✦ Online Labs: Participate in a Listing Critique ✦

[Former_Member]

A live listing critique will be held in the Online Labs on August 27th @ 12pm EST. To view the critique the day of, visit the following link: https://www.etsy.com/community/online-labs

We asked you to submit your listings in a previous discussion and the results are in!* Below you will find the three listings that the Seller Development Team chose for the critique session, along with three questions that focus on keywords.

We would love for all of you to participate by critiquing these three listings before the live event, your advice could be prominently featured in Etsy's Online Labs Listing Critique on August 27th!

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░░░░░Please answer all 3 questions for one or more of the listings below░░░░░
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░░░░░Include the URL of the listing you're critiquing in your response**░░░░░░
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① Identify at least one thing you really like about the title and one thing you think could be improved. Think about what information the title provides and which words are most impactful.

② How would you re-write this title?

③ How many tags were used? What other tags would you recommend?

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/
https://www.etsy.com/listing/197351505/
https://www.etsy.com/listing/198108047/

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Thanks again to all of you who volunteered your listings for this critique! We're looking forward to reading all the wonderful advice that you have to share with these 3 sellers!
❤ - Clare
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* Listing submissions for this session closed on Monday, August 4, to find out more about how listings were submitted, please view this discussion: https://www.etsy.com/teams/5002/etsy-success/discuss/15006378/
** Please refrain from posting links to listings other than the three listed above, this is not a promotional Team.

[Former_Member]

Hi there,

https://www.etsy.com/listing/197351505/dish-cloth-modern-burp-rag-modern-burp?ref=listing-0

1. I do like the use of "unique baby gift" and I don't like the use of the word "brup" so much. I think that will be good if you use "hand towel" in the title.

2. Hand towel, Cotton baby towel, Colorful terry cloth towel, designer fabric kitchen rag.

3.I count too many tags...16 teen.... I guess Im mistaken ...and again -hand towel, kitchen rag, original dish wash

[Former_Member]

Thanks for taking the leap and posting first Emy!

As for the sixteen tag count, the first three "Tags" actually fall under the Categories that LoVeBaByJBoutiQue selected for this item.

I'm looking forward to seeing what other constructive tips this Team has to share in this thread!

[Former_Member]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/198108047/ahahah-vintage-letterpress?ref=teams_post

1.Great photo and I like the simplicity of the title but think you should take advantage of more of the characters allowed by using all or part of your tags in the title.

2. Vintage 1950's Letterpress AhAhAh!; Printers Block Letters, Metal Ink Stamp, Home Decoration, Fun Office Decor

3. All 14 tags were used . . . maybe use "Ink Stamp" and "Office Decor" in place of "red grey brown mint" and "teamvam summer". Also, I think spelling is "typography letters" . . .

Hope this helps :- )

[Former_Member]

Hi!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/198108047/ahahah-vintage-letterpress?ref=teams_post

1. I think it's great that the title includes the words "Vintage" and "Letterpress". Vintage describes a whole scene and culture and can really help you to identify a certain audience. Letterpress is a good descriptor for the item you are selling.

However, I think the word "Ahahah!" is not helpful as it is doubtful that anyone would search for that term. Instead, think of what it signifies such as "laughter" or "happiness" and try that. Another good thing to think about is how someone would use the item. Perhaps as decoration? Or a display in your office or home? Those are additional keywords that can be used in your title.

2. Vintage Letterpress Blocks for Office Decor - laughter, happiness

3. 14 tags were used, which is a good start, but you should really try to use all 16. As with the title, thinking about how the item could be used or searched for in Etsy or on Google are good ways to find keywords.

Many of the keywords contain multiple words which are less likely to be searched for (of course you have to balance being a person in a result that yields thousands and finding your niche). For example, "joy joyful life" is an unlikely search term. I would instead parse that out to create multiple keywords: "joy", "joyful", "joyful life". The keyword "red grey brown mint" is a similar example of these. I would choose one or two prominent colors and make them their own keywords.

