How to write Etsy titles and tags the right way for 2023

As we go toward 2023, Etsy's SEO landscape has changed A LOT from the olden days of writing titles and tags, matching a few keywords, and showing up on the first page. You have to look at the entire listing when you do your SEO, and also think about the customer and search engine along with it.
In this video I use one of my keyword lists and Marmalead to find different terms for a listing, and I rewrite the title and tags the right way.
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(Some of the following links are affiliate links)
For the Men's Grooming keyword list, click here: tidd.ly/3GKn7KZ
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Her youtube channel is here: / @thescrapologist
For listing rewrites, contact Anne Londez here: tidd.ly/3grXnIM
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This channel is for home-based creative businesses and anyone who sells products online and specifically on Etsy. I do Etsy tutorials and share Etsy tips to help small business owners get their businesses to where they want them to be. If you have questions about Etsy SEO, how the Etsy search algorithm works, selling on Etsy, or how to start an Etsy business and sell successfully on Etsy, post a comment or a question in the community tab!

[@KaraBuntin]

Check the video description for links to the keyword list plus my recommendations for people who can redo your titles and tags the right way.

[@emukiller1985]

I've been watching lots of Etsy advice on KZbin and this has been the best one so far. You really spelled out and showed how to work SEO perfectly and without being too extravagant or mentioning that you have over six figures of sales seventeen times. Keep up the great work and thanks for the advice!

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@darqkitsune]

I know a lot of the tips mentioned are things you have spoken about before in many videos, but it certainly helps to see it in action. Thank you for being so down to earth and honest when it comes to etsy advice.

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@KarenMartinez-hx1tv]

I have grown to love your no-nonsense videos, you tell it straight. For whatever reason, I let fear of failure hold me back instead of grabbing my sword and shield and going forth. Because of you, I am advertising in targeted FB groups now and linking my listings to a fiber website that doesn't (at least at this point) charge fees. I very much appreciate all I learn from you!

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching and good for you!

[@teresagraham1458]

Watching you rework this was EXTREMELY helpful! Thanks

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad to hear it!

[@cnags89]

Great video! Thank you :)

[@cadethappy7248]

So detailed! Thanks!

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@revelationsdivine]

Thank you for your video.

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@JaneThomas58]

Thanks! Very helpful.

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@GloryGlory-ue3ok]

Great video. Very informative. Thank you!

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@corinnaneufeld5772]

You are a wealth of info, thank you!!

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@sheilathompkins8844]

Thank you, very helpful 😊

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@brettalan11]

Thank you SO MUCH for your videos. I've become fatigued with everyone out there chasing trends wanting to make fast money. Your videos help people to create long-term sustainable results. I appreciate that very much.

[@KaraBuntin]

I appreciate that!

[@debralynnpawlak8393]

Great video. Very professional and informative. Thanks

[@KaraBuntin]

Much appreciated!

[@mmystic2]

I love when you make these types of videos. They are always very helpful!

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad you like them!

[@originalrahmble]

Great vid!

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks!

[@yulyabogacheva8558]

Great video🎉Thank you for sharing 💜🥰👍

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@Tuamors_Lizzys_HomeKitchen]

Thank you for sharing your expertise with the rest of the world!

[@KaraBuntin]

So nice of you

[@stacygriffin8964]

Thanks so much for this exercise! It tells me some things I need to work on.

[@KaraBuntin]

You're so welcome!

[@michellespohrer6395]

Very helpful, Kara. I am tweaking my listings as a result. Thank you!

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@sandrav5226]

Very helpful, you showed me how to use titles, tags in depth Kara

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@irenebean7137]

oh my gosh...so glad I clicked this. You actually make sense. Thank you. I love that you gave us a total example. I can go back & redo my listings now.

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Trina8]

Thank you for sharing Kara, most helpful. Even for a seasoned seller 😊

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@Versaquatics1]

I'm enjoying your videos, Kara. Really appreciate all of the help and great tips!

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad you like them!

[@daisygirl1208]

you make this look so easy! I bought one of your keyword lists with the instructions and am slowly making my way through my old listings, but trying to use your advice on my new ones. thank you for showing us in action!

[@KaraBuntin]

It's easier than people want you to think it is!

[@jessiegibson9023]

Thanks

[@KaraBuntin]

Thanks for watching!

[@marleenab5677]

From the UK here. Not heard "stocking stuffer" before. We tend to use "stocking filler" more this side of the puddle. 🙂 Great video. Thank you!

[@KaraBuntin]

I think it did say “stocking filler” when i was doing the keyword research, so both are good to use!

