Does your shop need a Relevancy Critique??

[#1]

Hi Etsy Success Friends,

All of us have been like little sponges, soaking up the tips for success this week. Sometimes we just need a fresh pair of eyes to look at our shop and say - "Hey, you forgot to use this tag!" or "You might try this title!"

The rules:
1. You are at least moderately up-to-date with the suggestions for Relevancy and
good tagging < http://www.etsy.com/teams/7716/announcements/discuss/8822575/>

2. If you pop into this thread and want to be critiqued yourself, you can join by critiquing the last shop that commented. The next person to pop in will critique you.

3. You don't have to look at every listing and every tag. . . but try to come up with a few suggestions . . .Words or Synonyms that you think would help with relevancy search.

Who wants to go first?

[Former_Member]

Thank you Bricandbrac!! Great suggestions :) Taking pictures in my house is a ever evolving process :) Thank you for your feedback !!

[Indigofera]

Hello

I need this critique. Thanks Team!

[Indigofera]

At Wild Sprout Design

I think your announcement is perfect! I love the consise title.
You photo show all the right things. I am still learning about tags, but I think you covered what come to mind!
I am favoriting a few bags :)


http://www.etsy.com/listing/81305263/canvas-tote-blue-and-cream-striped

[LaurieShanholtzer]

@ bricandbrac

Came in too late. LuvULot blew my critique out of the water. Was confusing who I was talking about

[SuziesImaginarium]

I am looking at Indigofera if someone will look at mine :)

[SuziesImaginarium]

@Indigofera

Your tags seem to be well done for the most part. You are getting lots of views on your products in seems. However, as I glanced at you products individually, there was sooo much information in the descriptions. Sometimes less is more.
I am just learning myself about tags and improving my listings myself, so, I hope this helps :)

[Indigofera]

Thank you so much Suzie :) xoxoxo

[KthysKreations]

Would someone take a look at my shop? :) Thanks.

[AtelierMondaen]

KthysKreations, I am going to look at your shop here in a minute...

Hope someone will do me the favor!!!! I could use some help creating traffic!

[AtelierMondaen]

KthysKreations:
I took a look and the first thing that stands out to me as a professional photographer is your product photography. I have definitely seen a lot worse, but I think you should pay a little more attention to color management - I am not sure that your photos represent the pretty fabrics you are using accurately (they all seem to have a bit too much red in them). Pay attention to your camera settings and use the appropriate setting such as day light etc. If you have a camera that shoots in RAW format, do so and then play with white balance afterwards in your software.
Also, maybe you could work on "staging" your bags a bit, i.e. display them with context (baby items, a baby etc.) at least for the first photo that ends up being your thumbnail.
I do like your product descriptions, however, I would move the first paragraph to the end of every description as a personal additive and start with the actual product description.
Hope this helps...

[Former_Member]

hi there! I'm going to give some comments to JewelryByMondaen

firstly, I think it's not a good idea co combine one color of the item and background in the photo. your artwork must shine more than something behind)
I like your titles but think that nylon and yarn must be in the end (not so many people are interested in what it's made of they seek "blue necklace or fox pendant" )
good luck to you!

let's see what I can improve!

[Former_Member]

going over to hearty gift. Be right back. Someone please help me.

[Former_Member]

http://www.etsy.com/listing/71517230/tiny-grey-felted-owls-halloween-home-or

First of these are adorable.

I would title this Felted Hallowen Owl--tiny grey baby toy. or miniature. Especially since the Halloween season is here for buyers.

Then in the first paragraph of the description I would say something like.

Felted Halloween miniature grey owl so soft, perfectly suited for home, garden, baby, or doll house accessory. Then go on with what you have. Some people make their first line almost like a section for tags and don't worry about it making sense. I don't know which way is better. But, you get the idea.

Tags- felted grey owl, Felted Owl, Halloween, home decor, garden ornament,dollhouse miniature,Blythe toy, nursery decor,baby gift,dolls and miniatures, (then your two team tags)

All that said, this is what I would do. But, keep in mind, I am not sure I am doing it right. But, based on what I see the "experts" write I think this would follow their patterns.

[Former_Member]

@DigitalBlizzard:

I don't know very much about art, but I'll give this my best shot :)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/79110741/triptych-watercolor-wrapped-in-wisdom-by

What I noticed in this listing is that you said things like 'feel safe ordering from her' and 'follow her blog'. It kind of makes it confusing as to who's work this is because you're selling the piece, but then you reference a 'her'. I think the introductory paragraph is great though, I would just work on clarifying who is involved in the artwork a little.

Also, the first word in your Title is Triptych, and a lot of people don't know what that means ( I actually had to look it up lol). And what I understand of it now, I'm not sure that's an accurate description of your item. What I read of 'triptych' was that there are hinges connecting the panels, but I don't see any hinges on your piece. It looks like it's one piece, but just the artwork is divided into 3 sections, if that makes sense. I'm not sure if that's what it really is, but that's what it looks like, so maybe you could clarify that a little in your item listing as well.

