Thanks to everyone who came to our May 28, 2009 Online Lab on Tags, Titles, Descriptions and Materials and the new Most Relevant option in Etsy’s Search. We had some great questions come up, and we wanted to make sure we shared the answers with those who couldn’t make the workshop. Here’s a quick Q&A.
Q: How long should my item titles be?
A: We suggest three to seven words. The most important words in your title should be first, as the first 18 characters of your title are going to be seen in Gallery View in Etsy Search, and the first few words will be the ones displayed on external search engine results (see this Seller How-To: Optimizing Your Etsy Shop for Search Engines). If your item titles are too short they will not grab a buyer’s attention, and if they are too long they will distract buyers, so balance is key. It’s great to be creative in your titles for your branding, but we recommend beginning titles with the specifics. Try to think like a buyer and use words that your customers would use when searching. Generic-sounding titles don’t attract potential buyers as well as specific titles, so don’t be afraid to be specific! You’ll improve your targeting and attract more buyers in the market for your items.
Q: How important is the order of your item’s tags?
A: Your first tag is your item’s top-level category. If you are interested in promoting your item in a Subcategory Showcase, your next tag should match that Subcategory. We suggest tagging in order of importance, and in general for each of the item fields (Tags, Titles, Descriptions, Materials), go with the most important information first. Note: Major changes to tagging guidelines or the listing process will be communicated in advance. Our current tagging guidelines still apply.
Q: Should I use all 14 tags?
A: Yes! It is important to use 14 relevant tags that properly describe your item. See this article on tagging for lots of tips!
Q: Should I be tagging a striped item with “stripes,” “striped” and “stripe”?
A: No. Using the root word “stripe” is enough, and our search function will pick up these variations. No need to use multiple variations of a word.
Q: What about “floral” and “flowers”?
A: Yes. Those words are different enough to be used as two different tags.
Q: How much of your item’s description shows up in a Google search result?
A: The first 160 characters of your item description appear in Google search results, so be sure to include the most important information first! Be as specific as possible and use words that you think your customers would use. Item dimensions and measurements are important pieces of information for buyers but can go lower down in your description. Lots of great information on search engine optimization can be found in this article.
Q: I sell soy candles. Should I be adding “soy” to my item titles, tags and descriptions?
A: Yes. The fact that your candles are made of soy is an important selling point. Include this information in the title, description and as a tag, as it is relevant information.
Q: I’ve heard that if I use only a few tags my items will show up higher in search results sorted by Most Relevant.
A: The best strategy for placement in search results sorted by Most Relevant is to describe your items accurately and thoroughly, using words your customers would use. It’s important to follow our guidelines for tagging and to keep your tags relevant (and to use them all!). Improvements to relevancy on Etsy are being rolled out regularly and frequently, with the goal of matching well tagged, thoroughly described items with the often very specific searches shoppers are performing.
Remember, if a shopper is searching for “emerald green earrings” and you’ve only tagged your item “jewelry,” for example, your item won’t be found in that shopper’s search results. When you describe your item thoroughly and accurately with specifics and details, you give your item more opportunities to be found by buyers looking for your items. Items not described well are simply not seen by the right people. Also, note that optimizing a listing for a single search term you have in mind will actually limit your visibility — you won’t appear in as many searches as you might otherwise. The more tags you can use the better.
See this article for more tips on optimizing your listings for search results sorted by Most Relevant.
Q: What percentage of searches on Etsy are currently using the Most Relevant option?
A: A very small percentage of searches on Etsy (less than 1 percent) are currently being sorted by Most Relevant. The Most Relevant search option is not the default search option. It is a feature in active development and updates are being rolled out regularly and frequently behind the scenes, just as with other search engines. Searches sorted by Most Relevant are leading to purchases at a higher rate than searches sorted by Most Recently Listed, and we’re actively monitoring the performance of the Most Relevant search option — as well as your feedback — to make it even better.
Q: How important are Materials in search results sorted by Most Relevant?
A: Materials are a factor in search results sorted by Most Relevant, but not an important one. Item tags, titles and descriptions, in that order, are the most important item fields in search results sorted by Most Relevant. However, don’t forget that Materials is an option in the Advanced Search.
Q: Why is item listing date a consideration in search results sorted by Most Relevant?
A: It’s true, an item’s listing date is also a factor in determining relevancy, though not the most important one. We’ve found shoppers value fresh results for their favorite searches. This is common among other search engines — you’ll find Google often returns relevant and current (recently updated) results.
Q: If I put “free shipping” at the beginning of my title, will that hurt me?
A: It can. Remember that in Gallery view, Etsy shoppers can only see the first 18 characters of your title, and you have a better chance of making a sale when you attract shoppers that are searching for specific things. People do perform searches for “free shipping,” but they usually qualify those searches with something specific. We recommend doing the same: include “free shipping” in your title if you like, but start with something more specific.
