Your listing descriptions can help entice, inform, and engage potential buyers. Optimize your shop with the following five tips for effective and descriptive prose in your product listings.
1. Create an inverted pyramid
The most important information about your item should be first in your description for a few reasons: Shoppers want the details on your items as soon as possible, and both offsite and Etsy search algorithms consider keywords and phrases within your listing descriptions when ranking your listings.
Avoid copying your title verbatim or simply listing your top keywords. Instead, you want to craft a sentence or two that casually incorporates a few of your top keywords in a way that sounds human and written in your brand’s voice. To learn more about how search works on Etsy, read Keywords 101.
2. Short paragraphs and bullet points are your friends
Visitors to your shop might be looking for a specific size or material, so make it easy for them to glean that info from your descriptions by cutting out superfluous language and making good use of bullet points. Think about your descriptions as a way to answer your buyer’s questions, prioritizing important information that will help buyers best understand your product.
3. Keep an eye on your shop stats
With shop stats you can see how your shop is performing, where your traffic to your shop comes from, and how shoppers are engaging with your listings. Use the information in shop stats to create a running list of the top search terms people used to find your listings, and try writing with these keywords in mind as you optimize your listing descriptions.
4. Maintain a consistent brand voice
Your listing descriptions are another important touchpoint of your shop's brand. By using language that is both informative and reflective of your brand’s personality, you have the chance to capture hearts in ways that visuals alone cannot.
Point of view is another key element of voice. It might be tempting to use the “royal we” or third person when describing your products, but doing so can confuse shoppers about who's creating your products. If you're a solo operator, it's best to use the first person perspective in your listings. In fact, it can be a big selling point for shoppers who love to personally connect with makers.
5. End with a link
Did you know you can copy and paste Etsy URLs in your descriptions and they will function as a hyperlink? Use this to your advantage. If your visitor has read your item description and is not biting, don’t let them float away to another website, Etsy shop, or back to their search results. Instead, give them a link to check out a related shop section or complementary product listing!
Words by Etsy Staff
