Hello Liz Marie Blog readers! I am so glad you are reading this…you are aiming for success when you research and read about business growth! Woohoo! You are here because you’ve opened an Etsy Shop—but now what!? Social media can be overwhelming at times, but I assure you—it’s your friend. Breathe! You’ll get there…and it’s a wonderful evolving journey as you learn and grow. I’m Melissa, the owner and metal smith jewelry designer for JanuaryJewelryShop on Etsy. I’ve been very pleased with my business growth and online Etsy presence for the short amount of time I’ve been doing this! I hope you find that encouraging…we all can be successful with knowledge and dedication. You can do this!
Whether you create jewelry, pottery, artwork, handbags or sell vintage clothing — this post is relevant to you. How do you market your shop and create an online presence so people know you exist!? Being noticed is key! SEO (what’s that?!) and social media platforms are two very important elements to business growth —-not just beautiful things for sale. If it were only that easy folks!
I’ve opened an Etsy Shop — Now What?
1. SEO
Etsy SEO (Search Engine Optimization) drives traffic to individual shops. You want to do your best to show up on the first beginning pages of those search results…not page 213. How can you do this? There are basics to SEO…I know it sounds very technical, but essentially, it’s all about keywords and the order of those words. Keywords are words that simply describe your item in the best way possible.
Let’s start with an example:
2.Your Titles
You might want to ‘title’ your work like ‘Shoot your Arrow’…you think being creative will help you stand out, when in fact, that isn’t how anyone would search for a ring. Make sense? Your title needs to describe what is for sale. A better title for this example would be: Wide Band Ring – Arrow Ring. What I just did there is include two variations in one title. Wide Band Ring is broad, but popular. Arrow Ring is more specific. Having both can help.
3. Tags/Keywords
You have 13 keywords to use that help you get ‘found’ online. This is crucial! These keywords are very important that they describe your item. You also want to use these keywords in your description (where you can be more detailed as well). Color, Shape, Material are examples. There is a 20 character limit to your keywords so short 2-3 word phrases are good. You want to use words that YOU would use if you were a buyer searching for something. How would you describe this item simply to find it online? The first few words are categories in the search side bars of Etsy that people use to help narrow their search. Be included!
Basics First:
Jewelry
Ring
Handmade
Metalwork
(9 keywords left!)
Wide Band Ring
Silver Band Ring
Arrow Ring
Arrow Jewelry
Silver Arrow Ring
If you feel like you have capitalized on basic keyword descriptions and still have more keywords available, you can be a little more creative. Some items take up all 13 keywords easily. Others don’t. I have 4 keywords left. Some suggestions:
Use your shop name as a keyword.
Sometimes, someone remembers you telling them about your business and just decides to search you online. By me having ‘January Jewelry’ as a keyword—it might help them find me. Granted, I will show up in a search full of Garnet birthstone listings–BUT ….my shop stats SHOW ME that ‘january jewelry’ gets searched A LOT …I want this keyword.
4. What’s Trending?
Use words that are ‘trending’. How do you know what’s trending?
Etsy has e-mail newsletters that highlight popular stuff—capitalize on this! (Side note: There are many other etsy topic newsletters that are helpful to etsy shop owners —sign up!)
Back to trending items:
Is ‘emerald’ a trending color that might be a color in your handbag? Use it.
Is ‘geometric’ a trending style that might describe your item? Use it.
Still stuck? Check out similar items to yours, and scroll to the bottom to see what tags THEY are using! This might REALLY help you with some direction.
4. Shop Stats
Now that you’ve learned a little more about SEO regarding tags and titles —you want to check out your shop stats to see what’s working for you! It shows you where your traffic is coming from, what keywords are being searched, what items are being viewed, and more. Use this as a gauge to see what’s popular and where your traffic is coming from. Since I changed my name on Pinterest to JanuaryJewelry (verses my personal name), I’ve already seen increased traffic to my etsy shop! And that was a minor change! Use these stats to help you revise your tags and your titles.
