How do I get noticed?

[#1]

I opened my Etsy shop a few weeks ago and have done a lot of research on marketing and how to get noticed. After reading and watching a lot of videos, I found that the best tips were taking good photos, filling everything out on your page, using tags wisely, updating with new products often and having lots to sell, and networking with other pages.

WELL, i've done all of that, and I'm still not getting noticed! I have very little page views, even after reaching out to other pages and facebook.

I know it's hard to get seen as a card site since there are so many paper product pages out there, but I still would LOVE to get my page up and running. I'm going to keep adding more to sell, but it's very frustrating when no one is looking!

Any help would be greatly appreciated....thanks!!

- Heather

[InsideSandysShop]

Hi Speller Teller! A very big WELCOME to Etsy! I visited your shop this morning and I like the way you have your shop set up with the first row of your shop being the same listing essentially with the different color options side by side like that. I also think you did an excellent job in putting the different color options in the extra photos of each listing. I wouldn't change any of that - it all looks very nice. I also like the background of your pic's you have kept them all uniform and you shop is very uniform and cohesive.
I think another reason that it will be good to have more listings instead of using the variations for colors is that it will keep your shop looking full. When people go into your shop and see just 2 or 3 designs they might go somewhere else to see more variety. So especially while you are working on more designs to list you will want your shop to look full.
You are utilizing your tags well and using phrases in them and using all 13 - great job there! Just keep an eye on your stats page and see what terms people type in to find you and adjust as necessary :-)
While you are waiting for views to pick up and sales - go ahead and fill out your policy page. You will want to assure the customer of their full satisfaction. It can be very basic but a welcome and how and when this will be available for digital download would be nice.
One other thing you could fill out would be your message board underneath your banner. Just put in there exactly what you sell - something like - Digital Business Card Templates suitable for every business - premade or customized. That will help you in getting found by the search engines.
I hope some of this helps. If you have any other questions or comments feel free to pop back in. I wish you much success in your new shop.
Blessings,
Sandy

[isavedyouapiece]

Hi Sandy, thank you very much for your kind words and excellent feedback. Being new to Etsy I just was not sure whether I am setting this whole thing up the right way or not. I will work on the changes, or rather additions (message board and policies) you have mentioned. Thank you again, all the best,
Jo

[Former_Member]

Hey everyone. I am in need of some help getting people to look at what I have to offer. I know the basics of needing to post more but I have decided that if I don't have at least a bit more traffic that I don't want to spend the money posting too much. So I am making a point to favorite everyones store who expresses concern about traffic such I am experiencing with the hope of supporting their networking attempts. Please help by doing to same! Any and all support to grow my store is appreciated!

[KnitBlossom]

Hi Nesta. You opened your shop less than 1 month ago; I wouldn't worry about the cost of relisting just yet; especially for just a few items. I know Miss Sandy will give better advice than this, but mine is to be patient & stay confident in knowing what you create is special. Not everyone can do what you can. Good luck & stay postive
Rosy

My question for my shop is about the applique that I'm selling made to order. Is it a good idea to have it listed that way; is it overpriced; should I have a listing ready for purchase? I have more questions, but those are the ones I need advice on.

[FreeSpiritsCrochet]

If you are talking about those adorable bunnies I would move the price UP if anything! Those are darling! I would put them at 1.00 at least! Personally I don't see anything wrong with doing a "made to order" listing. I see it only takes 2-3 days to do them up so that's pretty good. The only thing I would suggest is maybe listing specific colors to make it easy for the customer to choose. :-)

[FreeSpiritsCrochet]

