This is Part 2 in our series to answer your questions from Etsy’s recent EtSEO Live Listing Critique Panel.
During Etsy’s recent EtSEO Live Listing Critique Panel, sellers flooded the chat with questions about shop quality, search ranking, and how one-of-a-kind (OOAK) and vintage items fit into Etsy’s algorithm. Since Etsy couldn’t address them all, we’ve compiled key answers right here.
Today, we are focusing on listing titles, the first text that buyers see for your products and prime real estate for keywords. It is imperative to keep titles easy to read for buyers, while also optimizing for Etsy’s search algorithm.
Formatting Your Titles
Q1: How should product names look like when done properly?
While each shop is different, Etsy’s advice for crafting titles remains the same. In their Keywords 101: Everything You Need to Know article, Etsy recommends titles be short, clear, and descriptive. String together keywords into phrases that are easy for shoppers to read. Avoid unnecessary repetition and keyword stuffing, which can sound like a computer crafted it instead of a person. To check your titles, read them aloud. If they are easy to say and understand, then you are on the right path.
Q2: Doesn’t using all the title space help with SEO? So long as the words are not duplicated?
While it isn’t necessary to use all 140 characters, be efficient and maximize the amount of keywords you CAN fit. Listing titles consisting of only a few words miss opportunities to describe the item to a buyer. Short titles also give Etsy’s algorithm fewer keywords to rank a listing for.
For example, the listing title “Cat Mug” doesn’t give a buyer or Etsy much information about the listing. If the title is “Porcelain Cat Mug for Coffee Lover, Handmade Rustic Farmhouse Tea Cup”, a buyer learns about the item and the algorithm can match with more queries, which is better overall for SEO.
To learn more about how Etsy ranks listings, read eRank’s blog post Broad versus Exact Keyword Matching on Etsy or Etsy’s How Etsy Search Works article.
Changing Your Titles
Q3: Does changing a listing title have a negative impact on Etsy SEO?
Making changes to a title changes the SEO of a listing, but it is not immediately apparent if that change is negative or positive. What determines a positive or negative change is how buyers and the algorithm behave towards that change.
When updating a listing, you might unintentionally remove keywords that help it rank in search. For example, if a listing ranks well for “Mug for Coffee Lover” and you remove those words from the title, Etsy will no longer recognize it as relevant for that keyword. As a result, the listing may disappear from search results for both exact and broad match queries containing those terms.
Q4: Can a title become stale? Should we refresh the title after a few weeks/months?
Before editing your listings, track their stats for a week or two using eRank’s Changes tool. This tool takes daily snapshots of your listings and shows edits to your title, tags, thumbnail, and price so that you can look back on the changes you made. After making any changes, revisit the Changes tool after a few weeks to view the impact on that product’s daily views, favorites, and sales.
Etsy recommends waiting at least a month between changes in order to allow the algorithm time to gather enough data about the updates to your listing. And remember the Golden Rule of SEO: Never change the SEO of a listing that is performing well for you!
To learn more about eRank’s Changes tool, check out the blog article How to Use eRank’s Changes Tool.
Make Your Listing Titles Work for You
Your Etsy listing titles play a crucial role in both buyer experience and search visibility. By keeping them clear, readable, and keyword-rich, you improve your chances of attracting the right customers. Avoid keyword stuffing, track your listing changes, and give Etsy’s algorithm time to process updates before making further adjustments. Consider A/B Testing—also known as Split Testing—to determine which style of title performs the best for your shop.
For more tips and advice, watch eRank’s tutorials on the eRank YouTube channel. If you have more Etsy questions, join the eRank Facebook Group, where thousands of sellers love to help others on their small business journeys.
If you would like to watch the replay of the EtSEO event here, you can access here: “EtSEO” Live Listing Critique Panel: Optimize Your Shop for 2025
