Tutorial: Google Keyword Tool

How to Use the Free Google Keyword Tool

I get a lot of people asking how to use the Google Keywords Tool to do keyword research for their shops, so I threw together a quick tutorial with screenshots for those who find it too intimidating.

The Google Keyword Tool is found here: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

The tool does several things:

1)    tells you how many people search a specific term each month on Google

2)    tells you how much competition there is for the phrase from people buying Google Adwords.

3)    gives you other related terms that you might not have thought of using

Load the Tool, and start filling out your first search keywords. It will look like this (click to see image larger):

1)    enter your main search term

2)    click the “x” to change the search options to worldwide instead of your country

3)    enter the “captcha” letters (those weird words in black) into the box

4)    click “Search”

Then you will see this (click to see image larger):

 

 What does this mean? First, the top result shows you that 880 people do searches on Google every month that include the words “abalone earrings”. The keywords beneath are Google’s suggestions, some of which will be completely irrelevant for your item, but others will give you new ideas & info.

Do a quick skim through to get more keyword ideas to try, and then unclick the “Broad” search box on the top left, & click the “[Exact]” box (see the arrow on the left, above). This will tell you how many type the exact search you are researching every month. Clicking “Exact” is a key step, or you may end up choosing keywords that aren’t very popular by themselves & are therefore not particularly useful.

When you click “[Exact]” you will see:

[Exact] match tells you that 210 people search “abalone earrings” on Google each month, and that there is high competition for the phrase (as opposed to Medium or Low competition), in terms of paid Google ads.

Clicking on the blue keyword links on each line will give you several options including “Google Search” which takes you to a Google search for that term, so you can see what is currently ranking on the search pages. There is also a link to “Exclude term” if it is useless to you & you want more relevant results, & one to show more phrases similar to the one you click on – very useful!

Take note of all of the good keywords you see (there can be up to 100) then enter another term to get more suggestions. Keep doing this until you have a full list of keywords that describe your items. Now you are ready to optimize one listing, several similar listings, or even a whole website!

There are a few other things you can do with this tool; here are a couple of more advanced tutorials including different aspects of it:

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-Google's-Keyword-Search-Tool

http://todaymade.com/blog/google-adwords-seo/

http://www.ecommercefuel.com/keyword-traffic-research/

But to do basic Etsy keyword research, using the above tips & also checking the suggested searches on Etsy, you don’t need to get too complicated, so only click on those links if you have mastered the basics and are looking for more advanced ideas  

Post by Cindy.  Cindy is the co-captain of the SASsy Mentors team and an SEO expert.

Titles & Tags & Relevancy, Oh My!

In my last article I talked about Etsy's new default Relevancy search and how it effects your shop, and specifically your titles. This follow up post is to clarify a few things and talk about Etsy's policy change on Tagging (since there still seems to be a lot of confusion on the subject).

To recap: Etsy changed it default search to "relevancy". The important points are that now titles carry more weight in searches than tags, and the beginning of the titles carry more weight in searches. So, your titles need to be accurate descriptive words, but the most important words (that tell us what your item is) need to be at the beginning of the title (first 2 to 3 words).

Etsy also now gives more weight in searches for exact 2 and 3 word combos - so using 2 and 3 word key word combos in your titles to describe your items are really critical to stand out in relevancy searches. But equally critical to relevancy is also using those same 2 and 3 word keywords combos in tags.

But that presented a problem, otherwise known as: Etsy's tag "stuffing" rule. If you've been around Etsy for any length of time you know it's not OK to tag "stuff". That's using multiple unrelated words like "beach ocean turquoise" in a single tag. Tags were supposed to be a single word, except for specific 2 word phrases like "sterling silver".

After some thought, Etsy decided to alter it's tagging policies to now allow for "relevant 2 or 3 word phrases" in tags because it is necessary for better relevancy. This now allows you to use the same 2 or 3 word keyword combos that you've used in your titles, also in your tags. You can read more about Etsy's policy change here: http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/policy-update-labeling-items/

You still have to be careful that you are not tag "stuffing". It is still not OK to use "beach ocean turquoise" or "red blue green" as a tag, however you can use some 2 and 3 word phrases that would have previously not been acceptable under the old rules. Just be sure that your 2 or 3 word phrase makes sense in relation to the item you are tagging, and that it is actually a phrase (not unrelated words).

As an example, if you are selling a painting of an sunset on the ocean, and you have the words "Ocean Sunset" in the title, you can also have the words "Ocean Sunset" as a single tag in your tags. Previously "Ocean Sunset" would have not been allowed in a single tag.

Hopefully that helps to clarify some of the new changes, and you'll all be titling and tagging your way to the top of the relevancy searches.



Sandie Russo
Sellers Assisting Sellers Team, Captain

Etsy's New Focus on Relevancy and How it Effects Your Shop

Hopefully you've already seen the info on changes Etsy rolled out last week, which will soon make "relevancy" the default search. However, if you haven't I'll give you the "411" and help you determine what you can do to make those changes work to your benefit in Etsy searches.

When searching on Etsy you have options to the narrow the searches. We are focusing on "relevancy" for this article, as it appears that more people are searching via relevancy - and soon it will be the default search.

❀ Item titles are now given more weight. Tags are important but your item title is even more critical. As titles are the most direct way for sellers to explain what they have, Etsy has given them more weight in Etsy searches. This means that it is critical that you have complete, accurate and descriptive titles for all the items you list. (Remember do not use the "name" you have given your art as a title, but describe what it is.)

GOOD title "Original Painting, Acrylic Seascape, Southern California Pacific Ocean Cliffs, Blue Green Turquoise, 11 x 17"
Not so good title: "The Calm Before The Storm, Seascape 11 x 17"

❀ Words that appear at the beginning of your title are given more weight. So, you will want to put the defining word/s of your item (sign, photo, bracelet, art print, oil painting, earrings, baby hat, coffee table, etc.) in the first 2-3 words. You will see better results if you put the most important characteristics of your item at the beginning of your title.

GOOD title: "Pearl Earrings, Sterling Silver Amethyst Beads, Extra Long Dangles, French Hooks"
Not so good title: "Elegant, Dressy, Fancy Handmade, Evening Style Pearl and Amethyst Earrings"

❀ Exact word pairs are now given more weight. If your search includes 2 or more words, Etsy will prioritize the search results that have those exact 2 words next to each other. For example, if I search for “California Seascape”, items that contain “California Seascape” (exactly) in the titles or tags will appear higher than ”Seascape Photo of a California Beach".

❀ Recency will also factor into searches sorted by relevancy. When a broad search (like “photo print”) returns a huge number of results, Etsy gives some priority to the most recently listed items in that search.
Before the Holidays take over our thoughts and shops, now is a great time to revamp your titles and make sure you use accurate descriptive words, putting the emphasis on the beginning of the title. If you do this - and someone is searching for items like what you make - you are more likely to show prominently in searches on Etsy.

Recent Etsy Blog Article on the Relevancy Search.
Etsy forum post from Frank/Etsy:  Relevancy Update

Have a great week, everyone!


Captain, Sellers Assisting Sellers Etsy Team