Hi Nesta! Welcome to the team and to Etsy! I took a peak into your shop and the first thing I thought was that you made those items because of the name of the shop. I see you did make one scarf, (very pretty) but there are mostly vintage items. I would suggest stating in your shop announcement that you sell vintage and handmade items so people know right away what you are all about. :-)
It's hard to get going here so I offer some more tips from experience hoping to help, not to criticize. :-)
Secondly, while your pictures are nice and clear, the best ones are those that show the item completely in the first pic, to draw people in. You need to be able to see what you are selling at a glance. Then use those double pics, like the one with the fanny pack, for one of the others. Also, utilize all five pictures if possible.
State measurements on everything you can. Pretend people can't see your item and describe it that way. Then pretend there is no description, and photo it with that in mind. :-)
Many of us here when we first started saw that "tag" thing and thought "Oh, a word that describes my item..." Well, we all are learning all the time, and one of the best things we learn is to use phrases in the tags pertaining to what people would put in a search to find one of your items. For instance, the yellow fanny pack; you might put in "yellow fanny pack", "leather fanny pack",(if that's not too long lol), "leather pack", "70's pack" or "waist pack". And use all the tags. If you run out of ideas, you could put in your shop name. Then check around to see what others use for tags for a similar item. Pay attention to what YOU are using to look it up, and remember it. :-)
Lastly, list, list, list! Get as much up as you can...give people variety to look at. Etsy's fee are pretty cheap and our listings stay up awhile so don't feel afraid to do it.
These are just a few little suggestions. I'm sure other team members can offer more advice but I will stop here. Good luck and don't give up!
Becky

[Former_Member]

Hi Everyone!!! Thanks SO MUCH for accepting me to the team! I'm very new (my items have been listed for about 2 weeks) and i'm just looking for any tips or pointers that y'all night have on how to get your shop SEEN! I've only had 2 sales and about 90 views, which seems bad statistically. If anyone has time to take a peek at my shop and give me feedback I would LOOOOOVE THAT! thanks!
Cassy

[Former_Member]

I am VERY new to Etsy as well. Thank you for all the advice, it really helps!

[Former_Member]

Hey Cassandra! Welcome to the team! Two sales in two weeks is actually pretty awesome, and looking in your shop I can see why you would have gotten two already! You obviously have your brand together and your shop photography is great.

It takes a little time to become fully integrated into Etsy as far as search optimization goes. You are doing well with titles, and your tags are starting to shape up nicely. Don't be afraid to use multiple words in your tags as they can boost your chances to be seen in similar searches.

Your descriptions are also looking pretty good, though I would recommend maybe a bullet list of ingredients right in the description so that potential customers glancing over your listing can quickly find info. It also helps break up your text. Also, link up your shop! This can keep customers in your shop looking if you link to similar products, a shop section, or even to your policies, about page, or home page.

Your policies do need a little bit of work, and they can be tricky to fill out when you are first starting out on Etsy just because it is one of those things not generally thought about. Here is a good article with some tips on policies: https://blog.etsy.com/en/2012/service-tips-for-sellers-creating-policies-that-work/

Think about how you manage shipping, if you are comfortable taking returns, where you ship to, how you package, how you ship, where you get your materials from, etc, etc. Also, looking at shops with similar products (i.e skin care, lotions, etc) and their policy page can be a great place to start on your own policies. Just make sure that you are comfortable with them-your policies are your way to control what sort of experience a customer is going to have and to let them know what they should expect.

Something you should definitely think about adding in is an About page. That a great place to tell the story of your shop. Why do you want to offer natural skincare products? What is your process for coming up with new products? I love hearing the 'behind the scenes' of a shop, and so do a lot of Etsy customers.

Really though, you have a fantastic shop running! Play around with listing some more items, maybe think of gift packages or sampler sets for around the holiday season. If you have any other questions, feel free to get in touch.

Best Wishes,
Frances

Hey Noelle, welcome to Etsy and the team! I love your bows! They're very cute! Your photography is pretty good, and you have the right idea with keeping a cohesive background. Try to use all five photographs and perhaps a live model. I wrote a little blurb on photography in the team discussions if you would like to check that out.

Descriptions are just as important because your customers can't pick up, hold, and ask you questions verbally so you have to create the illusion for the customer. Really focus on texture, color, materials, style, and size. Try to use descriptive words and put your personality into it. The Seller Handbook Archive has some great resources on descriptions.

You have a great cause that you are selling for, and I wish you the best with raising money for those families. This is something that you could use in your own About Page about your shop.

