<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>DIY Craft Photography</title> <atom:link href="/tag/etsy-case-study/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link></link> <description>Product photography for handmade goods</description> <lastBuildDate>Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:59:21 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5</generator> <image> <url>/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cropped-DIYC-site-icon-32x32.png</url> <title>DIY Craft Photography</title> <link></link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Etsy Listings: The Magic Number for More Traffic – Etsy Case Study: Part 4</title> <link>/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/</link> <comments>/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 28 Apr 2014 08:00:47 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy Case Study]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy Listings]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy Traffic]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1304</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to part 4 of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing Etsy shop case study! We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here. Etsy Case Study Part 1: Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop Part 2: Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles Part 3: How to use Etsy Tags Part 4: Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings (You are here!)...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">Read More</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_4_how_to_get_more_etsy_traffic_listings.png"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1557 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_4_how_to_get_more_etsy_traffic_listings.png" alt="What's the magic number? Here's how to get more Etsy traffic by (smartly!) adding more listings to you shop. " width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_4_how_to_get_more_etsy_traffic_listings.png 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_4_how_to_get_more_etsy_traffic_listings-300x148.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a></p> <p>Welcome to <strong>part 4</strong> of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing Etsy shop case study! We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here.</p> <p><strong>Etsy Case Study</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Part 1:</strong> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: #4e7684;" href="/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/">Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop</a></li> <li><strong>Part 2:</strong> <a style="font-weight: bold; color: #4e7684;" href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles</a></li> <li><strong>Part 3:</strong> <a href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">How to use Etsy Tags</a><em> </em></li> <li><strong>Part 4:</strong> Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings <em> (You are here!)</em></li> <li><strong>Part 5:</strong> Marketing Your Etsy Shop Outside of Etsy <em> (Coming soon)</em></li> </ul> <p>The basics are covered: the shop has a name, good titles, and some smart tags, but it hasn’t gotten over that “hump” that a lot of Etsy stores struggle with: getting past a handful of sales. Sales come from traffic, of course, and the topic of how to get more Etsy traffic is complicated. This week, we’re going to look at the traffic effects of adding more listings to the shop.</p> <h1>More Listings = More Traffic, More Sales, More Everything</h1> <p>Let’s say you have one small, red ceramic bowl in your shop.</p> <p>You’ll probably snag a few customers looking for handmade ceramic bowls, but you’ll miss out on all the customers looking for large bowls, black bowls, painted bowls, white bowls, fish-shaped bowls, and so on.</p> <p><strong>More things in your shop = more chances of something from your shop showing up in search.</strong></p> <h2>Do you really need 100 listings?</h2> <p>Helpful members on the Etsy forums often suggest 100 items as a baseline, but I think that’s overkill for a lot of shops. If you’ve got a unique, specific product that doesn’t have a lot of competition (in my shop’s case, that’d be my plush bettas) you can get found for that one thing just fine. In more saturated markets, like jewelry, it seems like you really can’t have too many listings.</p> <p>You should, however, aim to fill up your front page. That means <strong>posting a minimum of 20 items</strong>. If there’s a magic number to Etsy listings, it’s at least 20.</p> <p>(But don’t feel like you need to stop at 20 – aiming for 50, 75, 100, can only help).</p> <p>Having lots of stuff on offer makes your shop look like a well-maintained, happening place, and customers like that. No one wants to send $20, $50, $100+ into a sketchy-looking place.</p> <h2>What won’t work</h2> <p><strong>Don’t make the listings identical</strong>. You’re going to have to vary the tags, titles, descriptions, and photos of every listing you post. It won’t do you much good to have two small red ceramic bowls, but having a blue large ceramic bowl and a small red ceramic bowl = twice the chances to capture the bowl buyers.</p> <p><strong>Don’t worry too much about timing, just get ’em up</strong>. I added my 20 new listings over the course of three days and I saw no difference in the time of day posted. If there’s some magical time to post a new thing, I didn’t find it.</p> <h1><strong>Etsy Shop Before</strong></h1> <p>Before its makeover, the case study Etsy shop looked like this. (I think a tumbleweed just bounced through.)</p> <blockquote><p>“But I offer 400 fabric choices! If only people would find me…”</p></blockquote> <div id="attachment_1312" style="width: 668px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover.jpg"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1312" class=" wp-image-1312 " src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover.jpg" alt="weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover" width="658" height="559" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover.jpg 1028w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover-300x255.jpg 300w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/weird_little_friends_etsy_shop_makeover-1024x870.jpg 1024w" sizes="(max-width: 658px) 100vw, 658px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1312" class="wp-caption-text">(Those little round guys are known as grubs, and the bettas are, well, bettas. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> )</p></div> <h2>My Etsy Shop Mistakes</h2> <p>The shop was sparse for a few reasons, which I now realize were <em>big</em> <em>mistakes</em> in my original shop strategy:</p> <ol> <li><strong>I thought customers would want to customize the product</strong>, so I showed it once and told them how to choose a custom fabric</li> <li><strong>I only sell two plush designs</strong>, wouldn’t it be weird to list a ton of the “same” thing?</li> <li><strong>I was cheap</strong> and didn’t want to spend $4 when I could spend 20 cents!</li> </ol> <p>My hundreds of fabric choices are packed with keywords: flowers, pirates, skulls, rainbows, hearts, you name it, <strong>but my items are generic</strong>. I wasn’t capturing <strong>any</strong> of those searches! People looking for a “pirate plush” wouldn’t land on my customizable grub and think “oh, I want this with pirate fabric”.</p> <p>These were big Etsy mistakes that I didn’t realize I was making until I started <a href="/top-selling-etsy-shops-handmade-2014/">dissecting successful shops</a>.