I spent the afternoon finishing the first draft of an upcoming product, a PDF guide called The Seller’s Checklist for Etsy Shop Success. This includes obviously, a checklist for Etsy SEO and some resources, but before that is several pages of explanation because it’s important to not just know WHAT to do, but to understand WHY you’re doing it.
I’m really pleased with the content of this guide, because I wholly believe that establishing your shop based on best practices for Etsy SEO not only boosts the shop’s visibility, it also automatically makes you a more effective shop owner. The activities we refer to as Etsy SEO isn’t just build for robots (the Etsy search algorithm) to respond to, it also makes the shop look more professional, and bolsters the confidence a potential customer has in the shop.
It’s a win/win! Better SEO means more visits. Better content + more visits = more sales
Are you counting on easy money with Etsy?
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but contrary to popular belief, opening an Etsy shop isn’t going to make you easy money. It takes an excellent item, great photos, killer content, appropriate SEO, and a whole lot of dedication to be successful.
Let’s explain. There are two ways to look at an Etsy shop.
The first is as a “side hustle”, a “hobby business” or a “monetized hobby”. This is the artisan or crafter making things because they want to and like to. Sales are excellent, of course! But the main drive is creativity and enjoyment of the method. It starts with a product and builds out from there.
The second is a business. This is less driven by creativity and more driven by results. This is, generally speaking, the closest thing to “easy money” you’ll find, and it still takes a lot of effort. This view starts with an idea, follows up with research, and only then does the product come into being.
There’s not better or worse, no value judgement on either view. It depends what your purpose and passion are.
Do you want to know why I’ve been selling on Etsy since 2007 and I’m not operating a six-figure shop? I’ve certainly had success, specifically in two niche areas. I’ve sold thousands of items and shipped to 30+ countries around the world. But my shops are product driven. I’m an artist at heart, and a bit of an erratic one at that. I make that I want to, because I want to.
I don’t mind operating a monetized hobby shop, because that is what brings me joy. I acknowledge that it will never be an easy money maker, and that’s fine with me (if Seashore Design Studio had the demand to hit six-figures annually, I don’t think I’d have time to sleep ever again).
[To illustrate this point, below is one of my favorite Seashore Design Studio collections, the spring 2021 fantasy collection. These were difficult to keyword from the perspective of being found organically, but sold well because Seashore Design Studio has a following. And most importantly, I really, really enjoyed making them.]
That’s the one hand, view #1. View #2 is results driven. Instead of starting with a product, it starts with an idea. That idea is then validated by researching to make sure there’s a load of demand for that item, and that there isn’t so much competition that it will get lost in a sea of similar items.
This can be a print-on-demand item or a digital item (the easiest options to create a mostly passive income), or anything else.
Okay, but back to Etsy SEO
You may be wondering, if what I’ve said above it true, what is the purpose of putting effort into SEO for your Etsy shop?
SEO drives organic traffic (meaning traffic from search results or direct traffic, versus traffic that comes from paid efforts, like Etsy ads) and organic traffic brings potential buyers who are looking for exactly what you offer.
SEO alone is unlikely to take a new shop from barely active to making money left and right – there IS something to view #2’s method in that the best selling items will almost always have high demand and low competition.
But Etsy SEO has tremendous value. It adds value and maximizes existing content. By following some simple SEO-friendly methods, the shop owner becomes more effective all around. I talk about this extensively in the new guide I’m working on, including things like:
- the way to slow down demand at busy times or give yourself freedom to take a few days off without destroying your ranking
- the three places you need to be putting keywords, and the secret spot (hiding in plain sight) you should be including them also
- how to give potential buyers as much information as possible, even if they don’t read your product listings
If you’re curious how Etsy search works, check out this article from the Seller Handbook. One of the outstanding things about Etsy as a sales platform is the fact that it isn’t just a shop host, it offers access to a large and powerful integrated search engine that drives traffic to well ranked shops.
Managing expectations
Like so much in this life, the key to satisfaction is managing expectations.
There is no across the board measure of success. By identifying the type of business you’re trying to run (use view #1 vs view #2 as a starting point) and pinpointing your goals, you get an idea of what success really means for you.
I’m a big believer in celebrating small wins. Instead of identifying an end goal and only celebrating once I’m there, I choose to break it up into smaller goals along the way. This way, there’s always something to celebrate. Progress is progress.
And I wholeheartedly believe that doing better is better – it might not be someone else’s best, but that’s okay! Using Etsy SEO to take a good shop with a great product and making it a great shop with a great product is a definite win. And I know you have what it takes to do it.
Interested in learning more? Sign up for the Ilana Leah LLC monthly newsletter so you’ll know when the new Etsy SEO checklist and guide drops.