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

[inalittlebit]

I have not been on much. Just here and there. I have been selling on Etsy for about five years. Changed shops because well this one is just simpler. Since I have been in college trying to finish up my other career, I just haven't been able to spend time on Esty. And oh boy, has things changed. It is like I woke up one morning and things are wayyyy different.

Alex, I really love what I have read so far. Would you do me the honor of giving my shop a look over. I know it needs a lot of work. I just want a starting point.
Two years ago I used to be able to say I am quitting my day job to work at home for a living. When i did that things were fine until I got well into college with textbooks piled high on my desk.

There has to be a medium here lol I have to be able to create things because it is just what I love. :)
Help me please :)

[Former_Member]

I'm pretty sure this is the most amazingly helpful thread I've ever found ever. Ever. Would you mind taking a look at my shop and see what I can change? I know there's got to be something I just can't make my brain figure it out. I want to do a major amount of work to my shop starting Monday now that my husband will be at work all day and won't be distracting me.

[AlbinaRose]

I first saw that with a friend who is a high school teacher and has coached several sports. We both keyed on the same line.
"I know I'm supposed to be a team leader, and make my teammates better,but..."
Iverson was a great player.MVP. He did not need to practice much. It is clear that he was committed to making himself the best player he could be. Also clear that he was not committed to making his team the best it could be. His team needed practice to function as a cohesive unit. That speech made it clear that he wasnt getting it. He had a great coach at the time. He won every place he went, and he went to a lot of places. He took on the project of making Iverson into a team leader. He did lead, but it wasnt toward a championship He made a partial commitment, so he got partial results.
It is easy to see that looking in from the outside.

That is why I have been asking you about your goals for your shop. I am looking to see if your commitment so far is consistent with those goals. If I see a gap, I am going to start to say so. Pretty nervy of me to make that public, but, it isnt fair to you to keep that to myself. I have gone back to see if some of you have made improvements. It has been a mixed bag.
I am sure all of us can look back at our lives and see where our goals were not reached due to not fully commiting to the work necessary to achieve them.
Commit to practice, and the game can be won.
.......................

I am married to a serious athlete, have 3 sons who all played sports, two at the college level, one winning a national championship. Practice is important and is an indication, as Alex said, of the commitment to excel and reach the goals set.

As a matter of fact, dedication and commitment in the sports world has carried over into my sons' personal and professional lives. The things they learned on the field about commitment, dedication, leading, striving to be better, has definitely brought them to higher levels of achievement in their professional careers. Not because they played sports. But because of the lessons and habits they learned by participating in sports with coaches (and parents) who helped set those expectations and set the bar for that.

Self-discipline, leadership, sportsmanship, being a team player, dedication and sacrifice.

Those are all attributes that can be well applied to life. And being a successful seller on Etsy. :)

[SwanboroughPrints]

OK Need some advice quickly, before I leave and quit.

My sales have plummeted...and similar shops selling same items seem to be ok-ish.
I have checked tags - titles - paid for search ads - now using statsy and clockbot - and nothing....
I have had sales, my last one from a twice returning customer...thank the Gods.
I really am finding it difficult to find a good catagory to add my prints into without finding millions of other images swamping mine .
Re-listing is the latest ploy....which I admit sounds good....but should I do it direct from Etsy, and that would mean missing out on some time zones, and spending hours just sitting at the computer - refreshing and relisting

Any advice friends..??

[Former_Member]

Alex,

I would appreciate a critique on my store/pics/tags and any other advice you have to give greatly.

This discussion has taught me a lot and I have more and more to LEARN and APPLY.

What is the goal for your Etsy store? My goal is to have consistent sales so I can continue improving my craft and have a jingle in my pocket.

How long have you made stuff? I have been crafting on and off for about 25 years. I love going to craft fairs to get creative ideas and make my gifts.

Have you sold elsewhere before? Yes I have two stores that will sell my craft on consignment and I am trying to find more.

How well do you think you will do here? This is quite the adventure in learning, but I’m addicted to crafting my AuroraBottleLights and hard work will prevail.

How well do you hope you will do? If pigs can fly and they do in my dreams, I would love for this to become full time and have a creative job that improves ones mind daily AND supplement my disability income with 3-5 sales daily.

Lisa

[Former_Member]

Okay, this thread is even more addictive than stats. I find myself checking in way too frequently to see whether there's a new critique.

