Double check your "Etsy Search Visibility"

[#1]

I Just noticed a warning banner on my shop regarding "Etsy Search Visibility", you may want to double check your "Etsy Search Visibility"

I have never had anything less than blue ticks across the board since they brought it in. So I clicked on the banner to see what could be affecting it.

Seems it was my titles, for some unknown reason, each affected one had a "Colon" after the first few words of the title instead of the comma. I would never use : in my titles and suddenly it has appeared on over 16 of my listings? Which then affected my shop in the search visibility section.

Thanks Etsy!

[SewJoyfulandBlessed]

I had the same thing happen yesterday! It felt like Etsy was yelling at me.

[Redpeonycreations]

I read it fast, thinking it was informational only, hit the button, and now many of my titles are phrases!  I need to see if I can revise.  Too many changes- I’m still reeling from the last huge postage increase and tariffs! Now this!! 

[ChillwolfArt]

@Redpeonycreations  I know, and it takes search engines time to relearn the changes and so forth. Already when I load search pages, some are taking a long time for photos to load (and I'm seeing rectangular photos today). It's one thing after another, constantly. You can always tell when they are messing around with things.

I don't have the A.I. Title Tool in my "Search Visibility", but they do repeatedly tell me to lower my shipping under $6.00 (as the 1 Risk Factor). Or consider adding the shipping price into the item price, blah, blah.  I use Etsy Labels, but not Calc. Shipping. 

[CBanningAccessories]

 Took a while, but I finally found this article regarding the rollout of the new guide for improving ...

https://www.etsy.com/seller-handbook/article/1399426136697

Evidently, the listing title tool is only available to a small number of sellers at this time. We’ll be making it available to all sellers with eligible listings in the coming days.

[TBQSC]

"eligible listings" ... perhaps if the tool is not available in all shops yet, then maybe those listings are already PERFECT?!

[CryzalisMasksUK]

Please Etsy!! Stop messing with my titles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  This is daily now, I do not have time for this. Please just leave my listings alone

[CryzalisMasksUK · Accepted solution]

UPDATE: Ok credit where credit is due, and owe Etsy AI half an apology not a full one as you are about to find out why.

When the AI search visibility saga started and decided to change my titles with the addition of colons I was annoyed and perplexed as this continued for about 3 days.

You all know by now that SEO is the bottom of my list to pay attention to, so I thought I would do some light reading on Google SEO.

So basically the shorter titles 40 - 50 characters are favourable and easier to read when adding the Colon and |, the : and | are to separate the brand names, or provide explanations 

But the Etsy AI was taking my whole badly long written titles and just sticking a colon in after the first 4 or 5 words, which does not make it any better than what I can produce myself and bet this is what is happening to many sellers, hence the drop in views. (half an apology, it could have been a full one if it was rolled out correctly)

So over a period of 2 weeks, I started changing a few titles here an there, including my brand.

For example:

Devil mask: Red Adult leather masks | Cryzalis

The SEO on Etsy picked it up within a day, views, SEO & visits increased noticeably. I don't know if it had anything to do with increasing my sales as I am always busy this time of year.

But the shorter titles with the Colon & | seems to work better than some jumbled weird keyword title which never made any sense anyway 

[WishesontheWind]

Your brand name will most likely be popular this time of year @CryzalisMasksUK but I dont think adding to title is a good thing in general, infact I would think wasting space where you could have another searchable phrase.

Also I dont really see what would be different for the search engine.  

Devil mask:

or Red adult devil mask:

or Leather Devil mask:

all would be picked up as devil mask

[CryzalisMasksUK]

Thanks @WishesontheWind I did not add much but instead took a load away.

As the listing page still suggests 140 characters.

People found me on Etsy even with my jumbled long titles, but since I made the changes, there has been an improvement in the listings appearing in the SEO section of the stats. 

I never liked the long titles, as they did not make much sense and spent too much time thinking about what to write, so these shorter ones if they work as well if not better it is all good

All the AI did when they changed the titles, was to add the colon in a section which made even less sense, but left the long title the same

[WishesontheWind]

@CryzalisMasksUK that makes sense, keep doing what is working for you, I think its less about the colon but more about the wording coming first in your title, so devil mask more likely to show up under broad search, if you added leather to front maybe made a bit less strong weighted but its still going to show and would rank better if someone specifically wanted leather 

So glad you have found what works for you. Sounds great.  and yes the titles do look better also in my opinion shortened, I'm working through slowly rather than all at once.  

I also think you make a really good point, less keyword stuffing to front of title

[Frapperie]

Thanks for the update! Happy to hear it's working for you, gives me more confidence to continue on.  At first I was very reluctant, in part because I use the title for a bit of info I need during production but isn't necessarily info buyers need to see in the title. However since my views tanked hard and fast in September, I'm open to trying anything so have started to slowly change mine to see how it goes, focusing on historically low performers first.  Traffic hasn't increased yet but I've only changed a small percentage so far. Might need to bite the bullet and change the high performers to get a better idea if shorter less key-word stuffed titles will help.

[CryzalisMasksUK]

You are very welcome @Frapperie 

Thought I would wait for the results first before posting the update.

I started with the listings with least views first, and whenever had time changed a few more after I saw results after just 24hours 

Ignore all the AI suggestions and stick to maximum 50 characters and would try with just 1 or 2 words before sticking in the Colon followed by brief description

[NorseKids]

I regret updating the titles so much, have lost around 50% of daily visits since

It's funny to see almost every single listing in first pages of search is a long salad of keywords, just what etsy "apparently" is against

[Frapperie]

When I search using key words related to my product, I see a mix of long and short.  Might depend then on the competition as well as other factors of course.  My visits had already tanked without me doing anything so I figured it can't get much worse LOL!