Expert SEO tips to get noticed on Etsy

Tags are the unique words or terms that you use to describe a listing in your Etsy store. You can see these tags as the keywords for your listing. sing relevant and unique terms will help you rank higher in the search results.

to use long term keywords like users would type them in the search bar, like 'spring flower socks', 'colorful pansies socks', 'socks for men', 'socks for women',...

try avoiding single word tags.

Using all 13 tags increases the chance of matching with a possibel client's search term.

Add the tags in the language you have selected when you created your Etsy store, Etsy will translate them into other languages.

Using high-quality images of your products is not only visualy an attraction but it also showcases your professionalism and credibility to potential buyers.
Etsy gives you the chance to show 9 pictures and one video, use this opportunity.
If you are selling Print On Demand, try not to use the mockups given by the print company but try to making pictures of your product yourself. Even pictures taken by smartphone make a better impression than the mockups.
Some tips for your images:

Use high-res images

Use a simple and clean background to avoid distraction from your product

Show different angles of your product, different usecases, ...

Make sure your product is the center of attention

Attributes describe to a potential buyer what material your product is made of, its size and color, what craft in can be used for (in case of AI art), ...
These attributes can be added to the 13 product tags, making it easier for someone to find your product. They are like pre-defined keywords from Etsy that you can use.
Be honest in this, only use relevant attributes to describe your product.

Renewing and adding listings can improve the listing quality score your product, which will improve your rank in Etsy's search engine and drive more sales to your shop.
I don't know if this also is valid for physical products, but if you sell AI-generated products, there is an option to renew your listing automatically. Which means if an item is sold, it is put back automatically in your shop.
I will go deeper into this in the 'ranking' section as I have my own theory about this.

The product title is the second thing a potential buyer will see (the first one is the primary image), so also pay great attention to write a compelling title.
When writing a title, use primary keywords while remain concise and descriptive. Instead of a general title like 'Cute socks for men', write 'Amazing socks for men, made from 100% pure nature linnen, decorated with hand knitted polar bears'.

When a customer types in something the search bar, Etsy's algorithm then searches for all listing matching the entered search query.
Using strong and relevant keywords (in the 13 tags you can enter) is a perfect opportunity to be shown in Etsy's search results. If you have keywords that match perfectly the customer's search entry, chances are high that you end up high in the search results.
Best practices:

Use natural language, try to think what the buyer would type to find your product

Use the main keyword in your product title

don't repeat the same keyword several times (keyword stuffing), search algorithms don't like this

This is something many people don't know.
Categories are not only a way to make your shop look organized but the titles you give to categories are keywords too and this makes hem part of your SEO. So categories and sub-categories function as Etsy tags, and the site uses them when matching listings to search queries.
categories already act like tags in search, so you don't need to repeat them as tags.

Although this is officialy not a part of Etsy's search algorithm, it is always good to have a good and detailed written description of your product. Here you can enter more details about your listing, you can tell a background story about an item, you can write an instruction manual, ...
You will be surprised how many users click you the description before they make a decision to buy a product, so make sure you have a good one.
The same for the the 'About' page of your shop, many users check this one too. Ideal is to write here a inspiring story about yourself, how you make your items, the story behind your store, ...

I don't know if this is true, but it seems Etsy like to prioritize shops that offer free shopping above shops who don't.
Offering free shopping can higher your selling selling price, but people love to see the word 'free'. And comparing your product to another, they will see the checkout price will be the same, but the 'free' offering normally would let them choose for you.

This is by far the top-rnking factor: ensure matching the potential buyer's search query.
Your Etsy's tags, attributes, categories, title, ... must be similar (or very close to) a user's search query. This way your product ranks higher in the shown search results.

If a user clicks on your listing and moves away after a second, it means the user is not satisfied with your product. It matches the search term but not the buyer's intent, making your product irrelevant to the Etsy shopper. And this lowers the listing quality score of your product.
If a visitor buys your product, or marks it as favorite, it highers that score.
And as Etsy is a company that wants to make product, it will show a product with a higher listing quality score above yours.

Your shop is located in New York and someone is searching Etsy from California, Etsy will give more visibility to a shop located in New york.
Listings that ship for free to the United States and shops that offer a US free shipping guarantee get priority US search placement in Etsy's search results.

Every new listing gets a search boost from Etsy, with its algorithm evaluating how customers interact with the product. Once a few days have passed, Etsy ranks the product accordingly.
This temporary boost can last from a few hours to a few days, depending on how often people are seaching for this product.
Note from the author: I noticed that is takes a while for Etsy's algorithm to pick up your product and show it in the search results.

Etsy also uses the reiews your products get as a ranking factor.
The more positive reviews you get, the higher this factor will be. So, if possible, ask your customer give you a 5 star rating after they bought an item. This can easily been done by an automated mail sent after the checkout-procedure.
Replying to mails and questions in a maximum 24 hour time is also a ranking factor. So, keep your administration up-to-date and answer all questions as quickly as possible.
As you might have noticed, these 2 ranking factors are also the same as for your 'star seller' rating.
Note from the author: I finally got my 'star seller' rating 8 months after I opened my Etsy shop. Be patient, stay focussed, keep on creating, and you will get that 'star seller' rating.

This is pure my opinion as I nowhere have found this as a ranking factor.
As mentioned before, Etsy is a company that wants to make money. So, if Etsy's algorithm knows your shop has a conversion rate of x% (which means that out of 100 visitors to your shop, x% buys something), it will shown your listing higher than the same from another shop which has a lower conversion rate.
This is the reason why I don't believe in promoting your shop on social media, it can drive more visitors to your shop but they mostly don't have the intention to buy, only to look. And this lowers your conversion dramatically.
This is just my 2 cents, so don't blame me if ths isn't true.

A quick hack if you can't list new items every week.
Just change a little thing in the title of an existing listing. Etsy's algorithm will think it's a new item or an updated item.
Again, this is not confirmed by anyone else, just based on my own experience. I can be wrong in this one but I don't think so.