Hot tips for Etsy SEO with Jenny Hall

With ALL of the different Etsy SEO advice being shared, how do you know WHAT to follow? Should you be focusing on long tail keywords, or popular search terms? Should you be used phrases with duplicate words, or keyword stuff with unique phrases and descriptive words? Should you use short titles, or long titles? How do you even FIND the words and phrases to begin with?!

If these are the questions going through your head, then today's episode with special guest Jenny Hall will cut through ALL of the noise and give you the exact strategies to follow. With over 39,000 orders on Etsy herself, it's time to learn from an expert so you can get the traction you desire.

Jenny Hall has been an Etsy seller for 12 years, has over 39,000 sales, is the host of the Handmade Sellers podcast and teaches etsy sellers how to grow their sales using simple SEO and marketing strategies.

BY THE TIME YOU FINISH LISTENING, YOU'LL​ LEARN:

• How to find keywords that matter, that are specific enough to be seen, but also descriptive of your products so the right people find them when they are searching
• What tools you can use (like EverBee and eRank) - and exactly HOW to use them - to strategically determine the keywords and phrases you should use for your Etsy listings to get seen
• The top Etsy SEO mistakes and how to avoid making them yourself!
• How often to change your SEO and what to do if it's not working out for you just yet

LINKS MENTIONED IN TODAY'S EPISODE

Follow Jenny on Instagram @jennyhallstrategist

Listen to Jenny's podcast, the Handmade Sellers Podcast

LEARN MORE FROM MONICA LITTLE

Website: www.monicalittlecoaching.com

Instagram: @monicalittlecoaching

Watch the FREE Etsy training to get started today: How to Get Your Products Seen on Etsy!

Transcript

Monica Little: [00:00:00] Hello and welcome to the Product Biz Podcast. My name is Mon Kli, and I'm your host. And today we are on episode number 59, and we're talking about hot tips for Etsy, s e o with Jenny Hall. With all of the different Etsy s e o advice being shared out there, how do you know what to follow? Should you be focusing on long tail keywords or popular search terms, or maybe phrases with duplicate words, keyword stuffing with unique phrases, descriptive words?

Should you use short titles or long titles? How do you find the words and phrases to begin with that you should be using on Etsy to get your product seen? So if these are some of the questions that are going through your head, then today's episode with special guest, Jenny Hall, will cut through all of the noise and give you the exact strategies to follow.

Now you wanna listen to Jenny because she has over 39,000 orders on Etsy herself, so it's time to learn from her so you can get the traction that you want. A little bit about Jenny before we bring her on, she has been Etsy seller for [00:01:00] 12 years, has over 39,000 orders, is a host of the Handmade Sellers podcast.

And she teaches Etsy sellers how to grow their sales using simple s e o and marketing strategies. And that is exactly what we are going to dive in today. So let's bring her on and let's get, and all things ets, C S E O, are you ready to go behind the scenes and learn what it really takes to create consistent sales each and every month with your handmade small business?

Join me, Monica, little Self-taught multiple six figure small business owner and your product business coach. As I give you the insight and inspiration on how to better run your business and increase your sales in ways that you may not have even been aware of, so that your business can truly become what you knew it could be back when you first started.

Learn how to let go of perfection, overcome the fear of failure that is holding you back, and finally start taking [00:02:00] action so that you walk away feeling like you've cracked the code on how to run a successful small business. You are listening to the Product Biz Podcast. Well welcome Jenny to the product based podcast.

I'm so excited to have you as a guest here today. Thank you, 

Jenny Hall: Monica. I'm so excited to be 

Monica Little: here. Oh my gosh. This is gonna be such a good conversation all about Etsy, s e o, and how you're an expert on Etsy. And before we dive into that, I would just love for you to introduce yourself. So tell us a little bit more about how you got started on Etsy, what you sell, and that whole journey that has taken you to where you are today.

Jenny Hall: Sure. So my shop is called Seemingly Smitten and I sell digital sewing patterns. So they're sewing patterns for women and children. And growing up I, I mean, my grandmother taught me how to sew a little bit in the summertime, and I would make scrunchies and little pajama pants and stuff. But in high school we didn't have home ec, so I didn't know how to sew.

