Thursday 20 January 2011

Twinkly's Beginner SEO *day 4*

Good morning :-)

I've been answering a lot of questions about yesterdays post and using the keyword tool. Here's how I would work it:

You need to be searching for the keywords that you dreamed up the other day. Search for them individually first, and then search for them in combination.


Say you were thinking of selling Blackboard Jewellery.
So you might put this in the search box:

Blackboard


Jewellery


Chalkboard


Jewelry


Blackboard Jewellery


Chalkboard Jewelry

Then you can compare these phrases easily.

Then you might search:

Geek


Nerd


School


Back To School


teacher gift

And compare results.

Then, you might pick the two 'best' terms from each list and see what they come up as.

Geek blackboard jewelry


teacher gift jewelry

Bear in might as you narrow the search in this way, you'll be seeing significantly less monthly searches. Don't worry - just try and get the highest you can.

I hope that helps!

-----------------------------------------------

So, we are going to move away from this a bit now. Hopefully you have started thinking about including your keywords in all the valuable places in your shop. So Google search can now see your shop, your items, your description. But how can we move our results UP the search to those amazing first and second page slots?

The key to moving on upwards is backlinks from relevant sources. The more relevant the place featuring *your* shop link (and section links) the more theoretical 'points' you get. Google rates pages on their relevancy based on *their* metatags, content, frequency of updates and other complicated webpage stuff.

So, blogs are a great thing to get featured on in terms of SEO. I'm not going to preach for an hour about having a blog, but it is a great way of reaching customers, getting people interested in you and your shop, and you can link to your own shop as many times as you like. And it's all relevant! I try and link my shop in every post, in fact I've linked to it three times in this paragraph. Ha!

But just posting your link over and over again on your own blog isn't going to really make a huge difference unless you are getting linked from other relevant sources. So, I have a little challenge.

If you comment on this post, I will link your shop in my next post along with a picture of my favourite item from your shop. I'm relevant to your SEO because this is a craft/handmade/etsy finds blog.

Then, when the post is up, come back, have a look, and chose one of the shops to feature somewhere yourself. It could be on your blog, it could be on a forum, on Pintrest/weheartit/stumble/facebook or twitter.

This challenge is all about Karma. If you feature someone and tell them, they might link you back, or mention it somewhere. Backlinking is something that can only have a great effect if you return the favour whenever possible. Something I always do if I feature a shop, although I haven't done it in the last week (bad twinkly) is link to the shop directly from the username, the listing from the image, and the section from the description underneath. That way I'm giving my linkee three links for the price of one.

The great thing about being featured on blogs is that even as the post falls back into the archives as new posts go up, Google still counts the link. Websites might be updated and your link might fall by the wayside, but a blog link is for life!

I try to make a post featuring Etsy sellers at least once a week, and although it's taken a while, I believe I am reaping the rewards. Tomorrow I'll talk about how you can find out where you are being linked from (and don't forget to always thank someone who links you. Courtesy goes a long way to being remembered in the future and building friendships)

So:
  • Comment with your shop link, even if I have featured you before. I'll create the post tonight and post it over night before the next stage of this SEO course goes up
  • Come back to view the post, chose someone to feature somewhere else. Even a tiny link on twitter is worth it, especially if you can get it retweeted
  • Thank anyone who links you
Something to note: the NOFOLLOW tag you might see if you are big into source codes is something that bulletin boards and forums use to prevent Google from finding links in forum signatures. That's because consistent links from the same URL will damage your PageRank. Google is very careful to avoid 'link farms' and spam. That's why finding relevant places to link from is important, and I believe it is something we can all help each other with.

Katie x

78 comments:

Steph said...

Yay thanks for another fab installment. I'm hooked :) My shop is here: http://www.sixskeins.etsy.com - it'll be interesting to see which pic you choose!

Lorna May said...

What a great article BIG help to computer dunces like myself. Thank you.
Here is my shop:
http://www.folksy.com/shops/dabdash

SpinningStreak said...

Thank you again!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/SpinningStreak

Cariadclay said...

