Etsy Tags: 14 Ways to Get A Sale

If someone gave you 14 opportunities to make a sale, would you decide to only use 10? I doubt it. Don't do that with your tags on etsy either. You may miss the boat!

The first tag is Etsy's official category list. Choose the one that most accurately fits your item (warning: Etsy does respond to complaints about mis-categorized items, so beware. If you try to list something in a category where it doesn't fit, Etsy may censure your store!).  Plus, if a customer is searching for paintings and finds your hand lotion, they will be irritated and will NOT shop your store.  Yes, we all want visibility, but not at the expense of customer good will.

 Etsy has several articles and helpful tips you can use, and they discuss using tags, choosing categories, and many other helpful items to set up and organize your store.  So don't overlook all they help they give to sellers.

But I've heard several sellers say they can't come up with 13 more tags.  I, too, had that problem when I first opened my store, and I hope I can give you some helpful tips to fill up every tag you have.  In fact, sometimes you can get 16 or more tags in those 13 spaces!  Since these are the 13 ways you have to get a customer to enter your shop, don't skip any of them! 

 Standard tags I think you should use ALL THE TIME:

FIRST:  The NAME of your Store

              If you have promoted your store on your blog, if someone else has mentioned your store on their blog, or if they heard about you from another customer, you want them to find you, don't you?  Maybe they actually purchased from you before, but don't want to go through their list of past purchases to find you.  Whatever the reason, or however they know of your store, make that one of your tags. S & T Creations is a tag on every item I list.

SECOND:  Your Name, or the Name you Use with your Creations!

               This is another, to me at least, no-brainer.  Friends and people at work may not remember my store name, but they will know mine.  I always tell customers they can find our store on etsy, so they may remember that and go looking. BUT my store name, since I have a business partner, may not be quite that easy to remember.  By entering my name in the search text, my items should pop right up.  I also, of course, add my business partner's name, so we are both there.

                 One thing you may want to consider.  Some of you actually work underneath a "pen name" or business name, and don't use your full legal name.  In that case, you need to determine which one to use or if you want both.  For instance, I have a friend who is quite the artist in oil and watercolor.  She always signed her work with her first name and middle initial, never using her last name.  If that is something that you do, or perhaps you continue to use your maiden name for your work, then be sure to add what you need in order to be found.

Remember, your customers can't walk in your store and ask questions, or ask for you, so you need them to find you, quick, easy and accurately. 

OK, you have your store name and, if you choose, your personal legal name or professional name. Now what?

Describe your item in the next tags. Now, descriptions are a bit more tricky. Of course, you do want to be descriptive, but not so detailed that no one would ever use that as a search term. Cream, tan, or brown may be terms customers would use to search for a purse color, but ecru? Well, probably not so much. But if you have something that is a well known trademark name, be sure to add that. Let's say you made a wall hanging using Mary Engelbreit material. Be sure you list that as an item. Customers would search on that, since it may be something they specifically want to find!

I sell jewelry and components/findings. So I am sure to list color, type of gemstone, and generally whether it's silver or gold or copper, etc. I might also add the type of clasp, if it's unique, such as heart toggle. I list the gemstone, if it is one I think customers would search on, such as turquoise, amethyst or sapphire. But I might not add that if the stone is uncommon, such as rhodochrosite, and especially not manganese carbonate! Who knows that! Not many customers. And if they do, they will also know they more common ways to find it, such as searching for pink or rose colored.

If I have tags that are still open, I have developed a short cut spreadsheet with other languages.  That way, if I'm selling a necklace, I might add bijoux. Or noir for black, verde for green, rosso for red.  We have had some sales I shipped to South America since I've started this, but that may have been from adding wire beads around the same time.

 OK, maybe you have passed the obvious tags, and now you are wondering "what else?"  Is this where you used to quit (used to, because you know you won't do that anymore, right?).  You have listed the basic descriptive terms, your name and your store.  Next?