You definitely have a good start going, and checking out the Seller Handbook might be the next step for you. It has loads of info on how to start refining your business and get known on Etsy. If you have any questions, feel free to ask!

Best Wishes,
Frances

[GlitterBK]

I started my Esty store in 2008, had a few sales. I thereafter stopped posting items. I recently decided to give it another shot. It seems as though now its 20 times harder to get noticed. I read through some of this thread and applied some of the recommendations. I'm looking forward to additional feedback.
Best,

[InsideSandysShop]

Hi Gwen - WELCOME BACK! So you thought you'd give it another try. I do think it is harder to sell now than it was back in 2008. In fact it is harder now than when I started in 2012. ETSY is constantly making changes and we have to adapt as we go along. In fact there is a test running right now that my shop is in and it can be frustrating. Plus there are so many more sellers on ETSY now which makes more competition. With all of that being said, at least you are not selling jewelry because the ETSY marketplace is saturated with jewelry and it's very hard to break in.

You have a very lovely fashion ETSY shop. The key elements in being found by SEO are 3 things.

1. The Title - The first 3 words in the title are the most important. Make sure your item is named in those first 3 words. Then you can describe after that. You have done that in the listing below.
https://www.etsy.com/listing/190904198/full-skirt-dress-w-cap-sleeve?ref=listing-3
If a potential buyer was looking for a dress that would be what they would type in the search bar. So Full Skirt Dress with cap sleeve is perfect. You can work on the other 2 dress listings to move the word dress up in the title and have a better chance of being found.

2. The Tags - Your tags are prime real estate for getting found in the searches. Don't be afraid to use phrases in the tags. You just have to stay within 22 characters. Really describe your items because this is how your item will be found. Take the listing below
https://www.etsy.com/listing/190922353/xl-envelope-houndstooth-and-faux-leather?ref=listing-0
A few tags I thought of were evening bag, clutch purse, leather clutch, designer bag, dressy clutch, houndstooth clutch, faux leather bag, snap closure - so you get the idea of making each tag a description of your item. That way as people type in the item they would like to find in a search you have a lot of words that could pop up. If you scroll down to the bottom of your listing in your shop you will see that ETSY give you about 2 tags - they are the first 2 in this listing. Then your tags begin and you started with Clutch which was a duplicate so edit that tag out and begin filling in all 13 spots with nice descriptive phrases.

3. The Description - You description should have every title word and every tag word in it somewhere. This is where is all comes together and captures the customer. The search engines will "crawl" all three of these areas and if done right you will become relevant in the searches.

I know this is a lot to take in and it can take about 3 weeks for the search engines to pick you up in the searches. So be patient and work on the items you have and keep adding to your shop.

I wish you much success in your shop. If you have any other questions feel free to post.
Blessings,
Sandy

[GlitterBK]

Thanks SO MUCH Sandy for your great advice that I will be using :). I'll be patient as well. I appreciate you taking the time to look at my shop and give me thorough and thought out advice and tips. Much appreciated.

Blessings to you too. :)

[LovelyLetterCompany]

Im new to the etsy thing and Im not sure how to get it going. I need as much help as possible. I started it just a few days ago. How do I get views? I want to make sales but I don't know how to get noticed.

[InsideSandysShop]

Hi Sarah - Welcome! Are you ready for this roller coaster ride - lol? There will certainly be the ups and downs but keep working at all the areas of your shop and you will get some traffic into our shop.

It can takes several months to get established here on ETSY and it can takes 3 - 5 weeks to be found by the search engines (SE). Patience will be your friend in these beginning weeks. But there is so much you can do to optimize your search and establish an online presence.

Titles, Tags, and Descriptions are mainly how you are found by the SE.

Titles - The first three words are the most important in the title. Your actual item should be mentioned in those first 3 words and then any descriptive words after that. So on the one listing your have Ball Mason Jar at the very first and then distressed acrylic hand painted after that.

Tags - It looks like you have a good handle on your tags. You are utilizing all 13 of them and are using phrases to fully describe your item. As you start seeing traffic you will want to keep an eye on your stats page and see what keywords people are typing in to find your item and tweak your tags accordingly.