Q: Does using your Etsy Team tag hurt your item’s performance in search results sorted by Most Relevant?
A: Team tags are relevant for Team-related searches. Using one or two Team tags will not hurt your chances of being found in search results sorted by Most Relevant.
Q: Is the price of an item a factor in relevancy?
A: No. Price is not a factor in search results sorted by Most Relevant.
Q: How would you tag something that can be made in any color scheme?
A: Use “custom” or “personalized” as a tag.
Thanks to everyone who participated in the Seller Workshop Virtual Lab! Please keep an eye on the Online Labs schedule to find out about upcoming Seller Workshops. (EDITOR’S NOTE: The previously noted discussion about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) on June 15 has been postponed.)
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115 comments
Sign in to add your ownlovelygifts says:
Good article. Thanks for the info.
3 years ago
momochas says:
Great info, thank you so much for the help. I have always had the doubt of using "floral" and "flower" in my tags.
3 years ago
missindie says:
Thank you so much for this article!!
3 years ago
beautifulbridget says:
Excellent article, thanks Etsy!!
3 years ago
MyWagonette says:
{ Q: Should I be tagging a striped item with "stripes," "striped" and "stripe"? A: No. Using the root word "stripe" is enough, and our search function will pick up these variations. No need to use multiple variations of a word.} I always wondered this myself. Great to know! Thanks!
3 years ago
maiaart says:
Thank you for this very helpful article! Now to go and check my "tags"!!
3 years ago
steinschmuckdesign says:
Thank you very much for all this info. Like allways, it helps me to improve.
3 years ago
pandawithcookie says:
So very useful. Thank you for putting this together.
3 years ago
dadadreams says:
Thanks so much for the info!
3 years ago
anniepoo says:
this does clear alot up! Thanks for sharing!
3 years ago
StudioElan says:
"We suggest tagging in order of importance" So does this mean that order does matter to the Relevant Search as it works now? If tagging order is/ is going to be important we need a quicker way to re-order our tags than deleting and retyping them all!!!
3 years ago
ilovehearts says:
Brilliant advice. Thank you
3 years ago
travellingcircus says:
This is an incredibly useful article. Thanks for providing all of this info!
3 years ago
sucree says:
thanks for this post!
3 years ago
Iammie says:
Thanks, very useful info!
3 years ago
HibouCards says:
Very useful article, thanks!
3 years ago
EJPcreations says:
Sooo Helpful!!!
3 years ago
raeraesisters says:
GREAT article! We just renamed a handful of our items based on the suggestions given. Thanks a bunch for the info!
3 years ago
OhFaro says:
I attended the lab, got a lot out of it and have been tweaking my newest listings... the old ones will just have to wait. Thanks.
3 years ago
erikaservin says:
Great article specially for new etsinians like me!
3 years ago
paperstreet says:
StudioElan "We suggest tagging in order of importance" So does this mean that order does matter to the Relevant Search as it works now? If tagging order is/ is going to be important we need a quicker way to re-order our tags than deleting and retyping them all!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ yes please! with 270+ items and 14 tags each... can we redo the tagging page to let us edit it more proficiently?
3 years ago
DesignedByLucinda says:
Oh please give us an easy way to change up the order of our tags. At 425 items, I really don't want to delete them all and start over...
3 years ago
Xenotees says:
Very helpful, thanks!
3 years ago
Xenotees says:
Oh, and Etsy Hacks has an awesome tool to change the order of your tags! Just type them in & hit "replace tags". I find it to be a time saving tool because you can see what you have already & reorder or replace certain tags... http://www.etsyhacks.com/greasemonkey/fast_tagger/ :D
3 years ago
Morado says:
Thanks for sharing!
3 years ago
worksofwhimsy says:
Thanks for the update. I've edited some of my titles to be more direct and to the point. Thanks for clearing up the root word tag question too.
3 years ago
3squares says:
sorry i missed it. the recap is much appreciated!
3 years ago
CutieDynamite says:
Great, thanks!
3 years ago
tinahdee says:
Thanks for the help!
3 years ago
magpiefelts says:
Thankyou!
3 years ago
AwakenJournaling says:
Very interesting. Thanks for including my sketchbook!!!
3 years ago
novadesigns says:
This article answers some of the questions I have, so that's great. I am also one of those sellers who will have to go back and rearrange my tags... Is there any way you could make it easier to move the tags up and down so I don't have to delete them all and start over? Thank you //tess
3 years ago
someplaceelsewhere says:
Really helpful. Thanks!
3 years ago
flapperdoodle says:
{ Q: Should I be tagging a striped item with "stripes," "striped" and "stripe"? A: No. Using the root word "stripe" is enough, and our search function will pick up these variations. No need to use multiple variations of a word.} However-- if you tag your item "dance" and someone searches for "dancing" your item will not come up, correct? It needs to have the entire word in it?