If you are the member of an Etsy team, add that as a tag.  I have personally used this in so many ways, and it's great. First, if anyone has promoted our team store, esmarts,  in a blog post or article, customers may search on the team name and get not only our store, but many of our individual items also!  Second, if I am writing the article, I can search for our team name and immediately get items from our members stores that I can then high-light and link to in my article!  Quick, easy.  Third, it also makes it easy for a member to work up a treasury that will focus on team offerings.  Finally, sometimes I can't remember a member's store name (in fact, some members may have more than 1 store).  Sure, I can open yahoo, log in, go to groups, and then files and then search for the store name, or I  can open etsy and search for esmarts.  Immediate response.

 I also list tags about where I am located.  I've never used "United States" but I may need to remember that one myself.  But I list my state and usually my city.  Or perhaps the closest large city to where I am.  Many people try to shop local whenever they can, and I want them to find me.  Maybe they will contact me for a custom order if they know we can meet and discuss it in person.  Maybe they have a store and would take some of my items on consignment. 

Also, if your item is somehow connected to a large special event, add that as a tag.  If you make handmade wedding invitations, using calligraphy, you want that in your tags.    If you make Nascar items, specifically Jeff Gordon, include those as tags.  If your item uses an image of Italy, or the Eiffel Tower, be sure those are tagged as such.  Is it a bookmark with a cross?  maybe you add the terms catechism or baptism or confirmation, since these might be great gifts for such occasions. 

It is not a tagging error to help customers find a gift for that special occasion or for someone who has a particular hobby or interest.  A grandmother might search on Miss Kitty if she knows that is her granddaughter's very favorite item right now.  You don't want to be overlooked.  Tags are your ability to suggest something from your shelves to your customer.

Today, an important and popular item to search for are those that are environmentally or ecologically friendly? Is your item a recycle or re-use of something else? Is it "green?" Are you donating some of the profit to a special cause, such as the Susan Komen for the Cure? For the latter, I'd use Komen, Cure, Breast Cancer, donation, fundraiser, maybe even pink ribbon. Also, if you know your item has some controversy around it, and you want to assure your customer that this it uses only "fair trade" components, tag it.  If you only use organic ingredients, add that tag!

If you just lowered the price, update those tags: sale, discount, clearance, reduced, special deal. Are you offerring free shipping? Add that tag (be careful of these, I did that once and had to re-tag everything for that month AND then "un-tag" it all after the special ended).

Does your item tie in with a particular "hot" movie?  We created gorgeous necklaces/chokers using red and/or black flocked beads, some round and some heart-shaped.  Striking and dramatic, when the popular Twilight books were released, I updated the tags.  I also had tags on these for prom, formal, and black tie.

OOPS! Maybe you filled all your tags but have another word or 2 you want in there. Isn't that a great conundrum? Far better than leaving them blank. You can put 2 words on 1 tagline as long as they aren't long. For example, "blue" and "aqua" will fit on one tag, or perhaps "blue" and "teal" for another option. Double up your terms whenever possible to make the most from those 13 extra text boxes Etsy lets you use! Is the item a photo of a flower? An iris? Put iris flower in your tag. You have a total of 18 characters/spaces available; use all you can.

OK, maybe you've exhausted the city, state, country, colors, components, your name, store name, and team. Still searching to fill up those spaces? You can stretch a bit and still be quite appropriate in all your tags! Does your elephant pendant have crystals around the neck, like an elephant in a circus? Add "circus" as a tag.

No, I don't have all the instant tags that will drive customers to your store, but I do hope you have stretched your imagination. If you had a brick and mortar store and this item was in your store, and a customer came in and asked for "X" what "X" would lead you to recommend this item? Simply put: "When would you suggest this to a customer?" Those are the terms you want to use as tags. I wouldn't use city/state/country/territory tags before I used more common search terms, but I'd use them before I leave a line blank. And, I would use terms like handcrafted, or artist/artisan if appropriate.

I hope this list, while far from exhaustive, helps you think of some extra tags. While a tag may not work, I can guarantee you that a blank tag WON'T EVER work! Good luck and happy tagging!

My partner and I work on our store and our business part time, with 4-8 annual events, so I'm not going to tell you that we are booming.  However, I know that these tags, plus the title and description, are the only things you have you can personalize for potential customers to find you!