Why you are not getting found newbies

[#1]

Things are tough when your category has 2,000,000 items, and you have 40.
You must do everything possible to give yourself a chance to be found. I dont see that in threads compalining about low views.
And, it isnt that hard, nor does it take much time to have good tags and titles. Ignore all that constant "tweaking" noise you read about. Do it right the first time, and you can spend the tweaking time making things.

I have learned the following from the Queen of SEO:

1.Your title is not the name of your item. It is a 70 character string whose goal is to get your item found by etsy search.

2. If you cant tell exactly what the item is by reading your tags, your tags stink. Those words are what people search on. If I had a dime for every purple necklace that had neither purple nor necklace in the tags, I would have a lot of dimes.

3. Words in your title must show up in your tags. If Blue scarf is in your title, blue scarf needs to be in your tags.

4. Use as many of the 20 characters in your tags as possible. Blue scarf as one tag is better than blue, then scarf as two tags.

5.Read about SEO at cindys seo group. she is very wise. http://www.etsy.com/teams/10713/cindylouwho-team/discuss/10196168/

the end

[RockAndHardware]

Thanks, Alex, for all the great info you are providing all of us. It's invaluable and well appreciated. Would love a critique when you get around to having the time to do so!

what is the goal for your etsy store?
To provide a supplemental income for now.

how long have you made stuff?
I started making jewelry at the beginning of this year.

have you sold elsewhere before you opened on etsy?
Nope!

how well do you think you will do here?
I think I'm doing fairly well considering my category is so saturated. But even though I've had 55 sales in 6 months (with only a handful being to friends/family) , I only average around 50 total views a day. Would love to get that much, much higher :) knowing it should result in more sales.

how well do you hope you will do?
I love what I make and what I sell, so I think that's one of the best indicators of doing well ... so I believe I will do very well in the long run :)

Thanks in advance for your help!!!

[Former_Member]

micki from durango

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MoonstarCharms

i know micki just posted, I will go back in order. I was about to go to bed when I saw this. I often work til 11 or 1.
I have a lot to say to this little girlie,

sweetie, I bet we know at least one person in common.
I patronize the hell out of one of them. It cracks me up. I was born wrong.

micki is one of those barefoot hippie girls. I have intentionally done things to piss them off. And I really really tried. I thought I was king of that stuff. They dont have the mad gene in them. They only get mad at social injustice and politics. So, I've been dealing with this hippie vegan recycling hippie girl for many years. I really like her. Anywho, I went into her store with a Sarah Palin button on in 2008. And I think I had on a hunting shirt. With some guy shooting a deer on it and an NRA hat. So, I'm small talking about stuff, and I see she sees the button and hat. Then i turn and show her the back of the shirt.. I figured she could hold for 2 minutes tops. She didnt crack. As I lieft I said the button was for her, and she could use my hat to upcycle into a pot holder. She called me some very bad names. The more I laughed the more she cussed. Actually, that was pretty hot. I should do it again.

micki is into pilates and crystals.
actually that was what my bud said his wife was doing. I asked about her, and he said, "shes doing that pilates and crystals stuff." Way to take an interest in your wife's life.

I like fables. Here is my fave. Some Indian guy was restless about his angst and worry. He asked around the village if anyone knew a yogi type who can show him inner peace and enlightenment. They all said there's that Bob guy up on a mountain over there (near durango). So, the guy, Pete, walks a long way over many days to see Bob. He's all "hey bob, I aint got no peace enaht".
SO Bob works with him over many weeks, and Pete feels its time to go. He is feelin the love. Bob, says give it some more time. Pete finally feels he has the peace and enlightened and tells Bob he's lraving. Bob said "hey, you aint ready". Pete leaves. After the long walk back to the village, Pete goes to buy some new duds. He wants to make an entrance. So he buys a gold robe and off white sandals (it was after labor day) and walks into town. Some kids are playing in the mud, and they splash some on pete. He turns to yell at them, and he falls in the mud. Everybody laughs. Pete smacks the nearest kid with his stick. He recoils in horror at what he had done. He turns around and tells Bob what happened. bob said "Anyone can find peace and enlightenment when they are alone on a mountain."

I have been tryin real hard to apply that to my life and business. I think it is penetrating the cement and making a difference. This thread shows that.