[@IndiGoddess]

This was super helpful! I sell vinyl stickers and I've been using short titles because I thought long ones seemed like too much for such a simple product. Gonna have to go back and adjust them a bit.

[@KaraBuntin]

I've tested short titles vs longer ones and the short ones just don't get the same traffic. Longer ones are definitely better IMO

[@elizabethlaws9128]

When I first started trying to sell art online, before I found Kara, I paid someone to properly write descriptions and tags for 3 of my Redbubble items. I was glad that I was skeptical and only got 3 items done. The items that I had "improved" actually decreased in all stats that the dashboard was tracking. OK so I get that my art is sort of weird. Dude changes my description of a badger skull with a wolf bolete mushroom to : "This wolf skull design with different elements of a home garden like flowers and foliage is for great for gardeners and gardening fans, those that live in the Midwest and desert areas or like original western inspired art." 1. It's not a wolf skull! 2. Badgers don't even live in the midwest, they are in Eastern America 3. Gardening fans? Really? I guess if one had their garden dug up by a badger they might want its head, but that seems like a stretch to me.

[@KaraBuntin]

Uh...That sounds like he was not targeting the correct audience hahaha!

[@PaperZenCeceliaLouie]

Awesome to watch your thought process Kara, and to see the before and after example. Interestingly my listings are being found when they type in my competitors’ name.

[@KaraBuntin]

They're looking at similar items! Happens to me, too.

[@Bonniebeebs]

Thank you i'd love to see one based on t-shirts / fashion wear

[@KaraBuntin]

I have this one for graphic tees www.etsy.com/listing/1347944527

[@kellireece6348]

Good God woman! Your communication style is so refreshing. I clicked on 4 different dingbats before I found you - but couldn't sit through the first 2 minutes because of their squeaky voices and constant babbling on about nothing to do with the material they were expecting us to learn. My biggest pet peeve about tutorials. So, bless you for the wonderful manner in which you communicate and the fun personality you interject. I learned so much! I not only loved this tutorial, but I am going to subscribe to your channel. Thank you for putting this material together for us! Bravo!

[@KaraBuntin]

Well, thank you! The squeaky voices and fake enthusiasm irritates me, too. I'm incapable of faking enthusiasm for most things.

[@Eowyn4724]

🤣

[@kathrynmccarthy]

Really great video! It's so helpful to see the process. I usually add a few of the keywords from my title to the SEO keywords, but it seemed like you were keeping them pretty separate. I'm going to give that a try for my next listing to see if I get further reach in Etsy search.

[@KaraBuntin]

You can do it either way, there's no one-size -fits-all!

[@64bee]

Learned a lot about tags! Didn't think we could put like "groom father" together. Thought tags were aimed at putting our product in lower searched places but still appropriate to be seen in. New. Still learning!

[@KaraBuntin]

They're just used as extra information/keywords

[@nonamesdesigns]

super informative, i most certainly am guilty for weirdo tags haha

[@KaraBuntin]

They get traffic!

[@FeralDawn]

I had some guy with a seven day old profile on Facebook supposedly located in Nigeria tell me he was an Etsy expert who could do all my titles, tags, listings, and descriptions. Needless to say, I declined his 'help'.

[@KaraBuntin]

Smart.

[@JohnDoe-zf6gq]

Kek

[@sashas5844]

You are so good! Can you please review keywords for FineArtAmerica?

[@KaraBuntin]

I know nothing about that!

[@jjembellishmaille9402]

I'm so pissed now! There are other "Etsy coaches" teaching others from the Book of BS and not giving accurate information. There were a few videos I watched this spring that weren't very old that said to match the tags to the title and so I did. Now I get to go back through 300 listings to fix it... yay. Thank you so much for telling it like it really is and not regurgitating old methods. ♥

[@KaraBuntin]

If they actually take the time to look at what Etsy is doing, they would see that information isn't accurate, but they don't take the time.

[@sacredacres]

This! I just made a comment similar. I don't remember where I learned it but I definitely know I did AND when I fixed my listings that way my scores on Marmalead went up so I thought I was doing something right. 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@KaraBuntin]

@@sacredacres Yeah, Marmalead has to follow what Etsy claims is their best practices, except Etsy hasn't updated their page about how search works in years. The grades in Marmalead should be used as a guideline for things to check, but then you need to decide for yourself whether you want to change things.

[@AlysonAsami]

@@KaraBuntin How did you figure this out? What kind of research did you do?

[@KaraBuntin]

@@AlysonAsami Which, the title info or the stuff about Marmalead?

