Part 3 is a hard one for me. This one is all about writing titles, tags, and descriptions. You’d think that because I enjoy blogging I would find my Etsy writing a piece of cake. Nothing could be further from the truth. I struggle with my writing. I have gotten so much better in the past year and half but I still do not enjoy it. That being said, here are the things I have learned in the past year concerning writing on Etsy.
Titles
However, this is all just a rule of thumb. One of my most viewed items doesn’t follow that formula exactly. Here is the description for my Blue and Green Mesh Market Bag:
Summer will soon be here and so will farmer’s markets. This eco-friendly market bag is perfect for holding all those fresh picked and handmade goodies you will soon find. The open weave mesh design also makes it great for a beach bag as the sand doesn’t stay in.
Bag is hand crocheted with blue, green, and ivory cotton yarn. Bag stretches to hold your items then goes back to it’s shape once emptied.
Perfect size. Not too small, not too big. When not in use, it folds up small to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.
Ready to ship.
Dimensions: 11 inches tall by 12 inches wide when laid flat. Handle is approximately 24 inches long so hangs about 12 inches to the bag. (28cm x 30cm, handle is 61cm long, 30cm to the bag)
Materials: 100% cotton yarn
Care: Wash cold, hang to dry
Just like your pictures, your description is very important because your customers can’t pick your item up. They can’t touch it, turn it over, hold it up, etc. Your description has to make up for that so your customer knows what they are getting.
Tags
Tags are what Etsy uses to help shoppers find the items they are looking for. Think of them as a series of keywords. You get 13 tags, each 20 characters long. You want to use them wisely. You also, like all other aspects of Etsy, need to think like a customer. You should not use one word tags but use 2-3 word phrases. The majority of shoppers are not going to search just “bag.” They are going to look for “blue market bag,” “large tote bag,” “black striped purse,” etc.When writing your tags, you need to think of every way possible that someone might search for your item.
With my baby headbands, I often use the words “infant” and “newborn” in my tags as well as “baby.” I also use “hair band” not just “headband.” I get a lot of hits off of hair band.
There is a lot more to learn about writing on Etsy. There are also a lot of things to learn about SEO (search engine optimization) so that your writing helps people find your products. It is a constant learning process, some of which is over my head. Here is a helpful article that helps explain Etsy and SEO: Etsy SEO Tips
Etsy itself also has a number of articles to help you with your writing. Here are some of them: Etsy Success Writing
This week I asked my fellow Etsy sellers: “What is one thing you have learned about writing titles, tags, and/or descriptions? Any tips to make them easier to write or easier to be found?”
Lorien from KnitToo said: “I have learned that the most important part of the description is the first couple of lines for search engine optimization. I have started repeating the title in the very first part of the description to make sure the important keywords are there. Also remember that people can’t touch our items so it’s important to describe them accurately and include all the details someone might want to know. If someone asks a question, after responding to them you may want to update the description to include that info because others may be curious about it as well.”
Rowena from handknitted4you said: “When writing tags, remember to think like a shopper and what would you type in a search box to find the item you are listing. If I were selling “green earrings” and the shopper typed in “green” you literally get over 2 million items when you use that tag. Your item is not likely to be found with that type of search. When I use “green earring” that search is narrowed down to less than 158,000. Still a large number but greatly increases the chance that the shopper will find my green earrings. Try to include the item name as well as a descriptive word in each tag. Maximize the use of your 20 allowed characters.”
spacefem said: “The most important thing I’ve learned is to start typing the first few words of your title into Etsy’s search bar – it comes up with “suggestions” of frequently searched-for phrases. Your first few title words need to match one of those phrases… otherwise you might have chosen something that no one ever searches for.”
BONUS!
Donna from Donna’s Treasure Chest said: “The one thing I have learned is key words in title, description, and in the key words.”
Be sure to follow me on Facebook and check back week for the next in this series, Shipping and Packaging. If you decide to open up your own Etsy shop, be sure to use my referral link to get your first 40 listings for free!
Go here to read the rest of the Selling On Etsy series
Leave a Reply