In the past I had struggled with keeping consistent high daily views to my Etsy shop. Do I need to rely solely on Etsy to bring me customers? No. I did some research and found their were proven ways to bring in more eyes into my shop which translated into more sales.
Some top ways to Get Etsy Traffic
- Add Cross Links to each Esty Listing
- Create saved postings in Draft mode
- Proper Tags and Titles / Understanding SEO
- And more…..Read on
1. Add Cross Links to your listings
One of the ultimate goals of your shop is to keep the potential buyer engaged in your listings. You want them to look around and find all your cool listings. The more products they see the higher chance of them purchasing from your shop. Cross links does just that, keeps the viewer in your shop.
Example:
I have 12 vintage Madame Alexander dolls in my shop. These are very collectable dolls. I’ve had some customers order more than one doll at a time. When I posted these dolls I added cross links in the description of my listing to keep my customers engaged and keep them in my shop.
Here is an example of a crosslink in action.
Etsy allows you to create hyperlinks in each of your listings. Why am I so excited about this? I love that this is a great way to stay engaged with your viewers. Cross Links also increase sales. I’ve have many buyers browse around my store and purchase multiple items.
STEPS TO CREATE A CROSS LINK
- Finish typing in your description of your item in the listing form.
- Hit the enter key twice
- Add your text on what you are adding IE: “Check out our other XXX items in our shop” or ” Click below for matching xxxx“
- Hit Enter once.
- Go to your Shop Manager…..Listings…. In search type in the name of the item you wish to add as a link.
- Double Click the icon picture to open.
- Click on the URL in the search bar at the top…right click and copy URL text.
- Paste URL in new listing description.
TIP 2: Save Postings as Draft Mode / List Postings Daily
Saving my listing in draft mode increased my number of visitors daily. I posted more frequently. I believed it helped rank me higher in Etsy’s algorithm. Etsy seems to like seeing an active shop. For creating new listings you can choose “SAVE AS DRAFT”.
TIME BLOCK it once a week! Try and get as many items posted to draft as possible in one designated time span. Saving as draft is a much faster way to list your items. Try to put on a movie and get to work on your listings. You could even TIME BLOCK a few hours once a week to list all of your incoming items in one sitting. I devote 8am to 10am every Sunday to draft as many items as possible and post them throughout the week to keep my shop active.
What is Draft mode?
Basically by adding a listing into “draft mode” it allows you to wait on publishing your item until you are ready to post it. Input most of the important criteria quickly and save it for posting later. This is a perfect strategy to ensure you get a listing into your shop every day.
Did this method work for me?
I’m happy to report that as I used Draft Mode I felt less overwhelmed and pressured to create listings daily. I was able to sit and create several listings at once and simply go in daily and post one each morning quickly. My overall number of shop views increased dramatically and therefore I obtained more sales.
TIP: A Quick Way To Post To As A Draft
With Draft Mode you don’t need to fill out the complete listing form. Etsy requires only 6 fields to save as a draft.
Fields required to save as Draft
- One photo (you can use your draft photo placeholder: see below)
- Listing Title
- Description
- Price
- Shipping info
- Renew Options
The bottom line: Keep your shop active and post daily.
3.Create a Website
BUILD IT AND THEY WILL COME
In the seller community I see more and more Etsy sellers open their own website in addition to their Etsy shop.
As sellers we love the Etsy e-commence platform. However, if you’re looking to expand and grow your business having your own website could could be the key to sucesss.
If your product only exits on Etsy that means Etsy is in charge. Etsy can raise your transaction fees and even redesign the their website. With your own website you are the boss.
Many web hosting services like Bluehost offer outstanding e-commmerce templates on their websites to get you started. At first I was a bit concerned about the learning curve. Would I have the skills to setup a full website on my own? With the help of endless tutorials on YouTube and customer support on such hosting sights as WordPress as long as you willing to devote a a little time you can do it. You can still keep your Etsy shop up and running as you move forward with a new website of your own. Many seller keep a blog or a website running on their own and still keep their Etsy shop open. It’s a great way to boost sales.