And then once I had my kids, I wanted to make them clothes and, um, [00:03:00] This was, so my son just turned 15. Okay. So long time ago that I remember begging my husband like we were newly weeds. We had no money. And I was like, please, I need $65 to buy a sewing machine because I need a hobby while he's in residency.

Like I was alone a lot. And so I got a sewing machine and then I had to teach myself how to sew. So I started watching all sorts of YouTube and um, reading blogs. Blogs were big back then, and I basically taught myself how to sew, and I started tracing my son's clothes. And then I figured out the sizing differences in like the incremental, you know, math.

You know, it's all math. And I figured out how the sizing is as he grew. And then I started making dresses for my daughter and I started a blog. And that's kind of where it all started. And then people would say, well, where did you get that pattern? I'm like, well, I made it. And they're like, well, where can I buy it?

And so that's how it all began. And I put up my first pattern and it sold and, and then I [00:04:00] made another pattern and it. Sold. And gosh, that's how it really began. And I started by doing children's sewing patterns, but then I realized like the target audience is, The people sewing. It's the moms and the grandmas and the aunts and I started making women's sewing patterns.

Mm-hmm. So that is how I kind of took off into the women's realm. And um, yeah. And I have almost 39,000 sales, so I love it. 

Monica Little: Oh my gosh. That is so awesome. So tell me a little bit more, when you say women's patterns for sewing, so what type of, is that, like women's shirts, things like that? Or what specifically is it?

Gimme some examples. Yeah, 

Jenny Hall: so for women's patterns, like a tank top, like what we're wearing right now, a knit tank top, something basic, it's all very beginner friendly. Um, there are no buttons, no zippers. Everything's really tailored for a beginner because I won't forever think of myself as the beginner.

Um, but dresses, um, pajama pants. I have nightgowns and like knit dresses, something just super casual and comfy. Um, I have [00:05:00] winter coats, all sorts of things, but the main things that sell are the maxi dresses, like a racer back tank. Maxi dress is one of my best women's sellers. Pajama pants, nightgowns, nightgowns sell year round.

So that's, that's it. And for little girls, it's ruffle pants. Ruffle pants. Ruffle pants. They love the ruffle 

Monica Little: pants. Oh my gosh, that is so fun. And I love, it's just so awesome to hear your story of how you were literally doing something at home, like for your children, right? And then it's like, okay, how can I actually share about this more?

How can I put it out there? And then it evolved to what it is now, and like you said, almost 39,000. Orders on Etsy, that is absolutely incredible. So I know now you actually help other small business owners with like Etsy SEO tips and tricks and things like that. So I would love to just dive into that and hear more about what are your some, some of your top tips to actually get seen on Etsy.

Cuz obviously with 39,000 orders, you've mastered that. So what do you do? What do you share? How do you teach this? What are people, what do people need to know to actually get their product seen on Etsy? Yeah, 

Jenny Hall: so, gosh, [00:06:00] SEO is so important and when I was starting out, I mean it was slow, right? I only had 85 sales my first year and cuz I didn't understand the business behind it, I just thought I could, you know, put the patterns up and people will find it and it doesn't work that way.

So you really do have to have business skills and you have to know how to get found. And SEO is the way to get found. And, um, I always say that. Like people don't have a product problem, they have a visibility problem. Mm-hmm. And the only way to get seen is through seo. Your SEO gets you found in the search results and then your picture gets you that click.

Even if you have really good seo, if you don't have a good photo, they're not gonna click. So you need both. But in order to find out, in order to be found in the algorithm, your SEO has to be, has to be using high ranking phrases and, and what I always tell people is, You have to use phrases that your customers are using.

Mm-hmm. And I see this [00:07:00] all the time, especially with artists or designers, like they will give it a name, like, you know, the, you know the Addie dress? Well, that's what I can name the pattern, but no one's searching for that. So if I blog about it and I talk about it, yeah, I can call it that and I can link to it.

But on Etsy, it's gonna be women's, right? Like women's long sleeve knit. Sewing pattern knit dress sewing pattern's. Gonna be specific because a person that is searching, well, they're searching for a sewing pattern, they're searching for a beginner sewing pattern, a knit sewing pattern, a summer dress sewing pattern.

