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Item and gift recipient keywords are an often overlooked but effective type of Etsy SEO. These kinds of terms specify who an item is (most likely) for or what occasion it would best fit. They’re especially useful around major holidays and events, when you can use them in your titles and tags to draw in shoppers. Let’s look at a few ways to use recipient keywords and phrases in your listings:

In Your Tags and Titles

The most important place to use this kind of SEO tool is in your Etsy item listing tags and titles. There you can specify who is most likely to purchase your items (like Gift for her), what holidays your item would be perfect for (like Halloween costume jewelry), any special occasions (like Graduation gift), etc. Holidays are a huge part of selling on Etsy. Draw in shoppers with holiday-specific keywords, adding them to your listings a few months in advance.

Events like weddings, baby showers, and bachelorette parties are another great way to use this type of keyword. Wedding gifts and decor are an especially large source of sales on Etsy. Focus your tags and titles on brides and their bridesmaids if you make something that applies. This can be many kinds of products- from shawls that bridesmaids can wear to custom drink wear to give out to guests to brooch bouquets for the bride. But in order for this kind of shopper to find your item you must use the proper keywords and phrases in your listings.

Here are some more examples of recipient keywords you can use for your listings:

Gift for friend
Gift for Mom
Stocking stuffer
Holiday gift
Baby present
Bridesmaid gift
Fall gift
Moving gift

Keep in mind that these keywords are only suggestions about who your item is targeted towards. I make jewelry and accessories that are typically for women, but I also have had many male customers who have purchased and worn my pieces (and looked amazing in them). Consider that everyone has their own unique sense of style and taste. These keywords are not meant to exclude any shoppers, but to simply draw in those who probably would search Etsy for the kind of items you sell.

In the Attributes Drop-Downs When Editing a Listing

Attributes are the three optional drop-downs you’ll see at the bottom of the listing edit pages (on the desktop version). You get to pick an Occasion, up to two choices from Style, and one Recipient per listing. These selections are optional and do not hold as much weight as regular item tags, but they can somehow factor into your SEO ranking so it can’t hurt to use them. The Occasion is especially helpful to add to your listings, and you can choose from a pretty large list of events and holidays (including Engagement, Christmas, Retirement, and many more!). The Recipient drop-down is also useful, and you can target your listing towards a variety of people (and even pets).

In Your Marketing and Promotions

Once you’ve decided which items are geared towards a specific recipient, focus your marketing efforts on those products. This includes your featured listings on Etsy, social media posts, and Etsy promoted listings. For instance: if you are sharing your listings on your Twitter feed, tweet the items pertaining to an upcoming holiday and make sure to use the applicable terms as hashtags. When you are changing your featured listings in your Etsy shop, select those items that have keywords and photos reflecting the season. And if you are setting up promoted (paid) listing ads on Etsy, perhaps try to focus your promotion budget on items that would sell for the closest holiday or event. Think seasonally once you have added item and gift recipient keywords to your listings, and keep track of what worked this year to apply to your marketing next year.

What other ways do you use this type of SEO in your Etsy item listings?

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Rebecca George

Designer at Purple and Lime, Inc.

A Cincinnati native, Rebecca studied Art History & Geology at the University of Michigan. From there, she earned a degree in Fashion Design and Marketing from the American Intercontinental University in London, England. Highlights of her career include having several pieces from her graduation collection featured in the international fashion magazine i-D (UK, Feb. 2007) and working on men’s leather pouches for the movie Elizabeth: The Golden Age (which won an Oscar for Best Costume). Her brand "Purple and Lime" is a line of super-fun womenswear, jewelry, and accessories based in Chicago. She has been successfully selling her line on Etsy and in shops for four years, and enjoys teaching others about online handmade selling!

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Latest posts by Rebecca George (see all)

• Five Easy (and Fast) Ways to Improve Your Etsy Shop - February 10, 2018
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