As Etsy shop owners, we are equipped with a number of ways to make a listing stand out and get seen by the right kind of shoppers.

The title of your listing has a character limit of 140 characters to make a strong impression on your visitors. While these characters appear fully on your listing page, Etsy shows only the first 20 to 40 characters (including spaces) in search results pages, depending on which device you’re using.

On mobile, only the first 20 characters are shown underneath your listing thumbnail, and in browsers users are shown 40 characters on average.

Understanding this can greatly impact your conversion rate (the amount of sales you actually make after someone views or hearts your listing), boost your ranking spot in search results and ensure that you’re attracting the right customers to your listings. Here’s why:

The key to getting a high number of conversions lies in capturing the attention of the right kind of buyers from the very beginning of your title.

By putting the “dealbreaker” or the most important information about your offering at the start, you can filter out viewers who may have ended up on your listing by accident or were confused about what you’re selling and were actually looking for something else.

This approach ensures that only those genuinely interested in purchasing from you will click through to your listing, increasing the chances of making a sale, and therefore maintaining a nice conversion rate, which is the biggest factor Etsy seems to be using to rank listings in search.

When it comes to the placement of words in your title, remember that search engines don’t prioritize specific locations within the title. However, humans do pay attention to the first part of the title. This is where you should include the words that are most important to your customer, such as sizes, quantity, and materials. Let’s take a look at a few examples to illustrate this point.

Suppose you’re selling an extra-large throw pillow cover for large cushions. By mentioning the size first in your title, like “XL Throw Pillow Cover,” you ensure that only those specifically searching for an extra-large pillow cover will click through. This approach avoids confusion and prevents potential customers from clicking away when they realize it’s not the regular size they were expecting, and while they like the design, it simply won’t fit their pillow.

If you offer digital downloads that could also exist as physical items, consider including terms like “digital” or “printable” in the first 20 characters. This will help prevent people from clicking in, thinking they’re getting a physical print, and leaving when they discover it’s a digital product. By clarifying this information upfront, you can maintain a higher conversion rate and avoid any potential disappointment for customers.

Remember, your ultimate goal is to attract the right audience to your shop listings, not just any audience. By optimizing your title and providing clear and relevant information, you increase the chances of converting those viewers into buyers.

So how do you know you did well and your listing has a good conversion rate?

While you can’t directly access your conversion rate from your stats dashboard, you can analyze your listing’s performance to gauge its effectiveness. Look at the stats page for a single listing and filter by “all time” to see if your listing has experienced any peak periods or downward trends since the beginning of its existence.

A decline in conversion rate over the past 30 days or more may indicate that the listing is being downgraded in search due to low conversion rates. Etsy prioritizes listings that consistently convert and may rank down those that fail to generate sales or engagement.

So to sum it all up, Etsy prioritizes conversion and wants to present visitors with products that sell. Achieving a high conversion rate relies on understanding your buyers and strategically crafting your listing titles to attract the right audience from the start.

Beyond the beginning of the title, it’s still very important to optimize your search terms, showcase attractive photos, provide an easy-to-read description, and offer competitive pricing and shipping. Feedback from customers is another valuable aspect to consider. Encourage positive reviews by including a flyer in their order, mentioning you would love to hear their feedback. Positive reviews not only boost buyer confidence but also help improve your ranking in search results, since Etsy has mentioned before that the algorhithm factors in reviews when ranking listings.

By implementing these strategies and constantly monitoring and adjusting your approach, you can maximize your sales and visibility on Etsy.

Remember, your listing titles are your first impression, so make them count.

Focus on capturing attention, providing relevant information, and filtering out non-potential buyers.

Use keywords strategically and consider the specific needs of your target audience.

Regularly analyze your listing’s performance and make adjustments based on the data you gather, and make sure you reach just the right buyers who will shout “I need this in my life!” when presented with your creative work.