Every year, I provide consulting services to hundreds of small businesses and e-commerce clients. I often get Etsy clients who are extremely concerned with their Etsy SEO. It gets to the point that they believe it was the only way to succeed on the platform. They were mistaken.
While it is possible to tweak your SEO to get on the first page, that alone isn't enough. You can be on the very first page of Etsy and also have sales and traffic remain the same as before. It's important to realize that being on Etsy's first page isn't enough. It can provide extra opportunities to sell, but it may not result in extra sales.
There are some other reasons why your sales may be low, even if your SEO is perfect:
You Are In a Very Crowded Market
Sadly, markets get crowded over time. Even if you are on the first page, people oftentimes want to take a look deeper in. If there are hundreds of similar products, it may entice people to shop around more. This is where it's time to focus on a niche. If you are selling something popular like mugs, make your mugs unique in some way. Maybe create a store for "teacher mugs" or "lawyer mugs." Get on the first page for that segment of the market.
The Market is Dying
Sadly, nothing really lasts forever. While some markets seem to, others go out like a candle on a windy day. You should have an idea if your market is dying and alter accordingly. Some items are fads. Think of the POG craze. They were so popular at one time, and then like a switch went off, nobody was playing with them. The same with fidget spinners.
Make Your Products Stand Out!
You can be #1, but if your items don't stand out, what's to get a person to click on your item? One way to get some good clicks is to have great photos that grab the shopper's attention. Another way is to have a large number of reviews. People are more likely to click on a shop that has a few hundred reviews under the image than a shop that has only a handful.
If you don't have the reviews yet, make sure to have pictures that captivate your audience.
It's the PRODUCT that sells, not the SEO or MARKETING.
You have to realize that people are going to Etsy to buy something and that your item has to match the needs and desires of the customer. Getting it in front of your customer's eyes is just one part of the journey.
When I was in Egypt, there were many vendors who were pushing their wares in front of my eyes, but most of them did not appeal to me. They were front and center, but nothing they had appealed to me. Think about when you go to a craft fair and see things. What appeals to you? What kind of things get you to turn your head and think: "I want that"?
You can make it big, even in a saturated market
There are many markets with people that make an absolute killing. I have helped candle and t-shirt shops that have tens of thousands of sales. Their secret? Finding out what others are not yet doing.
Do a search for "funny t-shirts." There are thousands of pages of shirts. As you go through, you will notice that many feature the exact same quotes. They are redundant. The competition is huge. Find something new and different that is just taking off and corner the market earlier.
I sell pinback buttons, and part of the strategy is being the first with popular quotes. When Ukraine was attacked, Ukraine flag pins sold like crazy. I had lived in Ukraine and already had a Ukraine flag pin on my shop for years. Suddenly almost every other shop had a Ukraine flag pin. Mine was there first and did extremely well. Sometimes it's luck. Other times it is research. You can't really control luck, but you can research.
Effective SEO + a compelling product = Etsy success
You want to focus on both sides of the equation.
Want more pointers for success? Let me take a look at your shop!
