google Adwords Keyword Planner, which shows keywords that shoppers use and how often each keyword is used each month. Google also suggests up to 800 alternate keywords to your own ideas, often making excellent suggestions for keywords we do not think of. Keyword Planner is also free. See adwords.google.com.
For Etsy sellers, Marmalead.com, which is much easier to use than Keyword Planner, can be a good place to start. Keep in mind that Marmalead shows which keywords are popular with Etsy sellers, not with Etsy shoppers. Keyword ideas found on Marmalead should be researched on Keyword Planner to see if and how popular the keywords are with shoppers.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: How often do I need to update my content to ensure it is relevant for SEO?
A: For ecommerce, including Etsy, ongoing sales and renewals of sold items, keep content fresh. Most SEO articles about keeping content fresh refer to almost anything else other than ecommerce, such as blogs and weather, sports and news websites.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Can you please explain how SEO works with images and what we should be including there.
A: Each image includes a snippet of information called the ALT tag that is part of the code that identifies each image. This is the piece of text that Google reads to see what each image is about. On Etsy, the whole listing title is copied into the ALT tag. This is a good reason use good keywords in the listing title. On other websites, such as your own website, you will have to add the image ALT tag yourself.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: I get emails all the time about improving SEO and Google ranking for my website. What are your thoughts on paying someone to do this?
A: An SEO professional can do much better SEO work for your website than you ever could on your own. Just make sure the person you hire has credentials, references that can be verified and only uses ethical “white hat” SEO. There are many SEO practices that are called “black hat” SEO that are not ethical and can cause your website to be penalized and even banned by Google. Personally, I would not trust unsolicited emails about SEO services.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is it best to have really specific keywords, or can you use more general terms to still get your target customers find you? (eg i make kids dress ups and have had quite a few people find me with Google searches for 'dragon mask' or 'kangaroo tail' but i get lost in the 100s of results for crown or costumes? What is the best way to work towards getting to the top of those more general searches?
A: Use a mix of targeted and general keywords. See my answers above for more detail about how and where to find these keywords. Ranking high on Etsy for general keywords is all about SALES. As sale history accumulates for the targeted keywords, the sales history is also building for the general keywords in the same listing title. With enough sales, listings for general keyword searches are displayed on page 1, 2, etc.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: How often should one update their keywords? I read that you shouldn't change your text too often, because Google doesn't like that. But how often is too often?
A: Once you find keywords that are just right for your listings, Keep them! Only change keywords when you find better keywords. There are long time sellers on Etsy who have not changed keywords in years. There are gift keywords, including Christmas Gift keywords that can be added to listings. Adding Christmas Keywords could involve removing other keywords when the listing titles are filled up completely.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: How unique do unique descriptions have to be? Is it enough to just move the words around in the sentence, eg in one I might write "Pretty small green and white damask mini pegs for scrapbook embellishment." and in the other I might write "For your special scrapbook embellishment, use green and white damask mini pegs."
A: Google does not have a straightforward answer for this question. It would be nice if we could easily measure against a standard but it's not that simple. The only way to find out is to test the keywords you are using in the listings, especially the keywords that are using in many listings, on google.com. If all the listings from your Etsy shop or website come up close together in a reasonable place in the search results, then Google thinks you have unique content, otherwise it's back to editing the description. It is so much work to create a unique description for every listing that I think it is fine to have at least a few listings do well in Google searches. At least a few listings are getting seen and can lead people into your shop or website.
More: Copied listings are not flagged as "not original" by search engine bots. Copied listings are not important to SEO unless they are copied word for word without making any changes. Unique text is important for Google SEO but not important for Etsy SEO. Google likes to give unique search results to the people who use the Google search engine and will only give good rankings to one out of all the duplicated listings and the rest will be sent far back in the search results . Etsy at this time does not do anything about duplicated text.
Google does not give ANY guidelines about unique text. The amount of unique text needed for good rankings for all of your listings depends on how much competition those keywords are getting from other websites and Etsy shops. Testing your keywords Google is the only way to find out if there is too much duplicated content in your listings. Google thinks there is too much duplicated text if you can only find one listing for each keyword in your test and the rest are very far back in the search results.
How much does this matter? Not much, in my opinion. Shoppers who find one listing from your shop will find more when they click on that listing on Google. There is so much more ongoing work involved with Google SEO that creating truly unique content for each listing might not be worth the all the work. Creating a unique description for each primary keyword phrase might be enough for most Etsy shop owners.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is it good practice to have the words that are in your item title <h1> in the first sentence of your description as well?
A: Google reads all the text on every web page, no matter how long it is. The first 140 characters of the description are visible in Google searches when someone searches for your shop directly from Google.com. It is a good idea to show what your Etsy shop is about in the first 140 characters.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: What about if you are selling on multiple platforms? Is it good to have the same text for every product description (copy and paste) or should it be completely different each time?
Q: Using the same text on every platform is fine unless you would like all of your listings on every platform to rank well in direct Google searches. Google has made it clear that showing diverse search results. Google does not like duplicate content and moves duplicated web pages to somewhere very far back in the search results. It is fine to use the same keywords on every platform but create unique description text for better Google SEO.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: I sell on my own website, etsy and madeit and would love to know if the duplicate information (i copy and paste) is hurting my Google ranking.
A: One of your duplicated listings will rank better than the rest. Most will be moved far back in the search results.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: What about on social media? So if you copy a chunk of text from a listing and use that in a FB post, is that bad for your SEO?
A: No, social media posts are not permanently indexed by the search engines like web pages are.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: How long should it take for changes to SEO to show up on a google search in the rankings? Is it immediate?
A: Google is very slow to respond to changes. It can take up to four weeks for Google to find every change and addition.
-------------------------------------------------------
Q: Is Google+ a useful/helpful way to improve SEO?
A: No. There is some debate among SEOs on how well social media, including Google+, works to improve SEO. This is what Google has to say about social media and SEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udqtSM-6QbQ
-------------------------------------------------------
Join my SEO Salon Group on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1686821111533696 for more on SEO for Etsy and for Websites.
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6 Replies
EECustomGifts
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Re: SEO: Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you! You made these concerns a lot easier to understand! 😊
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ArtDesignShop
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Re: SEO: Frequently Asked Questions
So helpful and so much useful information.
Thank you :)
Thank you :)
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ThePassionatePe
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Re: SEO: Frequently Asked Questions
thank you so much Mary, always good to read these again! Hope you are having a good summer so far
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jenniferladd
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Re: SEO: Frequently Asked Questions
Thank you so much!!
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FiredCreationsG
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Re: SEO: Frequently Asked Questions
This is so useful. thank you. I have checked my stats and under 'top keywords' I get 1 if I'm lucky and very occasionally. What do I do to get more views on Google?
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RetroResaleVint
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Re: SEO: Frequently Asked Questions
I have a question about backlinks. I have read up on this a little bit and information I got was conflicting. I normally put a backlink to the same section of my shop as the item I'm listing, plus a link to my main shop page and another one to my policies. I'm wondering if there is any value in adding back links to my social media sites. Any info is appreciated!
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