5. Let’s get SOCIAL
SEO isn’t the only way for people to notice you. Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest can be insanely helpful (another blog post will go into more detail on these later!) These are avenues that provide free networking and advertising for you—just by you ‘being you’ and sharing your world with others! How cool is that? Be real ya’ll. Connect with people. I’ve seen businesses spend $ZERO DOLLARS$ on advertising because social media today works it’s magic..and BOOM…their business grows successfully and astronomically because of these platforms. We live in a visually driven world. Show them your journey and behind the scenes stuff every now and then! Your process. Connect with people and you will see that they respond positively– and this is relevant Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest! Now go on and get social! BTW, I’m JanuaryJewelry on all platforms 😉
WANT SOME MORE ETSY ADVICE? CLICK THE PHOTO BELOW:
Click {here} for some more Etsy tips & tricks.
I hope these answered some of your “I opened an Etsy shop, now what?” questions. Do you sell on Etsy?? What do you sell? Do you have any more advice? Leave your etsy shops, leave your advice, your thoughts, your comments, & your questions. We would love to hear from you & chat about about all things Etsy!
I am excited to be opening an Etsy shop featuring my cuff bracelets. This info is so relevant.
Vert helpful. Love the “Lets Get Social” photo and the suggestion. Thank you!
Thanks for the advice/tips! I’m trying to get my little Etsy, EasternEden off the ground, and I think this will be hugely helpful.
Hi Melissa,
Thank you for taking the time to write your article ‘….6 THINGS to as soon as you open your shop!’
It was a wonderful read and great advice. I just wanted to point out to you that the article only had 5 points.
Thanksfor allthe great information. I opened my Etsy store and havebeen havinga very difficult time getting views on it.
What about income tax reporting, etc? Does Etsy provide a statement @ end of year??
I am Organic Beauty Junkie on Etsy. I sell organic skincare & personal care.
Thanks for sharing this post. I will take particularly the advice on changing the pinterest and instagram name in serious consideration! Btw: check put my jeans stuff if you like.
Thank you very much for your tips. I just opened my Etsy shop and I am looking for help on how to expose my store.
As well I already own a shop, Rapisarda Boutique, in brooklyn, cobble hill, for 12 years, and never really sold online.
But it came to the point that it is very important to let people know that my store is online shop as well.
You are a great help.
Thank you
Claudia Rapisarda
I just recently opened a shop on Etsy, Casey’s Woodworking. Some great tips that i will have to use!
I recently opened my Etsy shop , and learning as much as I can as it’s totally new for me! Thank you so much for this useful article !
Ritz
I have an Etsy shop I opened about a yr ago to sell cards. Out of all the cards I posted I only sold 2. The keywoed usage really confused me and I probably didn’t use thwm right for each item so I got discouraged and gave up selling there. I had been reconsidering selling again and I’m very glad I found this article (through Pinterest might I add). There are great tips in here and I think I have a better understanding of SEO and keywords to want to give it another shot.
A really good post via Pinterest: pin is an attention grabber.
A good source with further detailed information is the book, Etsy-preneurship by Jason Malinak..
Also, proofread posts for spelling. Ex., “verses” is spelled “versus.”.
I opened my false nails store (Nicola’s Nails) a few months ago but some of this points really helped me and I’ll be sure to check what’s trending and change around my tags tomorrow
Hi! Thank you for these tips! I am thinking about opening an Etsy shop featuring my crochet and sewing. Some of the words confused me, but now I know what they are and how to use them well! Thanks again.
I am so happy I stumbled across your blog!! I have a blog and an Etsy shop ( WillowGraceCreations and I have been in there a year and just now starting to see more traffic!
I love the tip about changing your Pinterest name to your shop name and the SEO keyword tips. I opened an Etsy shop over a year ago (InspireYou Decor) and have seen zero sales and hardly any traffic. I am using these tips TODAY!
Love the Pinterest name change suggestion!
https://lillieslovelies.storenvy.com
Thank you for the tips! I have like other posters opened up an Etsy shop and can use all the help I can find 🙂
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Thank you for writing this! I love the social media tips to be REAL and show “in the making” studio photos! SEO is super important and something we can all improve upon. Thank you!