I am tired of typing and will finish with the lovely miccki tomorrow

But know this, if I come back and see "love" or "pink" as your tags, I am swearing on a stack of baby jesus felted and beaded with love barrettes, there is gonna be trouble. If you read all this and dint fix that, Alex is going to have to go see Bob.

[PollyAJewellery]

Hi, just re-posting as requested, I was one of the early requesters. I haven't been critiqued yet but having said that have learnt a tonne from reading this thread and have been gradually going through my tags, titles etc as I really didn't understand this before, I have already seen an increase in views from search so it must be working. :)
My goal...
to find a way to make what I love doing pay for itself and make a little money...for now...ultimate goal is to do this full time and give up the day job. I don't need to be rich just need to get by.

I have only been making stuff for just over a year
I have not sold anywhere else, only to friends / family etc
How well will I do...
I don't have massively high expectations but I do see some people doing well on here and think that with the right committment and time investment I don't see why I shouldn't achieve my goals too. I have learned a massive amount in the few months I've been on here (store set up in May)
thank you - if you have time for a critique I'd love it x

[KondooWoolArt]

what is the goal for your etsy store?
for supplemental income... but i feel so happy when someone buys something that i've created

how long have you made stuff?
i am self taught i started creating 3 years ago

have you sold elsewhere before you opened on etsy?
yes when i make something i sell it here in my country thats why most of my listings are made to order
and three of my dolls are in a art gallery in canada( i have allready sold two there)

how well do you think you will do here?
really i do not know i have a lot of funs but a few sales :( but great feedback)

how well do you hope you will do?
i am sure if i work more in my photos i will start selling

if you have time i would like your critique
thank you
vicky

[Former_Member]

Hello good people,

well, like most people here, i need some help and advice about my shop...
what is ok, what maybe not, what i can do better...?

so yes, i need advice that i can have some nice circle of customers :)
can somebody look at my shop and tell me what can be better?

Thank a lot!
Irina

[alwayzwithlove]

Alex, you crack me up. You are hilarious. Loved the hippie story.

[Former_Member]

Alex,
You continue to amaze and enlighten...I can't thank you enough for starting (and continuing!) this thread, I have learned so much from it. However, as much as I obsess over my shop I realize I've never asked myself many of these questions...they're pretty deep for sounding so simple! So here goes.

what is the goal for your etsy store?
My goal is fairly modest, I'd love to get to a point where I'm making 1-2 sales a day, something in the neighborhood of $150 weekly, average. Enough that I can supplement my husbands income and pay for some medical stuff...I'm lucky enough not to desperately need a living income, but I love what I do and I'd like to be successful enough to continue doing it at a professional level.

how long have you made stuff?
I've been crafty most of my life- making jewelry since the late 90's, sewing, knitting, quilting, baking, repuposing and general household DIY for at least 10 years.

have you sold elsewhere before you opened on etsy?
Yes. I am a reformed (heh) hitch-hiking hippie, we used to make hemp jewelry of all kinds to sell roadside for food money, etc. Aside from that, I've had offers for my knits and baked goods but I usually just gave stuff away. I love to share my stuff, and when it finally dawned on me that it might be viable to make a little money on it, I opened the Etsy store.

how well do you think you will do here?
I think I can do moderately well, provided I put in the work and connect with my target audience. It will be difficult. My market is not huge (geekery, rennaissance fair and gaming crowd, etc), but I'm not afraid of the work- in fact, it's brought so much purpose and happiness to my life so far. I'm thrilled to be doing it. But between competition and figuring out how to market and...well, the business side of the business, I have a long way to go.

how well do you hope you will do?
In my wildest hopes, I see myself having a thriving but not overwhelming business that would pay as much as if I worked a min wage job while continuing to stay home. The shop would keep me busy all day being creative and connecting with interesting people. I want to fill a part of the niche market with kooky knitted critters and RPG dice bags, help outfit my fellow ren faire and cosplay nerds and share my passion for knitted accessories and jewelry-- in short, I hope to roll around in what I love all day long and share it with my favorite people on earth...I want the geek circles to know Misfit Garden's name...while making enough bread to pay some bills and pull my weight! :))

I also have to say, it's been great reading others responses, it's so encouraging to see so many of us have big dreams.

Anyway, thank you for asking, Alex- I understand my drive and goals a little better, now!

[Former_Member]

Oh Alex. Thank you for not stopping this thread, and for all you are doing.

