I see so many vendors trying to sell “Etsy Shop Audits” to sellers and I just think that it is something you can do easily yourself for free! I have looked at hundreds of shops over the years, and getting your store in order often just means doing a couple of little tweaks to make it shine!
Our Example Etsy Shop
Andrea from Blueberry Mountain Naturals nicely said I could use her shop as the example! YAY ANDREA!
There are affiliate links in this post… should you buy anything I would receive a small commission. That is part of what keeps this site free!
Doing Your Etsy Shop Audit
Before we dive into how to do this, let's talk about WHY you would want to do a shop audit! There are many reasons including:
- You set up your shop before you knew what you were doing
- Your shop focus changed and you haven't really changed your brand over
- You are just starting out and want to make sure you are doing everything the “right” way
Honestly, there could be a million reasons to take a look at your shop and just make sure it is up to snuff.
That said, please take a wee minute to do this and then MOVE ON! Yes, it is important that your shop project a great look, but it is your PRODUCTS people will buy. Don't spend all your time working on your shop and not listing!
Trading With A Friend
One last idea! Sometimes it is hard to look at our own shops with a critical eye. If you don't feel like you can do a good job on your own, then “trade” with a friend. Go through the checklist on friend's shop and then have her do your shop.
This is like proofreading your own writing, sometimes it is hard to see the mistakes that are right in front of you!
How People Find Your Shop
Okay, let's dig into how people find your shop and what that could mean to how you have it set up!
- Through a listing – Most people will find your products first because they are doing a search for something they want to buy. THEN once they think you have something they might buy, they will check out your shop to see if you look reputable.
- Through your shop name – Because I do so many podcast interviews and trainings, people do search for my shop name, but most sellers do not have that kind brand recognition. Check your stats to see what percentage of people are searching for your shop name!
- From an outside link – Your shop may be featured in an Etsy newsletter, on a blog or in a Buzzfeed article. This makes having a great looking shop super important. If you are doing PR (Public Relations) for your shop, it would pay to get professional photography and copywriting done.
Updating Your Shop
Most updates can be done right from your shop's home page while you are logged in. Simply click “edit shop” to make changes.
Initial Look and Feel
First thing you want to do is take a peek at your shop with fresh eyes. Here is Andrea's shop on a desktop and the phone…
- On the desktop – Banner, logo, tagline, location, sales, when opened, ratings, profile, favorites, socials, featured listings
- On the phone – Banner, logo, location, sales, ratings, favorite, connect, announcement
What come to mind is that she probably sells bracelets, but maybe essential oils too? That is okay, the big banner is on brand and looks super professional. more about this later
I think both look really clean and nice, but it is really shocking to see the different parts of the shop that show up for the two different search locations!
Banner or No Banner
Okay, our very first thing to look at is fraught with controversy! Many shop owners are in love with their banners and want to “brand” themselves with certain look and feel. I will start with… I don't really think it matters one way or the other.
Banners are nice and can help a shop look professional. Also banners can be repetitive and take away from actually selling your products. Here are three shops with banners on the desktop (Blue Mountain Naturals, Karen Taylor Designs and my shop Paperly People.
I like Blueberry's because it does immediately show one of their products in a really professional way. I like Karen's because it is a beautiful logo and since she is selling higher end jewelry that might be a “must have” to provide trust. I like mine because I want to sell products so I let my buyers see more of what I have to offer right off the bat!
That said, things look a little different on the phone….
On the phone Blueberry's still looks pretty cool and has a pop of color. Karen's got super matchy matchy (maybe to the point of confusion) and mine is nice, if somewhat blah but you can see my featured items peeking out from the bottom.
I do think this is a question of what you like.
Logo
Some brands/companies have a super strong logo that matches their shop name (the gals above do). But sometimes the logo isn't adding anything to the brand. Take a peek at yours to see if your logo really jumps out at you and makes a statement, or is it just a placeholder?
