I Analyzed 1,000+ Etsy Best Sellers: Data-Driven Etsy SEO Tips

I analyzed over 1,000 current Etsy bestseller listings, and what I found out about their Etsy SEO was pretty surprising. If you’ve been wondering how to improve your SEO or what top Etsy sellers have in common, this post of Etsy SEO tips will break it all down for you!

Today, I’m going to share the results from my deep dive into Etsy SEO, where I analyzed what the top listings have in common, and how YOU can use that information in your own Etsy store. 

Why I Analyzed 1,000 Etsy Best Seller Listings

I have helped hundreds of different Etsy sellers start and grow their stores, most often showing people how to get more Etsy sales. Etsy SEO is a HUGE factor in your product’s visibility on Etsy’s search pages. Because of this, it is really important to have a good SEO strategy in place. (Especially one that will grow with you, even through Etsy algorithm updates.)

Not all SEO is equal, and different Etsy coaches, strategists and top sellers have different theories on how to optimize your SEO for Etsy in the best way. There are LOTS of different Etsy SEO tips with conflicting information, and things can quickly get confusing.

That’s why I wanted to tap into the ACTUAL DATA of over 1,000 Etsy best seller listings and see what Etsy SEO factors they had in common. This analysis included listings with either a current ‘Etsy’s Pick’ label or a ‘Bestseller’ label.

My goal was to use this data to help you make smarter, more strategic, and data-driven decisions to make selling on Etsy easier for YOU. 

I also wanted to verify that the strategies I’ve used to build six and seven-figure Etsy stores over the years can be applied to other shops, across different niches with data supported proof. This way, we can put all that confusion to rest, with reliable Etsy SEO tips you can count on!

This analysis is updated quarterly as part of the SEO strategy in my Etsy Seller Success Workbook 2.0, so the listings can change each quarter as I update things. But even though some of the listings have been replaced as Etsy sales trends change, the results in my findings have remained fairly consistent throughout the last few quarterly updates.

I also want to mention that I didn’t run this analysis myself. I tapped into the genius skills of my husband, who is a data scientist, so that the analysis would be done in the best way possible. It was kind of fun giving him a project like I was one of his actual clients! LOL! But anyways, let’s get into the good stuff here!

Keeping all of this info in mind, let’s dig into how this data can help you to improve YOUR specific SEO for Etsy!

Psst! If you’re brand new to the idea of selling on Etsy, you might want to check out these blog posts here and then come back to this once you’re ready to plan your Etsy SEO. 🙂

My Key Findings from Etsy Best Seller Listings

So, what did we find in common among over 1,000 Etsy best seller listings?! You might be surprised! Let’s break it down piece by piece:

1. Etsy Listing Titles: Structure and Length

Okay so the first thing that we encounter when creating a new Etsy listing is the listing title. The title is one of the most important parts of your listing. Not only because it is a part of your SEO for Etsy listings, but also because it’s the first thing potential buyers will see directly below your product image, when they look at your product on the Etsy search results page.

So one of the first things I wanted to look at in my Etsy SEO analysis was the character length of the titles for Etsy best sellers on average. 

You can have up to 140 characters in your Etsy listing title. On average, the top selling listings had around 130 characters in their titles. This means that the most successful sellers are using as much of the title space as possible to include any relevant keywords. Most of the listings had somewhere between 133 and 139 characters, which gives you the chance to maximize your keywords and reach more customers.

I also looked at punctuation in titles because, believe it or not, this can make a difference! (It’s also a hotly contested part of Etsy SEO tips and strategies that people disagree on!) 

In my analysis, I found that around 88% of bestseller listings used punctuation in their titles, with commas being the most common, followed by vertical bars and dashes. Adding punctuation can help make your titles more readable and ensure that the keywords are clear to both Etsy’s algorithm and potential customers.

2. Repeating Keywords for SEO Strength

Another one of the big debates in SEO for Etsy sellers is whether or not to REPEAT keywords in your title, tags, and description intro. Some people argue that you should use unique tags in each section, but I’ve always found that repeating keywords in these three areas works best.

In this analysis, 90.8% of top Etsy listings repeated at least one keyword between their title, tags, and description intro. Repeating 2-4 keywords was the most common strategy, with 64% of the listings following this pattern. Repeating keywords helps reinforce your listing’s relevance in search results, making it easier for the Etsy algorithm to rank your products higher.

PS- Since this article focuses on the actual data analysis I completed, it isn’t really the best resource if you are an absolute beginner at Etsy SEO and aren’t familiar with various pieces/parts of SEO for Etsy. I DO have a great Etsy SEO Tips Cheatsheet you can grab for FREE, and of course my full, in-depth SEO strategy is included in my Etsy Seller Success Workbook 2.0 set here.  

3. The Importance of Listing Images For Etsy SEO

Another crucial factor for how to get more Etsy sales is the number of images in your listing. In the analysis, I found that bestseller listings had an average of 8.4 images.

Most listings used between 3 to 8 images, and while having more images is generally better for conversions, quality matters more than quantity. 

Don’t stress if you can’t hit the 10-image limit—just make sure the images you do have are high quality.

Remember, SEO for Etsy isn’t just about keywords; it’s also about the overall quality of your listing, and images play a big role in that. It’s important for buyers to be able to get a good, clear idea of what they are purchasing. The better your images are, the easier that will be able to happen. And that leads to more sales! (See this freebie for my best Etsy image tips!)

Why This Data Matters for Etsy Sellers

This Etsy SEO analysis really helps us to understand what structures and formatting appears most often among a large portion of Etsy best seller listings. This information, usually called commonalities in the data world, can help you optimize your SEO for Etsy and improve your visibility in search results so you can get more Etsy sales. 

As a base example, if 88% of 1000 top Etsy sellers are using commas in their titles, it’s probably great supporting evidence that your own titles would benefit from separating the keyword phrases in your titles with commas.

I also have a GREAT post about my favorite Etsy SEO tools here. Not all Etsy SEO tools are the same, and they each have their strengths and weaknesses. You can read that post next to see which tools I think are best for various purposes. (Just click here to open it in a new tab for later.)

Key Points When Optimizing Your Etsy SEO

Optimizing your SEO for Etsy listings isn’t just about guesswork- it’s about understanding what works and applying those strategies to your own store. (This is the strategy part.)

By using the right keywords, optimizing your title length, and ensuring that your listings are visually appealing, you can increase Etsy sales and set yourself up for long-term success.

Conclusion: Data-Driven Etsy SEO = Long Term Success

When selling on Etsy, it’s important to put effort into your Etsy SEO so that you can build strong, stable Etsy sales on a long term basis. And since my analysis covered over 1,000 bestselling listings in MANY different product types and Etsy niches, we can see that these strategies work across Etsy, regardless of what your particular product might be.

Don’t forget to check out my Etsy Seller Success Workbook 2.0 for an easy to implement, in-depth SEO strategy and TONS of growth tips. It’s packed with all the insights you need to build your Etsy store into a full-time business.

I also have this article all about how to increase your Etsy sales during slow periods, so that you can use your downtime to keep things moving forward and grow, grow, grow!

For more helpful tips, take a look at my other posts about boosting Etsy sales and check out my massive (and free!) Etsy resource library to enhance your shop’s performance. Catch you in the next post!

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And don’t forget, I’ve got TONS of FREE RESOURCES FOR SELLING ON ETSY! From how to get sales on Etsy, in-depth Etsy selling tips, a guide on the best Etsy SEO tools, and so much more!

P.S.- When you make a purchase using one of our affiliate links, we may make a small commission at no cost to you! Thank you so much! 🥰