Keywords such as "ahahah interjection" are similarly not likely to be searched for. For example, even if a person meant to search for a laughter-like item, what are the chances that the person searching would type exactly "ahahah" and not a variation of that?

Overall, a great start! I think CakeNumber9 will do well with the help of fellow Etsy-ers and this Online Lab! Congrats.

[PaperPlanePrints]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/candy-crop-top

1) Title Pro: Use of the words "crop top" are important because they specifically define what the item is, and are highly searched key words.
Title Con: The current title "Candy Crop Top" may be too short and doesn't use the words "Tie dye." Using more descriptive keywords will help shoppers find your tie dye crop top in a sea of similar items.

2) Re-written: Shorter version: "Tie Dye Crop Top, Blue Purple and Pink"
Longer version "Tie Dye Crop Top - Women's Tshirt - Tiedye T Shirt, Hand Dyed Hippie Tee, Teal and Pink, Blue Purple and Black"
The shorter version works for the shopper who is performing a more specific search. The longer version uses a variety of additional words that your target market might use when browsing, and also includes common spelling alternates.

3) Tags: 13 used. I'd recommend using phrases instead of single words. Shoppers are more likely to search using 2 to 3 word phrases than single words. Based on your item's category, here is a list of key word phrases to try.

tie dye crop top, Women's Tshirt, tiedye T Shirt, hippie shirt, hand dyed shirt, teal and pink, blue and purple, blue tie dye, purple tie dye, short sleeve, tie dye top, hippie top, teal tie dye, tiedye shirt, tie dye tee, tie dye clothing, tiedye tee, hipster crop top, blue and black

When possible, use the same phrases in both your titles and tags (and descriptions) for stronger SEO.

Best wishes!

[KIVVERS]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/198108047/ahahah-vintage-letterpress?ref=teams_post

1) It's good that you have 'Vintage' in the title but some people may think 'Letterpress' is the actual machine used to do the printing. Sorry to say this but if you did use it as a hand stamp...it would say "!hAhAhA"

2) Vintage Letterpress Typeface Letters in 18 Point Print Font - Use as a Block Hand Stamper to Print AhAhAh!

3) I see you are in Portugal, that might explain the spelling of 'tipography.' In the U.S. it is spelled typography. There may be some regional reasons for using some of the tags that I don't understand. I would eliminate the bottom six after 'vintage letterpress.' In their place you could use: typeface letters, vintage typeface, print font, block hand stamper, 18 pt typeface, News Gothic letters.
The description doesn't state the size or the font...I just took a guess, but that is something that could be researched if you don't have the information. It would also be good to have another common object in the photo to give a better sense of scale, a pencil maybe?

Happy selling!

[ModernSwitch]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/candy-crop-top?ref=teams_post

Title: Teen Girls Crop Top TieDye Pattern Blue Pink and Purple Tie Dye Shirt

I chose Teen Girls over Woman, because that was the sizes listed in the item listing. A woman searching "Tie Dye Woman's Shirt" would be disappointed to stumble across this listing seeing it is only in Teen Girls sizes.

Another thing I think is important is having both Tie Dye, and TieDye as people are likely to search for both.

Tags: Tags should be a combo of both of the above. "Blue Tiedye Shirt" "Blue Tie Dye Shirt" "Pink Tie Dye Pattern" Pink Tiedye Pattern" "Blue and Pink Tie Dye" There are many more combo's available.

Anything important in the title should also be reiterated in the tags. "Teen Girls Crop Top".

[EchidnaArtandCards]

https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/197351505/dish-cloth-modern-burp-rag-modern-burp?ref=teams_post

1. I like the words "modern", "unique", and "gift". The first two state the characteristics of the item and "gift" adds another purpose for purchase, apart from what they can be used for. An area of improvement is to try not to repeat the same words.

2. Modern Burp Rag, Unique Baby Gift, Hand Towels, Kitchen Dish Cloths

3. All 13 tags are used. Other ideas: geometric pattern, brown and green,
hand towels, reusable rags, multipurpose cloths, eco friendly rags, kitchen accessory, cotton burp cloth, gift under 20

Hope this helps! All the best with the shop!