[@loniscollectables]

Thank you! I just copied one of my listings and redid the title and tags this way. Hopefully it will be a better seller. And it was a listing I had paid someone to redo.... It totally didn't look right to me. Best person to do the tags and titles is yourself. 🙂

[@KaraBuntin]

Glad it was helpful!

[@mrs.quills7061]

I always appreciate these videos and yes beard oil is really popular! Now that fuller beards are back it’s nice to have them smelling nice and be not so scruffy if that makes sense. It would drive me nuts when my husband would trim his and it felt like needles stabbing my face. This stuff alleviates that. Also, random question, would you ever consider doing SEO tips for an independent shop? I know you focus on Etsy, but I’ve finally pulled the trigger on Shopify today and while I know blogging can help with this, I was curious if I should list my product titles in a similar manner to Etsy.

[@KaraBuntin]

I've been thinking of doing a series on websites, I'm kind of fleshing it out now. Soon.

[@lynnedelacy2841]

The whole wedding thing for the beard oil search may be a red herring, of course men would want to look their best for their wedding but I think the search is taking it at its simplest form and picking up on the word ‘groom’ which of course has 2 meanings - groom as in bridegroom and groom as in to make yourself look good I guess it doesn’t hurt to come up in 2 searches

[@KaraBuntin]

It would depend on hit the search engine interprets it, too.

[@displacegamer1379]

1:46 I'd also edit that image. There's a lot of words on it which isn't necessarily a bad thing but it can be hard to recognize what you're actually selling especially on a mobile experience. But the bigger issue is that the brand name doesn't have very much contrast against that darker wooden background. So when a person especially a person on mobile looks at that it's just going to look like a block of color.

[@KaraBuntin]

At this point i think that shop has been pretty much abandoned, which is really aggravating.

[@dkatec]

This is so great!! Can I ask how you are finding your keywords which feel so complete? I'm sure you've mentioned that somewhere but this is my first video by you. Thank you!!

[@KaraBuntin]

I have an SEO playlist you can check out, but I really just use my brain to start with to get the obvious terms, then i think of more things that accurately describe the products. For Etsy i use marmalead to check the search volumes.

[@sacredacres]

I'm still processing this information but I *think* my takeaway is that I have been doing this ALL wrong, even using Marmalead. Somehow I got it in my head that I needed to be using the same long tail keywords in my title and in my tags. I don't know WHY but I did, until about 5 minutes ago. 😐 Off to work on this... Thank you!

[@KaraBuntin]

You can put the same ones in title and tags, that's still what Etsy is saying to do. But the reality is that you don't need to anymore.

[@melsnel7629]

Hi kara, awesome content! I was wondering if it is better for tags to add more variations with less avg searches then to just keep repeating parts of longtail keywords with huge searchesr like: large wall art, minimalist wall art, abstract wall art -> so instead keep high variation like: minimalist forest, large lake, modern mountain. etc Keep doing what you're doing

[@KaraBuntin]

I just repeat one mail keyword in the tags, so something like "large wall art," then I fill n the rest without worrying about search volume. As long as they terms are relevant and accurate it's fine.

[@AM-pt6oy]

Hello Kara! Thank you so much for a killer video, so refreshing how hilarious and direct you are. Do you recommend buying the one month Marmalead to try ? As in do you think it really helps a great deal? I tend to jump to buy things I think I need but turn out I don't. So I just want to prevent that. Thanks!

[@KaraBuntin]

It’s definitely helpful but don’t get hung up on the grades! I did another video on my tutorial channel recently showing how to use it the right way because people mishandle the data all the time.

[@booyakasha7197]

As the epitome of reason and logic among the b.s. coaching out there I look to you Kara for real advise and logic. That said here's a question: Do you know if Jasper AI app can do our Etsy titles and tags? It says it does SEO but do you have any knowledge about its possible application for us Etsy shop owners? Thanks yet again and I would really appreciate your thoughts on this question.

[@KaraBuntin]

I wouldn't use it for that. You would have to rewrite most of it because it's going to give you what feels like a weird, templated ecommerce description. AI isn't as undetectable as people think, you still get a feeling that something's a bit off when you read it. I'd say that if your first language isn't English it MIGHT be a good tool to use, but I'd still have someone else read it to make sure it feels okay and isn't stilted and odd.

[@isabelandradesantos]

Thanks for the great video! It came as a surprise for me, or maybe I didn't get it right... so the keywords in the title don't have to be repeated in the tags? That used to be a basic rule. I didn't know it had changed?

