Etsy Shop SEO Success in Six Simple Steps, Part 2

continued from part 1

4. Optimize (SEO) Each Product Listing
The title of each product listing should contain at least one keyword phrase, such as, "Handmade Gemstone Necklace - (followed by more descriptive words). . . ".

Research the right keyword phrases for your product titles using Google's Free Keyword Research Tool, https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal, using the same techniques that you used to research the keywords for your shop title.

Here are a few sample product listings before and after SEO:

1.Note cards, Set of 2 - Red Vase with Flowers ---->
changed to ----> Watercolor Notecards – Floral - Red Vase with Flowers – 4 X 6, set of 2

2. Spring flowers in blue ---->
changed to ----> Watercolor Painting - Floral- Spring flowers in blue

3. Note cards, set of 2 - Fern Leaf in blue ---->
changed to ----> Watercolor Notecards – Floral - Fern Leaf in blue – 4 X 6, set of 2

4. ACEO - Red vase with asparagus fern ---->
changed to ---->ACEO Art Card - Red vase with asparagus fern
or changed to ---->ACEO Original Painting - Red vase with asparagus fern

Use the selected keyword phrase for each product listing at least once in the description of each listing.

Linking

5. Build Inbound Links
The last change you should make is to work on link popularity to move your shop up higher in the search results for your keywords. Search engines look at inbound links as "votes" for your Web site. Many high quality inbound links move a Web site up in the search engine rankings. The higher up your shop or web site appears in the rankings, the most visitors your shop will have and the more opportunities you have to make a sale.

Link to your main shop page and shop sections within each of your listings. You can see how this would look from this listing from my other shop on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=42286340. The text in this listing links back to the main shop page and other sections within my shop. You can also add links to your welcome text and your profile page and add links from the profile page and shop policy page to other pages within your shop.

Leave comments on the Etsy Storque articles and in the Etsy forums. Each comment you post is linked to your shop and that is also counted by the search engines.

Build inbound links outside of Etsy. This is a step in optimizing your shop that Etsy does not tell you about but which is critical to SEO.

If you have a blog, link to your shop from your blog as often as you can. Links like this help to move your shop up in the search engine rankings. It does take a few months of diligent link building work for the search engines to give you credit for all these links but so well worth the work. This is how to create a clickable link within the body of the blog text:

<a href="http://www.yourshopname.etsy.com" target="_blank">your primary or secondary or any other keyword phrase inserted here</a>

Replace the words above in bold with your shop name and the keywords for your shop. This is called a keyword text link and has more link value to your shop than a simple shop url link.

Check your link popularity in the Yahoo search engine every so often to get an idea of where your links are coming from and how they are building up. Do not check Google as Google only reports a small percentage of inbound links. Yahoo is the

In the Yahoo search bar, type in "http://yourshopname.etsy.com" (with quotes) and click on the Search button. You should see a page of information that looks like this:



You will see search results of all the places on the Web that link to your shop, including all the links within Etsy. Make note of the areas I highlighted in bright pink, such as the URL address in the search box and the total links reported on the left side.

Do Not: leave comments all over the blog world in hopes of building links to your shop. Most blogs have blocked the link value from being passed along the to link target. You can see blocked links clearly with the free Developers Tool Bar that can be installed on the Firefox browser. All blocked links show up as bright pink.

Do: build links from other blogs by sharing links with your friends. Exchange links this way only with trusted web sites and blogs.


6. Check the Search Engines Results Pages

Wait 2 - 7 days after making these changes before searching on Google or other search engine to see your shop come up in the search results for the keywords in your shop title and section names. Wait up to 2 weeks if you have a brand new shop on Etsy - give the search engines time to find your new shop. Search engines revisit web sites now and then to record new information. If there are a lot of competing web sites for these keywords, you might have to look through a few pages of search results to find your shop. Work on link building if you want your shop to move up in the search results to gain more views. Landing on the first page of search results for even a fairly popular search term is usually a huge boost in visitors and sales to your shop or any Web site.

You can read more about the two primary components of SEO, content and linking, on my blog here: http://seo-web-pro.blogspot.com/2010/02/why-we-do-what-we-do-in-seo.html.

Final Words
Search Engine Optimization is an ongoing process. Work hard at SEO and you will be rewarded with a large amount of Internet traffic visiting your Etsy shop - all free. Once you have reached where you would like your shop to be in the search results, continue working on link building. The competition on the top of the search results is always working to stay there and new Web sites are always working on getting to the top. You need to keep working to keep ahead of the competition.

Conduct new keyword research every few months to see how much your keywords are in use. Popular keyword phrases fall out of "style" and are replaced by new keyword phrases. Make changes to the keywords to your shop if you believe it is necessary. Keep working at SEO to be be found, be seen, and make more and more sales.

This guide ebook might contain terms you are not familiar with. I will be very happy to answer any questions or discuss anything that you need help with.

 

copyright@WingsDove Web Design Solutions. All rights reserved. The book is protected by intellectual copyright laws and may not be resold in it's entirety or in part or copied and sold as anyone else's' property.

Written by Mary
seowebdesign.etsy.com