[GabriellasTreasures]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/197351505/dish-cloth-modern-burp-rag-modern-burp?ref=teams_post

Hmmm - I'm not the best at this, but thinking like a buyer, I'd search titles/tags like:
kitchen towel sets, dish towel, wash cloth sets, infant burper, kitchen decor, housewarming, kitchen gift, newborn gift.

Pics are good, but I'd like to see one pic of fronts and one pic of backsides,
perhaps in each listing you could lay them out and overlap them so you can see all front sides in one pic and all backsides in another, like you have in the pic here. I think it's good to always use 5 pics.

[MoonspellCrafts]

Oh this is AWESOME!!!!

<Taking notes!

<Terrible at descriptions

Mine are very rote and boring so I need alot of help.

TY for starting the thread~

[MoonspellCrafts]

① Identify at least one thing you really like about the title and one thing you think could be improved. Think about what information the title provides and which words are most impactful.

I like that the title is short but it is missing some elements

② How would you re-write this title?


I'd put:

Candy Crop Top - hippie chic - teen tie dyed tee shirt

③ How many tags were used? What other tags would you recommend?

looks like 13 were used. I'd say:

teen crop top....tie dyed crop top - hippie chic top - fun summer top - tie dyed crop top - blue pink crop top - summer crop top - teen tee shirt - tie dyed shirt - back to school - summer finds - petite tie dyed top - club wear top


https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/candy-crop-top?ref=teams_post

[ModernSwitch]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/197351505/dish-cloth-modern-burp-rag-modern-burp?ref=teams_post

Title: Baby Boy Burp Cloths, Modern Geometric Patterns, Baby Shower Gift.

As a parent,when searching for my kids, I always use boy or girl to quickly weed out things I don't want to see. If I'm looking for something for my son, I don't want to see a lot of pink in search results, so often I will find myself using search terms such as boy or girl.

One of the issues I think is that you are trying to reach two different demographics with one listing...those shopping for a new baby, and those shopping for kitchen decor.

As much as your items qualify as dishrags, dish cloths, etc think about who your target demographic is. If your main target demographic is new parents, you would be freeing up room and tag space for kid related tags, color related tags which is more benficial to reaching your target demographic over using tags like "dish cloth". Cater to your target demographic. A new parent might search for "Geometric Burp Cloths" "Boy Burp Clothes" "Turquoise Burp Cloths" before they would think to search for 'Dish cloths."

Nothing wrong with using the same picture and creating a 2nd listing towards a different demographic for kitchen related items, once again, removing all the baby related tags, would free up room for you to use things like "Kitchen Decor" "Turquoise Kitchen Rags" "Geometric Dish Cloths" "Modern Kitchen" etc.

[CurrantStudio]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/candy-crop-top?ref=teams_post

1). I like the alliteration of the item title, it's catchy! But it needs to be expanded to optimize the chances of the item being discovered by shoppers. Describing the tee as a crop top is the most important part of the title. From there, it's then important to leverage the item's specific attributes/uniqueness in the title.

2). I would recommend using all 140 characters in every item title.

For example: Candy crop top, tie dye, summer, short tee, beach, cobalt, purple, violet, hot pink, magenta, teal, turquoise, 60s, summer, unique, fun, tshirt

3). 16 Tags were used. I would recommend using multi-word phrases to make the item more likely to appear in searches. Phrases such as ""beach top", "summer tshirt", "crop tie dye" and "retro 90s top" could be added to the tags.

[miloglass]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/197351505/dish-cloth-modern-burp-rag-modern-burp?ref=teams_post
I like the use of burp cloth, Too much use of the words burp and cloth.
I would title this listing as
Baby Cotton Burp Cloths Modern Pattern Pack of Four.

Again her tags have the word burp repeated to much.
I would bring in the words cotton, terry cloth, small hand towel. I got these words by reading her descriptions
She used all of her tags.
Best of luck .