3 years ago
LoveElizabeth says:
Q. How does relisting an item factor into the quicker sale? Is there stats on that and if so how often should you relsit an item? or how often do successful sllers relist their item. At what point/date do they relist, say after it has been for sale for a month, 2 weeks? Thanks
3 years ago
thisisalliknow says:
some helpful info, thanks. one question though regarding the stripes/striped tagging question - is there anyway to know what makes two words similar enough to be brought up in the same search?
3 years ago
SundraSandrusi says:
Thanks for sharing!
3 years ago
ffflowers says:
Useful information - thank you :)
3 years ago
HAREandDRUM says:
Thank you for the article. I've been introducing changes to my listings with relevancy search in mind, but based on logic and intuition mostly. This article confirms most of what I've been editing.
3 years ago
forsythecompanystore says:
I will be putting this info to good use...thank you!
3 years ago
TheCottageCheese says:
Great tips, thank you! (Love that vintage umbrella, horse, and the folk bracelet!)
3 years ago
1AEON says:
this is what daddy likes!!!
3 years ago
KalliopeJewelry says:
Thanks for this informative post, very helpful! The featured items also helped give me ideas for writing descriptions more succinctly.
3 years ago
RomanceCatsAndWhimsy says:
This was an awesome article and very helpful. Thank you for the information!!
3 years ago
redyellowandblueink says:
this is great-thanks
3 years ago
twolefthands says:
Great and informative article, thank you very much!
3 years ago
zeropumpkin says:
gorgeous stuffs!
2 years ago
zeropumpkin says:
thanks for for the info too
2 years ago
animalartista says:
thanks for all the info
2 years ago
prettylittlethieves says:
helpful info. thank you.
2 years ago
SpiffyDoodleDandy says:
Good to know I don't have to tag plural words separately, but I would like to know if plural forms that change the spelling of the word need to be included separately (e.g. dance/dancing, as mentioned above)
2 years ago
Softpencil says:
Very interesting info! thank you!!!
2 years ago
cuteandfun says:
Thanks! Helpful info, as usual! Now I need to update my titles and tags.
2 years ago
crittercomforts0 says:
Thank you for a very interesting and helpful info
2 years ago
DragonRags says:
This clarifies everything perfectly. I can move forward with my listings much more confidently now. Thanks!
2 years ago
tubbytabby says:
Thanks so much for the article, I had no idea that my tags should be put in order of importance. Good to know but now I have to go back and fix them all, lol.
2 years ago
MyWisteriaCottage says:
Interesting. I don't know much about this and this article cleared up some things for me.
2 years ago
MySassyLassy says:
Sometimes when I come across an "old" posting of mine I am scared when I see how I tagged it. This will only improve my tagging. Thanks for the help!
2 years ago
banfflines says:
The articles which Etsy folk put out are over the top. Thank you. Just wondering if I should be adding made in Canada or not, would it be a deterrent or an asset? Thanks you Sandra
2 years ago
samsstuff says:
Thanks for the article for all of us who couldn't attend, very helpful!
2 years ago
HansenSoapCo says:
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Don't forget to visit the main blog about all these issues and more! Everything related to the Relevant Search can be found in one place now at http://theseedbox.blogspot.com/ ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
2 years ago
KOALACaddie says:
This article will go into my personal treasury. Thank you for your "nuts and bolts" advice about titles and tags.
2 years ago
StingrayJewels says:
This article is brilliant ... answered all of my newbie questions perfectly. Thank you so much! ^_^
2 years ago
benben says:
Helpful article. Thanks for including my print in the related items!
2 years ago
RipeThreads says:
Great article! Thanks for ine info!
2 years ago
That70sShoppe says:
Great. Thanks for summarizing this since it has been talked about a lot on the forums.
2 years ago
hopgrasser says:
This was a very helpful Q&A. Nicely done!
2 years ago
2nJoy says:
I will no longer 'blindly tag'... I am an etsy newbie and really had no idea how the order of the tags, using all 14, and how root word variations really mattered. I had read the 'Tagging on Etsy' article and I was happily taggin along but this FAQ enhances that article with some very pratical information. I will certainly be tagging and listing differently. Thank you for the useful FAQ recap for those of us who could not attend the Seller Workshop. Thank you!
2 years ago
EarringVixen says:
Great article, thanks a lot! I have been wondering about the best way to tag my items (I'm a newbie) so this article was really helpful :)
2 years ago
linsjewelbox says:
i have learnt a lot of tips from this article. keep it up! =)
2 years ago
PDXfabricdeli says:
That was a good article....food for thought. Thanks a bunch.
2 years ago
Tina669 says:
Good article. Thanks for the info
2 years ago
vintagecatsmeow says:
Hello all! So this is what we do when we stay home! Love the site! Love the people and absolutely love the whole set up! I'm new and just learning about tags and what to do! This article was so helpful! Thanks to all who were involved!
