Please critique my Shop

[ShellsStitchesEtsy]

Hi everyone,
I'd love some feedback on my shop :)
I know some of my older photos are a little dark or over edited...I've been working on trying to improve my photography. Does the plain white background appeal to you?
Would also love some suggestions on SEO, tags and titles. And anything else you pick up
Thanks so much

[Former_Member]

Hi Michelle,

I think the use of the plain white background works for most of your listings. The superhero nappy wallet listing photography looked great to me and I think that could serve as a standard for the rest of your photography as far as contrast and brightness go. The shadow gives it some nice depth.

I don't think the white background works for your black and white listings, like the mustache print. It gets difficult to make out the form of the object. I think you would be better off with a colored background for your black and white patterns.

As far as SEO, tags and titles go...I'm probably just as lost as you are! I haven't mastered the art of SEO yet. Or even come close :)

If I had a kid, I would definitely purchase from your shop! Love your listings!

[ShellsStitchesEtsy]

Thanks Megan :)

[theVexedMuddler]

I agree with Megan about the white backgrounds - awesome for colours, not so awesome for black and white. I think finding one colour that's a nice strong contrast would be a good idea - maybe a mid-dark red or something - to use in your black and white listings. Then you could rearrange your shop to scatter them relatively evenly throughout your shop and it would just be a nice pop of colour but still look cohesive. It's an idea to play with, anyway. Some of your photos are definitely a bit overexposed and over-saturated, but nothing so terrible that I think it would put people off.

You might do well to play with your tags. You have a lot of repetition, and many of your listings are using short tags, which aren't very effective. If you think about how most people search, it usually goes something like this:
I want a baby bib, so I type in "bib". Ack! There are a BILLION bib results, and half of them aren't anything to do with babies! So I refine it a bit. Maybe something like "cloth bib", or "baby bib". Okay, that's better, but still an awful lot to sift through, and I'm still getting results that aren't at all what I'm looking for. Maybe I want to avoid velcro because it always ends up scratching baby's neck, so I might try something like "snap-on baby bib" or "baby bib with snaps". Maybe I'm shopping for a little girl so I say "girl's baby bib with snaps". Maybe I really want a bib to match a specific outfit, so I search for "pink animals baby bib" or "rocket ship bib". Maybe instead of the word "bib" I use "pinafore" or "pinny" or "smock" - those are certainly less common than "bib", but it might be worth having in your tags for the handful of people who will use them. The point is that you want to use searchable phrases that contain and reflect the snippets of phrases that people use to search for very specific things. If you craft them intelligently, your very specific tags will contain all the common search phrases, as well as matching those highly refined searches, which makes for a great set of keywords.

[ShellsStitchesEtsy]

Thanks Peggy, its great to get some suggestions on tags. I hadn't thought of snap bibs etc

[ShellsStitchesEtsy]

Any other suggestions?

[Former_Member]

Hi Michelle, I think your backgrounds could use a little brightening up, since they are white, the same color as the back drop on every Etsy site, it becomes obvious that it's not a true white. Do you white balance? What types of editing do you do? I don't agree that they are over-exposed. If you're a photography self-learner, look up tutorials for your specific camera. Some photos outside with the items on a cutie might mix up your listing photos. I enjoy the listings that show just the fabric print - Ex) photo 4 here https://www.etsy.com/listing/249691926/superhero-bandana-bib-baby-dribble-bib?ref=shop_home_feat_1
I use scrapbook paper to create interesting backgrounds. People ask all the time where I get all my surfaces. It's just .99 paper from a craft store. I would suggest having a true white, a beige, a gray, and a black on hand and comparing with the print to see which is the most eye catching. Although, some customers really love the cohesiveness of having the same background on every listing. If you have a nice enough camera, I think having a super close up on every listing, to see the quality of the fabric, would be a lovely addition, and perhaps a packaging photo if you have packaging you're proud of. Some listings only have two photos, which lead my eye away quickly. I also would love to see an Etsy banner that is different from your shop photo, it is a little distracting. I love the way you arrange your photos, you definitely have an artistic eye. For SEO help, I use Maramead.com and just done quite a bit of research, and enjoy Rich Mom Business videos. Remember to use long-tail tags (3-4 words) rather than short-tail (2 word). Long-tail tags fare better in the SEO world. I would start my titles with a straight forward long-tail tag, such as, "Baby Bandana Bib" or "Baby Burp Cloth." The first words of the title are the most important. Hope this little ramble helps! Best of luck. Your work is just lovely. -Emily

[ShellsStitchesEtsy]

Thank you Emily :)

[Former_Member]

Your logo is interesting, though the spirals/swirls around the L's make it a little hard to read.

The pricing seems reasonable and I like what you're selling. I'm assuming the price difference between the listings and what the graphics on things like the 5 bibs for 32 is because your shop is in Australia. Your categories on the side menu are well done and easy to navigate.