How Etsy Works

[marjansart]

How Etsy Search Works

How Does Etsy Search Work?
Factors in Etsy's Search Placement
Translation of Listings in Search
Improving the Search Factors in Your Shop



How Does Etsy Search Work?

When a member searches for an item on Etsy, Etsy’s search algorithm works to return the most relevant matches. Details of this algorithm change regularly so we can help buyers find what they're looking for.

Sellers control the most important factors in Etsy Search placement. Please read on to learn what Etsy Search looks for, and what you can do to help improve how buyers find your shop.

Factors in Etsy’s Search Placement

The following factors combine to determine which items appear and the order (or placement) in which those items are displayed. Keep in mind that these factors are not equally weighted to determine the order of the results.

Tag and Title Relevancy
First, every item in the results must match the buyer’s search word or phrase. Items that do not match a buyer’s search won’t be included in results.

For example, the search “banana backpack” will only return items that match both “banana” and “backpack” in either the listing tags or titles.

Once the search algorithm finds all of the items that match the search, we also use keywords to determine the order of those results.

Exact phrase matches are stronger than matches on individual words. For example, a search for “banana backpack” would return all items with the words “banana” and “backpack” in the tags or title, but items with “banana backpack” in the title would be considered a closer match.
If a word or phrase in a buyer’s search appears in both the title and tags of a listing, the search algorithm considers that listing more relevant than a listing with that word or phrase in the tags or title alone.
Words at the beginning of titles are considered more important than words at the end.
Listing Quality
In an effort to show items that buyers are likely to purchase, Etsy’s search algorithm also considers how well individual items tend to do in search. We call this “listing quality.”

If a buyer clicks, favorites, or purchases an item after they’ve seen it in search results, that action contributes to the listing’s quality score.

Since listings at the top of results tend to receive more buyer attention than those at the bottom, Etsy’s search algorithm adjusts for the expected buyer behavior for these different locations.

Note: New shops and listings have a neutral quality score, which has no impact on placement.

Customer & Marketplace Experience
We want buyers to have a great experience when they purchase from a seller on Etsy. Because of this, we consider a shop’s record of customer service and whether it’s in good standing according to Etsy’s policies.

Great reviews, completed About section, and completed shop policies can all help your placement in search. Using the shop policies template will also slightly improve your placement (FAQs and seller details are not factored). However, recent cases and past intellectual property infringement issues can have a negative effect. New shops have a neutral score, which has no impact on placement.

Recency
To keep search results fresh for frequent shoppers, Etsy’s search algorithm reviews how recently an item was listed or relisted.

Shop Location
Many buyers in certain countries, like the UK, Australia, France, and Germany, have told us that they like purchasing from sellers based in their own countries because they find it to be more convenient and less expensive.

In order to make local items slightly more prominent in search results in these specific countries, we take the location of the shop and the shopper into account. Searches made within other countries do not take shop location into account for search results.

Shop Diversity
Buyers on Etsy are looking to explore a marketplace of unique items. In order to meet this expectation, Etsy’s search algorithm works to show results from a variety of shops, when available.

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Translation of Listings in Search

All your listing information, including titles and tags, needs to be in the shop language you chose when you signed up for selling on Etsy. For example, if your shop language is French, but you've written your tags in English, the tags will not help to bring up your items.

Etsy will automatically translate listings for you or you can choose to translate yourself. Read more about translating into other languages.

To check your shop's default listing language, go to Your shop > Shop settings > Info and appearance > Languages.

Improving the Search Factors in Your Shop

The steps you take in listing your items and maintaining your shop are the most important factors in getting your items found through search on Etsy.

Review Your Tags and Titles
This article explains how to best utilize your tags.
Read about choosing the best titles for your items here.
Encourage Shopper Interaction
List your items with clear item photographs that invite a closer look.
Use the cropping tool so your item thumbnail is correctly formatted.
Price can be a factor in whether a shopper clicks on your item. Avoid pricing items too low or too high for your target shopper. If you'd like to get more advice on how to price your items, see the article How to Price Like a Pro.
Provide a Positive Customer Experience
Taking these steps will help ensure that your customers have a positive experience and are encouraged to leave a great review.

Complete your shipping profiles to accurately represent processing times to your buyers. Be sure to mark orders as shipped to help buyers know when to expect their items.
Make sure your About section is complete. Read more about telling your story.
Fill out your shop policies and use the template to give buyers helpful information about your shop.
Take steps to communicate with past buyers and swiftly resolve open cases.
This article has more tips for providing great customer service.

[marjansart]

This is so very important