Renewing a listing on Etsy seems like an easy way to get more traffic. But does it actually help increase your sales? Learn more about renewing listing on the platform.
The Etsy Search Algorithm: Recency vs Relevancy
While the Etsy algorithm used to be based on recency, or how new a listing was on the platform, it's now based more on relevancy. This means how relevant the listing's keywords are to the search being done by the buyer.
When this change happened, it made renewing listings on Etsy much less effective to help you get more traffic.
Even Etsy as a platform says that renewing listings is no longer an effective long-term strategy to help you appear in search results.
When to manually renew listings
If renewing listings isn't a good long-term strategy? Is there any time that you should renew a listing?
The renewal fee is only $0.20 so it can be a good short-term, experimental way to improve your traffic to a listing that needs a small boost.
Here's when it might help you to manually renew a listing or two on Etsy:
When you've updated your keywords and want to give the listing the best chance possible to rank quickly
When your sales have slowed unexpectedly and you're confident that a long-term strategy isn't needed
How to show up in Etsy search
So if renewing listings doesn't help them show up in searches any longer, how can you get more traffic? There are a lot of factors that are included in the Etsy search algorithm. Here are some of the most important factors in Etsy SEO (search engine optimization).
Full Product Lines
Quantity matters on Etsy! Make sure to have a full product line surrounding the keywords you want to get found for. Click here to learn more about product lines.
Niche Keywords
Etsy has millions of listings for competition on the platform. If you're targeting keywords with hundreds of thousands of results for competition, it's going to be incredibly difficult to get found in searches. Make sure your keyword research process is leading you to keywords that your shop can realistically rank for.
Listing Formatting
While formatting your listings on Etsy isn't difficult, there are some big mistakes that most sellers make. Click here to watch my free masterclass that talks more about how to avoid these formatting mistakes.
How to refresh Etsy listings?
There are other ways to refresh your listings if you don't want to waste listing fees on renewing them. Here are some suggestions:
Update your keywords and SEO
Test a new thumbnail photo
Send some traffic from your social media or email list that is more likely to convert into a sale
Get some good reviews from previous purchasers
Publish new listings in the same product line
Turn on Etsy ads for listings that convert well and will be profitable
FAQ
I know you have more questions about renewing your Etsy listings. Let me answer them here! If I missed a question that pops up for you, make sure to drop it in the comments of this post.
Should I use auto-renew listings or let them expire?
I recommend turning on auto-renew for your best-selling listings at a minimum. If those listings sell out and expire for even just a few hours, it can affect your search placement.
For listings that don't sell as frequently or rank as well in search results, feel free to leave them on manual renewal. When they expire, you'll be more likely to remember to update your keywords and give them listing a better chance at getting found in search.
What should I do with expired listings?
When listings expire, it's time to assess the stats to figure out why it hasn't sold. If the listing isn't getting traffic, you'll want to refresh the keywords.
If the listing is getting traffic but isn't converting, it's time to dive into what's preventing people from buying. Check the processing time, shipping price, photos, and listing description to figure out what's holding people back from purchasing.
Do new Etsy listings get a boost?
Etsy's search algorithm uses something called your listing quality score to help determine where that listing should rank in search. Click here to read more about the Etsy search algorithm.
According to Etsy, they give a “small, temporary boost” to new listings to help determine its listing quality score.
This doesn't mean you should consistently be relisting items to get that boost, however!
Is it better to renew or relist?
As mentioned above, Etsy does give a small boost to new listings. This doesn't mean you should be relisting products though.
Listings with a history of sales, positive reviews, a good click-through rate, and a good conversion rate will get a bigger boost in the algorithm because of their positive listing quality score. That means it's better to renew most listings instead of relisting.
Does my listing need a fresh start?
You might consider relisting a product and giving it a “fresh start” when you've had a poor conversion rate, get a negative review on the listing, or want to test a change to the listing.
Keep in mind, however, that you need to focus on improving the product before you spend time creating a new listing. If you don't, you'll end up in a vicious cycle of getting more bad reviews and you'll tank the shop as a whole.
Conclusion
While there are a few reasons why you may want to manually renew a listing occasionally, there are plenty of more effective ways to get traffic from the marketplace. Click here to watch my free masterclass that shows you the process for getting found in Etsy search.
