Team SASsy Mini-critique - Tagging

Today we're starting a new series on the Team SASsy blog about mini critiques. These critiques will be on Etsy sellers who've volunteered to let me critique something specific in their shops and share it with all of you. My goal here is to focus on different topics and to provide information we can all learn from!

In this mini critique we're going to talk about tagging.

This is Paper Affection's shop which offers handmade origami jewelry and ornaments.

When looking through this shop, I decided that I'd look at the tags in the section with the most listings: Origami Ornaments.

Here are several tags this shop is using in the listings in this section:

• holidays
• christmas
• ornament
• decoration
• origami
• orange
• paper
• geometric
• small
• paperaffection
• star
• ball
• handmade
• metallic
• upcycled
• child safe

Here's what you've got going for you:

• You're using all 14 tags in each listing - more ways to be found
• You use descriptive tags such as specific colors, styles, size - people generally search for something specific

Here's what I suggest you improve on:

• combine appropriate tags - For example: christmas ornament or paper decoration. This will free up an extra tag for you to use.
• get rid of tags that people probably aren't searching for - Example: child safe
• don't use your shop name in every listing - This is fine to do in some listings in case people what to find your shop, but you don't have to do it every time. Same goes with Etsy team names.
• switch up your main category - For example, alternate use of paper goods and holidays.

Homework:

1. Open a Word document for each shop section. In this shops case it would be titled, Origami Ornaments.
2. Format your document to have 4-5 columns. Label each column with "style", "size", "texture", "motif and pattern", and "specific colors". {see picture below}
3. Now start going through your listings and fill in your document with appropriate tag words for the listings in that section. This way anytime you go to list a new item, you have a list of tags to refer to.

Also use the Tag Finder Tool at craftweasel.com.

And don't forget to become familiar with Etsy's articles on tagging!

• Dos & Don'ts of Tagging
• Tag-o-rama
• Shop Makeover: Titles, Descriptions, & Tags

Article written by

meaganvisser.com