How does Etsy rank my store?
When customers look for something on Etsy, it presents them with stores and products that best match their research. But, do you know why these results represent the best ones?
The first thing to say is that the Etsy algorithm works in two ways:
- Query matching: when buyers type a specific phrase or keyword about what they are looking for in the search bar, Etsy scans all the available products that might match them.
- Relevancy: from query matching, Etsy determines in what order to show the various listings based on relevance.
To determine relevancy, Etsy considers a combination of 7 specific factors. Note that these factors aren’t weighted equally by the Etsy algorithm to determine how to rank shops, but don’t worry, we’ll explain the reasons why.
In this blog, we’ll explain the six factors and how you can improve your products’ relevancy.
Etsy’s six factors
Tag and title relevancy: this is the most important factor to consider when creating a listing for your store. If your title or tags don’t match shoppers’ researched phrases or keywords, your product won’t be shown to them. For example, if customers search for “flower bag”, Etsy will only present them with items that match both words in the title or tags.
But, it doesn’t end here! After the first match, Etsy uses keywords (words that represent your product) to order the initial results. At this point, there’re three things to keep in mind:
- If your tags or title perfectly match researched phrases, your product will rank higher than if a single word matched.
- If both the title and tags include a researched word or phrase, your product will rank higher than if that word or phrase appears in only one of the two.
- If the word or phrase match is at the beginning of the title, your product will rank higher than if it’s at the end of the title.
Note that the words you select for your listings must be in the store’s language that you selected when opening the store.
Items attribute relevancy: attributes are extra descriptive details you can add to your listings. The more they are accurate, the higher your product will rank.
Listing quality: with this, Etsy refers to “how well a listing tends to do in search”, meaning that customers purchase, favourite, or click a product from the search results directly.
When a store or listing is new, its listing quality is neutral and, therefore, not considered for the ranking.
Customer and market experience: the better your customer service and standing according to Etsy’s policies are, the higher your items rank. Etsy is very keen on valuing buyers’ experience on the platform. For this reason, good reviews are very important for your business. But not only, Etsy also considers if your store features a completed About section and shop policies.
Moreover, Etsy looks at the percentage of buyers who have completed transactions, customer return rates, and ratings for products and services.
Again new shops have a neutral score not considered for the ranking.
Recency: another factor is how recently you listed your items. For this reason, you should focus on keeping your listings fresh by changing something or just relisting items to improve recency.
Shop and buyers location: as many buyers tend to purchase from stores in the same country as their own, Etsy ranks slightly higher listings that match this criterion. However, this does not happen in all countries where Etsy operates, mainly in the EU, Canada, and Australia.
How you can improve your ranking
- Add specific category: categories are additional tags, so the more you include, the better for ranking. Moreover, they help your products to be seen by the right buyers.
- Review your attributes: make sure they’re relevant to your listings, and combine them with tags to have your products shown in different searches.
- Mind your listing photos, their sizes, and your prices: customers are more likely to visit your store if your pictures are clear and with good resolution. Moreover, your pricing shouldn’t be too high or too low. The reason for this is that buyers want products at an affordable price, but at the same time, if it’s too low, they’ll unconsciously associate it with poor quality.
- Positive customer experience: accurately complete your About section, delivery profile, and shop policies, so that customers have all the information they need about you and your store. Moreover, always communicate with your customers and resolve any issues in the most professional way possible.