So SEO really is, I always tell people, imagine that you're talking on the phone. And your friend cannot see what you just made. And you have to describe it. Like what is it? What is it made of? Who is it for? Where are they going to put it? How are they going to use it? Who is it a gift for? So those are the some of the tips, like when you start throwing in those words, that really gets you seen 

Monica Little: to.

Yeah, I love it. And I think back to [00:08:00] my Etsy shop too. I went through that same evolution of like, okay, my product, my facial serum is called Heal and g Glow Facial Serum. But unless you've bought from me before, you have no idea that that's what it's called. And no one's going there searching Heal and Glo Facial Serum.

They're searching for what it does. It's a moisturizer, it's anti-aging. It helps. With dry skin, all of that fun stuff. So I love hearing you say that because I can totally relate and that's something that I share with my members too of, of how do you actually describe it and that exercise that you said of imagining you're talking to a friend and how would you talk about your product that is gold.

Cuz that is truly what people are searching on there and what they're trying to find. So when someone's trying to figure out. These high ranking phrases. I love how you said that. Are there any tips on how they actually kind of find them? So I love what you said of descriptive words, who is it for? Mm-hmm.

Um, is it a gift for what season, it, all that fun stuff, but do you use, do you use any tools on how to help you get those phrases? Tell me more about that. 

Jenny Hall: Yes. Okay. Absolutely. So I use two tools and right now [00:09:00] my favorite is Ever Bee. So I love Ever Bee and Eran and what I love about. Eran is that it allows you to see the, um, the favorites.

So it's like the hearts, how many favorites, and it shows you, okay, well how long has it been up there? How many favorites has it gotten, and when you, and how many visits has it gotten? Well, if people, I always do the 10% rule. If 10% of people are favored in it that have viewed that, that is huge. So I always go by 10%.

So let's say I got a hundred visits and 10 people favored it. That's amazing. It means look at those keywords, look at that main cover photo, look at all of those tags, go read that description, like what is in there. That's, that's, that's catching the customers. I, right? Like what words are they using, what photos they're using, what lifestyle photos they're using.

Look at all that. But literally write down their titles and their tags. And as you [00:10:00] keep doing that and you see the high converting to favorites, you're gonna start to see the patterns of, wait. They're all using this word. They're all using. They're all saying, Hey, it starts with this. Well, this is like, yes, everyone's gonna say, you know, sewing pattern, but that's so broad.

It has to be in your tag. It has to be in your title. But it's not just sewing pattern, comma, dress pattern, comma. That's not specific. And then what I do is I take those words. And I go onto Etsy and I look for bestseller badges. Mm-hmm. Bestseller badges, hands down. Now, if the shop has a sale going on, it's not going to say bestseller on the results page, but it's ranking on that first page.

So I want you to click, I want you to click on that and go see it has that bestseller badge. Write down all those title words and you, it's just gonna start to click in your mind like, wait, these are the phrases. This is what it is. It's a boho style. Right. And. Those are the phrases you're gonna be using.

And I also love Ever Bee [00:11:00] because they show you how many sales that product is getting, so don't waste your time making something that isn't selling. Right? Like just because you like something doesn't mean you're target audience. Does it just, it might just be something you like, you're like, oh, this is cute.

Well cute Doesn't mean they want it. Yeah. And so when I look on Ever Beeen, I'm like, okay, this product has been out one month, two months, three months, and it's made a thousand dollars, $2,000. That is what you're aiming for. And so you go look at their titles and tags and that's, that's the method, Monica.

Oh my 

Monica Little: gosh, I love it. Okay, so if I were to summarize those amazing things that you just said ever be is more for like product ideas. If you have an idea. Let's see if it's actually out there getting sales. If people want it. If people like it. If they're buying it, right? Yeah. Because obviously we want something that we have actual data that, hey, people are buying this.

And then I love how you said e rank. You look to see. Specific listings and how many times it's been favored. And then you do a little bit of [00:12:00] backwards math to say, okay, I have 10% of people favorite it. Then you can back into how many people actually viewed it to see what is actually working. And then you just start to consolidate and basically look for trends in those titles that those people are using.

