Traffic

[#1]

Has anyone noticed that he last three days traffic on Etsy has been significantly reduced. My Seo is on point but last three days my traffic went from 250-300 visits down to 14-15. 

I have sales and coupons, I have high quality listings, Seo is on point, but what’s going on? 

[InkSplashDesign1]

To be fair @LastCentury there is nicer not harsh way to point out a mistake. This particular user could have shown a little grace instead of the way that she did. Especially since I didn’t ask for shop critique. You may feel it wasn’t harsh but you are not me and we do not have same feelings. You want a point a mistake fine but it nicer way then the way that it was. The 1 small mistake has been fixed! Plus my post is about traffic. If I wanted it to critique I would have posted in that session. But usually if you point out mistake you don’t do the way that she did. That is not polite, that is downright rude. 

[NapkinNook]

Back to your original question, Shelby, yes, I've seen the exact same thing.  I went from having views up in the hundreds to days this week where I had a maximum of 30 views.  Yesterday well over a hundred and I thought, oh, things look a bit better, then today so far 17, but I did have a sale yesterday and one so far today.  If misery loves company you're not alone.  I know Etsy is a marathon not a sprint so this will recover, but it's definitely frustrating.

[InkSplashDesign1]

Thank you 

[GroundZeroCreations]

It's interesting that your visits have dropped recently, because I have had 100s more visits that I do in a typical day. Something I have found being here over 15 years is visits don't necessarily mean you will get sales. I have had days where I have had less than 50 yet made some of my biggest sales. But I can say that an new shop will get a boost in visibility for the first 30 days. If you are new that might be what you are seeing as a drastic change because that only last for 30 days.

[InkSplashDesign1]

On Tuesday I had 300 ( mainly from google) and thursday, Friday and sat all under 100 hits. I’ve always got more traffic from google. We will be driving traffic from Pinterest as my Pinterest is in the process of monitizing it. I’m also in Canada and I don’t get much traffic from states maybe 50 customers a day. Otherwise it’s all Canadian people. I’m guessing it has more to do with economy but other users have been reported a decrease from Etsy. 

[PrairiePrimitives]

@InkSplashDesign1 If you have 50 customers a day, I don't think it matters if your traffic is down. Dang! 

[BagmakerSupply]

@InkSplashDesign1: New shops and listings often have a period of time when Etsy gives them additional exposure until Etsy's organic search learns whether or not people want the items. Many shops report drastic drops in organic views once this honeymoon period has ended.

However you say that most of your traffic is from Google so that should not significantly affect any drops in traffic. Google (and other web search engines) have their own criteria and they also sometimes give new items a boost in search to see what happens. You are in a very very crowded niche and maybe Google has decided to stop showing your shop and items high enough in search results to matter.

Based on your original post, this is not a technical issue as nothing on Etsy would be affecting a drop in Google generated traffic but something in the Google algorithm is. Out of curiosity, how do you know that your "Seo is on point"?

[InkSplashDesign1]

There are several different sites you can check your Seo on. I have done several of them plus I use the alura app and it gives you a score. I do my listings, I do my listings, they are all high quality tags, descriptions, and attributes. My Seo is 100% and I do see more traffic from google then Etsy. I even have marketing funnel on my store.  Even Etsy has acknowledged that I have high quality listings.plus my products are not random they are what people are searching it for  

[sharacalligraphy]

Yes, I noticed the same thing on my shop too. The drop in traffic over the last few days is real, and I’m also trying to understand what’s going on. Is it a platform issue or something else?

[InkSplashDesign1]

Thank you I know it’s not just me and other sellers are saying the same thing.

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

Your SEO could use some work. And your description in the one listing I looked at goes on and on repeating the same AI-generated stuff paragraph after paragraph. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4304027345/

Nobody is going to read that - and it gives the impression you haven’t proof read your listings - so shorten it to the key information.

