Marmer Questions

Ah yes, you’ve arrived at the FAQ. Or what we like to call – Marmer Questions.

We’ve gathered questions asked and answered by fellow Marmers so we can all benefit from sharing the knowledge. This is a living document, we’ll continually add to it as the discussion continues. You’re encouraged to ask questions in our open forums (Facebook group, Etsy Team, Twitter, etc) so that we can all learn from one another.

Search Engine Optimization

• Since I have been using your site I have moved up to the front – they seem to put 1 listing on front and 1 each consecutive page. Is that how it works? – Cynthia

That’s correct on the spreading out of the listings in search. Etsy will de-clump them and put one per page. Aim for your shop to be on pages 1-10 for each target keyword. The more listings you have show up, the greater the chances you’re going to get explored. – Richie

• Can Marmalead be used to get SEO for a website? – Bethany

You will want to use Google Adwords to help with SEO for a website. I don’t think Marmalead can help as it is geared towards Etsy versus anything else. – Mina

• I had written to Richie regarding a question I had about something an SEO expert had told me. They said that Marmalead doesn’t give you tags/keywords that are used by shoppers, only sellers. Whereas Google Keyword Planner gives you what is used by buyers. Maybe Richie could clarify what the differences between Marmalead and Keyword planner are pertaining to our Etsy shops. Thanks. – Gina

Google keyword planner is designed for selling ads on Google. If you’re buying Adwords, use Google keyword planner.

If you’re selling in an Etsy store, use Marmalead. You should be concerned with listing engagement, not what people Google.

Anyway, it’s the single biggest misunderstanding about Marmalead. We don’t say hey 10,000 people per month Google this word because it doesn’t help you. It only matters what people engage with (views and favs) on Etsy. The further down the funnel the better. We tell you how many views and favorites are there and what rank each listing is. – Richie

 

• When I change my titles and SEO my items are landing on the first or second page, which is awesome. The down side is I’m still not getting any more sales. – Bethany

Compare your items to those listed on the front page of the search terms you are using. How do your photos look compared to others listed? What about your price points? Are your descriptions up to par and captivating?

Another good thing to check is how much buyer attention that keyword search seems to be getting. If you look at “Avg. Views / Week” and “Avg. Favs / Week” in Marmalead, you can usually get a good idea if there are lots of people interested in those products. A typical number of views per week will be in the 50’s or 60’s….any less than that and it may indicate a market where not many people are shopping. More than that and you’ve got a hot one! For favorites, the average is around 8 per week. – Gordon

Sometimes you have to look at the full picture and work on everything collectively. SEO can only get people on to your page; it is up to you to work on everything else for sales. – Mina

 

• I used Marmalead a few weeks back, even though I did not get any sales, I was landing on the first 7 pages, mostly pages 2-4, but through a Paid FB group, I was told to use Google Ad Words, which I did and I went from 100 views in a week down to a few since I switched? I am so confused right now that I have stopped everything. – Brianna

Google Adwords is sooo different from Etsy. Plus it’s designed to sell Google ads. It’s even been accused of suppressing good keywords in favor of more profitable keywords for them.

Also, don’t make sweeping changes to your shop all at once. Test changes! – Richie

 

Keywords and Tags

• Is it okay if we use “comma, dashes, and back slash” in our title? – Jay Ryan

In all seriousness those characters all perform the same in search. It’s just an aesthetic preference on how you want to break up the words to look best.

I’ll also add:

A lot of sellers don’t think titles are important to shoppers because a lot of people focus on the pictures. Yes, as a shopper I am initially drawn in by the pictures. BUT the title is what I look at next to assure me it’s what I’m looking for.

Make sure I can read it without a headache. – Richie

 

• Bulk editing – How it will affect the shop listings if more than one item have the same title and tags? – Yassena

I don’t think bulk editing will hurt in some ways, but then you will be competing with your own listings too. – Mina

 

• Question: My shop offers an online design service. I have placed most of my listings in the category of Home and Living, with the sub-category being Home Decor. On the 2nd sub-category, I usually grab something, but it doesn’t necessarily apply, does that make sense? My question is, how do I branch out to show up on everything HOME related, such as art, furniture, etc? Should I include these items in my Title, Description, and Tags, to gain that exposure? Thanks. – Catz

You can actually use Marmalead to compare different search results and how popular each one is with views etc. Honestly, I am not sure how many people use online design services, but you can use the Etsy search bar to type in the first word of what you offer to see how Etsy users are actually searching for your type of service.