Your logo doesn't always have to be designed, I kind of love how The Yarn Kitchen has her products in her logo!
Shop Name
Your shop name should represent your products in a way that is recognizable. Sometimes it is a feeling, sometimes it is literal (like my vintage shop … So Glamorously Vintage) and sometimes it is cute.
Unless your shop name is ridiculous, don't change it! Doing so could mean changing cascading things like your social sites, printed materials and more.
Tagline
Should immediately let people know what you shop is about! Here are some good ones, can you tell what the shop sells?
- Unique Fun Glitter Vinyl & Rhinestone Shirts & Blankets
- Succulent planters and fun decor for happy people!
And some that are not so great…
- Vintage rings, antique cufflinks, earrings, brooches… any certain style, upscale, interesting?
- Vintage Decor, Architectural Salvage and Ephemera Finds… factually correct, a little bland?
- Women's Jewelry and Bags…. factually correct, but anything interesting about these?
- Repeated shop name… wasted opportunity for marketing
- Nothing… don't skip this one, it is important for desktop shoppers
I feel like this is the area that I have come upon that could use the most work for shop owners!
Sales Link
We are to our second controversial item now, the sales link! If yours has a line under it, buyers can look and see what you have been selling. If you don't, then you have deliberately locked your sales so no one can see what is selling.
This is a personal choice, I will go through your two options.
Locking Your Sales
One reason for locking your sales down is to avoid competitors seeing what your top sellers are and copying them. In some niches this is actually a thing because overseas manufacturers try to steal ideas and want to know what you have that is selling.
Showing Your Sales
That said, I am always for showing your sales! Bad people will be able to find things out anyways, and many buyers use this as a signal of what they should buy.
This is called social proof and it happens because humans like to buy things that other humans like… weird but true!
Another “you do you” thing, but if your sales are locked, perhaps unlock them and see if you sell more!
Social Buttons
These top ones are for sharing your shop or your link (more about your shop links later!)
Shop Owner
This may be the most important thing to some Etsy buyers! If they were buying on Amazon or Ebay, they don't generally care who is selling them their products, but Etsy buyers care very much.
Top right> Click your picture – You > View profile > Edit profile
Here are some things that you can include in your profile!
- How long you have been doing your work (not just selling on Etsy)
- Your motivation for creating or selling
- Your family background
- The products you use
- Your social links
- Your website link
- How wonderful your customer service is
- Social causes you support
I KNOW, sometimes it can feel like “why do they need to know all that about me to buy my products”, but think about it… every website has an about us page, every big brand has a “story”. On Etsy they want to know who is selling to them and you can make this an amazing part of your marketing.
Shop Announcement
This is another super important part of your store and one that I see A LOT of sellers messing up. All the other areas were about you and your shop, the shop announcement should be exclusively “What's in it for them!”
Mine is a “Hero's Journey” that walks them through the pain they are experiencing now without my planners and how they will feel when they finally get organized.
Blueberry does okay facing towards them, “Now offering custom sized bracelets! Measure your wrist and select the size perfect for you!”
Remember, they see the first few sentences of this prominently on the phone version of your store. You want to hook them and make them think they HAVE to look at your products!
The one thing that I don't pay attention to enough is the DATE on this. We should update this from time to time so our store doesn't look stale!
Shop Updates
This on you can only do on the phone.. More > Marketing > Shop Updates
I have to say that Blueberry Mountain Naturals gets a gold star! She updated her shop 3 weeks ago with relevant picture and link! YAY Andrea!
You should be updating this at least once a month so that your shop doesn't look stale or abandoned! (do as I say, not as I do in this case… ack!)
Additional Resource: The Complete Guide To How Using Etsy Shop Updates Can Help You Sell More!
About
This is the area that can be all about you! Show the color and brand of your shop with videos and pictures.
This is a super fun picture of Andrea and Angie and really personalizes their brand!