Another Fab and valuable post twinkly :) thank you x
and another good reason why i Need to sort out a blog :)

here is my shop x
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CariadClay

Lucyloucreations said...

Nice one twinkly! Im working with and following your course. Cant wait to see the results! http://www.etsy.com/shop/lucyloucreations heres my shop :)

Houseofhirudinea said...

Thanks, Twinkly! All this talk of SEO on Craftbritannia is spurring us on to tweak our own. Much appreciated.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/houseofhirudinea

Orangies Attic said...

I am working hard to follow your lead... thanks for taking the time to post all this great info! My shop is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/OrangiesAttic

Katiedidonline said...

Hi Katie (I'm a Katie too!)
I have been reading your entries on SEO and am finding them very useful as I haven't done this before. So thank you! I'm a little behind, but hope to catch up tonight!

My shop is
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Katiedidonline
x

Carolyn said...

Wow! This is terrific! I've got alot of work ahead of me! Thanks for sharing!

Http://www.adrianascloset.com

Http://www.etsy.com/shop/adrianascloset

Unknown said...

Hey twinkly!
thanks for another great blog and thanks for making them understandable to we beginners!

here's my etsy shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KariOriginal
and my bloggie:
http://karioriginal.blogspot.com/

can't wait to see my results on google analytics!
sarah x

Sandra (alias TheFeminineTouch) said...

Hia

Been following your blogs this week. In the middle of sorting out the best keywords to use. Will be chnaging my WHOLE shop in the next few days. can't wait to see the results.

My shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheFeminineTouch

Anonymous said...

I'm more than a day behind after our funeral. Hope to catch up on Sunday, though. LOL, I can always hope!

Dotty said...

Thanks for all your fab info
Here is my shop

http://DottyBlueBird.etsy.com
Ta!

Erika Price said...

I'm late to the party (as usual) but I'd love to be included please?

http://erikaprice.etsy.com

Thanks a million!
Erika

x

KitzieG said...

Thanks so much Twinkly, I've seen a ranking improvement already, and I've still got lots more to do!

www.KitzieG.etsy.com

Imynda said...

Wow Twinkly so much helpful info - glad I am finally making a start on understanding this stuff! Thanks x

http://www.etsy.com/shop/imynda

Anonymous said...

LOL, forgot to leave the link for my shop

http://sassalynne.etsy.com

Laura Grain said...

Thank you for this amazing help! At last I don't have to keep nagging the hubby to help me out with all this stuff :)

If it's not too late :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/FromLauraWithLove

Crooked Thorne said...

Thank you so much for all of this! I can't wait to see more traffic :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/crookedthorne

Unknown said...

I just found your blog and it is so very helpful! I am an illustrator and have just opened my Etsy shop, which focuses on prints for children's rooms and nurseries. I am excited to learn the ropes and hopefully get some traffic, and eventually some customers :)

http://www.etsy.com/shop/cuddlefishpress

Alison Moore said...

Hiya! Fab blog. Would love to join the exchange

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlisonMooreDesigns

Thanks x

Nic said...

Hey Twinkly. I have been trying to catch this all week but been too busy. I'm here now though and ready to learn ;)
My etsy shop is www.nicsknotsandstuff.etsy.com

The Cadence of the Silent Ranks said...

Your articles have been a great help. Thank you for all you do.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CoronaDelMareDesigns

mammamyst said...

Great idea! Guess I really need to get a blog, try to start on that tonite. I'm learning so much from you, thanks so much! Here's my shop

mammamyst.etsy.com

Very Small Bird said...

What a great series - very helpful! Thank you :)

My shop is here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/verysmallbird

Mary Beth said...

Love your course!! Her's my shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/monkeyandfriends

Unknown said...

Just now getting around to reading the SEO course and everything is finally making sense....thanks:)

www.diapercakedazzle.etsy.com

gumo said...

Hi Twinkly

Thanks so much for the SEO course brilliantly explained, a big help for me getting to grips with all this techy stuff, which usually goes over my head! Here is my shop: http//etsy.com/shop/gumo
xx

Gina S. said...

