Etsy Search Question

[BrushStrokeOrnaments]

I'm rather confused about how etsy displays search results and I would like to understand more clearly.

Here's my example and question: I sell hand painted ornaments and have over 250 different items in my shop... Most all listings have either "hand painted" or "handpainted" in the title and likewise in the tags. Additional tags include "painted", "painted ornament", "handpainted ornament", "hand painted ornament", etc. I've been selling ornaments for years and MANY of my items log high numbers of sales/views/hearts.

So, why is it, when I perform a search for "hand painted ornaments", my first ornament shown is on page 11? I've performed this search periodically over the past year and my items routinely show up rather poorly - about page 10 or later. Why would this be? Is it all completely random...and do my items periodically rank/show up higher for others at other times? Is there something I should be doing differently?

[Former_Member]

Etsy will show all items which have "hand painted ornament" exactly in the title and in tags. A quick glance at page 1 of your shop shows that none of your titles have "hand painted ornament" in the title so you won't show up until the second or third group of results. Sending you a private message also...

[Former_Member]

If I search for "hand painted ornament' on Etsy I get over 13,000 items
https://www.etsy.com/search?q=hand%20painted%20ornaments&order=most_relevant&ship_to=ZZ&ref=auto1

When I search your shop for 'hand painted ornament' I get
https://www.etsy.com/shop/BrushStrokeOrnaments/search?search_query=hand+painted+ornament

The first item that you have that has 'hand painted ornament' in the title is your giraffe, but you don't have 'hand painted ornament' in the tags. So it won't rank really high in the Etsy search.

If you want to rank for 'hand painted ornament' then you have to have that exact phrase in both your title and tags.

"hand Painted glass ornament' isn't the same as 'hand painted ornament'.

[BrushStrokeOrnaments]

Thanks so much for the tips! It goes to show that even if the right words are in the tags, the word "groupings", order and title are all very important.

Unfortunately, etsy limits the number of characters in the tags....so some of the exact tag-phrases I would like to use won't work. So, for example, "hand painted ornament" is too long to be a tag.

[kickglassenamels]

I've had this same issue trying to get my switchplates to show up. They are usually buried behind people who manage to get whole shops in before any of mine show up. I've even gone so far as to copy someone else's tags (temporarily) as an experiment. Search rarely picks mine up in the first fifteen pages and when they do, it doesn't last for even a day.

[kickglassenamels]

One thing I have found helpful for showing up in broad categories (other than switchplates) is to sacrifice the tags on a couple of pieces with the goal of showing up first on a search. So in your case, use every possible permutation of hand-painted ornament in your tags and title, even if you leave out important things, with the idea that getting one item out there will bring people to your shop. I've done this successfully with enamel jewelry.

[BlackCatStudio98]

Hand painted ornament is 21 characters so it will fit. But when a searh phrase is too long you can divide the words into two tags. As an example hand painted ornament can be hand painted in one tag and ornament in another tag. That is not a handicap to you because all Etsy sellers have to do the same thing.