Chapter 3
Your Etsy Shop Setup
The first step to setting up your Etsy shop is picking a username. Your Etsy username is going to be the name of your Etsy shop, so you need to pick this carefully. This is the first place in your Etsy shop where you will start the SEO process. You will also need to find out if the dot-com is available and if there are any other businesses out there with the same name you want to use.
Wikipedia states that “search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the visibility of a web site or a web page in search engines via the ‘natural’ or unpaid (‘organic’ or ‘algorithmic’) search results.”
SEO will play a huge role in getting your handmade goods from your Etsy shop found on Google and other search engines. For your Etsy shop, we are going to focus on finding and properly placing strong keywords. Your Etsy shop name is important for SEO of your shop, because your shop name will be included in the URL address of your shop, and this is the first place Google looks for keywords.
Since your Etsy shop name is so important, you need to put some thought and research into it. The best research tool for searching for strong keywords is the Google Adwords Key Word Tool. I will be referring back to this process several times so make sure you learn it well.
The quickest way to find the Google keyword tool is to go to Google and search “Google Keyword Tool.” The first option will be what you we are looking for. When you first visit the page, you will be asked to enter a few letters to determine if you are a real person. This is just a security measure.
To get started, just enter the general category of your handmade product. I am going to stick with the crochet theme.
Once you hit the search button, you will see suggested keywords and phrases in the left column. In the middle column you will see the competition for ad space in the Google search and you will notice the Global monthly searches. These are the three columns we are going to focus on.
At first glance, we can see that we are going to want to use the word crochet in the name of our Etsy shop. This word is searched millions of times per month on Google. Just because a keyword is searched millions or even thousands of times per month does not necessarily make it a strong keyword. We have to look at the competition or competing pages. Let's take a look at the keyword crochet again on Google.
Just as before, you are going to see there are advertisers on the right-hand side of the Google search. This is good thing! Take a look right under the search box, and you will see how many pages Google is showing for the keyword crochet: 104 million. Even with the keyword crochet being searched 2 million times per month, the fact that the competing page number is so high means it is going to be tough for this keyword to be found on Google. We also want to look at what type of web sites is near the top of the search. In this case, we are looking at some strong sites, such as About.com, CrochetMagazine.com, Crochet.org, and Crochetme.com. With these strong web sites sitting at the top of the Google search, ranking in a good spot on Google for the keyword crochet will be impossible. All hope is not lost, because it is now time to get creative and find some strong keywords that could possibly fit as an Etsy shop name.
We know we want to use the keyword crochet because that is our main category that we are going to sell in on Etsy. Think of some words and phrases that would fit with your category. Your shop name is important because it will be with you and your business for a long time.
Once you have picked your Etsy username/shop name, you are ready to start putting your shop together. To find the admin area of your Etsy shop, make sure you are logged in and look for the blue link at the top that says “Your Etsy.” Your Etsy admin area is packed full of information and ways to get your shop ready to go. In this section, I will walk you through each section and give you tips that will help you set up your Etsy shop, list your first items, and get you on your way to making your first sale.
Purchases
The first link on the right-hand side that you will see is your purchases. This is where you will see all of the items you have purchased or will be purchasing. You can sort your purchased items by month and year, and see if your item has been shipped or not. There are links directly to the seller and the invoice of your purchase, so you can view all the details. Etsy also makes it easy to report an item that has not been shipped. In the right-hand top corner you will find a link “Report a purchase you never received.” If you have not received an item that you purchased, this form is simple to fill out.
Feedback
Feedback is a vital part of an Etsy seller's business. Just like other sites, buyers will look at a seller's feedback before purchasing an item. Feedback can come from two places. If you buy an item, a seller will leave you feedback, and this counts toward your total shop feedback. The second way you will get feedback is when buyers buy from you. Once an item is purchased from your shop, the buyer has the opportunity to leave feedback.
Tip
Buying items when you first start up your Etsy shop is a quick way to gain feedback without making a sale.
As a seller, you want to do everything you can to keep your feedback positive. Good customer service practices will help you keep your feedback positive. Filling out your shop policies and letting your buyers know exactly what your shop is about will also help. For example, if your buyers know about your return policy before they buy, then they won't be surprised later if they need to return something.
In the feedback section you will notice three tabs. The first tab is your completed feedback. This is the feedback that both buyers and sellers left for you. You can see all the feedback for every transaction right here. You can sort your feedback by buyers, sellers, and feedback you left for others.