[@KaraBuntin]

It changed a long time ago but Etsy hasn’t updated their Etsy search articles for years, so people still point at that to “prove” that you should repeat them. All you have to do is go look at the first page of search and compare titles and tags in those listings to see that you don’t need to do it.

[@johncarloalbores5071]

23:16 😂🤣 Anyways I learned new things here! Thank youuu so much! Also, I noticed in etsy that my newly published product isn't showing up in the search bar. But after some few hours, I tried same keyword search in etsy, now it is there.. Is it really like that? Note that I haven't used any ads yet

[@KaraBuntin]

If it's there you're good.

[@northernsandcarver]

Great video Kara. Just to add, almost half of the bottle in the photo is cut off on the app.

[@KaraBuntin]

Good information!

[@GEM.Official]

Random info but thought sellers should know this so I'm posting it to as many places as possible. The Etsy repricer tool- if you try it and then shut it off- there is a known glitch that the repricer will change your prices but was not built to store original pricing information to change your prices back. I've had several sellers test this on one or two items and they are all showing the same issue. Your prices will be sky high and completely wrong if you turn on the repricer and shut it off. I've seen this on some message boards but I don't think it's getting enough eyes. I'm not the only seller with over 1k listings that had to set aside time to manually go back and change every single item price back to the correct pricing. It took 2 people 3 full working days to do it. This is a big deal. 5 sellers (confirmed) including myself have reported the glitch to Etsy but Etsy says they don't see an issue and their resolution was to ask sellers- each seller got the same customer service response - turn repricer back on/off and provide screenshots. None will do this as it would undo all of the work done to get pricing to be correct. Personally, I have lost over $900 in sales due to this and one seller lost over $6k. This needs to be talked about and Etsy needs to get this to their IT to build or rebuild their code. Guess no one at Etsy actually tested the repricer before they launched and started advertising it everywhere. Either way, q4 lost sales due to a glitch Etsy won't acknowledge shouldn't be swept under the rug.

[@KaraBuntin]

I don’t even know what you mean when you say the repricer tool.

[@GEM.Official]

@@KaraBuntin it is the free shipping guarantee smart repricing tool aka Etsy smart pricing. It can be found under Settings- Shipping Settings- Free Shipping Guarantee. There's a video on that page for info but once it's turned on, no changes can be made and the tool can't be accessed (It doesn't exist on any tab) The only way to shut off the repricer is to turn off free shipping guarantee on your store and then... Spend the next few days manually changing your prices back to correct pricing.

[@KaraBuntin]

@@GEM.Official Oh, okay, that thing was BS to begin with so I never used it! It assumes that the additional cost of shipping is going to be spread across all listings, but that also assumes that all listings are going to sell.

[@KaraUnderwood]

Does punctuation in the title help in search?? Do you have a video discussing how to punctuate?? Thank you. Your videos are very helpful.

[@KaraBuntin]

Punctuation doesn’t matter for the search engine, but Etsy has been cutting titles off after the first punctuation mark, so make the first part longer before you add any punctuation.

[@KaraUnderwood]

@KaraBuntin Thank you!! I just wondered because I was advised to not use punctuation. I removed it from all of my titles. I was hoping I wouldn't have to do it over again.

[@carriea8917]

Thank you for all your videos! I looked up this company and it was really hard to find them by key word “beard balm”. If I didn’t have their name from your video, they didn’t easily appear by a key word search. The shop has zero sales as of today 12/10/22. How long does it take usually after fixing key words for search optimization for a shop to be noticed?

[@KaraBuntin]

It totally depends on how much traffic the shop gets, which can come from anywhere. I don't know anything about what's gone on with the shop owner since I did the video so I can't say what's changed or not, but you have to send your own traffic to get the ball rolling. Also, you might not see it in search but other people will, Etsy is doing that these days because a lot of the placement algorithm is based on past customer behavior.

[@winonarozendal3148]

Thank you for this informative video. If I use the same 13 tags for the same niche lists, What would be the research results? Does Etsy show one of the lists or some of them?

[@KaraBuntin]

You have to try it out to see. Depending on what term the customer types in, multiple listings could come up, or only one. That's kind of dependent on the competition for whatever the customer searches for.

[@winonarozendal3148]

@@KaraBuntin thank you for reply.

[@booyakasha7197]

Kara, Can you please answer this question: Do Pinterest Keywords and Etsy Keywords for same product/image often be the same and rank the same in searches? I am using Pin Inspector for Pinterest posts which is a great app and it shows ranking and much more, I also use Marmalead for Etsy, also an excellent app and I guess I could do a side by side experiment as research with both but with your vast knowledge I would really appreciate your answer/comments here please. P.S. I really appreciate all your help in the creative marketing field!