Right. And absolutely. And then maybe. Then like a triple way to verify is then actually searching on Etsy and seeing what has a bestseller badge, and again, being like a detective. Okay, bestsellers, what are they putting in their title? What trends do I see? Absolutely love it, and I think this is awesome.

Um, because I personally don't use Eran, but I do similar stuff just on at c instead of using Eran, but similar of, let's see what people are doing on that first page, right? Like success leaves clues. So what's going on on that first page? Page. And then I love that bestseller badge of taking it one step further because people obviously like it.

So one thing that you said, um, which is super interesting, is being super specific, cuz I a hundred percent agree with that too. Now what happens is, and I would love to know your view on this, when people are being super [00:13:00] specific in their title, to get that s e o placement on Etsy, what are your thoughts on like duplicate words?

So in this example, Um, it is a dress pattern or a boho dress pattern or a beige dress, woman's dress pattern. Would you repeat those words, dress pattern over and over to have the full phrase, or are you under the train of thought of is you, if you have it at least in your title somewhere, you don't need to duplicate it.

What's your train of thought there? 

Jenny Hall: I. So for patterns, it's kind of hard to not repeat that word. Um, but if it's another item, no. Once it's in there, the bots are gonna find that phrase, so you do not have to keep saying home decor. Right. Perfect. Yes. Yeah. Door decor. Re 3, 3, 3. Th There are other phrases to use, so, I mean, bots are gonna scroll and grab, and if it's in there, it's in there.

So a lot of people get caught up too when they're like, oh, but that doesn't autopopulate, right. When they're like, oh, it has to autopopulate. How can I ever say this long phrase? I'm like, well, hold on. The smaller phrase is in there, [00:14:00] but if you go, you know type, you know, Boho wall art, you're gonna get a million results.

But when you start saying what it is and leave that boho wall art in there, that's how you narrow it down. So people start freaking out. They're like, this does not autopopulate. It doesn't have to autopopulate. That's just literally showing you like tags you can use. Right. Or phrases you wanna use in your listing descriptions and in your titles because, um, the algorithm searches your listing description too, and that's how you get found on Google and Etsy.

So it's so important to. Repeat your title in sentences. And so Google, it's easy to read, it's readable, and your customers can scan it and soak in those bots. Oh my 

Monica Little: gosh, I love it. Cuz that's something that's been coming up that I've been hearing lately. It's like, okay, well I need to have the phrase over and over.

So if I'm talking about a candle, I need to say something, something candle, something, something candle something, something candle. But I'm under this on the same exact page as you as like if, as long as you have candle in there, once. They're gonna piece it together. The Etsy algorithm is smart [00:15:00] enough to find candle in there, and then the other words that people are actually searching to pair it together.

They don't need like the exact phrase, over and over and over. And then you're actually opening up a bunch of those characters for more unique. Keywords that people are actually searching. So I'm just so glad I was kind of nervous to ask cause I'm like, Ooh, let's see what you say. Cause sometimes, you know, it may be opposite, but, but it's always fun when you get people on the show and it's like, oh my gosh, this is, this is just so good for people to hear from another amazing expert who has 39,000 orders.

What actually works? So I am just so grateful for you to be sharing that with us. Yeah. So, uh, next thing I wanna ask you too, which this. Comes up for me. When you're doing your different keywords and phrases, what's your overall view on like long tail words versus words that are super popular? Do you have any guidelines around that?

Jenny Hall: Um, so popular words tend to change. So think about like blush pink, light pink rose, rose gold. [00:16:00] Those words are gonna change. So make sure if it is a color, something like that. You do keep up with the trend. You can also say the other words in your tags too, because, well, someone who doesn't know the hottest phrase, right?

Um, right now, they're gonna use a different word. So yes, you have to. You have to know what is popular, but it also has to describe your product. Like don't say boho if it's. You know what I mean? If it's not, if it's modern, right? Yes. Right. Like, don't you have to use words that describe it, or they're just gonna scroll by you.

It's not what they want. So, um, you have to use phrases that describe it. Yes. Long tail keywords. Just like what we said, it's like adjective. Adjective. Like what is it? Who is it for? What is it made made of? Like, I, I was helping someone and. It was, you know, the, the letter, it's like home, the home sign. You put it on like a tier tray decor or um, a shelf sitter.