Pictures & Videos you can include:
- Sourcing trips
- You making your products
- How your packaging looks
- Your family
- Your passions
- Finished products
- Super fun custom orders you made for inspiration
- People wear/using your products
This should give your buyers an idea of who you are, not just the “typical” about me, but what makes you and your shop different and unique!
Around The Web
This is where you can put links to your Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and your own website if you have one.
I would really only put links to social media sites where you at least sometimes post pictures of your products. For example, linking to my personal Instagram would not help me sell anything as it is all pictures of kids and pets.
Pick a few that you would like to focus on to keep up and ignore the rest!
Shop Members
Make sure to add all your shop employees, partners and manufactures you may use to produce your products.
Etsy has gotten way more lienient about us having help, but they want to know who that help is!
Local
This is kind of cool if you are doing local events!
Shop Policies
Whoa nellie, I am not wading into shop policies because I am not qualified to do so. I use the defaults on almost everything and really don't have trouble with many returns or complaints.
That said, I know a lot of the handmade gals who are super busy are maniacs about their policies so if that is you, check things out and make sure that yours are up to date with what your business is doing now!
Additional Resource: Setting Up Your Etsy Shop Policies
Privacy Policy
This can be a wee bit concerning. Unless you are doing things outside of the scope of what Etsy's terms of service allow, I would use their default versions that they have crafted for us.
Many countries and locations are now cracking down super hard on how we use information from customers so it would be worthwhile to make sure yours is up to date. If you have super weird policies make sure to detail them in your FAQs.
FAQs
Your FAQs can be a great place for additional sales information! Use them to detail how your shipping, production or sourcing works:
- Where you get your products
- The craftsmanship you use to make your items
- Your customer service advantages
- Fast, safe shipping
- How long your items take to ship
- Your expertise in sourcing
- Why they should pick you to buy from!
I am a HUGE proponent of FAQs (I have them in most of my blog posts!) They are great for limiting questions, or even just to have answers that you can copy and paste easily into a convo.
Seller Details
Some are mandatory and some (like phone number) aren't. I really feel like this is a super personal part of your shop! Share what you are comfortable with sharing.
Etsy Shop Audit FAQs
Alrighty then, that was A LOT of info all in one place! But if you take your time and use the checklist below, you can just go right down through your listing and update all the things that you need to change!
Why Should You Fill Everything Out?
Different people shop and buy different ways. Some may be blown away by your branding and recognize quality (and be willing to pay more). Some might like to see behind the scenes or know the makers.
The nice thing is that you can do this just once and then be done with it (except for your announcements & updates).
Who Will Even Read All This?
We all think that people shop the same way we do. But some people will scour over the policies and some won't. Some don't care a fig who made the item and some want to know everything about you and your family.
We are not our customers and should not presume to guess what will make them happy and want to buy!
Ready to do your own Etsy shop audit? This handy dandy checklist will walk you through all the parts of your shop to review/update! 1. Look at your shop with fresh eyes 2. Banner or No Banner 3. Logo 4. Shop Name 5. Tagline 6. Sales Link 7. Shop Owner- Super important! Top right> Click your picture - You > View profile > Edit profile Here are some things that you can include in your profile! 8. Shop Announcement - Super Important Should be all about what's in it for them! When was the last time you updated this? Change a little wee something to bump the date! 9. Shop Updates Done through the phone - More > Marketing > Shop Updates 10. About This is way more personal! A real peek behind the scenes of your shop. Pictures & Videos you can include: 11. Around The Web 12. Shop Members 13. Social Media Buttons Shop Manager > Settings > Info & Appearance 14. Local 15. Shop & Privacy Policies 16. FAQs 17. Contact Info I REALLY believe that you can do this kind of Etsy Shop audit yourself!. That said, an Etsy SEO Audit can sometimes be a little beyond most shop owners skills! Find out more today! www.etsy.com/shop/PaperlyPeople/
Etsy Shop Update Checklist
Instructions
Notes
