Interested in a Critique?

[#1]

I've noticed a lot of people asking for advice on running their shop, so I though I'd put a general critique offer out there :) If you're interested in feedback on photos, descriptions, SEO, etc (or your overall shop!) just post here, and I'd be happy to take a look!
Feel free to message me as well if you have any questions, I love to help out.
If anyone else is willing to help others out, feel free to post here as well.

[Former_Member]

can you critique my shop?I haven't got many items in my shop,but I'm working on it and with some critique I can make my shop better.

[Former_Member]

Michelle-
The first thing I noticed in your shop was that your sections are l i k e t h i s which is a big no-no! When you type like that, each letter is read individually- i.e. "t h i s" is read as a "t," "h," "i," and "s," while "this" is read as "this." Your shop sections are important for search engines like google, so it's important that your sections are readable by said engines.

Continue to add items. You have a pretty good number (more than a page is great!), but listing new items regularly really helps bring traffic to your shop. I recently tried an experiment where I listed one new item a day, and noticed a HUGE difference in views and sales within just three days. Try it out!

The measurements in your descriptions should be easy to find. Put them right at the beginning and make them obvious. Instead of putting it in paragraph form, simply writing "Length: 6-8 inches" will make it easy to find. Consider including metric/centimeter measurements as well for those who don't live in the US (start doing it now before you have pages and pages of items like I did, it's a pain).

Titles, tags, photos, policies all look good to me. Overall I think you have a great shop!

[Former_Member]

Mariska-
You're right, you don't have many items, but as long as you're working on building your inventory don't stress too much about it. This is a really good time to work on the other details of your shop before you have a ton of listings you have to edit.

First, keep working on improving your photos. This is a never ending battle, believe me. Make sure you have at least 3 photos of each item. I find that tying the bracelet and photographing the front and back works well (for example, my avi- I would use this as the first photo). Your pictures really aren't bad, just need some brightening up. Try using a photo editing software adjust them a bit- either photoshop or an online program is fine.

Instead of "normal bracelets" as a section, try "macrame bracelets" or "friendship bracelets." "Normal" makes it sound like they're no big deal. If they're no big deal, why would someone buy them? Don't undersell yourself.

You could really stand to raise your prices. With your current prices, you'll hardly make anything after etsy and paypal fees. Your bracelets are worth much more than you're charging. Again, don't undersell yourself. Low prices can actually deter customers by suggesting low quality.

Add more to your titles. Let's look at this listing: http://www.etsy.com/listing/101415645/friendship-bracelet
Instead of simply titling it "Friendship Bracelet," include details that will make it stand out and draw in customers. Something along the lines of "Friendship Bracelet - Blue Diamonds - Macrame - Spring Colors" will bring you a lot more views. Then include these words in your tags. Make sure you use all 13 tags, this is how people find your items!

Make sure you are using bubble mailers to ship your items, especially if you send to the US, and price accordingly. This will ensure that your items get to the buyer safely. Check out the threads on shipping in this team.

I think that's if for now! You have beautiful bracelets, you just need to show them off a little. If you have any other questions, please feel free to convo me.

[Former_Member]

Hattie, thanks so much for your advice! I fixed my section titles (i thought it was cute with the spaces but I understand what you mean when it gets in the way of SEO) and I'm going to work on the length descriptions tonight! It's ironic because I actually have been starting to strive for one listing a day starting about 2 days ago and I've got some *better* results.

Thank you for helping me! I only hope I will get more sales because I'm trying to save up for my dog's surgery, lol.

[Former_Member]

Hattie,thanks for the advise and helping me.
I will working on this for better results.

[Former_Member]

Hi there! I'm still kind of new here so any critique would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance :)

Ashley

[Former_Member]

I would love a critique of my store. Thanks

Pamela

[Former_Member]

Ashley-
Sorry to make this so brief. I'm beat, need to get to bed. If you need more clarification, please take a look at some of the other critiques in this thread, most of the information should apply. If you still have questions, feel free to convo me!

Keep adding items- try to have at least one full page. Listing new items regularly will bring more people to your shop.

You could stand to brighten your photos a bit. Try photoshop or an online editing program and play around a bit. And make sure you have at least three pictures of each item if not all five. This will give your buyers a better idea of what they're buying.

Consider shipping internationally. This will greatly increase your sales in the long run.

Love the look of your items!

[Former_Member]

Pamela-
Again, my apologies for making this brief. Please feel free to convo me if you have any questions.

Keep adding items! I like the variety in your shop, it will help to bring in a wider range of buyers. Listing regularly will increase your views.

Try using a photo editing software to brighten up your photos a bit. Make sure to have at least 3 photos per item.

Put a quick sentence or two at the top of your shop announcement about what you sell. This will increase SEO.

Put the size of your items at the very top of the description. It helps to use both imperial (inches, US) and metric (centimeters, rest of the world).

Don't be afraid to add more details to your titles. Try adding colors, materials (especially for hats), who the item is intended for (again, especially for hats- make sure to include that they are for children or babies). Just make sure to use these same words in your tags.

Love the colors in your shop. Make them shine with great photos!

[Former_Member]

I've been doing this awhile but I love to have critiques, it's always helpful to have more eyes. Wonderful of you to offer up your time to do this!

