It can be frustrating trying to figure out why your Etsy shop isn't showing up high in search results on the platform. If you are struggling to get traffic, there are many reasons why your listings aren't showing up on Etsy. Let's learn more about the top 4 reasons you aren't getting the traffic and sales you want.
Garage Sale Shops
This may sound harsh, but you might have a Garage Sale Shop. This happens when you are selling a lot of different products but don't have full product lines for any of them.
Think about your last garage sale. You probably were selling a bunch of random stuff. You might've had a few kids' clothes, a few old CDs, some books, and some exercise equipment. But are you important for any of those things? Are you a destination for someone looking for something specific? No, you aren't.
And while that may work for making a few hundred dollars on a garage sale one weekend, it doesn't work on Etsy. You are more important for search terms that are saturated in your Etsy shop. So if you want to rank higher in Etsy searches, make the effort to plan your production calendar and have a full line of active listings for the search terms you want to rank for.
That doesn't mean you can't add new products to your shop. But you want to fix your strategy for introducing these new products in order to increase your traffic and sales.
Your product lines are often what you are using as your shop sections, but not always. Click here to learn more about product lines and how they affect the Etsy algorithm.
Poor keyword choices
You can't use keywords that your buyers aren't actually typing into the search bar and expect to get found on the platform.
The Etsy algorithm works partially through search query relevancy of each of your listings. You are more relevant for buyers' searches when you are using the exact phrase that they use in your listings' titles and tags. So, if you aren't getting found in searches, you might be making poor keyword choices, and ranking for phrases that buyers aren't using.
Listing formatting
If you have full product lines and are 100% confident in your keyword research process, you can make errors in listing formatting that can decrease your relevancy for buyer searches. Using correct punctuation and formatting on Etsy can make a big difference. Watch my free masterclass here to learn more about the formatting mistakes to avoid when formatting your titles and tags.
Listing timing
Your listing timing in your Etsy shop includes two big factors. One is how early you're listing your products for seasonal searches and the other is how often you're changing target keywords.
Seasonal Searches
Seasonal searches on Etsy begin much earlier than you think they do. Winter holiday searches, for example, start in August. That means to take advantage of the entire search season on Etsy, you need to list products before these searches begin.
Most Etsy sellers do not list early enough for the platform.
Change Frequency
Plan to leave a listing alone for 60 to 90 days after you make SEO changes. The Etsy algorithm can take this long to decide where her listings are going to be ranking in searches for the new keywords that you are targeting.
So if you make changes too frequently, you are never giving your listings enough time to gain traction. Unfortunately, that also means if you are not 100% certain about your SEO strategy including your keyword research and listing formatting, it can take months, if not years to figure out the correct methods.
Learn more about the SEO algorithm here.
Conclusion
Your Etsy shop can grow quickly when you start getting found in Etsy search. New listings need proper SEO formatting and to be tested in the algorithm for up to 90 days before making changes.
It doesn't have to be hard to rank high in Etsy searches, but you need to focus on what the algorithm is looking for. Click here to learn more in my free masterclass.