2 years ago
LoriAnnEnchanted says:
This great info, sheds a lot of light on getting good results!
2 years ago
lemonadehandmade says:
So very helpful for this newbie. Heading off straight away to make some alterations.
2 years ago
kissthepotter says:
Spelling is also important. Or should I say misspelling could be important. I came upon a seller that had a mosiac for sale. Looking at their product, I went searching for more "mosiac" items. Then I wondered why my items were not showing up in the search. The reason is, I spelled "mosaic" correctly. So on commonly or easily mispelled words, I tagged them as "mosaic" first and "mosiac" as an additional tag. Thanks for the great article.
2 years ago
DianaGalea says:
Thank you i will keep that in mind when i start posting items for sale!!
2 years ago
GoodLookinTreasures says:
Thank you. There is sooo much to learn. Your information helps alot!
2 years ago
eroa says:
Thank you very much. Sounds like I need to work on my tags!
2 years ago
chocolatecreative says:
Still so much to be learned!! I really need to pay more attention to all of this.
2 years ago
uniqueannick5 says:
great article!!! I definitely will work on my titles and descriptions
2 years ago
FarrenSquare says:
I'm glad this article was pointed out again.
2 years ago
evihan says:
this is soooo usefulll..Thank you etsyyy
2 years ago
violavintage says:
I think I need to read this a couple of times! Well written and easy to follow. Thanks.
2 years ago
oceloteyes says:
Great info, thank you!! What about regional variations of spellings, for example "jewelry" vs "jewellery" and "watercolor" vs "watercolour"? Should those variations be 2 different tags or is the search engine programmed with those too?
2 years ago
MaruMaru says:
Thanks!
2 years ago
handebilten says:
thanks for the info.. it is good..
2 years ago
SilkMari says:
Thanks so much for this info...went back to look at my titles and did a little ...skimming....must look at my descriptions now...I must read this again.
2 years ago
carlossantiago says:
Thank you for the info! Best, PARK
2 years ago
carlossantiago says:
Great and relevant info!
2 years ago
StacyBayless says:
This was a MUST READ! I never new about the characters in the beginning. I just wish we had more tags... just a few more, please???
2 years ago
wickedminky says:
i am a little confused... i tag and title many of my items very similarly and today my items were listed all over the place, older ones ahead of newer ones, even though they had almost the exact tags/title/description. i would love more info on how this is going to work so i can make my items relevant to what they should be. and by having the tags, titles, and descriptions relevant in that order confuses me as to how i should title my item if it is not as important as the tags.
2 years ago
THEMONKEYSHOP says:
Awesome article, thank you for sharing, looks like I need to make changes in my shop.
2 years ago
igioiellidipi says:
Can you translate in other languages? perhaps italian...? ;)
2 years ago
SimpleJoysPaperie says:
Refreshing my memory.... thanks!
2 years ago
MyCuteBoutique says:
Etsy is wonderful in helping sellers get the most out of their shop. Thanks so much. Now to work on my titles!
2 years ago
artistudios says:
This is very useful! Thanks so much!
2 years ago
ingenuityondisplay says:
The time has come. This will help things improve. Thank you.
2 years ago
AZdreamdolls says:
Great article! Thank you so much! Bookmarking for future reference.
2 years ago
ArtdeJoie says:
Just discovered this link via a Forum thread - super helpful - thank you!
2 years ago
delightfuldaisy says:
Great suggestions! Useful information!
2 years ago
WhatItSeams says:
I can see where these ideas can be so rewarding. Thanks!
2 years ago
AlpineGypsy says:
Awesome. Thanks again. Heidi
2 years ago
ripstylebanners says:
I'm a bit overwhelmed! I think I may have to print this out! Jan
2 years ago
AllAboutCats says:
Thanks for the tips!
2 years ago
sakurabathandbody says:
Thanks for this piece! It was very helpful.
2 years ago
gypsywoman says:
Thanks for all the useful tips.
2 years ago
AwarenessCreations says:
Thanks for the useful advice!
2 years ago
Cassiejade says:
Thnak you for the advice! I have just started here and didn't realise you could do so much with tags! *Will update now...*
2 years ago
TurretTrinkets says:
Great article!
1 year ago
PaperCadence says:
This article is great. Tagging always worries me because I never know what aspects of the item I should be emphasizing. Thank you so much!
1 year ago
Jiaranai says:
Thank you for useful information!
1 year ago
klosig says:
thanks for the info. it helps alot.
1 year ago
FeltingForPaws says:
This was great - thanks!
1 year ago
GibsonGirlDesigns says:
Thank you for all the advice! It's made a huge difference in my shop this year compared to last year. And thanks to all Etsy veterans who share their little tips ;)
273 days ago