[@KaraBuntin]

They’re not the same, but if a lot of people are searching for something on one platform they might also be searching for it on another. The difference is that people go to Pinterest for inspiration and ideas, and they go to Etsy to shop. So it’s a different searcher intent and the volume of searches won’t be the same. But there’s probably a correlation if not a direct equal search rate.

[@LindaM1976]

For the title, do you look at how competitive any of the keywords are ir just go with what describes the item best. I noticed my listings only come up when I search for exactly what I gave put in the first part of the title. Although I do realize the searches aren’t the same for everyone.

[@KaraBuntin]

I always like low competition, but if you give the search engine a variety of terms to use it can match you to low competition searches.

[@serpentsforhair]

Hi Kara, I'm reworking my listings as this vid popped-up! New subscriber :) May I ask a qst? Do you think it's advisable to "re-use" a dead listing (item not that hot it seems) that hasn't expired to sell something else? I'd replace all the contents. Or should I just create a new one altogether? Thank you!

[@KaraBuntin]

Create a new one, Etsy will have already assigned qualities to the old one and you don't want that.

[@serpentsforhair]

@@KaraBuntin That makes sense.. Thanks, I appreciate the help!

[@theodore.monti.]

thanks for the video. To clarify, if a keyword is in the title it doesn't need to be in the tags and probably shouldn't be in the tags?

[@KaraBuntin]

Not that it shouldn't be in there, but Etsy hasn't required it to be in both places for a long time. Your listing can place well in search without having it in both places.

[@denise723]

Really helpful, I have a question. My products are quite similar to each other (cards and Lino prints) I struggle to make all the tags differently, any advice is welcomed

[@KaraBuntin]

No need to do that, as long as they're accurate on a listing level you can use the same ones for each listing.

[@tanataylor4769]

@@KaraBuntin SOOOOO glad to hear this! I make a variety of items, however many are similar so I've always just copied the listing to create a new one, just changing what needs to be changed for the specific item.

[@denise723]

Thanks that makes me feel happier

[@Atlanteanxxx]

Hi Kara, do you know if etsy search makes prioritization for titles over tags or vice versa ? I mean if i write a high traffic keyword to title but not tags and vice varsa, which one gets more trafic?

[@KaraBuntin]

Titles are always more important, but if a listing is found in search based on tags, and it sells, it will keep showing for that keyword. It's not so much that where the words are is important, it's more that it's important what happens once that thing is found in search.

[@myst93]

Hi Kara, and thanks so much for the video. I do have a question about when you did your tags. Wouldn't it be possible to pull up the top searches for "beard oil", and then check Marmalead for the tags that the top sellers used for those specific products ? If they relate to your item of course. As opposed to creating your own tags. I hope that makes sense. If you create your own tags, there might not be many searches at all for those specific things you're typing, but if you're using Everbee or Marmalead, you're able to check the tags of top products. What am I missing ? Thanks for your time.

[@KaraBuntin]

You can do that, but copying other peoples seo isn’t really that productive. The shop that i looked at had other issues that could prevent it from ranking well in search, and as long as the tags that you’re using are accurate copying someone else’s tags isn’t going to be anything that helps that much.

[@myst93]

@@KaraBuntin Do you offer anything where I can pay you to take a look at my store ? I just had a few questions. Maybe 30 min or so.

[@KaraBuntin]

@@myst93 I don't do that anymore, but I recommend Anne Londez of FrenchVintagePrints on Etsy or Mary Avelis of LilFoxDesigns on Etsy for shop reviews and keyword reviews. They're both in my EShop program and know what they're doing.

[@jdthornt]

One time I have a hard time getting over is how... Kitschy these effective title look. I know they work, but I'd never click on manly beard oil.

[@KaraBuntin]

A lot of people would, though.

[@CabbagePatchSoap]

The wedding tag is genius, no one ever knows what gifts to buy a man

[@KaraBuntin]

I was seeing a lot of "groomsmen" terms when I made the keyword list, so it's definitely a niche.

[@davidsims6585]

Hi Kara, I am curious what your experience is with driving traffic from outside sources to new listings? Does this help rank listings in Etsy search results? I have a couple listings that have done very well on Etsy for over a year. I am trying to replicate what I experienced with these listings to grow my business more and my results are...underwhelming....?

[@KaraBuntin]

Nothing guarantees a first-page placement in search results because every customer sees something different, and searches aren’t static. So if you did something last year it might not worth the same way this year!