<strong> Successful Etsy shops list a TON of similar-looking things!</strong></p> <p><strong>Are you selling a customizable product?</strong> You should list those variations <em>separately.</em></p> <p>If your thing can be made with “rubies” or “diamonds”, make two listings. You’ll catch searchers looking for “rubies” with the first listing, and searchers looking for “diamonds” with the second.</p> <p>It’s okay to mention that the item can be customized, but listing them separately will bring way more traffic for a much bigger variety of key words.</p> <h1>Adding More Stuff to the Etsy Case Study Shop</h1> <p>Before I could add 20 items to this shop, though, I had to do a few things:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Have 20 variations of a product on hand</strong> (fortunately, I already had plenty)</li> <li><strong>Photograph those 20 variations from 5+ angles each</strong> (this took about 3 hours – <a href="/simple-white-background-product-photography-setup/">here’s the $5 setup I used</a>)</li> <li><strong>Write listings for each of the new products </strong>(I copy/paste a template listing but I still write a unique opening blurb for each individual product)</li> <li><strong>Post each product to Etsy </strong></li> </ol> <p>This took me several hours start to finish – it ate up the majority of a Saturday.</p> <h1><strong>Etsy Shop After Adding More Listings</strong></h1> <p>Here’s the shop after the 20 items were added. The product hasn’t changed – but there are so many more keywords in this shop now.</p> <p>Now I’m going to get traffic for words like “pirate plush”, “strawberry plush”, “graffiti fabric”, and “pastel bubbles”.</p> <div id="attachment_1315" style="width: 668px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1.jpg"><img decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1315" class="wp-image-1315" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1.jpg" alt="How to get more Etsy traffic: fill that shop up! Here's our Etsy case study shop after its listings makeover." width="658" height="751" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1.jpg 1028w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1-262x300.jpg 262w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_appearance_after1-896x1024.jpg 896w" sizes="(max-width: 658px) 100vw, 658px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1315" class="wp-caption-text">Much better!</p></div> <p>Isn’t it pretty? This shop looks much more alive now, and customers can see all the lovely varieties of plush bugs available.</p> <h1><strong>Showing up in Etsy Search: Quantity and Variety</strong></h1> <p>So, did it work? Is there more search traffic now? Let’s take a look.</p> <p>Here’s the shop’s search data from February 2014.</p> <div id="attachment_1306" style="width: 790px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1306" class="size-full wp-image-1306" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before.png" alt="etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before" width="780" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before.png 780w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_before-300x150.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1306" class="wp-caption-text">Etsy lets you look back at earlier data, so it’s easy to compare “before” and “after” and see if major changes are having the effect you hoped they would. Here, we see that almost all the keywords being used to find my shop are related to bettas, even though I offer more than just plush fish.</p></div> <p>In February, 21 people came to my shop by searching for these key words. Most of my traffic comes from key words about bettas and fish. That’s good – since I do actually sell plush bettas.</p> <p>But it’s not helping people find my grubs. Grubs are kind of weird. Most people don’t search for “plush grub”. However, people who see grubs in real life usually love them and I’ve sold them for years to friends and co-workers. Getting them to show up in search is trickier.</p> <h2>Are your products weird or hard to describe?</h2> <p>Try to find other ways to bring customers to your product by using more common phrases.</p> <p>No one searches for “grub”, but they might search for “plush bee”.</p> <p>By listing a big variety of grubs, I can now use words like “yellow” and “snowboard” – these words are relevant to my product, and to searchers. Imagine someone searching for a cute gift for a snowboard-loving girlfriend. A snowboarding-themed grub could be perfect! That’s the kind of buyer I need to reach.</p> <p>For tips on writing listing names, see <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Part 2 of our Etsy Case Study</a>.</p> <h1>Results: How’d It Do?</h1> <p>Here’s my favorite part of the Etsy case study: <strong>finding out what works!</strong></p> <p>Here’s a snapshot of the shop’s stats 3 weeks after adding the 20 new listings.</p> <div id="attachment_1307" style="width: 790px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after1.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1307" class="wp-image-1307 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after1.png" alt="etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after" width="780" height="390" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after1.png 780w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_case_study_shop_stats_after1-300x150.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1307" class="wp-caption-text">Big difference: 2 pages of keywords, and much more variety within those keywords!</p></div> <p> </p> <p>Big improvement. Now I have a full 2 pages of search terms, and much more variety in those terms (ie: it’s not all plush fish anymore).</p> <p>I waited another 2 weeks and checked my Etsy stats again:</p> <div id="attachment_1549" style="width: 784px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_search_terms_keywords_study_part4_more_etsy_traffic.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1549" class="wp-image-1549 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_search_terms_keywords_study_part4_more_etsy_traffic.jpg" alt="How to get more Etsy traffic: vary your titles and tags so you capture a wider variety of searches." width="774" height="371" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_search_terms_keywords_study_part4_more_etsy_traffic.jpg 774w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_search_terms_keywords_study_part4_more_etsy_traffic-300x143.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 774px) 100vw, 774px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1549" class="wp-caption-text">5 pages of search terms?! I’ll take ’em!</p></div> <p>It should be pretty plain by now: more listings = more ways for shoppers to find you.</p> <h2>Effect on Sales</h2> <p>Alas, I didn’t make any sales in this time. More traffic is always welcome, but it’s definitely frustrating to be a new seller not selling any products. I’ll explore more ways to promote the shop and how to experiment with pricing to make sales in future posts (and I’ll share an update when sales do start picking up).</p> <h2>Tags are Important</h2> <p>You might notice that “kawaii plush” is my second most traffic-pulling keyword. I only thought of this tag recently – just two weeks ago – and it’s already my #2 keyword. Tagging matters so much. <a href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">Check out the tagging portion of this Etsy case study for more help with tags</a>.