Description - Your description should have every word that you have in your title and in your tags. The SE crawl all three of these sections and pick up on all the key words and direct traffic to your shop. All 3 of these areas should compliment each other.

You will want to fill out your policy page completely so that your customers will know what to expect from you. How you accept payment, when and how you ship your items and whether or not you will accept returns. If you do accept returns what are your conditions. This will instill confidence in your customers and they will be more willing to purchase from a shop that is up front with their policies.

Another thing that will be very nice to work on while you are getting established will be your "about" page. Customers love reading about your story and why you do what you do. Maybe even some photos of your studio or your work in progress. It helps your customer connect with you and the item. Another place along this same line is your "profile" page. This can be just a little bit about you, some interesting tidbit.

Then of course, you will want to keep working on items and fill up your shop. The more items you have and the fuller your shop the more chances you will have for people to find you and click in your shop :-)

Some shops have a lot of success on social media, FB, twitter, Pinterest, Wanelo, etc. I don't know if you enjoy social media or not but this would be an avenue. And then also join teams that will help you learn about selling on ETSY and promote your items.

As you work on the above items and keep learning about SEO you will see that your shop traffic will increase. I know this is a lot to take in all at once. But you will do fine and this is your shop, your passion - have fun :-) I have fav'd your item to get you running through the activity feed.

I wish you much success in your new venture. Please feel free to post again or contact me if you have any other questions. We are all here to help :-)

Blessings,
Sandy

[Former_Member]

Hi Sandy, I created my etsy shop a while back but have just now found the time to start working it the past month. I only have one sale but am happy about that. Your tips and everyone else here are so helpful. I am not savvy with a computer so most of this stuff is new for me but I'm willing to learn what I can. Any suggestions you have they are welcomed here.

[InsideSandysShop]

Hi Hollie - Welcome to the ups and downs of ETSY :-) It is terrific that you got that first sale under your belt. Isn't it a great feeling to log in and see that sale :-)
There are a lot of us who are not so computer savvy so you are in the company of a large group. You will pick up things fast though and it is so much fun!
SEO (Search Engine Optimize) - is where you will probably want to begin. The search engines will crawl your shop for key words to direct people to your items and your shop. The areas of concern are Titles, Tags, and Descriptions.

Titles - The first three words are the most important in the title. Your actual item should be mentioned in those first 3 words and then any descriptive words after that. When people see the photo of your item they will want to know right away what they are looking at - in the listing below it is hard to tell what a - Yellow and Bronze 10" X 12" wo - is. https://www.etsy.com/listing/194281676/yellow-bronze-10-x-12-wood-wall-hanging?ref=shop_home_active_...
Maybe something like Hanging Picture Frame 5" X 7" photo encased in 10" X 12" yellow and bronze wood border. That way your potential customer can read right away that it is a picture frame but you still get all the descriptive words in there too. Instead of putting color or measurement descriptions first put your item first.

Tags - This is prime real estate for getting found in the searches. As you start seeing traffic you will want to keep an eye on your stats page and see what keywords people are typing in to find your item and tweak your tags accordingly. In your description of the same listing as above you state it can be a table top frame so that would be a terrific tag also because you will want your tag words to be in your description. Be sure to use all 13 tags on every single listing and don't be afraid to use those phrases.

Description - Beef up your descriptions a little bit. Describe your item as if you were talking to someone who could not see the item or your photo. Your description should have every word and phrase that you have in your title and in your tags. The SE crawl all three of these sections and pick up on all the key words and direct traffic to your shop. All 3 of these areas should compliment each other.

Another area I hear is important is the shop message under your banner. Put what you sell up there and not any fluff. Maybe something like - Wooden picture frames, Wooden home décor and Seasonal decorations for your home. Custom orders gladly taken. You can put small family run business - husband and wife team in either your profile page or your about page. But this message would be more SEO friendly.

Remember that it can takes weeks for the search engines to initially crawl your shop but keep working on it and getting it in tip top shape. Also - look around ETSY at other shops with similar items and look at their photos and see how you could improve on that. Photos are very important - yours need to stand out above the rest to get someone to click on it.