You also don’t offer all the colours you show in your chart and buyers can’t see the colours you do offer matched to a photo (do that in variations). 

All these things will downgrade your items in search which will result in fewer views. I would go through all your listings and check everything. Hopefully you will see some improvements. 

[InkSplashDesign1]

Those times are actually being phased out. Just haven’t gotten around to it. 

[InkSplashDesign1]

Also I know for fact that most people do use AI to generate descriptions. Even the Etsy uses AI for alt text. 

[CatsWhiskersCurios]

With all due respect, you don’t know that for a fact. It’s not looked on well by most people here in the forums at least. It doesn’t read well. 
and it throws up inaccuracies like referring to a mass-produced POD t-shirt as ‘lovingly handcrafted’ etc.

[MrsDsHandKnits]

No, I do not believe for a minute "that most people do use AI to generate descriptions."

For myself personally, I have been selling online for over 20 years and I still list on other selling sites aside of Etsy ....and I never have and never will use AI for any of my listing descriptions. I want my descriptions written in my own words.

[PrairiePrimitives]

@InkSplashDesign1 I don't use AI for my descriptions! I have been known to ask Chat GPT for suggestions ... and it sometimes gives me ideas, but I'll rewrite it to sound like my voice. 

Is the art on your POD items your original designs? It looks a lot like stuff that's available in hundreds of other shops ... as well as all over the internet. The smiley face is TM'd, so you may want to take that down before you get nailed for it. That's what made me think this isn't your original art. When you use a POD partner, the art needs to be your own original art. "Sunrise Sunburn Sunset" is lyrics from one of my favorite songs; I'd never heard this as a phrase before the song, so I assume that's where it originated. I'm pretty sure that song lyrics are copyrighted, as are book/movie titles and much more. 

[GroundZeroCreations]

@InkSplashDesign1 

I have used AI for other things, but haven't used it yet for writing descriptions. Personally I don’t see any issue with utilizing AI-generated content—especially when it’s used thoughtfully. That said, it’s important to keep in mind that AI-generated text typically requires careful editing to meet the tone, clarity, and SEO goals of your shop.

The quality of the output really comes down to how you prompt the AI. A well-phrased prompt can result in a concise, impactful description, while a vague one may lead to repetitive or overly long content.

As an example, I took the link that was shared above and used ChatGPT to generate an SEO-friendly Etsy product description. I’m sharing the result below—not as a critique, but in the spirit of helpful collaboration. This version uses bullet points, which are proven to improve readability and buyer engagement:

Celebrate Dad's strength
Honor the hero in your life with this “Man of Strength Hero” tee—perfect for Father’s Day, birthdays, or everyday motivation.

Premium comfort

• 100% combed, ring‑spun cotton

• Soft, breathable, durable

• Classic crew neck & double‑needle stitching

• Screen‑printed with fade‑resistant inks

Meaningful reminder
He’ll wear more than a shirt—he’ll wear a message of appreciation. Every thread echoes courage, resilience, and love.

Care instructions
Machine wash cold with like colors, tumble dry low, and avoid ironing directly on the print.

Fast, worry‑free shipping
Ships from Canada in 1–3 business days. Easy returns within 14 days.

Order now to make Father’s Day unforgettable.

________________________________________________________________________

Again, this is just a sample for comparison. We're all here to help each other grow and succeed, and I hope this offers some helpful inspiration.

[CoquetteBath]

So I was reading this and I thought 'yep another newbie who is trying to tell folks stuff...' and yes, you can but...the collective wisdom here in absolutely outstanding. While I've noticed that the moment someone throws out the 'bully' word, their head is closed, so I don't share much.

but I will say, as someone who writes, that I highly doubt that MOST people do just about anything...other than breathing...

MOST people, especially people who learned how to write, and who found that red squiggly line on spellcheck sometimes helpful and sometimes annoying...do not. I do not. I never EVER have, and I never EVER EVER will.

