A Word About SEO

When I started selling on Ebay 17 years ago the only thing that was necessary was to have a good title and description.  I did well for years.  In fact, I still do occasionally. Nothing like the good old days, though. 

Etsy is another story.  SEO is the primary topic of conversation on Etsy.  There are experts who will tell you exactly what works and what doesn't.  Stuff like "you must use two word tags".  Well, you get a slightly bigger chance of exposure with two word tags but one word sure as hell works too.  There is the bit about how the first words of the title MUST match the first words of the description and tags must match the title...ad nauseum.  It goes on and on and there is much palavering over who is right.


Having spent considerable time in the Etsy "stacks" over the last couple of months, I've learned a bit about those absolutes including the photos with white backgrounds.  That seems moot these days since the glorious days of stark and pale treasuries on the Front Page has gone to nowhere land.  All those teams set up for the purpose of making treasuries for the glorious honor of being on the Front Page....what is their purpose now?  Heartless, Etsy. 

As I prowled the shops I noticed several things that go totally against the "rules" as we know them.  One shop that had over 2,000 sales in less than two years started every title with an adjective.  Oh, you say?  An adjective is a search word?  We're told that is a no-no - wasted, they say.  A descriptive word like "pretty" was the first word in every title in that shop.  The photos did not have white backgrounds and were a bit messy.  What?  Here's the thing, prices were low.  So, even though you don't get the title right for SEO but you can still be successful with cheaper prices?  I'm still pondering.  It was vintage stuff which makes the number all the more impressive. 

I found several shops that in one way or another fit the same profile as that one.  Not particularly good photos, no white backgrounds, failure to match up keywords, adjectives in the title and BIG SALES numbers. 


I can't explain why these shops are so successful but it surely made me wonder about the "rules" of the Etsy experts.