What was searched for...

[UniquesAndOddities]

In my shop stats, it has that someone got to my place by searching "+quilt pattern"++scrappy potholder" end quote..

Can you tell what they were looking for?

I do not understand + and - when searching....thanks Mildred

ps. ot..my broke for the day is: the letter between z and c is out of commission....I dropped something on the keyboard...my bad

[AllegroArts]

The - means they don't want to see any results that include the word after the minus. For example "plaid dress -child" means they want to see plaid dresses, but no dresses tagged as "child"

The + is a google thing, I'm not sure if it wold on the etsy search. It's used when combining phrases, usually in quotes.

[Former_Member]

Lego from AllegroArts says

The + is a google thing, I'm not sure if it wold on the etsy search. It's used when combining phrases, usually in quotes.
===========================
The > + < thing is a common search command and is referred to by either the name "AND" or the + sign.
It can be optional on a privatly owned search engine such as Etsy's and is. The Etsy default search command is an AND command wihich when you write a multi-word search request like looking for a Red Wool Scarf, the search request is actually interpreted as:
find any and all listings with the words;
Red and Wool and Scarf and create a list of all of those listings.
Now how the list is prioritesed is an incredibly long list of nuances and variables but it is based on the search used to generate the list.
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=Red+Wool+Scarf&view_type=list
But if you observe this list of results in LIST mode where you can see the pictures and read the titles you will find the items listed in the first part of the list will start with the words Red and Wool And scarf, all three in that order in the titles. And then as the list progresses that will change untill the possibility might be the only place you see those words are in the tags.
Why Possibility? There are other variables that effect position on a list of generated results.

The - function or Minus function has been explained.

Now a variation on this is, if you want the search engine to only find those things that have the words Red and Wool and Scarf listed only in that order, all three in that order, you surround them with Quotes in the search request like so:
"Red Wool Scarf"
And you get this:
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=%26quot%3BRed+Wool+Scarf%26quot%3B&order=most_r...
26 items instead of 2,100+ items.

[UniquesAndOddities]

The "-" = I thought so.
The "+"= I'm still working on this one
The " " " " = ah, ha! I learned something...

If the CIA saw my posts, they would be on the way to get me..

Thanks to both of y'all....

[PiggleAndPop]

Useful info! Tagging and searching is such a nightmare/mystery to me. At times I have logged out and tried to search for my items, and I can't find them anywhere...

I'm learning a lot reading all these posts though, so thanks!

[Former_Member]

PiggleAndPop
Changed from bethanedwards on Nov 29, 2011
says
Useful info! Tagging and searching is such a nightmare/mystery to me. At times I have logged out and tried to search for my items, and I can't find them anywhere...
================================
It could be that maybe it is such a nightmare/mystery that some times something that is possibly new and strange is overthunk a bit.
For example
if you are new at creating a store and listing product, the steps in listing can be intimidating but, and there is always a but, two things related but separate are generally done very well.
Taking a picture of them so what ever it is can be seen and admired
and
writing a verbal picture, the description, that when read paints a verbal picture of what is being listed.
Why do you do that?
Write such a good description? If it was not so that some who has never seen these things can describe them as they envision them. And how is that done.?
Some one, a potential customer may have a pretty good idea what they are looking for.
In fact, and this is my belief, most people with money to spend on something actually have some idea what they want to spend it on and using a computer the only way to find those things is to describe it or paint a verbal picture as to something that is wanted and tell a search engine to go fetch it.
Now before I go further, the verbal picture does not have to be perfect from the get go, it can be rewritten and modified as you look in such a way that after a couple of variations it finally gets to a format that represents what you could be looking for.
The objective? To get a manageable sized list of those things that look like the verbal picture that is being used to find them
and
if your listing and it’s verbal picture is some what the same as the one used by a person telling a search engine to find them, it should be on the list.
Lets take an example.
It is my experience almost all sellers write killer good description that create artistic renditions of their product.
For example this one.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87685212/honey-bee-black-gold-and-yellow-glass

Now I am not going to copy what was written, there is the link! Go look.
The Description and the Title create a verbal picture of a pair of dangle earrings with a yellow and black and gold color theme.
Now the gold may be the material used for the ear wires and it may also be some ornamental bling in the design but if you use your imagination you can create a picture of what these might look like even if you have never seen them.

Not just for the heck of it think about this for a moment.
Isn’t it possible that if you can write some thing descriptive about a pair of dangle earrings that are black yellow and gold
that some might be looking for a pair of dangle earrings that are black yellow and gold?
Then why wouldn’t they use their verbal description, their verbal picture and go tell a search engine to create a list of them so they can actually see what they look like, instead of imagine them.

so you go to the search bar and klick on Handmade
and then think about what you are imagining and type out something like this.
Earrings, Black, Yellow, Gold and Dangle
and hit search.
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=Earrings%2C+Black%2C+Gold%2C+yellow+and+Dangle&...
And there you go
428 individual sets of earrings that have more or less the same verbal picture described as you are thinking in your imagination.
About 10 pages of them.
Why did they come up in the order they did?
Actually a lot of reasons are involved and the most significant reason is the wording and format of your search string and the terms used in it and that is an interesting subject on it’s own
but the important part is
The list is manageable
it represents the verbal picture you have developed in your mind and written out, actually a potential customer
and
a bunch of store listings so a bunch of sellers
and it does not represent a mystery, just a solution in real pictures to an imagined picture created by words.
Now it is time to go select one.
Dang they are pretty.
I can imagine the first one on some one with really dark hair, bobbed slightly, short hair, with a little yellow hair bow in it somewhere.
http://www.etsy.com/search/handmade?search_submit=&q=yellow+flower+adult+hair+bow+&view_type=list
Phoo
men have imagination too!

And I guess I don't see the whole procedure as a nightmare/mystery too much.
Just a means of defining something for sale
and
one of defining what you are looking for.

[UniquesAndOddities]

Someone said to put in a lot of the same keywords (repeat title in first line of description).

Someone said google does not like duplicates - so do not use the same title repeatedly.

Which is correct? thanks