It also says 'digital art print' so that would make me think that you get the artwork in a digital format, like you don't get the actual piece. I know that you get the actual piece because I looked at the shipping part of it lol, but my overall suggestion to you would be to make sure your listings are clear and concise with what the piece is and who the other person is that's involved.

You have some really great pieces in your shop, so I hope I helped you in some way! :)

[Former_Member]

Wow, thanks so much. It so funny to listen to someone else describe what they see. When they are looking at something you think you know like the back of your hand. A perfect example of being way to close. You are right. I started writing in the third person, one, because I find it hard to write about myself. lol Two because Digital Blizzard was my first shop and when I separated it for branding purposes, I could'nt rename it so I tried to kind of make it like a Gallery for my more contemporary pieces. ie The many faces of Ginger--on Expo at the Digital Blizzard Gallery. I know it's a long way round to get there but, other than closing my first shop and starting all over again, it's how I handled it. Thank you so much for your insight. I am going to check out each of your suggestions and start tweaking.

Most Grateful,
Ginger

[Former_Member]

Hey SatinandSteel,

I want to start off by saying great job, but can I give a few critiques overall? First off, your pictures are really dark or do not show the item well at all. Especially a few featured ones. It took me a moment to realize what your shop sold. Yes, it is important to have relevant tags, but once people search and find you, you need them to actually click on your item....great pictures help with that. You want to catch someones eye! So definitely, brighten up those pictures, make them warm, inviting, artistic and colorful! Use all 5 picture slots too. Also, add more items! The more you have the better your chances of being found.

As for relevancy, some of your items don't have all the tags even used up! Make sure you use them all.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80962087/zebra-print-bow-on-teal-headband?ref=v1_other_2

This listing for sure, you can use tags like safari, africa, etc. Fun things for people to stumble upon and find for treasuries. Use words like bow, zebra print. For your neckwarmers, use words like fall, autumn, winter, october, see things that people are searching for, under buy look at popular searches. Make sure to put colors too. Green neck warmer, put neckwarmer together...apart...etc. Hope this helps! You have really great things in your shop with amazing potential! Keep on truckin ;)

[Former_Member]

Thanks WhiteBearAccessories! I welcome all the advice I can get! :) Great tag ideas!

[Former_Member]

Hi White Bear,

Making a critique of your shop is a little like the newbie telling the pro what to do :) I know that I already found your shop awhile back and favorited one of your items, so you do have a presence already on Etsy.

I did a quick search on Feather Hair Extensions and couldn't find you on the first 2 pages. I didn't go beyond that because this is the problem I have with the relevancy searches. By all rights, you should be right up there at the top. You have mentioned them in your title, your description, your tags, and your title, yet others are placed higher.

I don't feel qualified to make suggestions because everything I've learned tells me you should be on no less than the 2nd page, if not the 1st.

As far as tags, each one I thought of you have used. I know not everyone agrees with me, but I would suggest adding at least one picture out of your five showing your extensions in someone's hair. You don't need to show a face, but it would be helpful to see them modeled.

The same for your necklaces. While I appreciate you give the dimensions and I can choose the length I want, I'd like to see it modeled so I can get a better idea of the size. I'm a visual person and inches don't do much for explaining things to me.

Other than that, I love your shop. The colors drew me in immediately and the titles/descriptions were thorough.

Good job!

[KthysKreations]

JewelryByMondean - Thank you so much. I did retake all my photos outside before seeing your critique and think they turned out much better. I don't really know anything about photography, so usually just use the Auto button. Must read the manual. Thanks again for all your help.

[Former_Member]

Would anyone take a look at my shop? Need a lot of help :):):)

Have a blessed day!

[Former_Member]

I just took a quick look, and keep in mind I'm not an expert by any means, but my first thought is that you need to brush up on your titles.

Read up on everything you can about Etsy's Relevancy search parameters. Sign up for all the Etsy newsletters, go to SaSSy Critiques Team and ask for their Critique, which will be indepth.

What I've learned through reading and more reading, is that the first three words in your title are what the search engines pick up on first.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/73521373/green-swirl-drops

This one doesn't even mention earrings.

You should add more items to your shop, also. Give people more to look at and browse through.

Add links to your shop in your description that keep a potential customer right where you want them.

Your pictures are okay, and again I'm no expert, but I found that creating a whitebox entirely changed the look of my pictures. You can google whitebox or look on YouTube, they will give good detailed instructions. I used an old box, cut out the side and lined it with 8-1/2 x 11 paper...works perfectly at no cost.

Good luck, it takes a lot of work. I'm constantly tweaking things...my titles, my tags, my descriptions, my photos. I've seen a good increase in traffic and can't complain about my sales, other than I wish I could live off of this!!!

Marcia

[Former_Member]

And I forgot to mention Sections. You don't have any, and even though you only have one page, you should still create a Section for Necklaces, one for Earrings, etc.

[Former_Member]

hey there MarciAnnDesigns - heading over to your shop...

[BrideinBloomWeddings]

I would love for you to have a peek at my shop ... I'm not sure if I'm stuffing my tags or repeating words to often. I'd love to know where I can make improvements, Thanks in advance - Suzie :)

[BrideinBloomWeddings]

If you could show me examples of ones I have done correctly, that would be so helpful thanks again :))