It takes time to get established. I hope some of this helps and I wish you much success in your shop.
Blessings,
Sandy

[Former_Member]

First let me say thank you for accepting me to the team. Sandy your suggestions were right on! I have been working on changing my titles and descriptions to match and I got double the views. I still have a ton of work to do though. Sandy your shop is so organized and all your items look great. I need to be more organized. I noticed some shops have their items separated and I would like to do that but do not knw how. Do you have a link that I could read how to make a column like that? I also want to get a customized banner. I have photoshop and might attempt this on my own but I don't use photoshop much. Thank you again for all the tips and taking the time to look at my shop.

Have a great day!
Hollie

[InsideSandysShop]

Hollie - I am so glad your views have doubled by changing your titles and incorporating those words into your descriptions. It is one thing to know what to do and quite another to get to work and get it done :-) It's always nice to see the rewards of your work right away though because it spurs you on to keep working. Believe me, when I say, it never ever gets done - it is always a work in progress. As you learn more SEO there will always be tweaking there and after a while you will look at your photos and think "What was I thinking when I took these" haha. So just keep at it and be diligent. Before you know it you will be busy with sales.

Your "sections" are very easy to do. When you are creating a listing - right below the description is a box that says "Shop Section" You will click on that and create a section for your shop. So for your wooden frames you might make a section titled "Wooden Frames" and mark that section for all those gorgeous wooden frames. Then another section for "Christmas Décor" etc. If you have trouble finding that box under the description just let me know and I'll walk you through it step by step :-) You can still add sections to the listings you already have up just by going into the listings manager and clicking "edit" on the listings you already have up - add a section to it and voile.

There are some very talented people here on ETSY and very computer savvy. I am not the computer savvy one - lol. I purchased my banner and avatar designs from one of the shops right here on ETSY. There are many to choose from. Again, if you want more info on this just let me know. But I won't know how to go about creating your own banner. You probably know a lot about that than I do though because you already have a banner but if you choose to create another one and need help I will see if I can find you some help :-)

Thank you so much for your kind words about my shop they are very much appreciated. As I said earlier it is always a work in progress.

I look forward to seeing your new items and be sure to let us know when those sales start flowing in :-)
Sandy

[Former_Member]

These are some good tips that I am going to use!!

[Former_Member]

hi everyone. im getting a bit discouraged. i just opened my shop a while ago and im a novice polymer clay artist. i dont know how to get my stuff noticed. i like other ppls shops and items , i advertised on all social medias. i dunno if i just dont have enough things to keep people interested or i wonder if my work is any good. i love to work with clay and i love painting. but feeling like its not enough


any feed back would be greatly appreciated

[InsideSandysShop]

Hi prplstar - Don't get discouraged. It takes time to get established on etsy and get found by the searches :-) Hang in there and keep working on the SEO to optimize the searches to your shop.

A great start to SEO is a thread in this team - the link is below and if your adapt all 6 of these items into your shop you will be off to a great start :-)
https://www.etsy.com/teams/12653/how-to-improve-my-etsy-shop/discuss/11513691/page/1
Your titles and tags are crucial to getting found in the searches. The first 3 words in the title are the most important so make sure your item is named in the first 3 words and then describe your item after that.
On your tags don't be afraid to use phrases in your tags and be sure to use all 13 relevant tags on every single item. Really think here and get good relevant tags - it will be worth it in the long run.
On the listing below:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/196893997/boston-cream-donut-with-bite-and-filling?ref=shop_home_active...
A title like Polymer Clay Miniature Donut Charm OR Polymer Clay Charm Miniature Donut might be better and then on your tags combine some of the words to fully describe your item. Tags like miniature food, miniature donut, polymer clay charm, key chain charm, necklace charm, jewelry - so you get the idea keep going until you have 13. Describe your item in each tag.

Your policy page is very well written and concise - letting the buyer know exactly what to expect when purchasing from your shop. You used very good grammar on that page with capitalizing the first letter of each sentence and with good punctuation. I would recommend that you carry that professionalism over to your about page and the message under your banner.

