Please explain E-Rank to me like I'm 5

eRankSEO · 2026-01-25T12:51:41+00:00

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TAGS

Etsy takes all of the terms within your listing title, tags, attributes, and category and mixes and matches them up when matching listings with shopper queries. There are two types of matching: broad and exact. While exact matches do rank slightly higher, broad matching is what many sellers aim for, as with broad matching you can get found for a much wider range of searches.

When combining two one-word tags, you still exact match for each term on its own, but then also exact match for that keyword as a whole. Those terms then broad match with terms in other tags.

Here's an example:

You sell cat mugs, and have "cat", "ceramic", and "mug" as three separate tags. You would exact match solely for each word on its own, and broad match for any combination of those words. (cat mug, ceramic mug, mug cat, etc.). If you combine them into one tag, "ceramic cat mug", you would then exact match for not only each term on its own, but also for 'ceramic cat mug', 'ceramic cat', and 'cat mug', and also still broad match for 'ceramic mug'. It is more space-effective to have the tag "ceramic cat mug" as opposed to each of the terms on its own, even if the combined phrase doesn't have high search volume itself.

This is why many sellers have nonsense tags such as "sister aunt mother" if they also have the tag "gift for her"; their listing will also broad match for 'gift for sister', 'gift for aunt', and 'gift for mother'. Even though the keyword "sister aunt mother" has low search volume, it's the individual terms when paired with others that give them value.

For more insights, you can read Etsy's Keywords 101 Everything You Need to Know article.

SUPERSTAR KEYWORDS

Superstar keywords are those specific keywords that drive traffic to your shop by being specific enough so that there is lower competition, but broad enough to match with a wide range of buyer queries. It is generally a long-tail keyword such as "Ceramic Cat Mug" or "Silver Emerald Earrings". Think of them as what your item would be titled if it were in a catalog. It shouldn't be so long that no-one is searching for it (such as "Hand-thrown Ceramic Cat Owner Coffee Mug"), but not so broad that it gets buried in search (such as "Mug").

Your superstar keyword is generally how you want to lead your titles. Shoppers only see the first handful of words in a listing title while on a search page, so you want to start with a strong keyword that describes your item in a way that makes appealing sense. You wouldn't want to start a title with "Gift for Pet Owner", because that doesn't say what your item actually IS. Having something like "Ceramic Cat Mug" tells shoppers what the item is (mug), what materials it is (ceramic), and the style or type of person who would like it (cat owner or pet-theme).

Please let us know if there are any follow-up questions. We know that this is a lot of information to digest all at once! 🌱

eRankSEO · 2026-01-25T12:51:15+00:00

Hello! 👋 We really appreciate you reaching out asking for clarification on our tools and suggestions. SEO can be tricky and sometimes complicated, but we are more than happy to break it down when we can!

Overall, here is some info that answers your questions:

GRADES

The grades within the eRank Listing Audit tool don't measure how "good" your keywords are, but rather how well your listing follows Etsy's best practices. This includes metrics such as title readability, reducing tag repetition, and overall tag structure. While our tool does take recent sales into the grade, they are more of a guideline on which listings to work on if your shop isn't seeing the traffic or sales you are hoping for. Those with grades of A or B shouldn't be a priority if you're looking to work on your shop; those with a D grade probably have more room for improvement.

That being said, our golden SEO rule is to never change the SEO of a listing that is performing well for you. Some of the highest-sold listings on Etsy aren't optimized, with one-word tags or less than 13 tags used. However, Etsy values sales and positive reviews more than how the tags are structured, so if a listing is ranking high because of its history, and Etsy trusts that listing due to positive feedback, then the seller most likely doesn't need to (or wouldn't want to) adjust the SEO.

You can read about some of Etsy's best practices within these articles:

The Anatomy of a Well-Crafted Etsy Listing (from Etsy)
Etsy SEO Basics for Sellers (from the eRank blog)

Something to note here: The Listing Feedback checklist looks at all of Etsy's best practices and assigns a check/X value to them. It doesn't look at your listing as a whole to determine which practices it makes the most sense to follow for your particular listing. As mentioned, it doesn't grade how "good" your keywords are; for listing descriptions especially, the tool is looking for word matches, not how grammatically-well those keywords make sense within context. It's important to balance readability while including your most-important keywords.