I've read the full thread and have resisted the urge to go in and implement your advice because I want your critique to be based on pre-Alex status. Please know that in between shows this next two weekends and my daughter's school play, I will make strides to implement what I've read so far in the thread, and whatever additional advice you give in your critique.

Goal for my shop: To become a consistent destination for Etsy customers seeking beautiful, well made jewelry for themselves and to give as gifts. To have a landing page impressive enough that when people enter, they will stay, view multiple items and purchase one or more.

How long? Personally, since my late teens. Selling to friends & work colleagues since about 2003. Opened Etsy shop mid 2007 (emptied and admittedly ignored said shop for a time while selling on 1000 Markets, where I did OK, but came back when they sold to Bonanza. Still shuddering at the stupidity of those choices)

Sold Elsewhere? Yes. I sell at area craft shows, have had shops at 1000 Markets, as stated above, and Artfire...Oh yea, and way back in the day...FeeBay. Mea Culpa, All that really did was spread me too thin. Instead of taking the time to make one shop great I set up 3 shops at once and did mostly everything wrong in all of them. Thank goodness for shows, and a friggin SAINT of a husband or I'd be toast. But I'm trying to get it right. That's where you come in.

How well do I think my shop will do? Hard to say. I'm in a crowded category here. Oh well. Can't be helped. This is what I do. So crowded or not, I'll find a way.

How well to I hope my shop will do? Short term goal: earn enough to pay the $3400 truck repair bill from last week. (how's that for specific?) Longer term goal; Build enough of a following to consistently sell multiple items every day & earn enough to relocate out of Texas. 15 years is enough...y'all.

Thanks in advance, Alex. Sounds sappy, I know, but you're doing a wonderful thing.

Irrelevant sidebar: My ancestors are from up around Franklin PA - perhaps we are 23rd or 24th cousins? Your wicked wit & apparent love of stirring the pot make it seem like a possibility - but perhaps that's wishful thinking on my part.

[Former_Member]

Wow! So much great advice on here! I've only read through a couple pages and I have lots of work to do and lots of changes that I need to make to my store.
I just wanted to say thank you to everyone that is posting! Great information and very helpful!

[ClairAshley]

Thank you Alex! I am loving the information you've generously given!
Can you give me some feedback please!!!!
Thanks a heap!

[Former_Member]

I am bumping this up from back there for those who missed it.
<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

I have thought of ending this quite a few times. But, doing these has caused me to reflect on my journey and about all the people who have helped me along the way. And they all have been women. Shop owners, show directors, family, friends, gallery owners, guild members. And I am a beef eating, beer drinking, sports lovin, cuss word using manly man.
So, I will continue,

However, there are some things I need to know about you.

what is the goal for your etsy store?

how long have you made stuff?

have you sold elsewhere before you opened on etsy?

how well do you think you will do here?

how well do you hope you will do?

some of those are scary to mention out loud

be bold

So, i am sorry for all those who posted before this, but please post again after this and I will get to you.

[Former_Member]

Wow Alex you are busy! I'm new here too..haha. I opened the store in March of this year but didn't do anything until about 10 days ago. I'm working on some suggestions and have made it through half the store so far. Would you mind taking a look at my Shop...it's a new twist on a beloved product. I want to make sure I am clear on what my product does. Any suggested greatly appreciated!
Vikki

Alex,
love beer but I'm a girl:) Love it so much I've considered a garage brewing kit and trying my hand at that...lalalal

what is the goal for your etsy store? To build a customer base. This is a new product and I just don't know if it is viable product yet. I am oddly personally and emotionally attached to it so I believe it clouds my judgement on how cool or not cool this is.

how long have you made stuff? Started this 3 years ago with an idea/dream...patent pending hard work hammering out prototypes and trying to keep everything in USA...not to mention I make most everything from my home. I've been selling on etsy for about 10 days..haha. Opened store up in March but never got around to making it legit.

have you sold elsewhere before you opened on etsy? I have a website under same name but it doesn't get the customer traffic flow like etsy...so hoping that helps. Marketing is expensive and I am uneducated in the matter besides some book reading. I do an occasional craft show or art in the park. I get great feedback from locals and sell a nice amount of product each time. Helps my moral and keeps me going.

how well do you think you will do here? I'm hoping I sell a Unique product that will enable me to make a descent second income here. Or enough sales where I can stay busy...type A.

how well do you hope you will do? I would hope that I make enough of a living/income that it will free my husband from his job and he can go back to college and find a career that will keep him in country, no more deployments, and love his job again.