[@lynnedelacy2841]

Does it help to deliberately add a mis spelt word to your tags to catch people doing a mis spelt search - I’m thinking of the word ‘brooch’ which people often write as ‘broach’ I know that some searches like Google itself will question your spelling as in if you type in Wedgewood’ it will say do you mean ‘Wedgwood’ but in case they ignore the suggestion . EBay used to have an independent search called ‘Fat Fingers’ which picked up on common mistakes people made in their titles and as they didn’t use the correct spelling their listings got very few views and you could snag an auction bargain. Does Etsy search accommodate either your mis spellings or those of the searchers ?

[@KaraBuntin]

You can check by typing the misspelling in and seeing if Etsy corrects it. If they don’t you should use the misspelling.

[@TH4RG3]

Hi Kara, have you found variations are definitely taken to account in search? You mention you didn’t include a keyword because it was in the variation. I haven’t found any evidence, and have just done more testing with searching only with specific key words in my variation and the listing hasn’t come up. (The listing has had 2000 sales and ranks high in relevant searches, however only 12 listings came back with the search term and mine isn’t one of them). Thank you for your input and insight!

[@KaraBuntin]

They have been in the past...I went to Etsy to test it out and I found some that were included based on variations but not all with that word in the variations, so it might not work all the time.

[@user-nh5xr4xx4b]

Hi. This is great info thank you! I am uk does the same apply to Etsy uk as Etsy us? It does show on Etsy that repeating the title in the tags helps. Is this not the case?

[@KaraBuntin]

It’s the same, and repeating the title in the tags doesn’t help, it’s a waste of your keyword space!

[@lynnmorrow8258]

@@KaraBuntin thank you very much

[@partynlife]

Do we need to put the words in the tags in order for the system to pick them up correctly? For example, hydrating beard oil, mustache goatee, essential high end. Would the system pick up the phrase 'essential oil'? As 'oil' is at the front and 'essential' is at the back. And do we put more relevant and higher-searched tags at the front or it doesn't matter as long as the keywords are included? Thanks!

[@KaraBuntin]

It doesn't matter what order they're in, they'll be picked up regardless.

[@partynlife]

Thanks so much for your swift reply Kara! Do we also put the main keywords at the front in the tags just like what we do with the listing title?@@KaraBuntin

[@KaraBuntin]

@@partynlife That doesn't matter!

[@naritruwireve1381]

I was not expecting to laugh in an etsy guide video LOL. "Someone else might go, 'Oh, that reminds me of my uncle and I hated him'" and "Don't date your father. That's really creepy."

[@KaraBuntin]

Both are true statements!

[@diane8181]

Hi Does etsy check tags for medical claim? I have no description, but my listing was taken down for medical claim violation. Thanks

[@KaraBuntin]

They do!

[@cassier1889]

So am I right in thinking then that you use a tool to find a list of keywords, the most relevant and best of those go into the title and then the tags should be different/complimentary to the title. The tags should be varied enough that the search engine can mix and match and you don't have to find perfect long tail keywords phrases to put into the tags like your "retro nostalgic" tag for example?

[@KaraBuntin]

Exactly.

[@cassier1889]

@@KaraBuntin thanks :-) Last question is when looking for keywords. What would be your strategy for items that are super niche and new so currently not a huge demand for their main keywords? Items that maybe people don’t know they want yet as not much else currently like it. Hope I’m making sense?!

[@KaraBuntin]

@@cassier1889 For that the strategy would be to go sell it on social media to get people to realize that it's there!

[@cassier1889]

@@KaraBuntin haha fair enough! Although I’m using that for my own website. So I’m guessing my best strategy is to try and target low competition but more general yet relevant key terms!

[@KaraBuntin]

I always go for lower competition, because listings/blog posts/whatever it is are always found for more than one search term. If it's found for something that's low competition it will be found for more than just that, so the traffic will be higher than you think.

[@0VistaDelMar0]

Re apostrophe, do people write 'Girl's room' or 'Girls room' and does it matter?

[@KaraBuntin]

It doesn’t matter for search

[@LivingInTheShade]

I have to watch again as I was trying to do 2 things at once. What I think is very odd about the listing is that it doesn't show or have a video of someone using the oil on their beard? I also found some of the shops wording very cheesy in particular "Fit for a King and adored by his Queen".

[@KaraBuntin]

Listings don't have to have videos, but it's helpful for search ranking. I don't know how helpful it would be to a customer as far as watching someone put it on their beard, but I guess it might be.

[@Om-gg5tk]

Great video Kara! I’ve a quick question. Is it absolutely necessary to put your real name in first and last name while opening an Etsy store? I have a full time job and don’t want my colleagues to know that I am selling on Etsy. So I am wondering if I can use a pen name instead? Or for example if my store name is “XYZZ gifts” then can I put XYZZ in first name and Gifts as last name while opening my Etsy seller account?