[DoggieStylz]

And "The dog collar lady" must still be "in the hole" :(

[Crafts2Love]

I made this from some garbage I found
measures 8x5ish
----------------------------------------------------
lol, I wonder if anyone bought with that description :))

great critiques for Alex, enjoyed reading tonight (:

[Former_Member]

dog collar lady marietta aquila
aquila
i can say that all day
aquila

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

she makes collars for dogs and key chains and bows
I aint positive, but I dont think cats like collars.

lotta dull and grainy pix

are you allowed to use the Bills logo? Do they even have fans?

some of those collars look thick. Do you make them for weiner and purse dogs?

hmmm

most of your tags are pretty good
halloween dog collar
cant believe that fits

I dont know if you relist or renew much, but if not your views are good

I love the poker dog collar
should be a winner

type dog collar into the search
look at their pix
now look at yours

You HAVE TO put the time into taking better pictures. Take 100 per item if you need be. Read the photography thread. Thats the only big problem I see

you are on the low end in price
have you checked this out before?

http://www.etsy.com/search?q=dog%20collar&order=most_relevant&view_type=research&ship_to=US

No way around it. There are 47,000 dog collars here.

pictures pictures pictures

[DoggieStylz]

My dearest Alex,

Aquila actually means Eagle in Italian...yes that's right, I am Greek and Italian.

Maybe Santa will bring me a camera for Christmas! I know my pictures suck bad.

Yes...the Bills have fans! Us Buffalonians live and die by our sports teams no matter what! Damn the NHL for delaying hockey! Not sure if I can use the logo but it says "Buffalo Bills INSPIRED"...kinda like the NASCAR and the Harley.

Thank you...thank you...thank you! I never knew their was a pricing thingy...will be checking that out!

Hmmmmm...pricing. I just had this conversation with my daughter who thinks I should increase prices. She's a Marketing major and Arts major...she says it's easier to lower a price than raise one and she says my pictures suck.

I really haven't relisted or renewed...but I will.

Oh thank you so much All Mighty Alex! (I call my youngest daughter Alex-her name is Alexa)

I truly appreciate your guidance!

[Former_Member]

If I could pull a Facebook and "like" this, I would. I know I need improvements, but I don't know where to start!

[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

[Former_Member]

Alex,

Thank you sooooooo much for the critique! I just got back from a couple of days in Tampa for a convention. It was fun but I'm ready to collapse on the couch, with verobeachguy!

I agree with all that you said about picture improvement, naming the shells, including quantities, etc. I have a lot of work to do.

It's great for someone else to look at your shop and see things that you don't see.

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading the other critiques and have learned a lot and will continue to read and learn new things. You are very talented at this and it's super nice of you to spend your time to help everyone out!

Regards,

Ellen

[Former_Member]

pam from philly

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

I have ignored pam for 40 pages,
She is from philly. I am sure she is annoying.

pam makes leather stuff. that aint real girly

look at pam
grad degree in chemistry
minored in studio art
whats with all the chick chemist artists??
my cuz lives next to a dupont in westchester, Her husband killed most of the neighborhood deer herd with a bow. He is a hero.

pam is a busy dame. I think I saw a Lifetime movie about her. Ya know the one about the do it all super woman who tried to have it all. Jamie Gertz played pam. There was dancing around the dining room table and wine guzzling.
In the end, Jamie found true happiness.

so...

I like tearing holes in do it all super woman, and sticking them into various binders.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/106662630/linen-clutch-purse-wedding-clutch

I think its a bed ruffle, cant make it out due to the glare.
I wish the tags were worse
hmm
idea.....
I bet Pam has an extremely well behaved dog.
I bet if you put some of the more unusual colors said bed ruffle comes in, you would be in a smaller search
instead of clutch, put peacock clutch
1/10 of the items there than in blue clutch, superchemistleatherwoman.
do that for all your color option items
****BETTER IDEA ALERT***
always use the trending colors...No merch report, no problem. Just check the fp. Or Oprah Magazine, or however else you chicks know what the hot color is.
Last December was my 2nd month here. Dint know molybednum from carborundum. I had blue wood. I tagged it with aqua. Front Page on the first saturday afternoon of the month. Sold 11 other things that hour. No clue that aqua was trending.
February... had light green wood. Tagged it mint green. Was in 100s of treasuries, and again on fp. No clue why. Still my best month here.
so, pammy, walk that path

I also want to know more about you and your process. How did you get into leather ?(keep it clean)
I want to be 100% you aint buyin this stuff when I spend a few hungies on you .

I really want to skewer ms doitall....other pics are as good as a non cleavage pic can be. Well composed..bright...glad I found one crappy one. The second tealish pic was much better, and it dint look like no bed ruffle.
I bet these titles have exactly 70 characters.
pam really is annoying
I dont like to work this hard
alex has been running all day
his brain is tired
oh boy
pam donates proceeds to charity
shocker
my friend volunteered on the crisis line for one of those places. Tough gig. They were paralyzed into inaction, and that was very difficult for a woman of action to deal with.

how bout lap top bags? I see ipad and iphone.

pam will do well with any endeavour.
I would buy pam stock, but it would be too pricey

[Former_Member]

Be bold, you say? The goal I have in mind for my Etsy store is to turn this into my career, so I hope to do really well. I believe I'll do well if I work hand in hand with patience and continue to learn as much as I possibly can all while applying that knowledge to my shop along the way. Art is where my passion lies. I started making soap in January and never sold anywhere else. Just here. I tried Ebay for a literal day, but that was a no-go, so I don't think it counts!

