on Aug 26th, 2011 | in Fast Five

Everyone on Etsy is talking lately about the importance of titles and tags for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Just don’t forget about your descriptions! Descriptions are the place where you can be creative, tell a story and draw a customer in. Descriptions are critical for SEO and, more importantly, for helping your customer get a clear picture of your item.

Would you want to buy a milk chocolate bar or a creamy, rich chocolate bar? Well that was not a good example–of course you want any kind of chocolate. I digress. Check out  Tag-o-Rama – this blog contains a very helpful list put together by Etsy’s Danielle. This list contains descriptive wording for sizes, colors, styles and more.

If you titled your item as a ‘flower hair pin’ you can use the terms ‘flowered bobby pin’ in your description. The more ways you can say what your item is, the better. Not all people will search using the same keywords. Mix it up.

You may know how big your item is, but your customers won’t unless you include measurements. Pictures are often deceiving so don’t leave it up to the imagination what size your items are. Your customers will value the information.

Most of the world uses the metric system of measurement. The US uses the standard system of measurement. Why not use both – that way you are not alienating anyone. If you find yourself with extra tags, try using a different way of spelling for common terms. In the U.K. it is ‘jewellery’ while in the U.S. it is ‘jewelry’. Best to open the door for a wider audience.

One surefire way to improve your SEO is to link to other areas in your shop. For example, at the end of your description for your red dangle earrings, you can link to the matching necklace in your shop. If this will not work for you, you can always link to your policies or your profile. Don’t overdo-it however – you don’t want to be obnoxious.

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