If you type in “interior” into Etsy, you’ll see a few different search results that actually are useful for your titles and tags. You can then take them into Marmalead and compare which ones get the most hits to find the best keywords of value and match up your titles/tags with your new words. – Mina

 

• Would it be a good idea to do half listings with certain top keywords and tags, and the other half with the other top? Just so you remain in the top of all searches? – Dara

Yes and no. I would vary some of the same keywords and titles so that it would hopefully scatter where you are on what pages for the first results. If you had 20 listings with the same exact titles and keywords, only one listing would ever be on each page. If you had 20 listings using the same titles and tags but in different orders, it would help ensure a more varied result. – Mina

 

• I do have a question about renewing. Should we renew our listings every time we change the SEO? – Bethany

It’s better to renew so you know exactly where your listing would be compared to your competitors (who may get renewed automatically when an item is sold), and you want to compete with them right? – Joshua

 

• What are the “Other Ideas” for? What purpose or how should I use that data? – Brenda

Those are what people search in Bing. You want your title, description and tags to jive with what people are searching for. When people are going to purchase your products what would they look for? If I wanted a Christmas wreath, I’d search for things like Christmas wreath, burlap wreath, snowflake wreath, etc. Make sure your tags, title and description all have those words in them; in the order you feel they are important. Marmalead helps you find where you rank to see if all the SEO work is paying off. – Dara

 

• If my most searched keyword is nursery decor, and Marmalead shows that it can only find 6 of my listings in the first 101-500 results, where should I be adding the “nursery decor” keyword – in the title, the description, tags, in all 3?  I am also having a hard time ranking/ getting found in the browse sections… is there a trick to that too? Thanks – Yassena

Basically you should be matching your keywords in your title to the keywords in your tags. You want your STRONGEST or (the most important keyword you use) to be the first keyword in your title and in your tags.

Once you have your words- you’ll want to only use the same first word in your title and keywords on 6-10 items. People generally have a short attention span and will not usually look through 10 or more pages to find something they want.

So vary up your keywords in your titles and tags and try to use each set of the same keywords to hit other markets. – Mina

Etsy in General

 

• Should I split my shop into 2 or 3 different shops? I have such an eclectic mix of items for sale. I don’t believe I would have the energy to run more than 1 shop. Does it matter if it’s all together? – Sue

I believe it’s best to have one shop. Each listing is an opportunity to get someone into the virtual door of your shop. An eclectic mix just means you have more opportunity. – Richie

• I have found a strong keyword in Marmalead but it is not appearing in Etsy search drop down. Should I use this keyword? – Kim

I’d recommend utilizing the Etsy search bar to see what terms buyers are currently searching. For example, when I run a search for “X,” I can see suggested searches populating beneath the search bar. These suggested searches are popular terms that buyers are currently using on Etsy. Do any of these terms apply to your listings? If so, I’d encourage you to add them (or variations of them) to your titles and tags.

The terms you see in our drop down will be relevant to the term you are entering and not popular items for all of the site. – Etsy via email

• Have any of you had issues with ETSY closing your account because of copyrighted products? I’m making custom NFL mugs and Stein. – Anthony

Yes, Etsy can and actually does go after people who break copyright law. If you do not have legal permission to print NFL merchandise, then Etsy can close the listings that have NFL logos, or can just close your whole shop. It is at their discretion. – Mina

Advertising

 

• I love talking about SEO and even more, experimenting to find out what is working and what isn’t. Recently, I’ve been trying to figure out effective places to advertise on the web. I’d love to hear what has worked for y’all! – Kim

Blogs have been a huge help in getting my name out there. I would also want to add that I have made friends with some smaller blog owners that have really helped because they feature my items from time to time. Making friends with others in your market can be a huge help. – Molly

 

• Does anyone have any thoughts on paying well-followed Instagram accounts to advertise your work? – Molly

I have seen a few that have advertised services to feature an item etc. Do some researches before you agree to pay for anything. You can find the date the item was advertised for other shops and then look at their sales on Etsy. If you don’t see that product being sold or have many sales, you know that no matter how many followers they have, an advertisement or plug isn’t going to be worth it. – Mina

Keep in mind that advertising is all about context. If the account matches your niche it will work a lot better than one off topic. – Richie

 

• My main focus is coming up on first page results as often as possible without any paid advertising through Etsy. There is an oversaturation in my market, which I’d like to stand out from using strong SEO. Do you have any tips how I can do that? – Molly

I’ve been told in a few Etsy groups and also in the forums that you want to pair up your title and keywords. That may help strengthen your search results. Also, try to find the words people are using to search for: e.g. “Wedding Cake Toppers”. – If you actually pull it up in Etsy, you can see at the bottom are other suggested categories. You can use that info in Marmalead to see what keywords and tags get searched the most. – Mina

 

Miscellaneous

• For those of us who were not available for the webinar, was it recorded? If so, how can we access it? Thanks. – Pat

Yes, we recorded every webinar so you can watch it later. Check them out here! https://blog.marmalead.com/recorded-webinars/

 

• I have a question about pricing. I am making at least 50%, should it be more? – Katie

You need to factor in materials, time and actual profit. Depending on the item – you could be making more than 400% – again, you are only worth as much as you say you are. – Mina

I’ll add that you need to price for the market. If you want a premium price, make shoppers understand why you’re worth it. Your true customers will pay for it. – Richie