</p> <h1>Increase in Etsy Feed Activity</h1> <p>Another interesting thing that happened: people started adding my items to their favorites! It was slow at first: a couple favorites right after posting new listings, but then it started to snowball. By the end of this 5-week traffic experiment (as this post goes live), I’m now getting one or two new favorites <strong>a day</strong>.</p> <p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_shop_case_study_feed.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1313" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_shop_case_study_feed.png" alt="etsy_shop_case_study_feed" width="702" height="828" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_shop_case_study_feed.png 702w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/etsy_shop_case_study_feed-254x300.png 254w" sizes="(max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px" /></a></p> <p> </p> <h1>Next Up: Shop Promotion</h1> <p>Obviously, this shop is still in its infancy (but that’s why the case study is so exciting! You guys get to learn this stuff along with me :). But it’s getting real search traffic, favorites, and interest from real people on Etsy.</p> <p>In the next part of this case study, I’ll explore a few of the most common ways to promote your Etsy shop <strong>outside of Etsy</strong> and I’ll share the results right here. Stay tuned.</p> <p><em>PS: I realize that talking about the shop here on DIYCraft may be drawing traffic, too. That’s why the tagging and listing experiments were done before these posts went live. If you like my plushies or just want to see how I’ve set up my shop, please feel free to visit all you like. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> </em></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>10</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>How to Use Etsy Tags: 13 chances to woo a buyer – Etsy Case Study: Part 3</title> <link>/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/</link> <comments>/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 21 Apr 2014 09:10:41 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy Case Study]]></category> <category><![CDATA[etsy tags]]></category> <category><![CDATA[how to use etsy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[tutorial]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1504</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to Part 3 of our Etsy case study, where we build an Etsy shop and share all the details right here! DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study Part 1: Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop Part 2: Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles Part 3: How to use Etsy Tags (You are here!) Part 4: Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings Part...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">Read More</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_case_study_part3_using_etsy_tags.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1520 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_case_study_part3_using_etsy_tags.jpg" alt="How to use Etsy tags to attract targeted buyers to your shop - Etsy Case Study Part 3" width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_case_study_part3_using_etsy_tags.jpg 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_case_study_part3_using_etsy_tags-300x148.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a></p> <p>Welcome to Part 3 of our Etsy case study, where we build an Etsy shop and share all the details right here!</p> <p><strong>DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Part 1:</strong> <a href="/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/">Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop</a></li> <li><strong>Part 2:</strong> <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles</a></li> <li><strong>Part 3:</strong> How to use Etsy Tags<em> (You are here!)</em></li> <li><strong>Part 4:</strong> <a href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings</a></li> <li><strong>Part 5:</strong> Marketing Your Etsy Shop Outside of Etsy <em> (Coming soon)</em></li> </ul> <p>Last week we showed you <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">how to write effective, search friendly Etsy listing titles</a>. This week, we’re going to <strong>decode the secrets of Etsy tags</strong>.</p> <p>Knowing how to use Etsy tags is an easy and effective way to bring more visitors and buyers to your Etsy shop, so we’re going to dissect tags and write some of our own.</p> <h1>What are Etsy tags?</h1> <p>Tags are words you write and attach to each of your Etsy listings. You get 13 Etsy tags total.</p> <h1>How can Etsy tags help me get more sales?</h1> <p><strong>Tags determine which search results YOUR STUFF appears in.</strong></p> <p>If you only gave your items a couple generic tags, you probably aren’t showing up in a lot of searches. If you’re wondering why you aren’t getting much traffic from Etsy’s on-site search engine, poor tagging might be to blame.</p> <p>When I was first setting up my shop, I just slapped in a couple one-word tags in my mad scramble to get the listing live so the sales could start rolling in. (Spoiler: the sales didn’t roll in.) Once I revamped my tags, I went from getting maybe one or two favorites a week to getting a few <strong>a day</strong>.</p> <h2>The Magic of “Targeted Traffic”</h2> <p>Which is better?</p> <p><strong>A)</strong> 1,000 visitors but no one’s interested in what you’re selling</p> <p><strong>B)</strong> 2 visitors and they both want what you’re selling</p> <p>Of course it’s <strong>B</strong>! <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p> <p>Visitors who want what you are selling are “targeted” shoppers, and well-written Etsy tags bring them to your shop. The next section will teach you how to write Etsy tags that bring in targeted traffic.</p> <h1>How should I write my Etsy tags?</h1> <h2>Rule 1: Be Specific</h2> <p>The more specific your tags are, the more likely your visitors are ready to make a purchase. Someone searching for “earrings” could have anything in mind; someone searching for “silver hoop earring” is much closer to making a purchase (as soon as they find the right item).</p> <p><span style="color: #000000;">The more words a searcher is using, the better they understand what they are looking for. </span></p> <p>Consider the differences:</p> <ul> <li><strong>rolling pin</strong> vs. <strong>embossed rolling pin</strong></li> <li><strong>hat</strong> vs. <strong>Firefly Jayne hat</strong></li> <li><strong>embroidery font</strong> vs. <strong>cute embroidery font</strong></li> </ul> <p>The person who searched for “Firefly Jayne hat” practically has his/her wallet out!</p> <p>YOUR tags should be like the latter. Use multiple words.</p> <p>Vague terms are for shoppers who don’t know what they want yet. These people are just browsing. That’s fine, but you want the ones who are ready to buy.</p> <h2>Rule 2: Use 2-3 word tags (long tail keywords)</h2> <p>Remember also that you are just one seller in a sea of millions. If you tag your item “earrings”, well, I’ve got sad news for you – so did a million other people! You’ll never land on the first page for a search query like “earrings”.</p> <p>No, you’re much better off tagging it as a “silver hoop earring”. There’s a good chance you can make it to page 1 for such a specific phrase – and you can dominate it, showing up for every single person who types that search string. (In SEO, this is often referred to as using <em>long-tail keywords</em>.)</p> <p>Another example: everyone’s selling “car decals”, but you’re selling “zombie family car decals”. If everyone’s selling “pink scarves”, that’s okay, because you’ve got a “Crocheted Pinkie Pie infinity scarf”. You get the idea!