Imagine what words someone might type into search to find exactly what you have made. That’s what tags are. They are the one- or two-word phrases that shoppers might enter in the Etsy search bar when looking for something like what you’ve made.

Etsy gives you 13 tags to work with for each listing. It’s really important to try t0 use them all if possible. That may not be as easy as it sounds though. I find when making tags for myself or working with an artist on their Etsy shop that the first three or four tags come pretty easy, but then it gets tougher. By the last one, you may be scratching your head about what one more tag could possibly be. Oh, and you only have 20 characters total, just to make it a little more challenging!

Here are some tips to help you fill all of those tags:

• Describe your item with it’s primary color. “Red sweater,” or “Blue Quilt”
• State the art type. “Knit sweater,” or “Quilted Wall Hanging”
• Are there any other words that people use for the item? “Blue scarf” and “blue wrap” and “blue shawl”
• List a broad category or the intended recipient that your would go to. “Knit ladies sweater” or “Baby Quilt.”
• Use a tag for your name, especially if it isn’t part of your shop name

One last piece of advice when creating tags is to think like someone who doesn’t know anything about what you do.  You may not like to call a quilt a blanket, but someone who is not a quilter may search “blanket” so it should be one of your 13 tags.  Making as many search options as possible through your tags will help to get found and make sales!