[Former_Member]

Alex, you made me laugh so hard that my beer came out of my nose!
I actually have TWO very well behaved dogs ;) Chocolate lab and Black lab brothers that we adopted from man who had a stroke and couldn't take care of them any more (does that make me even more annoying?).

And, guess what, I do have a laptop bag - https://www.etsy.com/listing/111405518/waxed-canvas-computer-bag-macbook-air
Guess I should tag it as such! I'm going to get on that, and bet that I'll have it fixed before you can respond to this post.

Yes, I hate my bed ruffle picture too. I need a lesson on how to photograph ivory on white.

Seriously, thanks so much for the critique! I'll be working on those tags and trending colors. It's so great to get feedback from a fresh pair of eyes.

Do you do stand up in your spare time?

[Former_Member]

alex from woodenaht says
"whats with all the chick chemist artists??"

Here's my take. I've had a ton of people comment on my having a PhD in chemistry and also being an "artist". To me it makes complete sense. The first thing you learn in any realism drawing course is to draw what you see. In order to do this well you need to be analytical - forget what you want to see. Draw what's really there. As a scientist the first thing you learn is to come up with a hypothesis, do some experiments to test it, and then observe and analyze the data (without any bias). You can't be a good scientist, and base your conclusions on what you WANT the data to say. You need to be able to remove yourself from your own expectations (and wants) and analyze those data based on what the data really are. See the parallel?

Additionally, in order to be a good scientist, you need to be creative. You can be a mediocre scientist by doing what other scientists have done. But in order to make a big impact you need to be able to think outside of the box (a cliche phrase that I hate to use, but I can't think of a better way to say it at the moment). Alex, I'll bet you have a 100 better ways of saying it.

So to me, a science oriented brain and an art oriented brain are one in the same. A beautiful marriage of the analytical and creative.

I feel like I need to conclude this with a . . .

Q.E.D.

[Former_Member]

thanks for the advice :)

[Former_Member]

alex from woodenaht says
"whats with all the chick chemist artists??"

Here's my take. I've had a ton of people comment on my having a PhD in chemistry and also being an "artist". To me it makes complete sense. The first thing you learn in any realism drawing course is to draw what you see. In order to do this well you need to be analytical - forget what you want to see. Draw what's really there. As a scientist the first thing you learn is to come up with a hypothesis, do some experiments to test it, and then observe and analyze the data (without any bias). You can't be a good scientist, and base your conclusions on what you WANT the data to say. You need to be able to remove yourself from your own expectations (and wants) and analyze those data based on what the data really are. See the parallel?

Additionally, in order to be a good scientist, you need to be creative. You can be a mediocre scientist by doing what other scientists have done. But in order to make a big impact you need to be able to think outside of the box (a cliche phrase that I hate to use, but I can't think of a better way to say it at the moment). Alex, I'll bet you have a 100 better ways of saying it.

So to me, a science oriented brain and an art oriented brain are one in the same. A beautiful marriage of the analytical and creative.

I feel like I need to conclude this with a . . .

Q.E.D.
.........................................

I bow to Einstein on this one:

"Creativity is intelligence having fun".

[vw53]

OK, I check my stats first, then come here.

[SeagullSmithJewelry]

Alex I am not getting found and only have about 30 views a day if I do favorite the item above in threads. Otherwise, I'm invisible. ANy suggestions. I have over 100 items, but no one knows that if I'm doing my titles and tags wrong. Please check out my shop and let me know what you thing I need to do. Thanks Ellen

[Former_Member]

matt from n.c

I convoed matt earlier and told him his tags suck.
I dont know matt.
Some of you noobs may not know, but there is a war on in etsy. Us vs Them.
We are Us, Resellers are Them. The shit hit the fan with Baligate in April. Sylvie recruited people for the Us team back then, me included. My personal shit hit the fan a month ago. I listed 7ish items in one hour, which is a lot for me. I watched the recenly listed part of the home page looking to see if any of my items got through. None did. But I did see 8 identical bird on branch necklaces come through, all by different sellers. I reported them all with the alibaba link. I got a response from etsy!! They told me to fuck off, more or less. That crap is allowed. I get pissed just typing it. So, Alex is on a crusade for the Us side. We need more good stuff here to keep the good buyers. They are always the first to leave.And Matt makes good stuff, and Matt has some meh tags. We need more matt and less bubble necklaces. If I have to convo people I dont know, I will. They can tell me to fuck off. I dont care.