I read this blog post when it was originally posted. Since then my daughter opened an etsy shop. She sells handmade bath bombs (Melt Away Bath Bombs). The tips in this post were a great help. Please check out her shop: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MeltAwayBathBombs
I love the tips on the keywords! My etsy shop is BabyBaloo. I will definitely be using your tips on my store listings! Thanks a bunch!
https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/babybaloo
Thanks for the Etsy Shop information — it’s very helpful. What does one have to do about reporting the income to the IRS? Did you have to obtain a Tax ID number and file business taxes quarterly? Thanks. Love your blog and your interesting home ideas and decorating style.
Your Etsy Shop information is excellent. However, I was wondering if you had to obtain a Tax ID number and report earnings to the IRS with a business tax return. If so, how often does one have to file and is it difficult? I enjoy your blog and love your style and great decorating and DIY tips.
Hi, excellent advice! I sell my original art & photography in my Etsy shop
Thanks I am new to Etsy your article help a lot!
It’s really a cool and helpful piece of information. I am
happy that you just shared this helpful information with us.
Please stay us informed like this. Thank you for sharing.
This was so helpful! I started an etsy shop called BowsByNoelle last summer and it’s been a bit slow getting it off the ground. Hopefully this helps.
#4 was written twice 🙂
I love this article! I thought at first that I was going to pull my hair out with all of the tweeting and pinning and posting and tumbling that I was doing after I opened up my Etsy store. Then I saw how it was driving traffic to my new site. I make hand poured soy candles. I am the owner of AffirMantra Candles. You can find my site here https:// http://www.Etsy.com/Shop/AffirMatnraCandles. I am thankful for this article because you explained the tags for me! Thanks!
https://www.Etsy.com/Shop/AffirMantraCandles
Thanks so much for the tips! My family has had our shop, CraftyCollaborations, for several months and we’ve had one sale. It is definitely disheartening sometimes!
It is a really great article indeed.
I am thinking to open a Etsy shop for “Mens Swimwear”. I am sure that the above tips will help me a lot. Thanks for giving us a wonderful information.
Regards
Smith
Great tips! Now to start fixing my tags! I just opened shop in the beginning of July. 🙂
This was incredibly helpful. I opened my etsy shop about a month ago. I have been improving my titles and tags for a few weeks now. That SEO thing is a challenge. I struggle with using tags of similar items and coming up with tons of pages or using tags that are unique that bring up just a few listings. Still not sure which is better.
I just opened my shop about a month ago and I feel getting so many favorites and views on my handprinted letters and my “expensive” original artworks, but what does that mean? They just think it’s pretty to favorite and no one wants to pay for my stuff? 🙁
Or maybe I’m just being impatient… I’ve been promoting my Etsy shop every day as much as I can on my social media accounts and on websites for promoting shops and I only get views and favorites… Is my pricing way off? I keep changing prices on all of my products because I see others with similar handpainted letters like my own and I see their prices being very low compared to mine but I can’t sell each letter for $8… No way. 🙁
Help please?
Hi, your article was great but I am still confused about listing ‘shop name’. My business is called Petite Parisianne’ but we sell all things French – retro items, French vintage, French oak decorative items and regional gourmet items. Because it is so diverse it is difficult to know which/how to list keywords.
Have you any suggestions please as I am new to selling online.
Many thanks
Creative commentary , I loved the details ! Does anyone know where my business can get access to a blank IRS 1040 – Schedule EIC version to fill in ?
Hi Everyone,
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Thanks for th good info!
Wow, wonderful blog layout! How long have you been blogging for?
you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your site is fantastic, let alone the content!
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Really good info. Thanks!
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thanks once again.
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Thanks for a great article. I just put some of your tips into use!
I am hoping to open an etsy shop soon, hopefully will have my common username of kattykutie somewhere. I will be selling home made crafts. This information has been very helpful thank yoi.
Thank you Liz. Great information and I’m very excited to build my Etsy shop.