</p> <h2>Rule 3: Think Like a Shopper</h2> <p>“Think like a shopper” means:</p> <ul> <li>Call it what your customers would call it</li> <li>Use common terms</li> <li>Use synonyms</li> </ul> <p>It might be really tempting to name all of your items cleverly. Naming your bracelets “Rosa”, “Emily”, “Olivia”, etc is cute, but it doesn’t work on Etsy. Not in tags or titles, anyway. (As a creator of “named” plushies, this was a painful lesson I learned the hard way.)</p> <p>Buyers don’t know your naming scheme, they just know a general description of what they want. Buyers will type “long pearl necklace”, so meet your buyers where they are and use their language.</p> <p> </p> <h2>Rule 4: Use Etsy’s search preview</h2> <p>See that Etsy search bar? It’s full of clues as to which search queries are <em>actually</em> being used by customers.</p> <p>It’s almost Easter, so let’s look for an “Easter dress”. I type “Easter dress” into search but Ety’s all like, wait up a minute! Did you mean<em> toddler, baby girl, pattern, for girls, 3t, infant, for women…? </em> This is tag-writing <strong>gold! </strong></p> <p>I now include as many “tested” tags as I can for every item I list. These are terms shoppers are using – you should use them, too.</p> <p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1508" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags.jpg" alt="etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags" width="425" height="370" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags.jpg 425w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_search_example_how_to_find_ideas_for_etsy_tags-300x261.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px" /></a></p> <h2>Rule 5: Use synonyms (and find a helper)</h2> <p>After years of thinking of my plushies as “grubs”, I was surprised when a friend held one for the first time and exclaimed, “It’s a flea!”.</p> <p>My husband thinks they look like whales with extra feet.</p> <p>My mom thinks they’re just weird.</p> <p>The point of this story: <strong>ask someone else to describe your item! </strong></p> <p>Find someone who doesn’t know your business very well, drop the thing into their hands, and ask them to describe it. I guarantee they’ll come up with descriptive phrases you’ve <em>never</em> thought of.</p> <p>If you’re running out of tag ideas, start using synonyms. Gold and brass are similar in color; many shoppers don’t know the difference between crotchet and knit; ceramics and pottery are the same thing, whales and narwhals have a lot in common, etc.</p> <h2>Rule 6: Use all the tags</h2> <p>This one’s a no-brainer, but since every tag is an opportunity to show up in search you really want to use all of them. Resort to synonyms if you need to.</p> <h2>Rule 7: Vary your tags</h2> <p>Don’t use the same tags for everything. Focus your tags on what is unique about each of your listings. If your shop is using just 20 unique tags total, you’re far less likely to show up in searches than if you are using 200 unique tags total.</p> <p>Tags can be confusing to Etsy newcomers because they seem to repeat what’s already in the title and description (especially if <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">you wrote an attention-grabbing listing title</a>).</p> <h1>Let’s practice tagging!</h1> <p>Okay, with all this in mind, let’s invent some hypothetical Etsy listing items and tag ’em.</p> <p><strong>Example 1:</strong> You’ve made a Doctor Who “Tardis” cross stitch pattern and you’re ready to sell it on Etsy. (Can you guess what I’ve been looking for on Etsy lately? :D)</p> <p>Good tags for your new pattern would include:</p> <ol> <li><strong>Doctor Who</strong></li> <li><strong>cross stitch pattern</strong></li> <li><strong>Tardis</strong></li> <li><strong>Tardis cross stitch pattern</strong></li> <li><strong>The Doctor</strong> <— Even if your pattern features just the famous blue box, your product is likely to appeal to people searching for other terms related to the show</li> <li><strong>Whovian</strong> <— If your product is part of a fandom, feel free to tag it as such!</li> <li><strong>embroidery pattern</strong> <— Use any and all synonyms that might apply</li> <li><strong>Whovian embroidery </strong><— Again, it’s okay to repeat key terms</li> <li><strong>Doctor Who pattern</strong></li> <li><strong>geeky cross stitch</strong></li> <li><strong>easy cross stitch <</strong>— Think of your product from an entirely new angle. How about difficulty level?</li> <li><strong>Your name <— </strong>Use your own real life name or shop name as a tag, whichever is at the core of your branding</li> <li><strong>Your shop name</strong> <— Use your own real life name or shop name as a tag, whichever is at the core of your branding</li> </ol> <p>See how much we are recycling some terms? That’s okay. Re-using the most relevant terms helps make your item even more relevant for those tags, and captures variations in searches around that word.</p> <p><em>Psst: For some real Doctor Who cross stitch patterns, visit <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeekyStitches?ref=l2-shopheader-name">GeekyStitches’s Etsy shop</a> – I had so much fun browsing her shop while researching this part of the Etsy case study!</em></p> <p><strong>Example 2:</strong> Let’s sell a finished product this time: a simple ceramic bowl. How much can you really say about a ceramic bowl?</p> <ol> <li><strong>Bowl</strong></li> <li><strong>Home decor </strong></li> <li><strong>Handmade pottery <—</strong> What else is it?</li> <li><strong>Ceramic bowl <— </strong>“Pottery” and “Ceramic” are two different words that mean largely the same thing to searchers</li> <li><strong>Glazed bowl</strong></li> <li><strong>Pasta bowl <— </strong>Think “what would this thing be used for?”</li> <li><strong>Fruit bowl <strong><— </strong></strong>What else might this thing be used for?</li> <li><strong>Wheel thrown pottery</strong></li> <li><strong>Red bowl</strong></li> <li><strong>Food bowl</strong></li> <li><strong>Large serving bowl</strong></li> <li><strong>Shallow bowl</strong> <— Describe its properties!</li> <li><strong>Your name</strong> <— Using your own name ties your items together and helps people who know you by name find your products</li> <li><strong>Your shop name <—</strong> Reinforce your branding by using your shop name as a tag</li> </ol> <p>Turns out, you <em>can</em> say a lot about a simple bowl! Tags should reference materials, creation processes, purpose of item, uses for item, and physical description. Try to cover your item from multiple angles.</p> <p><em>Psst: For some really special handmade bowls, check out <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/AderoWillard?ref=l2-shopheader-name">AderoWillard’s shop on Etsy</a>, who I also discovered while researching this article!</em></p> <p><strong>PS: Don’t misuse tags.</strong> There’s no sense tagging your chevron pillowcase “Super Bowl 2014” . You might show up in more searches, but your people searching for “super bowl 2014” won’t be interested in your pillowcase and Etsy frowns upon tag abuse.</p> <h1>Tagging the Etsy Case Study listings</h1> <p>Time for me to put this new knowledge to use in the Etsy case study shop. I didn’t always do a great job of tagging my own Etsy items.</p> <p>Here’s my “before”:</p> <div id="attachment_1510" style="width: 674px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_tags_before.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1510" class="wp-image-1510 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_tags_before.jpg" alt="How to use Etsy tags. My "before" tags left much to be desired." width="664" height="98" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_tags_before.jpg 664w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/etsy_tags_before-300x44.