[AuntMaymesAttic]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/candy-crop-top?ref=teams_post
1) Title is short and sweet, I like the "hip-ness" to it.. Catchy word, "Candy". One improvement: Needs more words in title, especially a size (which also isn't mentioned in the description)
2) Rewrite: Hand Tie Dyed Crop Top, Short Tee, Candy Colors, Blues, Beachwear Top, Unique Print, Size Small
3) Tags should have multiple words, and should also include some of the words in the title: Summer Beachwear, Hand Dyed Short Tee, Hip T-shirt, Hand Dyed Top, Jerry Garcia top, Deadhead Wear, Women's Crop Top, Blue crop top, Retro Crop Top,

https://www.etsy.com/listing/197351505/dish-cloth-modern-burp-rag-modern-burp?ref=teams_post
1) Very descriptive title; covers all bases. Improvement: too many burps, What's the main focus? Does she want to sell them as burp cloths or wash cloths, or dish cloths? If the shop is a baby boutique, identifying her brand, then place the baby words first. "Dish cloth" is repeated in title two times.
2) Cotton Burp Cloths, Cotton Dish cloths, pack of four, bold designs, green
3) She used all of her tags. I don't like the use of "rag" and "baby" together; I'd rather use Dish Rag. Other tags: Soft cotton burp cloth, cotton burp cloth, Designer Dish Rag, Designer Dish Cloth, Green Kitchen Linens, Pack of Four

https://www.etsy.com/listing/198108047/ahahah-vintage-letterpress?ref=teams_post
This seller has a lot in the shop and has made a great number of sales, as well as has some great reviews. I can see why she needs help on this; it's about the only one that appears to be hard to list.
1) Title is short and sweet, but doesn't convey more. If I were to not look at the picture, I wouldn't know what it was.
2) Rewrite: Vintage Letter Press, Metal Stamp, Ink Stamp, AhAhAh!
3) She used all of her tags. My suggestions: Metal Ink Stamp, Metal Ink Press, Vintage Letter Decor, Vintage Ink Stamp. I like her use of "AhAhAh Interjection", but "tipography letters" should be "typography letters".

Good Luck everyone

[Former_Member]

I'm not sure if this is closed but here

Candy is a nice name but it doesn't give me a good idea of what the top looks like except to think it has a candy image on it.


I like this one

candy colors crop top - cotton - tye dye - teal and pink

[Former_Member]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/candy-crop-top?ref=teams_post


yes all keywords are used.

I want to see hand dyed crop top, bright colored top, colorful cotton crop top, crop top casual wear

[bennaandhanna]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/candy-crop-top?ref=teams_post

1. Title Candy Crop Top doesn't indicate the distinctive description Tie Dye and Candy doesn't describe the color of blue, pink and purple. And T - shirt is more specific than top.
2. Descriptive title should be Tie Dye crop T Shirt in blue, pink, purple for women
3. In tagging add beach wear, instead of only beach, summer t shirt instead of only summer.

[Former_Member]

These are all helpful insights! I will put suggestions to use and look forward to hearing more ideas.

[BackAtTheOffice]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/195940704/candy-crop-top?ref=teams_post


1. Candy Crop Top is a cute name or title but for Search purposes it’s not working for you. Candy means nothing to the Search Engines so we can drop that out, so if you try a Google search on the term CROP TOP there is indeed a large ad in Google for Crop Tops, I went through it and your item did not appear in it.
I decided to search for TIE DYE CROP TOP and there is a three page ad in Google Search of Popular Etsy Favorites for these items, yours was not in this ad. Why? Because you did not bother to use this Keyword in your Title.

2. If I had a run at your title this is what it would be;
Blue and Purple Women’s Crop Top Tee Shirt, Forever21 Short Sleeve Stretch Knit Top, 70’s Hippie Shirt , American Apparel 100% Cotton Acid Tie Dye
This title is 122 characters and Etsy gives us 140 characters to work with. You should use them all, The search engine will read the entire title but the most important of your keywords should be at the beginning.