Well, the whole time I'm reading it, I'm like, you never said it was a wood sign. Like they just got like the basics, right? [00:17:00] Shelf decor sign, but never wooden sign and, um, shiplap all these words. I'm like, because. When someone's making it, they're just so used to being in it and they're not, they don't have that bird's eye view and like, that's why I love even people looking at my stuff.

I'm like, what am I missing? Right? Cause I'm in it and I can only see what I see and what I know. Right? But when you have someone else look at your shop, they can be like, oh, hold up. Look. Guess what? You forgot this in your announcement. You're not even telling people what you sell. That's how Google finds you too.

So when someone else looks at your shop, it's just so helpful. 

Monica Little: Oh my gosh, I love it. Such good feedback. So I wanna also ask you, as you kind of dive into some of the things, some of the mistakes that people make, are there any other top mistakes that people should be wary of when they are doing their seo?

I know we've kind of talked about it, like one thing you said is autopopulate. If it's not showing up, when you're actually typing in the words on Etsy, if it's not auto-populating in the search, um, that's okay. So I can see that that's one mistake people make is [00:18:00] they kind of fixate on that and that can derail what they're going to use.

Are there any other mistakes or things to watch out for as people go down a co rabbit 

Jenny Hall: hole? Yes. Yes. There was almost like a rumor, right? Not too long ago, where it's like, short titles are best. That drives me nuts. You were missing out on all of those opportunities to get found. And so, and then people will say, but I found this shop and they only use short titles.

I'm like, Honey, go find them on socials and see. And they're like, okay, they have a hundred thousand followers. I'm like, yeah, they already have, right. A proven audience base. And they already have, you know, um, their items already have that score on Etsy, cuz they have the reviews and they have the, the past sales that, you know, you know how they score them based on, you know, how many sales and how many reviews it's gotten.

So they already have that data. So Etsy can pull from that. They know. How to match the customer with what they're looking for based on, it's already a successful shop. If you're just starting out, please don't just say you sell a front door [00:19:00] wreath, you know, that's not gonna get you anywhere. So I think that's, that's a big mistake.

Um, short titles are not best. That's, that's what I see the most. 

Monica Little: Yes. Oh, I love it. And that's the thing too with Etsy, which is super interesting, is these little like rumors or these little pieces of information come out. I think a new one too is like to repeat that word in your phrases over and over.

I've heard that from like three or four people and I'm like, listen, like sure, if you wanna try it out, great. But from an s e strategic standpoint, use all the characters. Don't do a short title. Use unique words. Don't duplicate the same one over and over. Right? So sometimes I think, uh, what happens is that people.

Are just looking for that one fix. I'm like, oh my God, just tell me the one thing I need to do that's causing me these problems, that's gonna fix everything. And it's like, uh, sometimes I hate to break it to you, but it's not just this short title that's gonna magically fix everything. Usually it's probably the opposite.

It's maybe gonna do more harm than it does. Good. So when you're working with people making these changes, What's your guidance in terms of how long [00:20:00] do you wait to see if there are results, if it's working, and then if maybe it's not working, then what do you do to refresh it or check and continue to adjust?

I love 

Jenny Hall: this question because I have heard so many different things. I'd love to know what you think too, Monica, but, um, you always, I've heard something even crazy on Eran. They're like, wait three months. If you're waiting three months for your SEO to work. You are not gonna get sales if you are not getting sales.

So that's, that's. Completely. I do not agree with that at all. SEO updates as soon as you update it. So once you update it, you should start seeing more traction. If it's a weak and you're not getting more traction, something else is wrong. Something else is the problem. Look at your picture. Right? Like maybe it's not something people are even searching for.

That's what I like about, um, about, um, ever bee. That you can see what people are buying. So just because you made it and Yes, it's a cute nursery, you know, animal safari, well, well guess what? That trend is kinda on the down right now. [00:21:00] So just because you have the good keywords and maybe have the picture ever, is the audience still there?

Mm. So, You know, look at, okay, are other shops selling it? Are other shops getting traction and they're using these words and your picture is up to par and you have past sales, you should be getting more traffic. Or, hey, I can't really find any other successful shops that are selling it currently. Well, that's time to move on.