Another great thread in this team is on photography.
https://www.etsy.com/teams/12653/how-to-improve-my-etsy-shop/discuss/12933780/page/1
With your items being small a photo box is exactly what you need to get those good photos with a lighter background where your item will POP off the page and there are no other distractions competing with your item.

This will be a start for you as you do more work on your shop. I wish you much success in your shop. Please feel free to post again if you get discouraged. We are here to help each other.
Blessings,
Sandy

[Former_Member]

@sandy thank you so much i will apply this advice to my shop. i appreciate the time you took in looking around and giving me sound advice. u have no idea how much i appreciate everyone's input. I'm very grateful :)
thank you all

[Former_Member]

Hi all!

I've been reading your replies to each other and thought I may join as I too am relatively new to Etsy. Well, I've been here a few months or so but also haven't had any sales. :/ I realise that photography is quite a niche product in some respects but it's so hard to get any views! I've tried advertising on Facebook, Twitter (via word of mouth etc, not actually paying!) and I have tried the Promoted Listings things but that's been of not much use.

Any help would be greatly appreciated <3 xx

[InsideSandysShop]

Hi Grace - You have absolutely beautiful nature photos! And you have them priced so reasonably. Like you said you just need to get found in the searches. That is what SEO is all about. The way to get found is your title, tags, and description. With all three of those correlating and containing the same keywords and key phrases.
Titles - On the title the first 3 words are the most important. You will want to identify you item in those first 3 words and describe it after those 3 words. And you will want to have a different title for each item. When you have identical titles like you do now - the search engines see that as spam and redirect out of your shop :-( We don't want that. So each title should be different - something like - Fine Art Photography, Photography Print, Gloss Photography, Matt Photography, Photo Wall Art, Digital Print. With those phrases as the first words of the title your item is identified right away then get specific to each item and describe that specific item. For the listing below:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/203180667/signed-fine-art-photographic-photography?ref=shop_home_active...

You might want a title like - Digital Print Of Tan And Black Horse - That will be a clear and concise title for your item and then you can describe it more fully in the description.

Tags - Don't be afraid to use phrases in your tags and have every phrase of your title in your tags word for word for best SEO. If you use the title above the tags from your title will be - digital print, tan and black horse - do you see how we have the phrases word for word there - then put in the other tags you have but combine them to make phrases like - nature art, art photography, digital art print, digital photography, summer canvas art, horse photography, horse portrait, horse's eye photo, animal photography, animal digital art - okay you get the idea. Keep going until you have 13 great tags that fully describe this item.

Description - On your description be sure to include all the title words and tag keywords in your description. Try to make it easy reading for the customer and that can be a challenge getting all the keywords and phrases in without sounding redundant. But you can do it - and it will be worth it in the long run. Also, what size of print is listed here for the $14.16 price. I know you state that various sizes are available but I think it might be good to have the size listed for the amount you have on the listing. Then you can even put in the description larger sizes available contact me for pricing.

You do have 1 sale :-) Is that a recent sale? I think if you apply the principles above to each of your listings you will get more views. You have one great advantage in that your photos are perfect! Most of us have to take photos of all our items, try and display them and we are not photographers.

You are also a very young shop and it does take time to get found in the searches. But these things should help you also. Another thing that can help is to join other teams that are promotional teams and help each other out by favoriting each others items. This helps with relevancy and gets your items out there in the activity feed for people to see and it gets exposure.

I wish you much success with your shop. If I can help in any other way. Please post again or message me - I am always happy to help.
Blessings,
Sandy

[Former_Member]

Hi Sandy!!

Not only can I say thank you for being so descriptive and for taking the time to type all of that out, but I would also like to say thank you for giving me a little more encouragement, and that my shop is half worth having a place in Etsy :p

I am currently - along with many others - having PayPal authorisation issues, so once that is stamped out I will be uploading new photos and editing old posts to fit in with your helpful tips. Thank you so much!

Lovely to be a part of such a friendly community (:

Grace