Sometimes, setting up your listing on Etsy is more challenging than creating the product itself. At the same time, the quality of your description has too much power over your performance to neglect.

To help you overcome this barrier, we’re here to take you through some valuable tips on listing optimization.

In the following sections, we specifically focus on listing descriptions and how to create ones that sell.

The perks of writing a good description on Etsy

Etsy listing descriptions are among the most critical factors in driving sales. Creating an attractive and strategic description for your handmade products can offer a number of advantages, both for you and your customers.

Informed decision making

A quality listing description can help consumers quickly understand whether the product meets their needs and expectations.

By offering this information upfront, you can save the user time and effort, and you can also increase the likelihood of them returning later. This is especially important as many buyers will compare products before committing to a purchase.

Trust and credibility

Trust and credibility are two vital elements for creating loyal customers and enjoying long-term success. A top-rated description that includes the listing’s features, benefits and unique selling points can demonstrate your expertise and knowledge of the product.

This, in turn, can help build trust with viewers on Etsy. Ultimately, this will result in higher sales volumes.

Higher rankings

A well-written description is also the key to improving your Etsy listing’s search engine optimization (SEO). Keyword-rich listing descriptions can increase the chances of your products appearing in search results when buyers are searching for items in your category or niche.

This makes your creations easily discoverable, puts them in front of a bigger audience and sets them up for success.

Competitive edge

Finally, you can use your descriptions as a way to differentiate yourself from your competitors. By highlighting the unique features and benefits of your product, you can make it stand out from others in the space.

This can be particularly important for sellers in crowded markets, where there may be many alternative listings competing for buyers’ attention.

What are some of the problems resulting from a bad description?

So what are the risks associated with a poor listing description?

A low-quality listing description can distort the true essence of a product, making it appear less desirable than it truly is. As a result, viewers might miss out on a truly remarkable piece due to a description that fails to present its qualities.

Furthermore, a poorly written Etsy description can cause misunderstandings and miscommunications between the buyer and seller. For instance, leaving out Important details like sizing, color, and materials can lead to disappointment and frustration on both ends of the transaction.

But that’s not all. Failing to create an appropriate description can also damage your reputation as a seller. Oftentimes, inferior descriptions are taken as a sign of laziness or lack of attention to detail. This can result in negative reviews, loss of trust and a drop in sales.

To top it all, Etsy’s search algorithm relies heavily on keywords and descriptive content to determine the relevance of a listing to a customer’s search query. If your listing description is not optimized for the right words and phrases, its rankings may be seriously hurt. This puts your competitors in an advantageous position. It also means that your items will remain invisible to those browsing on the platform.

What constitutes a good description

Having all of the above in mind, we can conclude that your Etsy performance is greatly influenced by your descriptions. But what makes a good listing description?

Here are the features of a product description that can turn your performance around:

• Clear and concise – this component of your listing optimization should be clear and to the point. It shouldn’t contain any complex language or industry jargon that might confuse potential clients.
• Accurate – a leading description will also accurately represent the item you are selling. This includes details like size, materials, color, along with any unique properties or characteristics.
• Descriptive – while being concise is important, it’s also necessary to provide enough detail about your creation to entice users to take action.
• Persuasive – persuasion is another critical feature to mention. Top-performing descriptions speak directly to the target audience and highlight how the product can solve their problems or meet their needs.
• Search engine optimized – a description that brings results will further be enhanced for higher rankings. In other words, it will contain niche-specific keywords that are strategically chosen based on research.
• Well-organized – last but not least, effective descriptions are usually well-structured and easy to scan. They typically contain bullet points or short paragraphs to break up text and make it easy for viewers to quickly understand the key features and benefits of your product.

While crafting such a powerful description may seem like a tough nut to crack, the truth is that it’s achievable. We’re here to help with an easy-to-use, step-by-step guide.

How to create the perfect listing description on Etsy

It all starts with in-depth research and informed decisions. We highly recommend using Sale Samurai for this. With accurate and valuable data, you can get to know your market and audience, as well as pinpoint ways to outperform your rivals.

Step 1: Identify your target audience

Creating an Etsy description starts with identifying the target audience. What do your ideal customers look like? What are their needs and pain points?

Understanding your audience will help you tailor your text to their interests and concerns. You can show this by explaining who you’re speaking to in your descriptions (via keywords like “men”, “women”, “mothers” or others).

Step 2: Highlight the benefits of your product

You should highlight the key benefits of the product in the description’s first couple of sentences. How is it unique or special? What value will it bring to those who purchase it?