The second tab across the top is feedback that is waiting to be sent. These can be from items that were bought from your shop or items that you have bought from other Etsy sellers. This is your opportunity to say something nice about a transaction that went smoothly or something negative about a transaction that went south. You can view the invoice, write a sentence or two, and even add an appreciation photo. My customers often hang their jewelry on jewelry trees they bought from my shop and then take pictures of it. I love seeing how others’ jewelry looks hanging on my trees!
The third tab is where you can view all your customer appreciation pictures.
Negative Feedback
Negative feedback can happen. The more you sell, the more likely you are to encounter someone who is unhappy. Even though the customer is always right, you can't make everyone happy. If you do receive negative or even neutral feedback, there is a way to get it reversed. Etsy provides sellers and buyers with a “Kiss and Make Up” option. You can find this link in red under the feedback. This is a simple process, but both parties have to agree before the feedback can be changed.
Favorites
Browsing Etsy is fun and addicting. There are millions of items to look through, so Etsy makes it simple for you to remember what shops and items are your favorites. This section is where you will find all your favorite items and shops.
Adding an item or shop to your favorites is simple. When you are browsing through Etsy, look for the “Favorite” button. Based on the items that you have picked as your favorites, the suggested items tab will show you items you may like. You can fine-tune your suggested items by clicking the “X” on an item that doesn't fit and the suggested shop tool will get smarter.
Here's where you'll find where you'll “heart” or “favorite” an item.
Public Profile
Your public profile is important for connecting with your buyers. In this section, you can add your avatar and location, write a profile, and more.
Your avatar is seen on the main page of your shop and throughout the Etsy community. Your avatar can be a picture of you, your products, or anything you want it to be. Etsy also allows you to connect your avatar with Facebook. This makes your Etsy avatar the same as your Facebook profile picture. When you change your Facebook profile picture, your Etsy avatar will change automatically.
Next is your location. Adding your location is simple, but it's also very important because buyers are interested in where you are located. Your location shows up on the main page of your shop for buyers to see.
Writing your profile is next. Tell your buyers about yourself. Don't be afraid to get a little personal here. A lot of people like to learn about the artists they're buying from, so feel free to add details about your life, your family, your hobbies, or anything that may be of interest to your potential clients. I also like to add a link to my shop policies.
Account
Your account information is next on the list. Here is where you will find your password, e-mail address, billing info, privacy settings, and more.
The first tab is your account information. Here, you can change your e-mail address and password.
The second tab is your preferences for your shop. You can pick what information shows up when you click the “Your Etsy” button. You can set your mature content filter and choose the currency you would like to see prices in. Etsy currently provides 23 currencies to pick from. Under the third tab, you will find your privacy settings. Set your favorites and purchases either private or public.
The fourth tab is where you can add a shipping address. The fifth tab is where you will find your credit card information.
Your Bill
This is the location of your Etsy bill. You will be billed by Etsy for two things. First is listing items. For every item you list in your Etsy shop, you will be charged 20 cents. Etsy also charges 3.5 percent of every sale. The easiest way to pay your Etsy bill is to pay with PayPal, although you can also use your credit card.
Your bill page is packed full of information. You can view each month individually for even more details.
Applications
The applications section is where you can view the Etsy applications you have allowed to access to your account. These tools help you run your Etsy business.
Add New Item
When you are ready to add a new item to Etsy, this section is where you'll go to do it. Each item must be added one at a time. I will go into much more detail about listing items in Chapter 4. I will teach you everything from proper SEO to pricing your products.
Currently for Sale
This section is where you can view all the items you have for sale. You can sort your items by quantity, price, date listed, and expiration date.
You can also pick the four featured items for your shop. Picking the items you want featured is simple. Just click the star to make it turn green. The green star indicates that particular item is featured. Your featured items will show up at the top of your shop, and they give your buyers a look at your best items. It is always a good idea to have more than four items marked as a favorite. When one of your favorite items sells, another will automatically fill its place. When selecting your featured items, look for your best sellers, best-looking items, and even your newest items.
The last column in this section contains the edit button. This is where you will be able to edit your listings. When you edit one of your listings, that particular listing will be temporarily removed from your shop until you are done. You will not be charged the 20-cent listing fee again.
Inactive Listings
Any of your items that are inactive will be found in this section. You can edit, delete, or make any of these items active again.
Expired Listings
When you list an item, your listing will last for four months. After that time is up, your listings will go to the “Expired Listings” section. You can delete or renew your expired listings here. If it seems like a listing disappeared, head to your inactive and expired listings sections; you will most likely find it there.
Featured Listings
Once you have your featured items chosen, you can move them around to get the perfect look for your shop. To reorder your featured listings, simply click the arrows, and the items will move accordingly.