[@KaraBuntin]

You have to use your real name on the financial and legal details, but for the shop name you can use the business name as your public profile.

[@Om-gg5tk]

@@KaraBuntin thanks Kara! The Etsy website says you can’t change your username once you have created it and that your username is public information so May I know which username is Etsy talking about in this case that can never be changed?As in is it the store name they are talking about Or are they saying the first name and last name can’t be changed once created when opening the Etsy seller account?

[@KaraBuntin]

I just tried it out and you can go to your settings and choose the About Your Shop section then change what shows in the About section. If you go to your personal profile it looks like you can change or remove your name from it, but I don't know how that displays.

[@tanataylor4769]

@@KaraBuntin The name on your Public Profile shows beneath the avatar on the right side at the top of your shop, just above the "Contact" link (on a computer, don't know about the app).

[@KaraBuntinTutorials]

@@tanataylor4769 dammit

[@AnneLondez]

I can't help noticing these things... in the Materials in the description, it says "apricot kernal oil". That's a typo, it should be "kernel".

[@KaraBuntin]

You're the second one to notice it, so other people are, too.

[@mila-vidadeimigrantenaphil1792]

I just found you unfortunately after switching all my titles and keywords from the big book of BS. I signed up for marmalead and now I have to switch all my titles, descriptions and tags again.

[@KaraBuntin]

No you don't...If you're looking at the Grades in Marmalead as a guide to what to do, don't, that's not what the grades are intended to be used for. Just use them to see what's going on then make your own decisions. The Marmalead guys considered removing the grades but people said they wanted them, but people use them wrong all the time.

[@j.r.z.4031]

hmm.... some time ago there was a recommendation to partially cut the title into words and insert them as keywords, not all but most. now I see that the main key is taken and synonyms are selected ..... hmm ... is it enough to mention important keys once ... will it not defocus what exactly the product is

[@KaraBuntin]

If you say what it is in the title, that’s what the search engine thinks it is. You don’t need to say it in title and tags.

[@j.r.z.4031]

@@KaraBuntin but it's interesting how the search engine focuses. what exactly is this product. that it is beard oil. not a gift for a husband, not natural oil. i.e. beard oil. if someone is looking for a natural gift for a man ...ok. but if a person is looking for a specific product. how the search engine will understand that this is exactly what they need. I understand that 10 times to repeat that this does not make sense. but focus .... hmm

[@j.r.z.4031]

@@KaraBuntin perhaps the focus is made by the buyer. first comes the request... a gift for a man... a million results... then comes a request... a natural gift.... one hundred thousand results... then a request... a gift for a husband... and here in the process three keys match and the system will probably show beard oil. the etsy report said.. almost all purchases come from the first page. but no one knows how many requests there were for the buyer to see the first page he needed. but in any case... I wonder how etsy focuses if the request is immediately beard oil... based on the history of requests from other users or otherwise

[@KaraBuntin]

@@j.r.z.4031 IT will show it for those other terms, but the competition is higher so there won't be the same number of "concentrated" listings of the same type.

[@jennyjumpjump]

Beard growth...maybe instead do keywords that means "prevents breakage". Grandpa gift

[@KaraBuntin]

Yeah, you have to be careful with any medical claims.

[@auntmayme8119]

I have to add that "kernal" is spelled wrong. It should be "kernel". Sorry to be so overly critical, but it might help if it were spelled correctly.

[@KaraBuntin]

That must have been in the description? Not sure, I don't remember seeing that at all.

[@auntmayme8119]

@@KaraBuntin Tags, title and description. I have an eagle eye for misspelled words. 😀

[@midnightmachinations]

Can someone clarify a big misunderstanding the Etsy seller community seems to have? 1. Etsy uses _exact_ phrases shoppers search for so don't mix up search words in your title, it won't work 2. Etsy does NOT use exact search phrases, and you CAN mix and match words like a long string of alphabet spaghetti Contradictory opinions seem to define the Etsy seller community and it's really tiring when you just want to sell stuff but everyone swears you're doing it wrong yet everyone does it differently.

[@KaraBuntin]

It's pretty easy to clear it up by looking at the results in search to see that they don't use the exact phrase. However, it's probably a little more complicated, because search engines usually prefer to find the exact word order match t establish relevance, but after that's established they'll look for more information to decide on how to rank things. So you do need the exact match for the best chance of having relevance, but it's not required to be on the first page of search after relevance is established. Etsy uses more than just the exact word order, but it's still a part of it.