[ClairAshley]

-what is the goal for your etsy store?
My goal is to have a store that is consistently selling. Even if it's consistent sales of a few a week, I'm okay with that.

-how long have you made stuff?
2 years.

-have you sold elsewhere before you opened on etsy?
Yes I've sold my stuff through 5 different stores (consignment) in my home country of Canada.

-how well do you think you will do here?
I think I can do decent. My pictures are concise and bright, my prices are right and I offer nice products. But the reality is, I've been on here since July of this year and I've only made 1 sale. So I'm intimidated by the lack of sales.

-how well do you hope you will do?
I'm content if I made a few sales a week.

[ThePinkToolBox]

I haven't had one sale. I'm not sure whats wrong however there are some things I'm sure. Have any advice?

[BaloolahB]

Alex,
Thank you for my really rather funny crit, no jag I'm afraid, ( you can't be right all the time!)
Loved the YouTube vid
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUMBOoZywEI
Thank you for a smiley moment!

For your info......
http://www.macsween.co.uk/recipes/
Yes, there is such a thing as a haggis pizza! I expect they could deep fry it for you if you asked! A speciality of Scotland!

Huge faves, lower views = member of a wanelo team, not a fan of treasury teams, gets boring to me, wanelo is more dynamic!

Yes I need more laser cut items....time versus baloolah! I only do this fri, sat and sun, house is filthy....I should pretend to be a dirty footed vegan, I'm not!

I will ask rich about the photos, thy have been driving me mad since I started!

Thank you for your generosity of spirit and the humour this thread has brought to etsy! All hail the king of comedy critique!!!
Cx

[Former_Member]

WOW Alex you must have brilliant time management skills as you are so busy :)!!

Okay here goes..
What is the goal for your etsy store....
To be able to get it to a good standard where I am having regular sales.

How long have you made stuff....
I have always been creative but I would say since February of this year I have been working non stop making my items and trying to make sales.

Have you sold elsewhere before you opened on etsy....
I sold a few bits on ebay and folksy but I found ebay too expensive and folksy abit hit and miss.

How well do you think you will do here....
I think I will do okay but I need to take control of my time management skills and dedicate more time to my shop!! At the moment I don't seem to have enough hours in the day.

How well do you hope you will do......
I hope this shop will lead me onto great things but I realise I have alot of work to do to get me there. My photos are still something I need to get right and I hope to get there soon. Also adding more items to my shop.

[glassbead]

Oh holy guacamole- you are just too funny, Alex. I don't have time to read all of this, but I'm starting to understand the multiple word tag theory, anyway. I'll go ahead and answer your newest line of questioning to the best of my ability.

Goal- to be able to make enough of a living online that I can live wherever the heck I please and not have to worry about where rent is coming from this time. I'm nearly retirement age, after all, and if I keep hitting up the bank account I will be living in someone's backyard. I'm a cheap date, so it actually could be do-able.

How long? Well, I've been making lampwork glass beads for about 12 years.

Where else have I sold? Farmer's markets, galleries, shops, juried craft shows. I have also attempted to sell at non-juried craft shows- 'nuff said! And I will continue to sell at those types of places.

How well can I do? See first answer. I should be able to do better than I am doing. Quality of my work is in the high mid range, prices are competitive with equal quality work (most of the time).

How well do I hope to do? Again- see first answer. That well or better- an average of three sales a day (or more!) would be optimal.

And thanks for all of your hard work!

[glassbead]

I'm looking, I'm looking, and finding some interesting phrases.
And just so y'all know- all that stuff that's tagged as murano glass beads? Those are not individual artisan made beads. The raw materials come from Murano (just like my beads) but the beads themselves are not made in Italy- oh no- they are purchased for cheap and then made into things. Just in case anyone cares...

[Former_Member]

adriana from miami, fl

http://www.etsy.com/shop/woodenaht?section_id=11019237

adriana has training in the jewlry, and it shows. she opened on etsy once she felt confident in her skills.
really
that is something which annoys the bejesus out of me about you chicks.
Men are great at everything. Just ask us. Women are great at stuff and they wont admit or acknowledge it. Showing confidence helps sell the pricey stuff. Even on line it shows.

think I was proud of this?

https://www.etsy.com/transaction/99306756

I said so. Didnt get a chance to hang it. Off to michigan.

