15 Steps to Creating a Great Etsy Shop That Stands Out

Etsy - the best place to find handmade, unique, vintage, or custom items. It brings you virtually face-to-face with craftsman from all over the world. With over 7.5 million active sellers on Etsy as of 2021, how can you stand out as a seller? Here are some tips and tricks that every successful Etsy business knows.

Create a great name & branding

Branding your business correctly may be the most important business decision you will ever make. Online, first impressions are everything and with the ever-increasing competition, you may get only one chance. You need to make your business appear approachable, familiar and trustworthy, and above all memorable. Your brand must be clear and reflect exactly what your product or service represents while appearing likable and invoking familiarity.

Identify the customer base

Are you targeting a very select few or is your product or service able to be used by many? Know your customer and you can customize your branding to be attractive to them. For example, if you are a golf ball supplier, you will want to target golfers, pro shops, sports stores, or people who buy gifts for golfers.

Look at your current customers and see if you can identify similarities. Are they in a certain age bracket, do they have certain hobbies or tendencies, are they in a particular field, etc. Who aren’t your customers?

Check out your competitors and see who they are targeting.

Find out the current industry trends and see if you can predict future paths.

Research keywords

Knowledge is power. Get to know Google Analytics and other analytic tools.

Make a schedule to continually revisit your customer base to see if changes are needed.

Use appropriate colors, fonts

Good color choices can evoke certain feelings and make content stand out or make it easier to read. Bad color choices can incite negative thoughts or even cause viewers to miss important information.

Every font has an individual look and invokes a different feeling. They are an integral part of setting the tone of your communication so using the wrong one can cause viewers to be not connected to the meaning of your content.

Payment options - the more options the better

There is nothing more frustrating to a potential customer than researching and finally deciding upon a product then finding out that the payment method they prefer is not available. Try to offer as many types of payment options as possible including credit or debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Venmo, and more.

You can’t always expect people to have cash or a checkbook with them. If you plan to sell in person, be sure you can accept credit or debit cards with Square or another in-person payment processor.

Set up a mailing list process before you start selling

It is currently an Etsy violation to send any mail list information through Etsy Conversations after a sale. This cuts down on spamming and other intrusive selling techniques.

Setup up a CRM list MailChimp or Constant Contact before you begin selling so you can get the customer’s information at time of purchase. Having a mail list available is the best way to contact repeat customers for free.

Pricing

1. Research competitor’s pricing and sales

2. Use Etsy’s pricing worksheet

3. Keep packaging and shipping costs in mind

4. Consider free shipping or bulk shipping discounts

5. Be aware of all Etsy fees - As of April, 2022. transaction fee have increased to 6.5% on top of the $.20 per listing fee.plus the 3% payment processing fee.

Make your “About” page work for you

Since you are not selling in person, the “About: page is very important. You have up to 5000 characters to create an about page that helps potential customers get to know you better and feel more comfortable buying from you.

Add compelling stories that connect to your target audience and add photos and/or videos. The goal is to get customers to trust in your products and abilities by making them feel like they know you a bit better.

Use categories, attributes and tags to your advantage

Find out what your closest competitors are doing and check out the categories and attributes (color, size. occasion. etc.) they are using. Think of categories that relate to your product. Make sure you have every attribute listed that someone may want to know.

Tags help describe how your product solves a problem or why it is relevant to the buyer. Identify and use words and phrases similar to your product title keywords. Target long-tail keywords which are more specific phrases that potential customers are more likely to use searching for a product. They are particularly important when the customer may be using a voice search. The more tags, the better chance you have to match the search so try to use all 13 available spots.

Create good product descriptions

Create a product description that includes everything a potential customer may want to know. If customers wants details about a particular product and they have to choose between a vendor that supplies all the information or one that requires a question/answer session, it is fairly obvious which one will be picked.

1. Target audience and create the description accordingly

2. Identify materials or techniques buyer may want to know

3. Include age, size, style, dimensions

4. Provide processing and shipping time

5. Clearly state how to purchase

Optimization

Here are some tricks and tips that will set your Etsy above the rest:

1. Use a cover photo instead of banner which does not always work well on mobile

2. Keep branding, logos, and the overall look consistent

3. Keep the announcement section brief but thoroughly explain sales, discounts, etc.

4. Explain payment, delivery, and return details clearly but keep the shop policy simple

5. Optimize product photos:

   1. Reference the product size with a familiar object

   2. Images should be clear and at least 1000 pixels wide

   3. Use only original or royalty free photos

   4. Use all 10 photos

   5. Organize photos in cohesive order

   6. Edit/photoshop images where needed

   7. Show all flaws or details if vintage

   8. Use Etsy’s AR feature if selling artwork or photography

6. Use video if possible

   1. Demo products

   2. Behind the scenes looks at creation

   3. How to tutorials

Cross-marketing

The way to reach as many customers as possible? Cross-market! Not everyone shops on Etsy, has a Facebook or Instagram account, or will even buy something unless someone has a professional website. Cast the widest net possible to ensure your product is seen by as many people as possible.

1. Get a website to expand your audience. If Etsy shuts down or changes its algorithm, you'll have your own platform to continue selling through that you control.  Ensure you have optimal local SEO to optimize your search rankings.

2. Send out newsletters/blogs consistently

3. Use all appropriate social media channels and interact consistently

4. Brainstorm other marketing techniques

5. Consider post-thank you offers

Remember that Etsy is huge and you are completely against countless other businesses. The best way to stand out from the rest is to diversify your marketing plan.

Use analytics constantly

It is always a good idea to track any business’s progress to ensure you are reaching your targets. For example, say you are running a series of social media ads, it makes sense to track how many hits your store is getting and which ads are the most effective. You may discover one approach works better than another (for example, one page ads vs. video ads or blogs vs email blasts).

If you are a Squarespace user, learn more about Squarespace Analytics here.

Keep content fresh

New content brings attention to your store, lends credibility to your knowledge and capabilities, drives more traffic to your site, and can bring in more leads. Equally important, online stores that have content that is updated on a regular basis signals Google that your site is alive and relevant. Search engines use algorithms that are triggered to index your website more often and keep it more visible to future searches. An added benefit? When someone stays on your site for a long period of time reading your blog, Google will be alerted and is more apt to suggest your store over others with a higher bounce rate.

Set up schedule on calendar to:

1. Add/change about section often

2. Keep shipping profile up to date

3. Review all policies

4. Add new photos/videos as much as possible

Promotions or holidays

Get a jump on the competition and plan early:

1. Anticipate holidays or events and offer products early with discounts

2. Attract last minute shoppers with fast shipping options

3. Watch for and participate in Etsy-wide sale events

Need Help?

Charlotte’s Web Designs, LLC specializes in web design, SEO, and marketing for e-commerce and other sites. Does your Etsy shop need to get more exposure? Schedule a free consultation so I can learn more about your business and how I can help.