But do not let your SEO sit there. I give it a week. I give it a week, and then you change like one small thing. You don't redo the whole title. You're gonna keep what we just talked about. But maybe there's another descriptor that you can use another, you know, who is it for? Well, what season is coming up?

Like right now? You should already be, um, SEO in your fall, in your Halloween. So what do you have right now that you can just change that one, that one word in there, or that one thing in your tag and add that into your list of description to keep up seasonally. But no, I give it a week. 

Monica Little: Cool. Oh my gosh, I love it.

Yeah, I agree. Three months is quite a stretch to be like, okay, is this working? Is it not? [00:22:00] I have been giving people the guidance of wait 30 days, but I love what you said. I've give it a week, and that's something that I'm gonna encourage people to do too if, you know, if we make those changes and then we can start to see if the views go up, what kind of track?

We're getting cool a week. It's plenty of time, so I'd love to hear your perspective on it. That's absolutely awesome. 

Jenny Hall: And I'm big on renewing and not a lot of people are, but if you change that seo, click renew on that listing. Mm-hmm. And I'll also say, if it's something that is normally selling and then hasn't been selling, go renew it.

One time I, I hadn't sold because like the season changed and I was like, wait, this is weird that my women's shorts aren't selling. Well, it's because we were just coming outta winter. No one had bought them yet. I went and refreshed them. I made two sales that day. Mm. Cause it's just that small boost in the algorithm and then people start seeing them again because Etsy's like, oh wait a minute, I forgot about this product.

Someone just bought it. Let's push it back up. So I'm also a big believer in renewing. 

Monica Little: So what do you mean by renew? Do you mean like renew your listing or do you mean just make a couple updates really quick? What do you 

Jenny Hall: mean by that? [00:23:00] Sorry. Good question. Um, no, like literally go in and click Renew listing 20 cents, renew listing.

So it gives it a small boost in the algorithm. A lot of people say, oh no, I wait for auto renew. I'm like, if it, if you wait six months to give it a small boost in the algorithm, if it's not selling. Go pay that 20 cents and you get that boosted. But I renew like 30 products a week. 

Monica Little: Okay, cool. And do you, do you switch which 30 every week like you kind of go through?

Or is it like your best sellers, you keep renewing those? What's your strategy? 

Jenny Hall: Yeah, it's always my best sellers and then it's what should be selling. So let's say, you know, in the. I always sell a whole bunch of nightgowns, especially like October through January. So if that's coming up, I'm constantly renewing my nightgowns cuz I know that that's what grandparents sew for their little girls.

And it's, you know, it's getting chilly at night and people give their Christmas Eve pajamas. So I know that it's pajama season, so if I know something's gonna sell, I'll renew it. If something hasn't sold in a while and I'm like, this is unusual, go renew it. Um, but that's what I. 

Monica Little: Super interesting. So why do you think that works?

Is [00:24:00] it just telling Etsy like, Ooh, ping, here's something new. Here's a renewed listing. So they show it to more people. Is that the 

Jenny Hall: strategy? Yeah. It's just a small boost in the algorithm. Mm. That's what, that's what Etsy says. And some people say, oh, don't waste your money. But I, I've seen it over and over and over again, and that's one of my strategies, so I'm gonna keep doing 

Monica Little: it.

Yes. Oh my gosh, I love it. Awesome. Awesome. Well, thank you so much. This was, So insightful. So many great tips, and I know people are gonna walk away with just some great things to work on, some great motivation and inspiration to keep going. So I am so appreciative of you joining us here today. So before we wrap up, I would love for you to just let people know where they can find you, how can they work with you, all of that fun stuff.

Jenny Hall: Yes, so you can find me@jennyhall.com. I also have a, my own podcast called Handmade Sellers, and on Facebook it's a group called Jenny Hall, Etsy Sales and Marketing. So you can find me there. Thank you so much for having me, Monica. 

Monica Little: Oh my gosh, thank you. So fun. And I'll make sure to link all that in the show notes so people can find you.

But thank you so much, Jenny. Thank you. Bye.[00:25:00]