Anyway chicks, stand up for your work.

adriana has a following on fb and twtr

she only has 18 items. I intuit she is sticking her toe into the etsy pond.
I know silver is expensive, and your stuff takes time to make, but yu need a lot more items. Like 100. You can do everything right, but limp along with 30 views a day. How many views does it take to sell one item?
You have to dive in.

luv these

http://www.etsy.com/listing/97672040/sterling-silver-filigree-earrings-with

sweet and talented adriana, your tags for this really suck. Reallyreally.

silver earrings has 500,000 items.
handmade earrings- sweet baby virginmary 1.5 million.
filigree earrings- only 28k. not bad

all the other tags are one word.
elegant, delicate... sweetheart, those tags would be better to sell Me. No one is going to use them to get to filigree earrings.
amethyst is in the materials, but not tags
24,000 resluts for amethyst earrings. gettin better
didya know it is february's birthstone?
6000 others did. Tag for that. You need to be in very small search results.
go read my cross tagging example 8ish pages back.
get teeny

I was next to a silver guy at a big show a few years ago. He flew in from San Fran. Old time hippie. He got started selling jewelry on the street in the 70s. Most of his stuff was rings. Silver bands. Very simple. I couldnt believe how many he sold. And they were $60-70. I would look at them on my way to the corn dog stand, and the more I passed, the better they looked. They were thicker in the middle and tapered to the edges. Chicks were eating them up.

moving on..

I see the tagging issues are widespread.

So....

Throw out all the one wrod tags.

See how big the searches are for your two worders.

If they are over 50,000 results, think of another phrase.
Ideally, searches under 10k are best.

See where your traffic from your key word searches is coming from.

You only have 18 listings, so it wont take you long.

It is vital that you do this.

Your work is too good not to be found.

[Former_Member]

oops \here is adrianas shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop/alwayzwithlove

she is smokin as well

[Former_Member]

Hello Alex!

Here are the answers to your questions...

what is the goal for your etsy store?

- I would love to develop this into a full time job ... I admire those who have been able to do the work they love as a full time venture.

how long have you made stuff? it will be just over a year this november...

have you sold elsewhere before you opened on etsy?

Yes, mostly on Facebook www.facebook.com/YMFHandbags...and at a boutique maternity store in my town. I also have bags in a boutique in Montreal, Canada and a lot by way of Word of mouth...

how well do you think you will do here?

I am teedering between skeptical and optimistic. I am not sure if I am just trying to swim in a saturated market or perhaps I am missing something....

how well do you hope you will do? i hope I can get on a roll-

Thank you for whatever feedback you can give me,
Angela

[ninedragons]

Hey Alex - started reading two hours ago and couldn't stop. I've been selling on Etsy since August of 2011. Not many sales, but I'm a Pollyanna. Been working on SEO - hard - since this summer...so hard my brain shut tight and I cried for about a month. You've made me laugh and I can feel my brain is open for business again. Thank you. Figure by the time you get to me, I'll have a lot of things fixed in my shop. But take a look -- I need your clear-sightedness.

-My goal? Hmmm. I want people to notice the beauty in the details around them - every day - instead of staring at their cellphones. I have the idea that if you are drawn to a piece of art that captures an unusual detail or a moment of beauty, it helps open a place in your brain that let's you see more of it. Oh, I want to pay the mortgage too and fund more trips to amazing places with my camera.

-How long have I made stuff? Always. Just not for sale until about six years ago.

-Sales elsewhere? Yep. Door to door to upscale shops that I think might be a good fit and in several restaurants and shows. I do well in all those places. Not so much here on Etsy.

-How well will I do here? LOL. I thought I'd be selling dozens of pieces a day.

-Hope? Much, much, much better.

This is a learning exercise for us isn't it? Thank you. Again. Oh, and I caught the "binder full of women comment" as well the "Al Gore invented it" line. Start a blog - really. E.

[Former_Member]

I agree with you Elizabeth England... I had major brainfreeze! My boyfriend just shakes his head.... thought I was going a bit word crazy! Laughter certainly helps!!

[WingostarrJewelry]

I would like to know how my tags, titles and overall shops looks/ grades ?
Any specific changes you would make ???
:)
Thanks !!

[AlbinaRose]

OK. I'm here.