Ceramics and Pottery..where has it gone?

[Former_Member]

Has anyone noticed that the Ceramics and Pottery category has completely vanished? I find this really troublesome, as all of my listing are under this category that now, it seems, no one can search under.

Anyone else notice this??

[barbaradonovan]

Hi Ashley.
The "Catagories" area which listed all individual catagories including ceramics and pottery were removed from the front page quite some time ago (over a year at least?) in favor of "Browse". The general idea is that shoppers searching for items care less about what the item is made of (wood, ceramic, etc) than about shopping for say, serving pieces, in general. I don't love it since I used to get far more views from catagories than browse, but that's the way it is now and after much hysteria in the forums, everyone has sort of adjusted and moved on to freak out about other things. You can still get to the different catagories by going to "more ways to shop" further down on the front page at left.

So this means it is harder for many of us to get found on Etsy. I've compensated by working on SEO with titles and tags which explains why my titles are ridiculously long and marginally incomprehensible but you do what you have to do. Also helps to try to drive your own traffic through social media.

You can find out more about SEO as it relates to Etsy here:
https://www.etsy.com/help/topics/?query=SEO&page=1

I mostly focus on optimizing for search on Etsy since search on google is like being a needle in a haystack and makes my brain hurt.

good luck!

[ClayismyArt]

Ashley I also noticed that in the Browse section under handmade there was always a section for Pottery and Ceramics but disapped a couple of weeks ago. Very very annoying still trying to find ways around being found. I felt there was a drop in views when this happened. I am now using social media much more to bring traffic to my shop.

There must be a way to get Etsy to reinstate Ceramics/Pottery they have woodwork, glass etc......

Good luck

[Former_Member]

Thank you both! I noticed it had gone from the front a while ago, but recently I just coulnt find it at all. I was looking for cake stands, but could narrow down to pottery only..kind of super annoying. Oh well. SEO practice here I come!

[dorothydomingo]

Actually, there was never a dedicated section in Browse for Ceramics and Pottery. They scattered ceramic items throughout several Browse sections, Home and Living, Gift Ideas and then bits and pieces in Weddings and Jewelry. We begged and pleaded for our own Browse section for handmade pottery, but they were determined to lump us in with wood, glass, plastic, vintage, etc.

Not sure where you all were seeing just C & P in Browse. Categories were hidden almost 2 years ago, and replaced with Browse. You can find cups and mugs, bowls, dining, etc, but none of them are under C & P and they all have listings made with other materials.

I also used to get a lot of views from the Categories, when they had all of them shown as a link on FP. After they hid them (more and more clicks to find C & P) I never made up those lost views from Browse.

[barbaradonovan]

Dorothy,
I didn't remember there ever being a specific C&P area in browse either and get very few views from browse. The change was a loser for me as a seller. Most my views come from Etsy search views - people looking for animal mugs or from people speciifically searching with my name which is kind of interesting.

I like how you've started using wood shelf in your photos. I've thought about that and may try it with a second shop I'm thinking about. We'll see :)

[dorothydomingo]

Barbara, my views tanked after they switched from Categories to Browse, but Search starting taking up the slack shortly thereafter. Search is saving my bacon! And I never realized that buyers called them "pottery bowls" but that is my biggest keyword.

I changed my set up a few years ago. When I first started I took my photos on my deck; all woodsy and rustic. Then it looked cheesy and unprofessional to me so I worked out a new set up in my garage with some plywood boards for sharper look. Of course after that, the trend was all rustic wood backdrops - I was just ahead of my time, lol.

I'm thinking about changing it up again, maybe painting the boards or staining them lightly. Cuz, you know, it's not like the holiday season isn't coming up and I have nothing else to do.

[AVALONPOTTERY]

Hi everyone, I'm fairly new to Etsy and to this team. I am having fun learning how to do this Etsy game, and I have a couple of questions. I am interested in knowing how much busier you potters get with Christmas orders?
Also would love to get new ideas on how you all package your pots for shipping. I find it really hard to find good boxes the right shape, that aren't too expensive, look nice and are strong enough to protect the pots. My very supportive other half has made some cute cheap plywood boxes which are great, but a little too time-consuming for him I think!
Thanks!

[dorothydomingo]

Hi Alison! I can only speak for myself, but I get crazy busy in November and December. October is just okay for me because I don't sell a lot of Halloween themed items.

I get my boxes from ULine. The shipping getting them here to me is expensive, but a strong sturdy box is the first line of defense in making sure pottery doesn't break in shipping so I put up with the costs.

[Former_Member]

Hi Alison.... I use recycled boxes and cut the to shape I want - and i specify this in my product description as a selling point IE environmental consciousness, etc....

So, as far as categories go - if in the browse it is Home & Living should we be tagging that category (as it doesn't give it as a category when listing) for SEo purposes?

[dorothydomingo]

Dawn, you don't have to use up one of your tags for "Home and Living". If Browse is gonna pick up your listing it will do it through the more obvious ones: cups, bowls, plates, dishes, planters, etc. I don't think the algorithm would recognize the Browse category name so it's a wasted tag, imo.

SEO doesn't have much to do with Browse, only the search function. Who knows what they use to pick up items in Browse as they are generally jumbled sections filled with disparate items?

I would recommend not concentrating on being found in Browse, where it is hard to get views even when you're in there, but concentrate on SEO for Search. The search function is more favorable to the average shop than Browse will ever be.

[AVALONPOTTERY]

Thanks Dawn and Dorothy for the packing suggestions- I love the idea of recycling but need to practice making boxes- always turn out a bit wonky!