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 664px) 100vw, 664px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1510" class="wp-caption-text">My Etsy tags “before”: I wasn’t using all the tags available to me, and I could have been capturing a wider variety of search terms.</p></div> <p>And here’s my enlightened “after”:</p> <div id="attachment_1514" style="width: 659px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plush_bug_etsy_tag_example1.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1514" class="wp-image-1514 size-full" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plush_bug_etsy_tag_example1.jpg" alt="How to use Etsy tags: use all the tags, use a variety of descriptive words, write multi word tags." width="649" height="150" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plush_bug_etsy_tag_example1.jpg 649w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/plush_bug_etsy_tag_example1-300x69.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 649px) 100vw, 649px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1514" class="wp-caption-text">My Etsy tags “after”: More synonyms, longer tags, and greater word variety. Oh, and I actually used all 13 available tags!</p></div> <p>Much better.</p> <h1>Even MORE help with Etsy tags</h1> <p><strong>Another tag tip:</strong> Spy on your fellow crafters!</p> <p>No, not <em>steal</em> – just take a look at how similar items are tagged from shops that are succeeding on Etsy.</p> <p>I sell plush bugs, so I searched for “Plush Bug” and clicked an item at random. Scroll to the bottom of the listing page to see the tags:</p> <p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tags_felted_ladybug.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1511" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tags_felted_ladybug.jpg" alt="tags_felted_ladybug" width="948" height="159" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tags_felted_ladybug.jpg 948w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/04/tags_felted_ladybug-300x50.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 948px) 100vw, 948px" /></a></p> <p>Jackpot!</p> <ul> <li><strong>Did you notice the “Easter gift” and “Easter basket” tags?</strong> This shop owner is probably changing some of their tags to match seasonal demands. Smart!</li> <li><strong>“Felt toy” and “wool toy”</strong> are good examples of smart synonym use</li> <li><strong>“Ladybug theme”</strong> is interesting because the item is literally a felt ladybug, but someone interested in ladybugs as a larger theme might not know they want a plush, just a ladybug… of some kind.</li> </ul> <p><em>Psst: The cute <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/183109434/ladybug-felted-toy-natural-toy-for?ref=sr_gallery_15&ga_search_query=plush+bug&ga_ship_to=US&ga_ref=auto1&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery">felted ladybug featured in this example is from BossysFeltworks’s shop</a>.</em></p> <p><strong>More tag tips</strong></p> <ul> <li>Read what <a href="https://blog.etsy.com/en/2011/make-your-shop-more-relevant/">the Etsy blog has to say about tags</a></li> <li>Take a <a href="https://www.etsy.com/teams/search/?search_query=relevancy&sort=relevancy&search_type=teams&ref=teams_search">look at the “relevancy” teams on Etsy</a>. (Yes, there are Etsy teams dedicated to helping your products get seen!)</li> </ul> <h1>Go forth and tag your Etsy items!</h1> <p>You’ll have to practice a bit before you can just bang out tags like a boss. Go ahead and re-tag one of your listings with all of this in mind:</p> <ol> <li>Be specific</li> <li>Write two- and three-word tags</li> <li>Think like a shopper</li> <li>Test the usage of search phrases in Etsy’s search bar</li> <li>Use synonyms</li> <li>Use all the tags</li> <li>Use different tags for each item you list</li> </ol> <p>Remember, you can edit a listing’s tags without re-incurring the listing fee.</p> <p>Re-tag your items and then <a href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">check out Part 4 </a>for tips on driving more traffic to your Etsy shop. And if you read this far, thank you! I hope you found this exhaustive guide to tags helpful. If you spot an error or have an even better tagging idea, please leave a comment and say hello. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>12</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Naming and Opening Your Etsy Shop – Etsy Case Study: Part 1</title> <link>/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/</link> <comments>/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/#comments</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[M. Johnson]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Mon, 07 Apr 2014 16:45:49 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Business & Marketing]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[etsy]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy Case Study]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Etsy Shop]]></category> <category><![CDATA[naming]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">/?p=1331</guid> <description><![CDATA[Welcome to part 1 of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing Etsy shop case study! We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here! DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study Part 1: Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop (You are here!) Part 2: Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles Part 3: Tagging your Etsy Listings Part 4: Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More...</p><p><a class="more-link" href="/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/">Read More</a></p>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_11.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1344" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_11.png" alt="DIYCraftPhotography's Etsy Case Study: PART 1: Naming and Opening Your Etsy Shop" width="735" height="364" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_11.png 735w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_case_study_part_11-300x148.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 735px) 100vw, 735px" /></a></span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Welcome to</span><strong style="line-height: 1.5em;"> part 1</strong><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"> of DIYCraftPhotography’s ongoing <em>Etsy shop case study!</em> We’re building an Etsy shop and sharing all the details right here!</span></p> <p><strong>DIYCraftPhotography’s Etsy Case Study</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Part 1:</strong> Naming & Opening Your Etsy Shop <em>(You are here!)</em></li> <li><strong>Part 2:</strong> <a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Writing Searchable Etsy Listing Titles</a><em> </em></li> <li><strong>Part 3:</strong> <a href="/how-to-use-etsy-tags-etsy-case-study-part-3/">Tagging your Etsy Listings</a></li> <li><strong>Part 4:</strong> <a href="/how-to-get-more-etsy-traffic-how-many-listings/">Increasing Etsy Search Traffic with More Listings</a></li> <li><strong>Part 5:</strong> Marketing Your Etsy Shop Outside of Etsy (Case study underway…check back soon)</li> </ul> <p>In this first post of the series we’re going to explore the steps of opening a new Etsy shop.</p> <h1>Are you Ready to Open an Etsy Shop?