Use persuasive language to create a sense of excitement and urgency around your item. Some ideas on powerful and persuasive language are words like:

• Yes
• Now
• New
• Free (free shipping, free customization)
• Guarantee

Step 3: Provide accurate and detailed information

In the main body of your description, offer precise and realistic information about your offering. This should include data on the materials used, size, color, and any other important features.

Be as specific as possible to avoid confusion or disappointment from buyers. Some of the top product features to include are:

• Size and weight (for example, holds 15 ounces of liquid, stands 20 inches tall)
• Color options (given that the product comes in different shades)
• Materials used (a key detail, especially for some product categories, like clothing)
• Maintenance & care (offer instructions on how to care for the product, for instance – is it dishwasher or microwave safe)

Where possible, organize the text in bullet points for easier readability.

Step 4: Use descriptive language

To help potential shoppers visualize your product, utilize descriptive language that creates a clear image in their minds.

Don’t simply outline the features. Describe the texture, color, and feel of your product, and use words that evoke positive emotions or sensations. For instance, these could be words like “gentle”, “silky”, “smooth” and others.

Step 5: Optimize for search engines

As mentioned earlier, optimizing your description for Etsy’s search algorithm is important for ensuring your product shows up in relevant search results.

Infuse your descriptions with relevant keywords to make your item visible to shoppers. Select words and phrases carefully, by researching them in advance via Sale Samurai. Ideally, you should aim for keywords that receive a high search volume, yet have low competition. In addition, opt for a combination of long-tail and short-tail words.

For example, imagine you’re selling a pink customizable t-shirt for bridesmaids. A short-tail keywords word would be “bridesmaids t-shirts”, while a long-tail phrase can be “pink customizable t-shirts for bridesmaids”. Taking advantage of both versions will position your listing in front of more people and will also help you tap into different sub-niches. The results? More traffic and more sales.

Keep in mind that Etsy only displays the first 160 characters of the item’s description. Your description can exceed this length, but it’s key to place the most essential keywords within the first 40 characters. This not only improves user experience but also helps Etsy’s algorithm quickly scan your content and verify its relevance.

Dissecting an example from the leaders

Let’s look at how some of the top performers on Etsy are designing their descriptions. Take the “Rainbow Moonstone Earrings, Drop Leverback Earrings, 14k Gold, White Gold, Rose Gold, Sterling Silver, Handmade Jewelry” listing. The shop enjoys more than 2,000 customer reviews and is among the most loved options on the marketplace.

The first sentence that the seller grabs attention with is “Delicate Natural Rainbow Moonstone earrings. June Birthstone.”

Instantly, this text displays the main features of the earrings. Words like “delicate” serve as descriptive language, while “rainbow moonstone earrings” is a niche-specific keyword that users often search for. You can also get an idea of the target audience from this sentence thanks to “june birthstone”.

Next, the materials are neatly outlined in a bullet point list that looks like this:

• natural rainbow moonstone, well-calibrated, high-quality stones, each pair is carefully handpicked
• dangling from french hooks or leverbacks, perfectly polished and set
• Sterling Silver or 14k Solid Gold
• beautiful branded gift box + card about moonstone

This section is followed by details on the size, and opportunities for creating a set, along with information about the rainbow moonstone. All of the mentioned above is a perfect example of a well-structured, optimized description. Best of all, it’s short and simple, yet provides enough detail.

Just a piece of the puzzle

Without a doubt, a superior description will positively impact your performance on Etsy. However, this is just a piece of the puzzle. Aside from listing descriptions, there are several other elements that affect sales:

• Keywords – relevant and specific keywords should also be used in product titles and tags to boost your rankings even further.
• Images – high-quality, well-lit, and visually appealing photos can attract potential customers and help them better understand the product. Don’t forget that you can add up to 10 images per listing.
• Price – your pricing strategy will also tilt the weight when it comes to performance. Setting a competitive price requires additional research and preparation.
• Shipping – offering affordable and timely shipping options can make your products more appealing to buyers.
• Reviews – positive reviews are critical for building trust and credibility with your audience. They also have an impact on your rankings, making them even more important.
• Category – let’s not forget about the choice of category. Selecting the most appropriate product category influences your listing’s visibility.
• Listing frequency – not to mention that regularly adding new listings can make your whole shop easier to discover and can increase the chances of attracting new clients.

Wrapping up

Overall, creating top-rated descriptions becomes easy once you stop guessing and instead implement proven processes and factual data. By applying the recommendations from above, you can transform your descriptions and make them work for you as a seller. Don’t forget that Sale Samurai is there to support you with all the insights you need.