matt paints. He has been here for SIX years, and has 597 more sales than vangogh had in his lifetime. And I told him his tags suck, with my one year behind me. ha

this is cool

http://www.etsy.com/listing/60929947/abstract-original-painting-lollipop-tree

could use a flying pig..

anywho here are the tags:

landscape -150,000 items, 140,000 in Art that works out to almost 5000 pages of results. Tough field . landscape oil is only 15,000.(painting wont fit). I would put that in all of my landscapes. It is oil aint it?
my focus is on "reclaimed wood", that has 16000ish items. I put that in most everything. I get on average 20 hits a day on that, which equals 60ish views. My views are worth 40 cents each. I have had 10 things in the first 5 pages in reclaimed wood. And I only have 60-80 listings. I need to be there. Matt needs to be here
Even "landscape painting" can be had with 50k.
So, A buyer can enter Landscape oil painting in search, which is 21 characters. So, if matt has landscape oil in that order in title and tags, he will be highly relevant.

matt has 6 one word tags. headshake/eyeroll. Even sweet cindy lou would bitch matt out for that.

tree-330,000 items. Trees are trending on etsy now, so matt wants to be found in the forest.Tree painting has 35k. meh. Tree oil Painting has 6k. Bingo. Matt needs to be there.With all his tree stuff, he easily can be first page. Matt has relied on category views, which have dwindled, and I aint sharing mine.. Old dog gotta learn new tricks.

home decor-without looking it is 1.4 million. scap it. Need specific and descriptive tags for Your item. never get found in that mess.

gift- now serving number 2,109, 384,

lollipop. meh. you are first page for lollipop tree, and lollipop painting already, as it is not competitive. this tag could be better. Lotta chicks clogging this search with girlie stuff.

abstract painting-85k. too big. How bout abstract oil painting with 15k? And it does the work of 5 tags. abstract, oil, painting, abstract oil, abstract painting.
magic.

so, double up all the single tags. Ask a 5 year old to describe the painting to you. Kids dont have subtext, they just speak the truth.
the tough part about art is, the buyer cant use the links on the left to narrow the search very much if the hit the painting sub cat. Most of the items in matts category Are paintings, and do buyers even look there? I dont want to rely on that.

I am so bad at titling my arty stuff, I stall in the gallery until a customer comes in, and I ask them to suggest a title. Even got one old ladies number. She was great at it.
your stuff looks too cheap also. When I am at a show, I always look at paintings and check the prices, as I sell pricey stuff at shows as well.
of course, his pix are professional.
hmm..
this has good tags

http://www.etsy.com/listing/86726309/original-abstract-painting-art-tree

this doesnt:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/75522085/original-abstract-painting-art-original?ref=pr_shop

looks like Hope to me. Morning after a stormy night and whatnot.
nine one word tags. headshake/facepalm.
total mixed bag on the tags.
some items are great, some are really bad.
I would use colors in the more abstract stuff in the tags. You can shove 4 or 5 into one tag, or do tangerine abstract oil, etc

queen cindy explains it all:
http://www.etsy.com/teams/10713/cindylouwho-team

most views come from the narrowest searches.

That hit me like a ton of bricks.

And it is true for me.

31 Ziveli's sold in one year shoulda told me that.

anyone know what that means?

31 people did

so, matt.. we need you to do well and recruit your painter friends to etsy.
Gotta raise the quality here. That brings in quality buyers who will fork over $130 for a flying pig mosaic.

it is all about me.




wall art

[Former_Member]

btw, my first hit for sunday from search was on "ziveli"
that is a VERY narrow one word search

they better buy it

[Former_Member]

I'm so embarrassed by my late night drinking posts! I just read through my posts! It's a good thing I don't get handovers since I totally should have had one this morning!! ;)

Well... to put the record straight...
I am not totally opposed to American beer, just prefer bourbon now... which I also happen to know is whiskey just made in Bourbon, Kentucky... (I love random facts)

Anyways... love your paintings Matt!

[Former_Member]

Alex,

I would appreciate a critique on my store/pics/tags and any other advice you have to give greatly.

This thread has taught me a lot and I have more and more to LEARN and APPLY.

What is the goal for your Etsy store? My goal is to have consistent sales so I can continue improving my craft and have a jingle in my pocket.

How long have you made stuff? I have been crafting on and off for about 25 years. I love going to craft fairs to get creative ideas and make my gifts.

Have you sold elsewhere before? Yes I have two stores that will sell my craft on consignment and I am trying to find more.

How well do you think you will do here? This is quite the adventure in learning, but I’m addicted to crafting my AuroraBottleLights and hard work will prevail.

How well do you hope you will do? If pigs can fly and they do in my dreams, I would love for this to become full time and have a creative job that improves ones mind daily AND supplement my disability income with 3-5 sales daily.

Lisa