I have discovered your blog today and I am totally thrilled with your step by step SEO courses that finally make sence!! I had to read them all together since I just found out about your posts, but I finally get it! Up until now I was lost in threads with way too much tech info for me to grasp!Thank you for all the great input and advice!
My etsy shop is http://www.pieceofart.etsy.com

mrnglry said...

Hi Twinkly,
Thanks for all your great help. Love reading all your tips and can't wait to put them to use.
Here is the link to my shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mrnglry

Thanks again,
Grace

http://downamorningpath.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for putting all this together, it's all starting to make a little sense now - I started using the keyword tool.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sharpmtncreations

thegreengroovy said...

Great article find-So glad to have joined the SEO team on etsy. Valuable information at our fingertips! Thanks a ton for sharing and please visit my shop:
http:/thegreengroovy.etsy.com

Thanks!
sowmya

For the Love of Vintage said...

Twinklyspangle ~ I always love reading your tips! Thank you for taking the time to help us along!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/faithnhope10?ref=hdr

PinHead Creations said...

Helpful post - thank you. Here's my shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/pinheadcreations

Marnie said...

Thanks for the information. I am learning a lot. No wonder I have had only 4 sales in a year. My site is
htt://www.etsy.com/shop/marniescreations

mammamiaeme said...

again a great article from twinkly :) thank you for that nice sharing :)
Cheers,
Sevda
http://www.mammamiaeme.etsy.com

laloons said...

Hello from Flickr! Thank you for taking the time to impart these great tips. I look forward to seeing your posts in my reading list :)

http://laloons.blogspot.com

maddyandme said...

a little late to the game, but your series is fascinating and very helpful. I found you through the etsy team and am now following your blog. Thanks again !
Sue
http://esty.com/shop/maddyandme

Sowmya V said...

Hello,
Glad to have found ur blog-nice tips and a good resource. I am an etsy team member and would love to leave my links for your use anytime:)-Appreciate it.
http://thegreengroovy.etsy.com
http://facebook.com/thegreengroovy
Thanks!
sowmya

CaityAshBadashery said...

Your articles have been very helpful to me. Thanks. My shop is
http://etsy.com/shop/caityashbadashery

vintagestuff said...

I must say that this all is very educational and I like to learn from as much as I can.Thank you for posting all this
http://www.etsy.com/shop/vintageandnew

eruckman said...

Just saw this; loving the help!

www.etsy.com/shop/eruckman

Katie said...

Trying my best to keep up with all the advice. Thank you. Here's my shop link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/Mskatiesartstudio

Unknown said...

Hi! I'm trying to figure this all out and still don't get it. My shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/pasttimedesigns. I think. So I should put this with all my descriptions? Because I searched in google and couldn't find me. Maybe I just need computer 101 lol.

Matt said...

Thanks for the help!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HardWoodShop

CaityAshBadashery said...

I appreciate all the advice you have offered. I think I've followed it all. Now I guess I just need people to know where I am. So here is my shop
http://etsy.com/shop/caityashbadashery

Thanks, Linda

dpickette said...

Thanks for the great post. Very helpful! http://BaysideJewelry.Etsy.com

dpickette said...

Thanks again! http://BaysideJewelry.Etsy.com

Sarah said...

I am so lost when it comes to SEO- thank you so much for this information. It really helps. My shop:
http://www.sarahmerrill.etsy.com

olganna said...

this is all such good stuff!!

My shop link -http://www.etsy.com/shop/olganna

Marta Kamila Pawelek said...

Thank you :)Big help!
My shop is :http://www.etsy.com/shop/byKamile?ref=pr_shop_more

AbetterZ said...

I know I'm one of the "late birds", but I just saw this thread. Thank you so much for your advice. This is my shop: http://www.lutachi.etsy.com.

noxhyde said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
noxhyde said...

Thanks for putting this tutorial together. It's a brave new world figuring out SEO. You have some great ideas:) Hope I'm not too late to be linked!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/noxhyde

http://www.noxhyde.com

http://www.facebook.com/people/@/100002123307204

Anonymous said...