[@midnightmachinations]

@@KaraBuntin Appreciate the response, and thanks for clarifying

[@comeforaride]

#1 most definitely not exact. I do keyword research for items that are low competition and if I search exact match there are like 10 exact matches. When I enter the same term in Etsy, i will get like 100 things returned. It's a bit loose and pulls in related terms and also terms some searched for and purchased after they searched for exact terms. It's a little more complicated of an algorithm.

[@comeforaride]

For #2, wanted to clarify. You should not throw terms up how ever and random. Remember that the algo is also learning. So if you get a random keyword and you come up for that keyword and they don't engage with your listing or click on and click off your listings without buying, it signals to the algo that your listing is not a good match. Which can ding go in future searches. Ideally, you want people Ro make a buy. And your ad having a feel that you are the perfect match for them.

[@Acaketoremember]

@@comeforaride That's not necessarily true, because the algorithm learns when someone searches for something then also clicks on a listing. If you have tags that have accurate terms "like one that says "father son brother" to match with a "gift" tag somewhere else, the algorithm will learn that listing is a good fit if someone searches for "gift for brother" then clicks on the listing. There's always a possibility that some terms will be matched that are weird, Etsy ads have proven that for years, but if people don't click on them if the listing isn't relevant to the search term the algorithm won't assign relevance to that listing for the search term.

[@brendabell6310]

I completely don't understand. A while back, you said to put your first few keywords first in the tags so Etsy would know they were the most important and today, if I understand you, you are saying don't put same keywords in tags and titles except maybe the 1 most important. Am I understanding you correctly?

[@KaraBuntin]

I’ve never said that they order of the tags matter unless it was something like 8 years ago! It’s GOOD to put important keywords at the front of the title, but that’s because the customer will see them under the listing photo. The search engine sees the words in the title and tags no matter where they are. Etsy used to see the front of the title as more important for search, but that hasn’t been how it works for about 4 years. You can put the words anywhere and the search engine sees them. Is covering your base to put the one most important one in both title and tags, but that’s not required by Etsy anymore.

[@tanataylor4769]

@@KaraBuntin When I started selling on Etsy (2006), Etsy was ADAMANT about sellers using tags in a drill-down style, not to mention only single words back then! I'm soooo glad things have changed for the better!

[@BellaButterscotch]

The groom may need grooming lol

[@KaraBuntin]

Yeah, I'm wondering if "groom" is throwing Etsy off, or if it's really wedding-related. Doesn't matter, it makes sense either way.

[@BellaButterscotch]

@@KaraBuntin thank you for all the advice! I learned a lot. Much appreciated. ✨

[@lynnedelacy2841]

Can you really claim ‘best’?

[@KaraBuntin]

Best is a matter of opinion, so yes. Of course, it doesn’t matter if you never do anything else to your shop, keywords are only the tip of the iceberg and if you don’t do the rest it won’t matter.

[@lynnedelacy2841]

Interesting as I was always taught not to write ‘best’ unless you can prove it (I’m in the UK) and we had a famous ad for beer that said ‘probably the best lager in the world’

[@KaraBuntin]

@@lynnedelacy2841 Well, if you ask ten people what the best beer is you could get ten different answers, so it's opinion. There's no way to prove that kind of thing!

[@lynnedelacy2841]

@@KaraBuntin still in the U.K. you aren’t supposed to use ‘best’ as you could be challenged legally You have to have facts to back up your claim of being the best not just opinions The same as saying ‘win a holiday’ it is too definitive you need to say ‘your chance to win a holiday’ I know from personal professional experience when the first expression was challenged we legally had to award a holiday to the complainant

[@KaraBuntinTutorials]

@@lynnedelacy2841 Then I would say that if you're in the UK, don't use it.

[@user-mu1py5wg4c]

don't date your father that's really creepy.. you are funny 😂

[@KaraBuntin]

Well it is! It would also make it very awkward at the family reunion.

[@TheNightjar1]

"dont date your father", lmao

[@KaraBuntin]

It’s just basic good advice

[@dawnwelch3913]

The big book of bs 🤣

[@KaraBuntin]

It's a well-used tome.

[@sebastianc09]

so the order and combination of words in the keywords doesn't really matter? a person in a FB group said that Etsy claimed "most important keywords go first". I love your videos btw, you give a lot of good info

[@KaraBuntin]

That's not true as far as the search engine goes. It used to be that way years ago and they haven't updated the search manual, but about 4 years ago they said that the order of the words doesn't matter as far as whether they're more or less important for Etsy search placement.