I really need help

[BBennettJewelry]

I had an Etsy store for a year and never sold anything. I closed it and opened this one a short time ago. I've improved my photos, tried to get as many tags as possible in, paid for some impressions but for the life of me, I have very few views. I am linked to Facebook and post all my new designs on Facebook.

I'm at a total loss. If I search for my shop it doesn't come up because there weren't enough letters to add the S in Designs. I know my banner needs work. I make sea turtles, sand dollars, jellyfish etc. but if I search for those I never come up in the search. How do you increase rankings?

[BBennettJewelry]

Oh, locally, I sell very well in shops and at festivals. I just can't get the hang of on line sales.

[katherinefathisilver]

First, I love your jewelry! I notice the whole "bleached driftwood" look is very popular on etsy and that would work perfectly for your shop.I really like the way you've styled the pictures you have, but more views are better so I would take photos on some old, whitewashed wooden board. Also, tell people about your process. Explain how you cast or sculpt in metal clay. Talk about what's involved in the process of hand fabrication. Keep in mind what I'm telling you are things I'm struggling with myself!

[PalindromeSeaGlass]

Love your jewelry! And the cause behind the doggie bone earrings. A stronger description might be helpful, explain the process and the reason why. I'm at the same place you are, so any criticism would be helpful. Also, use natural light rather than flash when you take your pictures. Less glare.

[Seagate8Studio]

Hi Barbara!

I agree with Katherine on taking photos on some old, whitewashed wooden board. And use those as the first photos. Photos with white backgrounds tend to get put into more treasuries, which definitely helps with traffic! I like the interesting background of your current photos, but I think your product gets swallowed up. Make sure you have good, soft lighting and you can also brighten them up in a free pic editor. I use fast stone image viewer.

I think descriptions could be a little ... well.. descriptive. Maybe including what the necklace would look cute paired with... casual beach cover up and a little black dress... this piece goes from day to night... etc.

Lastly, titles and tags are huge. Your first item needs to mention in title that it is a starfish pendant... maybe Sterling Silver Starfish necklace with amethyst. I can't see your tags, but I never put single words as tags because even if your tag is starfish and I type in starfish... there are going to be 10+ pages that show up and the likelihood of you being on the very first page is slim. So, things like starfish necklace, starfish jewelry, sterling silver starfish, etc. will get you closer to the top of the list.

Good Luck!

[BBennettJewelry]

Thanks. This is really new to me and the white board sounds like a good idea. I never use flash since silver reflects too much and some are taken in a light box.

Most of my tags are phrases but I'll go back and refine this.

Thanks so much.

[Former_Member]

- Agreed: new banner! There are lots of templates and programs out on the web for free to help you create something you're happy with and that says who you are.

- Capitalize on the doggie bone bracelets- but first, take some clearer photos :-). Market the cause on your Facebook page, highlight that in your shop info. Make note of that in the listing title.

- Your titles need to be more special and specific. 'Amethyst and Silver necklace' is VERY generic. Include that it's a starfish or sand dollar. Give that style a name and call it 'The ______ necklace', or call your doggie bracelet 'The Tigra benefit bracelet': those special words are picked up by Google and other search engines. The Etsy Seller Handbook as great resources for increasing your rank in search engines.

- Your products are lovely- I think you need to focus more on increasing exposure.

Join teams on Etsy (for instance I'm a member of the Handmade Jewelry Team, Vintage Team and ETC)..... teams create treasuries with other team items (I've gotten more exposure and 2 sales from this in the last 2 months).... teams play games where members like and share other members' items or shops.

Consider how to increase who sees your posts on Facebook: send an email to friends & family, ask them to like your page and spread the word. Make sure your posts are public (or as public as you're comfortable with!) and not just going out to your friends. On my page, I like, post and include other crafters, bloggers, creative projects, etc. a few times a day to keep interest.

Consider joining Twitter.

- Considering making business cards with your Etsy shop to give to people when they purchase things at fairs & festivals so if they love the item they can find you again. Or, if given as a gift the recipient can find you online. VistaPrint will make some for short money!

Hope that helps some!

[SnuggableStitches]

We have been Etsy for about two years now and do learn sopmething new everyday. I do agree that a new banner is a must. This really helps to set the tone of the your Store. Your pictures are great, they do capture the details and show your items well. Recommend trying to use all 5 pictures if possible. We added a link back to our store front in each of our listings. This tends to help the customer navigate back faster. We found that marketing is the key to having views thus sales. We advertise/promote on many different sites. We use wanelo, facebook, twitter, pinterest, we heart it, tumblr, kaboodle, stumble Upon, Picsity, RebelMouse, link referral and a few others. This has helped spread the word about our shop. We include two business cards with each order. Your titles and tags are key when your listings appear in Google Products or if you search yahoo. We are members of a couple other teams that help with marketing and information sharing.

Good luck and hope this helps you!