Hey miss Spangle!

I found your blog looking out for how to increase my sales on Etsy (I'm a graphic designer) and I must say I'm glad I did because it is such a source of inspiration!

I'm trying to follow your advice to market my shop and I hope it will pay off!

Here is the link, if you could stop by :

apodesign.etsy.com

Thank you so much, you're so helpful to me!

Apo

Beadaciously Yours said...

I found your blog while looking at ways to increase my traffic. This series of hints is wonderful. Although I have done keyword search before, you have a slightly different spin that I like. Thank you.

My Etsy shop is http://www.etsy.com/shop/Plumbeadacious?ref=pr_shop

Anonymous said...

Hi, I'm Roanne from http://msveronicas.etsy.com; also http://msveronicas.wordpress.com and http://omnartistry.com.

I do hope you are okay and still around. I've been combing through your posts and the SEO team posts. Thanks for sharing.

Designs by Noa said...

Thanks so much for this info about SEO. I am trying to figure it all out and this was a huge help.
Elise
www.designsbynoa.etsy.com

White Pelican said...

my shop address is http://www.etsy.com/shop/whitepelicanboutique?ref=si_shop

I am new to Etsy, feeling frustrated, not yet discourage. I have always felt like I was missing somethings and now that I have found your blog. I am going to start with your advice. Wish I saw this earlier, but better late then never. Next I wish to find a mentor seller. Let me know if you know anyone or a team on etsy. I sell vintage items. Thank you

Unknown said...

Holy smokes! You are such an amazing resource!!!!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KnitsMcFadden?ref=pr_shop_more

Mini said...

Fabulous installment I am completely now to Etsy, Facebook and Flickr so I just click things and hope for the best.
This is the link to my Etsy:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MineOverMatter

Elizabeth said...

This short tutorial has been fabulous for me as I was totally ignorant to SEO. Thank you so much!! My Shop Link is:

http:www.etsy.com/shop/BoomerBabiesUpcycles

Nina Miller said...

I've been learning a lot from your posts... hours of fun so far searching different key words! Thanks so much for all this information.

Don't know if you are still linking shops, but just in case, here is mine:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/NaturalGorgeous

Thanks again!

Nina

Designed by Dee said...

Excellent post - not sure if you're still linking...

deecaffeinated.etsy.com

D. B. Elsa said...

thanks for all the advice!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/donaarg

D. B. Elsa said...

Thanks for all the advice!!

Here is my shop:
www.donaarg.etsy.com

oliveyew said...

This article is SO helpful! Thank you!

My shop link is:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/OliveYewJewels

jane said...

was going to comment anyway, as this has been brilliant - how did I miss googleadwords before? will have to think where i can link to you from over the weekend . . . .

(http://www.etsy.com/shop/janegardiner)

Elegant Rose said...

What a great post! Thanks!

www.elegantroseboutique.etsy.com

Kendall Hayward said...

Thank you so, so much! These have been so helpful. Here's my shop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheHaywardDesigns?ref=si_shop

Unknown said...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/MeNeTi?ref=si_shop

Designsbyharriet said...

I am very excited to see this blog and all the SEO information. I have never really understood the concept or what I can do to optimize my shop, but now I can learn and keep coming back to check to see if I've done it right.
Here is a link to my shop;
http://www.etsy.com/shop/designsbyharriet

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for caring
http:www.ThePassionatePearl.Etsy.com

Unknown said...

Beneficial Post!

For creative, homemade gifts visit my shop:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/CereusArt

Mintyfresh said...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThePapyrusStalk?ref=si_shop

Here is my shop link
Thanks so much!

-Heather

Anonymous said...

Awesome information! Learning new stuff all the time!
http://www.etsy.com/people/SouthernSlang

Thanks so much,
Amanda

Kati said...

This is so awesome! I just found this via the etsy forums and it has been extremely helpful. Thank you so much!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/juicylucys

Anonymous said...

Good post.

Here is my link

http://www.etsy.com/shop/elrincondelapulga

I'm wait to see the pic you choose.

Thank you

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