Do you sell on Etsy and have a ton of questions about Etsy SEO and Google Analytics? You’re not alone. In fact, there are over 17,000 discussions and questions involving Google Analytics in the Etsy forums. That’s a lot of perplexed and puzzled Etsy sellers!
Here are some of the more common questions that you might have as an Etsy seller about Google Analytics and Etsy SEO:
How Should An Etsy Store Use Google Analytics?
Etsy seller quotes:
“I feel like I’m missing something. I’m not sure what to do with the information. But i’m using it for free. Maybe you have to pay to get extras.”
“Can those of you who use it tell me what you find most valuable? What, if anything, do you differently based on the data you see there?”
“It’s all gibberish to me, LOL”
I’d like to clarify this question. Most people already know that Etsy Web Analytics, powered by Google Analytics, can show you metrics like page views and referrals. But, unless you’re doing something with the data, it’s not very helpful. What does one do with this information?
There are two things you can do: 1) you can grow and 2) you can optimize.
To find out which action is the right one for you, you’ll actually find Google Analytics quite helpful. It begins with choosing a metric or two that you would say defines “good” quality traffic. The easiest metric is conversions (or sales). You might want to add in other metrics like page views (i.e., people who looked around at multiple items you sell implies they’re particularly interested in your store). So a traffic channel with above average sales and pageviews is “good quality.”
So, next, take a look at each traffic channel. In Google Analytics, click on Acquisition >All Traffic > Channels.
In my own app, Teacup Analytics, simply look at the “Where Did My Traffic Come From Last Week?” report. Teacup grades your traffic to help you define “good” traffic.
What we’re looking for is the channels that are good quality traffic channels but have room to grow. In my Teacup example, that would be “Organic Search” with the A grade but only 17% of my overall volume.
Now that I know I should grow my organic traffic, I can google some ideas to grow organic search!
Alternately, we could see which traffic channels are ready to be optimized. These would be the channels with a high traffic volume but “low” quality. I.e. Traffic that is coming to your store in droves but never buying anything.
And that’s it! How should an Etsy store use Google Analytics? You use it to show you the opportunities to grow or optimize.
How Do People Find My Etsy Store?
Etsy seller quotes:
“Is there any way to figure out where they are coming from? Can anyone help me please – yelling at the computer doesn’t seem to be working!”
“I was raised on computers but I find GA’s layout to be completely counter-intuitive and confusing. I think half of it is that I don’t have a grasp of the technical jargon yet.”
“How do you get Google Analytics to show the seach words used? I’ve had it for a month and it’s more useless then Etsy stats.”
Don’t let this question fool you. The Etsy sellers asking this question are not asking which channels their traffic comes from (see the first question for that answer). Rather, these bright and brainy people want to know which listings and keywords are bringing them traffic to their shop.
That’s tricky. Google Analytics doesn’t make this easy. In fact, Google Analytics hides keyword information unless you’re paying them as an advertiser. The answer to this lies in the landing pages! In other words, look at which pages people are coming to first and you’ll get insight into what’s bringing them to your site.
In Google Analytics, look at landing pages by clicking on Behavior > Site Content > Landing Pages. In Teacup, you’ll find this info in the report called “What Are My Top Landing Pages?”
Next, take a look at your top landing pages and look at the noteworthy words that are in the item title. Are these words or phrases also used in the item details segment and reviews? The more prominence and repetition, the likelier it is important.
Just like in the first question, quality matters. Which landing pages and items are not only bringing you the most traffic but also traffic that converts and browses?
For example, if my Crochet Octopus Kit gets tons of traffic but very few purchasers, then that’s low quality Etsy SEO traffic. However, if my Crochet Fox Kit gets traffic and purchasers, then perhaps mammals are the more attractive to my potential buyers. Please don’t make these decisions based on just two items but look for overall patterns. Zoom out, mentally, and you’ll start to see where your energy and efforts are better spent.
See? It’s not about the keywords, it’s about the landing pages and the quality!
Why Am I Getting Weird Referrals?
Etsy seller quotes:
“Ok, who is playing a joke on me? Google Analytics says 93% of referrals are coming from a porn forum and #2-4 are all icky sites as well.”
“I was checking out our Google Analytics account and in the Acquisition Overview, I found that we have a ton of referrals to our Etsy site from “[redacted]”.”
Sadly, the reason you’re getting weird referrals is because spammers are terrible people and they’re trying to trick you when you are looking at your Etsy SEO and Analytics. The idea is that you’ll say “hmm, I wonder who this referrer is” and click on their link. That’ll lead you to their spammy site.
There are some tricks you can use to avoid them and this article on Moz.com lays out some options but they’re all quite technical. I tend to ignore them mostly but if they leave you feeling frazzled, there’s solutions, none of which are foolproof.
Do you have any other questions about Etsy SEO or Google Analytics?
If so, post them in the comments below and I’ll answer them.
This is a guest post from Dean Levitt or Teacup Analytics.