AI is for lazy folks. Seriously. Everyone who is looking to cut corners. I know professionals who use it to sum up a large amount of emails. When a quick scan often shows them (later) that some pertinent stuff was missed.

I'm not a Luddite. I am, however, someone who says "if you don't use it, you lose it"...that's true for a midsection (LOL) and definitely true for one's gray matter.

JMO. Go forth. And, as always, you do you.

[InkSplashDesign1]

And that is your opinion  Just because I grew up with technology doesn’t make it wrong. You may not like it but guess what it’s not your store. Your opinion is valid but technology is gonna be here for long time. Technology and technology advancement isn’t gonna disappear anytime soon.

also this has nothing to do with the topic of traffic. 

[TwiLdCapitHog]

@InkSplashDesign1  What is drawing traffic? Your products and how your shop is set up.

So when anyone starts a thread about a drop or low traffic, the first thing sellers in the forum will do is look at the shop and  listings. Under the presumption the seller wants help.  :0)

[InkSplashDesign1]

@CatsWhiskersCurios @MrsDsHandKnits  just because you do not use it doesn’t make it wrong. I know several people, Etsy sellers included and digital marketers who do use chatGBT for listings, it’s an option. Whether or not you use it totally fine but just because I use it doesn’t make it wrong. Also most apps and I say this with experience because this is not my first store that use it as way to enhance your descriptions and listings and not only that but apps such as alura, maker words pull directly from Etsy searches, when you do product research most apps do use AI to pull from Etsy everbee included. I’ve attached how actually common it is for eccomerce to use AI. I work for grocery chain and even we use AI. I’m not saying it’s 100% correct but I know most people don’t have to time to time up 180 words, make it engaging and make sure certain keywords are used and are not repeated multiple times. I would rather use AI and know that I’m not repeating T-shirt 6 times in listing title but then again I grew up with technology. 

https://www.sellerscommerce.com/blog/ai-in-ecommerce-statistics/

[MrsDsHandKnits]

@InkSplashDesign1 > I NEVER said using AI for descriptions was wrong!! I specifically said:

"No, I do not believe for a minute "that most people do use AI to generate descriptions.""

BTW, countless sellers DO take the time to create and write their own wording for their item descriptions. It's a part of the personal touch and doesn't give off a fake vibe. Even the most not so savy in AI person can tell when descriptions are AI generated. One does not have to grow up with technology to detect what's real and what is AI generated...

I have been on this earth for nearly 8 decades, never learned to use a computer until about 22 years ago but Iearned from some exceptionally knowledgeable computer folks...bless them!... plus I garnered a lifetime of experience in buying and selling(which I have been doing since a youngster)...

To end my participation on this topic I shall say>you do you, I'll do me and we'll leave it at that...

[BagmakerSupply]

@InkSplashDesign1: Since your point seems to be your drop in Google generated traffic, that has very little to do with Etsy.

Etsy has no control over how Google ranks your listings or where in their search results they place your items, and whether or not you are using Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be immaterial. Have you tried to get an answer from Google why your traffic from them has plummeted?

But since you are asking about your decline in traffic from Google, perhaps Google has decided that you are using AI to generate content primarily to manipulate search rankings, or perhaps they feel that your AI generated descriptions, etc are too much like every one else's AI generated content and lacks the expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness qualities they are looking for. After all, most AI models are essentially nothing more than sophisticated search engines which do not actually create anything but only reuse other people's work.

[InkSplashDesign1]

@MrsDsHandKnits @I never said you did! I said just because you don’t use it doesn’t make it wrong to use. There is actually pretty high statistics on eccomerce and AI 

[CBGWorkshop]

It is well known (since, like, the 1950's) that customer visits (also, phone calls initiated to a network, etc, actually almost any human initiated action from a large enough sample of humans and "large" is really not as big as you might think) is described by the Poisson random variable function (I won't do the whole math lecture here) and zero is a completely possible and ordinary result. I take solace in that when my views are low, even zero.