</h1> <p>Most of us old-timers just jumped feet-first into Etsy. We picked a shop name on a whim, threw a poorly lit photo (or five) into the shop, and crossed our fingers. This worked pretty well… in 2006. Don’t feel like you missed the boat – it’s <strong>still</strong> a good time to get into Etsy. The Internet isn’t “filling up” and there’s more people looking for handmade every day. It’s just a little harder to stand out. Are you ready to open an Etsy shop? If you can answer “yes” to most or all of these questions, you’re ready to open an Etsy shop.</p> <h2>Things to Know & Do Before Opening Your Etsy Shop</h2> <p><strong>Do you have 10-15 products ready to photograph and list?</strong> It’s okay if some of the 10-15 listings are variations on the same product, the point is to make your shop look full. If you have 10-15 products that can be described with different words and phrases, you’re ready to go.</p> <p><strong>Can you take good photographs of your products? </strong> A smartphone camera or a point and shoot camera is enough to get started with. The simplest photo shoot for your crafts: daytime lighting, simple camera, and a sheet of white poster board or a plain wall for the background. For help taking great photos of your products, check out our <a href="/simple-white-background-product-photography-setup/">Under-$5 DIY White Background Photography Setup</a> and our <a href="/table-top-photo-studio-kit-reviews/">Table Top Photo Studio Kit Reviews</a>.</p> <p><strong>Are your products ready to go?</strong> If your product takes a while to make (dry times, etc), do you have some on hand, ready to ship?</p> <p><strong>Do you have the mailing supplies you’ll need to ship customer orders?</strong> You’ll probably need boxes or bubble mailers, clear tape, and something to print an address label. I make plushies, so I like to double-bag everything I ship: one plastic bag tightly around the product itself inside a water-resistant mailing envelope.</p> <div id="attachment_1337" style="width: 586px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/grub_order.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1337" class=" wp-image-1337" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/grub_order.jpg" alt="grub_order" width="576" height="409" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/grub_order.jpg 960w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/grub_order-300x212.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1337" class="wp-caption-text">Packing and shipping orders can be a job itself!</p></div> <p><strong>Can you reliably recreate a made-to-order item? </strong> If your product is made to order, are you able to recreate that first one you used for the photo?</p> <p><strong>Will you be able to fulfill customers orders in a reasonable amount of time?</strong> If someone buys a custom order tomorrow, will you be able to sit down and make it in the next week or so?</p> <p><strong>Do you have a general idea of what your shop should look like? </strong> You’ll want to use a consistent logo, typeface, and visual theme throughout your shop. You can always “re-brand” later, but don’t start without a sense of shop style. Not sure how to get started branding your shop? Choose two words that describe you and your products:</p> <ul> <li>“cute and pastel”</li> <li>“gothic and elegant”</li> <li>“old-world and magical”</li> <li>“rustic and charming”</li> </ul> <p>Type those words into Google Image Search and see what comes up. If you’ve never attempted graphic design before, expect to spend a few hours trying things out with text and image placement.</p> <p>Despite what some professional graphic designers might try tell you, you can DIY this part too.<strong> It’s completely possible for you to develop an aesthetic for your shop and create a good-looking banner on your own. </strong>After all, you know your shop’s “look and feel” better than anyone else.</p> <p>Of course, you shouldn’t just take the first thing you come up with – graphic designers spend time developing a vision for a project or website, and you’ll probably go through several iterations yourself. If you need inspiration try to mimic the typefaces, colors, and design elements you find when you search for your terms. You’ll get ideas by looking at what others have made (nobody works in a vacuum, after all), and as you work, you’ll develop a design that suits your store.</p> <p>In short, don’t let a lack of graphic design background hold you back. Some of the most successful Etsy shops are using simple banners that didn’t come from a graphic designer’s portfolio. (If you aren’t happy with what you’re coming up with, try <a href="https://www.fiverr.com/search/gigs?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_in=everywhere&query=etsy+banners&page=1&layout=auto">Fiverr</a> or <a href="https://www.etsy.com/search?q=etsy%20banners">Etsy</a> for designers.)</p> <p><strong>Related</strong>: <a href="/5-best-apps-free-photo-editing-online-2013/">5 best web apps for free photo editing</a></p> <p><strong>Do you know how much it’s going to cost to ship your item?</strong> Etsy will ask you what it costs to ship your item and can even help you print shipping labels, but you’ll need to know how much your item weighs and how much it costs to ship wherever it’s going. Shipping outside of the US is pricey – my 4oz plushies typically ship from the US to Europe for around $10. To find out shipping costs, the surest way is to package up one of your products, take it to your local post office, and ask the clerk: “How much to ship this to <em>name of furthest away state</em>?” and “How much to the UK?”. They’ll weigh your package and tell you.</p> <p><strong>Do you have several hours to dedicate to the set-up of your shop?</strong> It’s easy to open a shop, but so much <em>stuff</em> goes into creating a shop it’s easy to underestimate the time it’ll take to get fully up and running. Creating banners, listings, writing policies and your own profile will take a few hours.</p> <p><strong>Are you prepared to market your items? </strong> Setting up a shop and stocking it with items is half the battle (at best). Most of the work will be in marketing – blogging, tweeting, pinning, getting in touch with other artisans. Your marketing strategy will become critical to your shop’s long-term success. Don’t panic – this work is ongoing and gradual, you don’t need to worry about it upfront. Just know that you’ll have to do it for long-term success.</p> <p><strong>Are you ready to think like a business owner? </strong> Pricing, marketing, inventory, answering customer questions – your craft business is just that, a business.</p> <h1>Choosing an Etsy Shop Name</h1> <p>If you’ve been agonizing over The Perfect Name for your Etsy shop, you were right to do so! Your shop’s name is <em>incredibly</em> important!</p> <p>Your shop name will appear in your shop’s URL and all over Etsy:</p> <p><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-1396 alignnone" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here.jpg" alt="your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here" width="417" height="33" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here.jpg 417w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/your_etsy_shop_name_goes_here-300x23.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 417px) 100vw, 417px" /></a></p> <p>If you talk about your shop with people you meet in real life, <strong>you’ll have to say your shop’s name out loud (a lot)</strong>. You’ll print it on <strong>business cards</strong> and <strong>mailing labels</strong>.You may even <strong>hang it over your craft fair booth</strong>. No wonder you’re having a hard time naming your shop. (</p> <p>Maybe you’ve always known what you would call your shop and the name is completely available – that’s awesome, go ahead and register it! This section is for the rest of us. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> )</p> <p><strong>The name you choose for your Etsy shop should be:</strong></p> <p><strong>Original: </strong>Definitely<em> don’t</em> copy another shop or existing brand (but you knew that already). You don’t want to get hit with a cease and desist two years from now when your shop is humming along and everyone knows you by that name.</p> <ul> <li><strong>Google the name</strong> – Is anyone else using it? Do they look well-established? If so, avoid this name.</li> <li><strong>Check if the domain name (yourshopname.com) is available.</strong> I use <a href="http://www.dynadot.com/">dynadot.com</a> for checking and registering domains. Unless it’s available for $9.99, move on. Brokerage services to secure “premium domains” start around $70 and the domains themselves can cost <em>thousands of dollars.</em></li> <li><strong>Is the name available on social networks?</strong> Check Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc.</li> </ul> <p>If the name passes all of those tests, it’s probably safe to say it’s original.</p> <div id="attachment_1398" style="width: 486px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pterodactyl_teapots.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1398" class="wp-image-1398 " src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pterodactyl_teapots.png" alt="pterodactyl_teapots" width="476" height="342" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pterodactyl_teapots.png 680w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/pterodactyl_teapots-300x215.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 476px) 100vw, 476px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1398" class="wp-caption-text">Checking “pterodactyl teapots” – looks pretty open as far as brands go.</p></div> <p><strong>Brief: </strong>Your shop name should be 3 distinct words or less (give or take). Long names are harder to remember and can be tougher to design logos for. Don’t rely on abbreviation, either – you want people to learn the full name and so they can search for it and recognize it. Also: Twitter limits your name to 15 characters. My shop name is too long for Twitter – <em>booo!</em></p> <p><strong>Memorable:</strong> What Etsy shop names do you know by heart? Do you think you remember them because they’re clever, poignant, made you laugh, or some other reason? Capturing the same for your own name is tricky, but worth trying for.</p> <p><strong>Spelling Counts:</strong> In my above example I chose “pterodactyl teapots”, but pterodactyl can be a difficult word to spell unless you know about the whole “pt” thing. Try to avoid misspelling a common word – you’ll forever be saying <em>“That’s ‘<strong>creations’</strong> with a ‘<strong>k</strong>‘” </em>when you tell people your shop name.</p> <p><strong>On Brand: </strong>A name that’s “on brand” fits the shop’s aesthetic and products. A name that is “off brand” clashes with the products. Figuring out whether a name is on brand or not is a good time to find an outsider’s perspective. Ask a friend what they think of when they hear the name you’re considering. If your friend says “kids’ toys” and you’re selling bunny slippers, it might not be a good match. Branding is super important, so here’s an example before we move on. Let’s say you sell handmade chocolate teapots. Good shop names might include “AfterDarkTeapots”, “CocoaBeanTea”, or “TheMidnightPour”. Names like “WinterFrostJewelry” or “SparklingJadeScarves” wouldn’t fit a shop selling chocolate teapots.</p> <p><b>Descriptive but not restrictive</b><strong>:</strong> A good shop name describes your products <em>and</em> lets you expand your product line (logically) without requiring a wholesale rebranding. Let’s say you’re still selling handmade chocolate teapots. You’ve decided to expand your product line. “Teapots” is still a logical word for a shop that now includes chocolate tea sets and chocolate teabags, and all the terms pertaining to “chocolate” still work (even if they’re a bit of a stretch) for white chocolate and raspberry chocolate teapots.</p> <div id="attachment_1339" style="width: 260px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cadbury_chocolate_teapot.jpg"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1339" class="size-full wp-image-1339" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cadbury_chocolate_teapot.jpg" alt="cadbury_chocolate_teapot" width="250" height="250" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cadbury_chocolate_teapot.jpg 250w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/cadbury_chocolate_teapot-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1339" class="wp-caption-text">A real life “chocolate teapot” by <a href="http://www.truffleshuffle.co.uk/store/cadburys-chocolate-teapot-p-6653.html">Cadbury</a></p></div> <p>But if your shop is named AfterDarkTeapots and you start adding scarves and organic makeup, the name isn’t going to fit. And that’s okay – because you can (and should) <strong>open a completely separate shop for those unrelated items</strong>.</p> <h2>Help with naming your Etsy shop</h2> <p>As if that wasn’t bad enough, Etsy only allows you to rename your shop once. Yikes! Did you come up with the <em>perfect</em> Etsy name only to find it’s already taken (probably by someone who isn’t even using it)? Talk about aggravating! Or maybe you thought “ChocolaTea” was perfect for your chocolate teapot shop, but then you saw a <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=chocolatea&oq=chocolatea&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.1896j0j4&sourceid=chrome&espv=210&es_sm=122&ie=UTF-8">bunch of brick and mortar tea shops</a> are already using it. <em>Boo hiss!</em> If all the good Etsy shop names are already taken, here’s some things to try: <strong>Play with a favorite phrase</strong> Puns, jokes, and popular sayings can make for good shop names. Going back to the chocolate teapot examples, “The Midnight Pour” is a play on “The Midnight Hour”. It’s silly, but it’s memorable and original (maybe). <strong>Put a bird on it</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="line-height: 1.5em;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bird.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-1335 alignright" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bird.png" alt="bird" width="204" height="182" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bird.png 425w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/bird-300x267.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px" /></a>I know, it sounds funny (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=0XM3vWJmpfo">and it is</a>), but if you’re really stumped on an Etsy shop name try attaching a bird name. How does your shop name sound with “Finch”, “Sparrow”, or “Robin” added in somewhere?</span></p> <p style="text-align: left;">Also works with trees, flowers, fish…</p> <p><strong>Combine letters of your own name</strong> A decade ago I was frustrated by my name always being taken, so I combined letters from my first and last name to create “Majoh”, a moniker I still use and am usually able to find available on new social networks. <strong>Try Panabee</strong> <a href="http://www.panabee.com/">Panabee</a> is a free name generation tool. Just type in some words and see what it spits out. See your name idea with vowels merged, letters swapped, suffixes added. Look, “PotAChoc” is available! So is “Chocolapot”. Those are kinda cute, and I’d never have thought of them on my own.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/panabee_chocolate_teapot.