4 Tags and Titles / Understating SEO
Here we go! SEO! I never understood the power of SEO ( Search Engine Optimization) until I started using it. How do customers find you in Etsy? How are your products getting found?
Customers find you in Etsy with STONG TITLES AND TAGS and STONG LISTING TITLES. It’s as simple as that. Etsy tells us that ” the keywords you add to your listings are an essential tool for matching your listings to their searches.”
Tips with TAGS
- Go to the competitors listing in Etsy and scroll to the very bottom of their listing. Take a look at their tags. Are there some tags you have not thought of for your listing?
- Note: I like to go to the shops with a high number of reviews. These are the sellers that seem to have SEO down.
- Use Muli Word Tags.
- Be specific! Which is a better tag? Doll or Finland Alexander?
- If someone is types in Finland Alexander doll in their search query they are practically ready to buy as they know what they want. Help them find you!
- Use all 13 Tags! That’s right I said ALL!
5. Branding
Branding is such a powerful way of identifying your business. Creating a recognizable symbol to which customers can easily identify with like your company logo.
How does branding help sales?
I found that when my customers related to my brand it brings them back to my shop as repeat customers. If you feel like you get to know the company and the brand your more apt to be a repeat customer.
How I Brand
Every sale I make gets a personal note card with a thank you. I also add my business card that features my logo and web address into Etsy. Each card is stamped with ink showing off my logo and web address. It’s a great inexpensive way to get your name out there.
I’ve had many customers tell me they have kept my card so they could return to my shop to purchase again.
Business cards
I created my company design in the free version of Picmonkey. I then went to VistaPrint to order my cards. I did get them a few years ago but at that time it was under $25 for a few hundred. Pricing may vary.
Design help from VistaPrint
Do you have an extra $5 to toss in?
In addition, I was having trouble with the placement of the design on the card. It simply did not look right. User error I’m sure. Vistaprint has this amazing service that will design your card for you if you forward them your logo. The cost is only $5. To me it was worth every penny.
Company Stamp:
A fellow Esty seller told me about branding with custom stamps. I found a great company right on Etsy and gave it a try. The stamp and inkpad was well worth the money. I was surprised how relatively inexpensive custom stamp were after purchasing one.
I went to Terbear Collectables Custom Rubber Stamps. They had outstanding ing review on Etsy so I thought I’d give them a try. They created my stamp quickly and look at the results! Above you will see the stamp right under the word “branding” in this article. They were able to incorporate my tree logo and the URL web address right to my HOME BY LIV Etsy shop.
I reached out to Terbear Collectables Custom Rubber Stamps and they extended a great offer. I’m no affiliated with them in any way however, they offer this nice coupon for our readers.
I believed in their product so… your welcome! Once in their shop simply use code SELLERSTABLE at checkout.
I use this custom stamp for many things:
- On the side of my shipping boxes
- I create custom thank you cards for each shipment sent
- When sending out custom post cards announcing sales- looks fantastic and professional.
6. Give Instagram a try. It’s free!
Bringing in more eyes to your shop will only increase your sales. I know it’s an extra step and a little more work but I found implementing Instagram into my marketing strategy helped me build a community of buyers to my shop and helped me showcase my shop and how I run it.
Why I love Instagram
- Instagram helps target your potential buyers: Your followers already love and are engaged in your product topic or item. These are your people.
- It’s Free. You can run ads through Instagram which does cost money however this is optional.
- Instagram is a new way to channel a community of like minded buyers to your shop.
- Promote upcoming sales and product lines.
- Have fun with Instagram Stories: Take your followers on a ride while showcasing your backstory and you’re day to day fun as an Etsy seller.
There are so many great features of Instagram I could write about it forever. It has brought so many sales into my shop. If your new to Instagram and just want a step-by-step on getting started check out this article we wrote about getting started in Instagram as an Etsy Seller:
A Beginners Step-By-Step: Promote Your Etsy Shop On Instagram
Summary
There are clear ways we can take action to bring more viewers into your Etsy shop. Learning the steps you can take to bring more eyes to your shop is a great way to boost sales. Learn a new craft by take a class on Instagram for beginners or simply start branding your shop for optimal views and return customers. All these tips equal a perfect start to the roadmap for success.