[Former_Member]

Hi Dawn!

Some of your pictures are a little dark- for example, your featured hot hippie rhinestone bracelet. Try using a photo editing software to brighten them up a bit.

Consider adding colors to your titles. I find it makes a difference in my search results.

You don't have measurements in your descriptions! This is really important as a lot of people won't bother to convo you if they need to know the size- they'll just move on to another shop. Make sure to at least have either imperial or metric measurements, both is even better.

I think your shop sections are cute, but they may not be the best for SEO. You'd likely get more hits by using terms like necklace, earrings, etc, but it's really up to you whether it's worth it or not. Putting a sentence at the beginning of your shop announcement about what you sell will help with SEO as well.

[Former_Member]

Thanks Hattie! I'll work on incorporating your suggestions! I've never really understood SEO, no matter how much I try to read up on it, so every little bit helps!

[Former_Member]

Thank you Hattie!! I appreciate it!

[Former_Member]

Hello! I would love some new perspective on my shop! Thanks

[Former_Member]

Sarah-

The only advice I have is to work on your photos a bit. They could stand to be a little brighter, and some are a bit blurry. If you have a macro setting on your camera, try playing with that to get clearer pictures.

You could stand to crop some of them down as well. For example,
http://www.etsy.com/listing/101761002/friendship-bracelet-purple-green-pink
http://www.etsy.com/listing/101517180/friendship-bracelet-yellow-and-red
The bracelets are kind of hard to see in the thumbnail.

I really like the wood backgrounds- I used to do the same when I first opened, but outdoor pictures don't go very well in the Michigan winter, so I switched over to white backgrounds.

[Former_Member]

Thanks so much! I just finished a new slab of wood, which I will be retaking pictures on. Thanks for these tips. I will apply them when redoing the photos :)

[Former_Member]

I'd love a shop critique if you're still doing them! :)

[Former_Member]

Hi Karla (love that name, by the way!)

Your photos could stand to be brightened up a bit. Try using a free online photo editing software or a program such as photoshop and play around a bit. Otherwise, they look pretty good. I like the uniformity in your shop.
I would, however, avoid diagonal photos like this one:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/72802729/happy-day-knotted-friendship-bracelet

Experiment some with your titles. Having Friendship Bracelet at the beginning is a good thing, but avoid repeating the same word in your title as this messes with your SEO- i.e. the titles where you have both "friendship bracelet" and "macrame bracelet." Try adding colors and pattern names to your titles, then add those same words to your tags. For example, the item above could be "Friendship Bracelet - Macrame - Bright Colors - Blue, Yellow, Purple, Red." This will make it easier for buyers to find a bracelet that is specific to their taste.

[McIntoshHatDesigns]

Hey Hattie I'm a little scared but would love a critique.

[Former_Member]

Thanks for the tips Hattie! I'll be changing my titles over the week and try to bight up my photos next weekend :)
Do you know if having the same titles in other venues affects SEO?

[Former_Member]

Karla- yes, identical titles in different venues will prevent those listings from appearing in google shopping.

[Former_Member]

Ashley-

Starting your titles with "friendship bracelet" (or "chain bracelet" or whatever it is that you're selling) will improve your SEO. Adding more detail words to your titles will also improve SEO, especially if you add those same words to your tags.

I much prefer the photos of bracelets that aren't modeled. They could stand to be brightened up a little, but they draw my attention far more than when there's an arm in the photo.

Be careful putting the word antique into titles of items that you have altered or crafted. For example, http://www.etsy.com/listing/102301800/antique-gold-chain-bracelet-in-yellow
Yes, the chain may be antique, but I highly doubt the yellow and purple thread is. Save the word antique for the description of the item.

[girlygifts07]

Hi there, I would really appreciate if you can check out my shop, and maybe give me a few pointers to improve my sales?

Thank you so much and have a great day!! :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/girlygifts07?ref=si_shop

[Former_Member]

Hi Kaitlyn, sorry it took a few days for me to get to this.

The most important thing that you need to work on is your photos. The furry backgrounds really aren't flattering to your items. Try photographing them on a piece of plain white paper (computer paper or a poster board works great for this). Then, use a photo editing software to brighten the photos up a bit.

As far as your bracelets go, I strongly recommend taking pictures of just the item, not on your arm. A modeled picture is fine, but make it the last photo in the listing and make sure to have at least three other good pictures of just the item.

Make sure to have at least three photos of each item. Take pictures from different angles- front, back, side, up close.

Naming your bracelets is fine, but nobody is ever going to find them by those names. Make sure that you are actually describing the item. For example, this item:
http://www.etsy.com/listing/79613070/bright-summer-knots
A better title would be "Friendship Bracelet - Bright Summer Colors - Orange and Yellow - Knotted." Describe what you're actually selling, then follow it with descriptive words. Then, use these same descriptive words as tags. Make sure you use all 13 tags- this is how people find your items!

Make sure to include measurements and sizes of items in your descriptions.

Check out this thread for more tips! http://www.etsy.com/teams/9853/friendship-bracelets-team/discuss/10435402/

[Former_Member]

Hi, I'm curious to hear what you have to say about my shop. I already know what you'll say about my shipping costs...

Thanks for doing this!