Shipping
In this section of “Your Etsy,” you will be able to apply shipping profiles to all your items. A shipping profile is generalized shipping that you set up. For example, when you are listing all of your crocheted items, you can set a shipping profile with all the details filled in. This will save you time when you are listing numerous items. I will explain shipping profiles and shipping in general in Chapter 4.
Sold Orders
When your items sell, the “Sold Orders” section is where you will be able to view invoices and mark whether the item has been shipped. In the far right column, you will see when you received payment when the green check is in the box. You can also sort your orders by month and year.
A great feature about this data is that you can download it all as a comma-separated value (CSV) file that can be imported into most spreadsheet software. The download link is located at the bottom of each page: “Download this data as a CSV.”
Cancel Order
This is not actually a section, but an explanation of how to cancel a transaction on Etsy. There will be situations where, as a seller, you will use this option, for example, when a buyer does not pay for the item or if a buyer changes their mind about going through with the purchase. This does not happen that often, but it can.
Info and Appearance
Branding and the look of your Etsy shop start here. In this section, you will find your shop announcement, banner, shop sections, and your shop policies. The info and appearance section is where you will set your shop title, shop announcement, banner, and your message to your buyers. Etsy gives you a view of how your shop info will appear on Google. Use this view to help you make your home page look good on Google.
Next are your shop sections. Your sections will help you divide your shop into smaller sections. You can have up to 10 shop sections.
Your shop policies are the next tab. Here is where you are going to explain to your buyers a number of important policies for your shop.
Shipping and Payment
Setting up your shipping profiles, your payment methods, and your sales tax information can all be done in this section.
Receiving payments on Etsy is simple. The two types that I use and recommend are PayPal and money order. Most buyers use PayPal because it is safe and secure. If you do accept money orders, don't send your item until you receive the money order.
Setting your sales tax is important, and Etsy makes it simple to do. Under the sales tax tab, you will simply enter the state, province, or country. You can even get as specific as certain zip codes. The nice thing about this is that when you set it, it is applied to all your listings. You will want to do your research on your own location and see what your tax laws are. These change all the time, so it may be good to contact your tax advisor.
Setting up your shipping profiles is quick and easy.
Options
In this section you will find how to set the way your shoppers view your shop, your Alchemy (custom order) message, setting your vacation mode, and your Google Analytics setup.
Vacation mode allows you to set your Etsy shop on vacation, with a message to buyers letting them know when you will return.
Tracking your views and visitors is an important part of running a handmade business on Etsy. If you know where your traffic is coming from, you can better target your advertising efforts. This is where Google Analytics comes in. Google Analytics is a free tool that you can sync up with your Etsy shop to track your traffic.
Here, you will also find a tool that allows you to download your items that are currently for sale. You can open this in spreadsheet software, and use the info as a checklist for art and craft shows and other applications. It is nice to have all your items on paper in tangible, physical form.
Promote
In this section, you will find a few ways to promote your Etsy shop, some free and some not. You will notice that Etsy has a referral system in place. There are no incentives currently in place for referring other people to Etsy, but there are plans for that in the future. Until then, just spread the good word about handmade and Etsy!
One of the questions often asked is “Can you advertise on Etsy?” The answer to that is yes! Etsy provides all its sellers the chance to buy ad space in what they call showcases. These spots are designed just for Etsy sellers and their items, and are placed throughout Etsy in prime locations. There are many different showcases to fit all styles of items. Setup is simple, and this system is flawless. Many sellers have had success with running spots in showcases; I have not run one. The benefits of running a showcase spot include increased traffic to your Etsy shop and an increase in favorited items. Items that get favorited by buyers are often purchased later. “Hearting” is Etsy's bookmarking or “favoriting” system for buyers.
Syndication is the partnering with other sources like Google to make your products more visible outside of Etsy. Getting your Etsy syndicated on the Google Product Search is simple. Just click the check box next to the service and hit “Save Changes.” You can change this setting any time you want. I highly suggest that you use this service. Google can be the top place where your Etsy traffic comes from, and this is the first step you can take to start getting Google to notice your shop.
The Etsy mini is a nice, well-designed widget that you can place on blogs and web sites. There are two types of Etsy minis that you can build. The first is built out of your own items. You can customize the size and the number of items you want to show. Second, you can show off the items that you have hearted. The Etsy mini is a live widget, so when you update your shop with new items, your mini will be automatically updated as well, no matter where it is. The same goes for your hearted items. If you heart new items, they will show up in the Etsy minis you built.