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter wp-image-1332" src="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/panabee_chocolate_teapot.png" alt="panabee_chocolate_teapot" width="608" height="284" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/panabee_chocolate_teapot.png 1014w, /wp-content/uploads/2014/03/panabee_chocolate_teapot-300x140.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px" /></a></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Try something outrageous</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;">Your shop’s name doesn’t <em>have</em> to describe what you sell – lots of shops don’t, in fact. What if you worked “cuttlefish” into your shop name somehow? (If you do, show me! I love cuttlefish. <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f642.png" alt="🙂" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> )</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Don’t get too hung up on “the perfect name”</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;">Here’s a funny truth: a lot of top shops break the so-called “rules”. Head on over to <a href="http://craftcount.com/category.php?cat=3&subcat=3">craftcount.com</a> to see top shops by category – half of ’em have abstract names! Can you guess at what <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/TomBanwell">TomBanwell</a> or <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/owlsay">Owlsay</a> are selling from their name alone? I can’t – and it doesn’t even matter, because these are super successful shops with over 10,000 sales!</p> <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>Meditate on it</strong></p> <p style="text-align: left;">Take a break from thinking about your shop name and venture out into the world. Go for a walk through a new neighborhood, visit a new shop in town, or listen to some new music. Inspiration comes from all over, and often flows when you least expect it.</p> <h1>Filling out your Etsy “About” Profile</h1> <p>A good Etsy profile tells people who you are. A great Etsy profile enthralls visitors with your <em>story</em>. Oh, and it should also be professional yet personal, well-written yet not stiff, unique without being off-putting, and humorous if you can manage it. Easy, right? <img src="https://s.w.org/images/core/emoji/15.0.3/72x72/1f600.png" alt="😀" class="wp-smiley" style="height: 1em; max-height: 1em;" /> When you’re first setting up your shop, a brief blurb about yourself and your products is sufficient. You can always come back later to spruce it up. <strong>Your Etsy profile should include:</strong></p> <ol> <li><strong>A greeting.</strong> Say hello! Welcome visitors to your shop, and thank them for visiting.</li> <li><strong>Describe yourself.</strong> A sentence or two about who you are. Are you a 20-something? Mother of four? Old guy with a new hobby?</li> <li><strong>Talk about your process.</strong> When do you feel most creative? What inspired you to make what you make?</li> <li><strong>Describe your materials</strong>.</li> <li><strong>Answer common questions.</strong> What kind of paint is that? How long is your turnaround time?</li> <li><strong>Links to your social media profiles and your website. </strong></li> </ol> <p>Above all: Keep it brief and inject some personality into it!</p> <h1>Writing your Etsy Shop Policies</h1> <p>Etsy shop policies is a standalone section of your shop where you can detail your shop’s policies. This page tends to be a bit more dry and business-y, especially compared to the “about” profile. <strong>Here’s a cheat sheet for filling out your Etsy shop policies:</strong></p> <ul> <li><strong>Welcome:</strong> A brief description of you and your shop, with a link to your About page</li> <li><strong>Payment:</strong> Whether or not you accept PayPal (you should), if orders need to be paid in full before you ship (generally a good idea)</li> <li><strong>Shipping:</strong> Gift wrapping options, gift note options, details about your packing materials (sturdiness, recycled, etc), estimated ship times</li> <li><strong>Refunds and Exchanges:</strong> Length of time customer has to contact you in regards to complaints or concerns, a promise to resolve the issue (“on a case by case basis” is a good phrase to use here)</li> <li><strong>Additional Policies & FAQs:</strong> Custom orders, wholesale, disclaimers, whether your items are suitable for children</li> <li><strong>Seller information:</strong> Your name and address</li> </ul> <h1>Making an Etsy Banner</h1> <p>The process of making an Etsy banner is worthy of its own post – and many Etsy shops exist to sell custom banners if making a banner is entirely outside your skillset. If you’ve got at least a little bit of image editing savvy, you can copy the image below and make it yours with color fills, text, and photos. Or just make a new image at <strong>760 pixels wide by 100 pixels tall</strong>. <a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_banner_default_size.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-1338" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_banner_default_size.png" alt="etsy_banner_default_size" width="760" height="100" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_banner_default_size.png 760w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_banner_default_size-300x39.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 760px) 100vw, 760px" /></a> <strong>Your Etsy banner should include:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Your shop name</li> <li>Same typeface you use on your individual listing images</li> <li>Imagery that is representative of your items and/or brand</li> </ul> <h1>Choosing your Profile Picture</h1> <p>Your profile picture is like a <strong>little ambassador for your shop. </strong>It’s your likeness in the Etsy community. When you post in the forums, it’s the only thing people will see of your shop.</p> <ul> <li>Choose an item that looks good at a small size</li> <li>Avoid text unless you’re working with just a few letters.</li> <li>Generally, it’s best to put a product shot in your profile picture. Logos don’t usually grab interest the way a photo of a real product does.</li> </ul> <p>Here’s how profile pictures appear in the Etsy forums:</p> <div id="attachment_1399" style="width: 501px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><a href="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_forums.png"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-1399" class=" wp-image-1399" src="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_forums.png" alt="etsy_forums" width="491" height="609" srcset="/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_forums.png 702w, /wp-content/uploads/2015/03/etsy_forums-242x300.png 242w" sizes="(max-width: 491px) 100vw, 491px" /></a><p id="caption-attachment-1399" class="wp-caption-text">Choose a profile picture that entices visitors to click and learn about your shop.</p></div> <h1>Ready to go live!</h1> <p>You should now have a live Etsy shop, complete with perfect name, a banner, about page, and a policies page. In the next Etsy Case Study update we’ll show you <span style="text-decoration: underline;">how to post your first item and write a great listing title</span>.</p> <p><a href="/how-to-write-search-friendly-etsy-listing-titles/">Part 2 of the Etsy Case study is live! Read it here!</a></p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>/etsy-case-study-part-1-naming-and-opening-your-etsy-shop/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>8</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss> <!-- Performance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https://www.boldgrid.com/w3-total-cache/ Served from: diycraftphotography.local @ 2024-06-28 17:50:12 by W3 Total Cache -->