3. About the tags, you did fill in all thirteen tag spots, but I can only give you credit for four tags , those would be, shirt, tye dye, tie dye, crop top. The other words are meaningless used alone. If you had used them with your real tags that would have given them meaning. But the word woman doesn’t mean anything if you don’t qualify it, women use many products, do you mean women’s shoes, women’s coats, women’s bracelets? You needed to add the word woman to your tag WOMEN’S CROP TOPS.
I can’t give you CLUB WEAR as a tag, I checked out the file in Etsy Search and your shirt does not fit in that file and by the way was not in there.
I don’t know what you mean by cotton candy or candy how they relate to your item.
Beach or summer would have worked well had you added them to CROP TOP.
I would recommend the tags or keywords that I used in the title and just above; American Apparel, Stretch Knit Top, Forever 21, Acid Tie Dye, Hippie Shirt, Retro, 70’s T-Shirt, Beach Wear, Summer Apparel, 100% Cotton T-Shirt,

I would remind you that when thinking of your tags and title you need to think like the SEARCHER. Think about how they would search for an item. And remember they are not mind readers and have no prior knowledge of what your item is or what it looks like.

[CarysFiberStudio]

I was wondering the same thing personally. I don't use clothing from either of those stores for my work, I probably could tag the retailer I do use, however since my clothing really has nothing to do with American Apparel or Forever 21 other than they might sell something similar, I don't think I'll use those tags. The other advice was very helpful though

[Former_Member]

https://www.etsy.com/listing/197351505/dish-cloth-modern-burp-rag-modern-burp?ref=teams_post

It looks like paper, maybe one of the digital pattern downloads in the main photo. I really didnt know what I was looking at.
2nd and 3rd photos are stronger at showing what the item is IMO

Also use up those other photo spaces!...could show the back of them, give a size reference inches are nice but lot of folks like the visual ...and or a creation photo for that last photo.

Looks like your mid switching to white backgrounds in your shop...keep it up :)

Description isnt bad...but Im not sold. Why is your product special? What sets you out from the other folks selling these here or from ones I can buy at a normal store.
Your selling online All buyers have is the photos and descriptions....got to really Sell it using what you have :)

[BackAtTheOffice]

Carys and Ida

About using the Brand Names as Tags I will have to do some research to get a final answer on that. But when you use the tag you're not saying that's what you have but that what you have is similar to...

Such as saying if you like American Apparel then take a look at this.....

I don't think using the tag means that you're saying that's what you have because it goes without saying what is in your shop is handmade unless it is Vintage. If it is handmade it can't be American Apparel the suggestion is that it is like American Apparel.

By the way, I didn't come up with those tags on my own, I went to Google and did a search, and those were the tags being used for that type of garment, and I have to say those names were being used over and over by many people in their ads on Google.

If you can get in trouble for suggesting your items are similar to another designers then a lot of people are taking that risk.

But since you have brought it up I will research that and see if I can find anything that prohibits us from using brand names like that as tags. But I don't think so.

I will get back to you when I know something either way.
Marilyn

[BackAtTheOffice]

Carys and Ida

I just went back and re-read what I wrote in my critique of the tie dye shirt. I thought I used those terms in the tags only. I forgot that I put them in the title. You make a valid point that perhaps they should not appear in the Title Tag. Although everything I said before is true since the ad does go to Google and other search engines those terms being in the title might not be a good idea.

I would argue that being tags they would be safe, for this reason. Google and the other search engines crawl the title and the first 140 characters of the description. they don't pay any attention to the tags. Etsy Search reads the tags. Since Google is public and Etsy and what it is about may not be known by all people who search on these engines, some people might read that in the title and think that you were saying you had those designer items in your shop. That could get you in trouble. However, Google and all the other search engines only deal with the first 65 to 75 characters of the title so it is unlikely that the full title will ever be seen on Google. So I would still have to recommend to this seller to take those tags out of the title, but she could put them in her tags and lower portion of her description, only to suggest that her work is similar to those designers.

Marilyn