Following eBay’s lead, Etsy has put its hat into the search-and-sort-by-”relevance” ring. On Thursdays for the next three weeks, Etsy will be sorting their search results using algorithm that attempts to determine the relevancy of listings to the customer. According to Etsy’s blog:
Etsy’s Most Relevant Search is a living feature in active development, and it will evolve over time as we monitor its performance and make improvements to the listing process.
Etsy’s search and sort algorithm currently considers three main factors:
- Tags
- Titles
- Descriptions
Tags are the 14 keywords Etsy allows sellers to categorize and describe the item they are listing. This is the most heavily weighted part of the algorithm. Guidelines on effective Etsy tags are here.
Descriptive and short titles are the next most important factor in the Etsy relevance algorithm. The algorithm seems to relate lengthy titles with keyword spamming, thus penalizing longer titles. According to Etsy:
Super long and unnaturally written titles don’t work well for Most Relevant, and they are unappealing to shoppers. A good, accurate, buyer-friendly title can help your relevancy; a super-long title, jam-packed with keywords — or, conversely, a short title with no descriptive information — will hurt it. Aim for the “sweet spot” in the middle here. Make sure to put very important search words, such as what the item is, in the title.
Finally, a keyword filled and lengthy description is the third key to ranking well in Etsy’s relevance search and sort. Don’t skimp on the description, because the algorithm is looking at the words and phrases you include here. What words you take out of the title should be included in the description.
Having inadequate descriptions for your items will bring down your relevancy. Think about what keywords your ideal buyer would be using in her searches, and try to weave that into the story you’re telling.
Unlike eBay rolling out Best Match, Etsy has given sellers a few weeks to experiment and prepare. Now is the time to act. Make the recommended changes to your listings and see how they fare on “Relevance Thursdays.” Take note of what works and what doesn’t and make tweaks for the following week. Wash, rinse and repeat.
What tips do you have to share regarding Etsy’s “Best Match” experiment?
Related Posts:
Comments
RSS feed for comments on this post. | TrackBack URI
One Response to “Ranking Well in Etsy’s Relevance Search & Sort”
Leave a Reply
Great article! I’ve noticed many listings on Etsy with incredibly long titles recently, so I wasn’t sure which way to go with my listings. Thanks for the help!