Why you need SEO for your Etsy shop

So here's the 101 on why you NEED search engine optimization, SEO, for your Etsy shop.

We're going to break down what exactly SEO is, why it's so critically important for your shop, and how the algorithms aren't as complicated and scary as you've been led to believe.

So if you've interested in making more sales in your Etsy shop, you're going to want to listen to this episode.

You can listen to the episode here, or keep reading below!

If you are new to Etsy, or new to this podcast and this is the first time you’ve ever heard of SEO and you’re like what the heck is that, let me give you a quick definition.

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization

...and it’s the one thing in my Etsy shop journey I wish I had known about from Day 1.

So, we're going to dive into exactly WHY you need SEO for your shop, and why it will make all of the difference between a shop with great products and no sales and a shop with great products and great sales. 

SEO might sound scary and technical, but I promise you that you do not need a past career working at Google to be able to learn about Etsy SEO easily and quickly.

Also, quick PSA: while I am going to talk a little bit about algorithms today, just know that algorithms are not bad. They are absolutely your friend.

What does "search engine optimization" actually mean?

When customers shop on Etsy, they find products they love by searching for them using that search bar, and etsy’s search engine algorithm finds products for them that match what they search. 

That’s a search engine.

So if you sell “mirror stickers” and someone types in “mirror sticker” in the Etsy search bar, and you have this keyword “mirror sticker” in your title and tags, you are going to match for that keyword in the search results that Etsy pulls up for that customer.

It’s Etsy’s way of organizing the millions of products that sellers have for sale on the platform. And etsy has a really well built search engine algorithm. This is a really good thing for us as sellers, because it helps to connect us with customers who are searching for relevant products.

Think about that for a second, you want customers who are relevant to you. 

So that brings us to reason number #1 why you need SEO.

#1 Using good SEO can help you connect with relevant shoppers

You don’t want people looking at your shop who are not interested in what you have for sale, because they’re not going to buy from you. 

Imagine you have a booth at a craft market, and you sell beautiful wire and copper jewelry, but all the shoppers who are stopping by your booth keep saying, “oh your work is nice but I’m actually only here for sports t shirts and the hot dog stand.” and you keep hearing this over and over from every person who walks past your booth. That wouldn’t be very helpful to you, right? It’s because those customers aren’t relevant to you.

So, one reason using SEO in your Etsy shop helps you is to match you with customers who are relevant. So, if you sell wire & copper jewelry, the Etsy search engine is going to try and match your shop with people who are shopping for that exact kind of jewelry.

#2 You need SEO because it helps increase your shop and product quality scores on Etsy

If you aren’t using Etsy keywords clearly in your product listings, Etsy’s algorithm cannot accurately figure out what you sell. If your shop’s purpose isn’t clear to the algorithm, you won’t have a very high quality score for your products, which means you aren’t going to be put at the top of the search results.

#3 You need Etsy SEO to increase your traffic and get you more sales

Did you know that 86% of sales on Etsy are made from the first page of search results when a customer puts a keyword into the search?

You need Etsy SEO to get you onto the first or second page of search results for keywords that are relevant to you. 

This is what we mean when we say “optimization.” You are optimizing your listings by using the best possible keywords for those products that also match to the keywords people are searching.

Now SEO is not of course the only piece of the etsy puzzle you need to make sales, but it’s an absolutely critical step. If you do not have good SEO, you will not have good traffic to your shop. And low traffic = low sales.

By using high traffic, low competition keywords, you can increase how often you show up on those first few pages of search results and you can get your products in front of more eyeballs.

It’s that simple.

(get our free SEO worksheet here.)

It’s also the way that Katie and I have grown our shop to 6 figures and we are ranked in the top 0.01% of etsy shops globally, and we’ve turned our SEO strategy into a step-by-step guide.

If you want to learn more about our strategy, check out our free masterclass training, How to Grow Your Handmade Business - Using Etsy!