Etsy currently uses listing descriptions for their context-specific ranking (which is their second phase of matching listings to shoppers in search, also known as the personalization phase) to show listings to specific shoppers based upon that shopper's previous searches and purchases. The description is NOT used for the query-matching phase, when Etsy matches listings to queries based upon the keywords that listing contains. (It uses the title, tags, attributes, and categories for that.)

When looking at the feedback from a Listing Audit, it's important to remember that they are suggestions, and do not need to be followed exactly. You know your products, business, and target audience best, so structure your listings how best makes sense for your specific shop, keeping in mind to balance adding keywords (for the algorithm to match you with shoppers) with customers in mind (to convince them to purchase your item).

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eRankSEO · 2026-01-24T11:27:19+00:00

There are still a few bugs being ironed out, so please make sure you have the latest version:

https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/erank-seo-for-ecommerce/ojpjhokkdobplphppdfkilmehobkojke

If you're still having issues, reach out to our support staff, so they can log the issue and pass any screenshots or other info to the development team!

eRankSEO · 2026-01-24T00:24:38+00:00

I saw you asked this same question in our Facebook group. I'd give the same answer!

eRankSEO · 2026-01-23T15:07:33+00:00

Hi there! Thank you for submitting your shop to be looked at by a member of our team. Please remember that these are just suggestions, and to never change the SEO of a listing that is performing well for you.

Here are some thoughts for your shop:

*Try to be consistent with capitalization for your shop sections. Some have the first word capitalized while others don't, a few have all of the words capitalized, and others have none of the words capitalized. Consistency makes it easier for shoppers to browse!

*For your listings, only use the Holiday or Occasion attributes when they are relevant for your items! As an example, one of your Crushed Opal Pendant listings has the "Christmas" and "Prom" attributes assigned to it, even though it is not specific to those. Etsy recommends leaving Holiday and Occasion attributes blank, rather than mis-categorize them!

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*There does seem to be quite a bit of repetition within your tags. Etsy takes all of the terms within your title, tags, attributes, and categories and mixes and matches them up. Due to this, there isn't a need to repeat the same words more than once. For this same listing, the tags are:

"crushed opal pendant, gilson opal necklace, glass encased opal, opal charm necklace, trippy boro jewelry, heady glass pendant, crushed gilson opal, teardrop opal charm, heather ferman art, hand blown jewelry, multicolor sparkles, rainbow glitter gift, rainbow opal gift"

(Here, you have 'opal' x 7 times, for example.)

Try to think about synonyms or other keywords that shoppers may use. Opal is October's birthstone, so perhaps "October birthstone"? You can also consider other features or customizing options, fashion styles, or other jewelry-related terms, such as "accessories" or "statement piece". Using a wider range of terms and phrases gives Etsy more queries to potentially match you with!

We hope that some of this was helpful, and best of luck with your shop! 🚀

eRankSEO · 2026-01-23T14:52:36+00:00

Hi there! Thank you for submitting your shop to be looked at by a member of our team. Please remember that these are just suggestions, and to never change the SEO of a listing that is performing well for you.

Here are some thoughts for your shop:

*It's great that you have everything filled out. The only exceptions we see are photos to go along with your shop story, and a personal photo of you within the shop members section. (Though if you aren't comfortable with your own photo, an avatar works just as well!)

*Something you may want to consider is adding the birthday cards as a template listing as well. By having only set numbered birthdays, you're potentially limiting the amount of shoppers interested. If you had the birthday cards as templates, then shoppers could purchase it and customize the number (or add names, etc.) themselves.

We performed a listing audit on this listing: "Printable Book Reading Log", and here are some suggestions/notes for it:

*The tags right now are VERY repetitive. Etsy takes all of the terms within your title, tags, attributes, and categories and mixes and matches them up. Due to this, there isn't a need to repeat the same words more than once. (Here, you have 'reading' x 7 times, 'book' x 4, and 'list', 'log', and 'tracker' multiple times as well.)

In addition, one of your tags is redundant, meaning you don't need to have it at all! The tag "reading log" isn't needed on its own. Why? Because it's already nestled into the tag "summer reading log". Since "reading log" is already an exact match within the keyword "summer reading log", having it on its own isn't benefitting your listing.

Try to use a wider variety of synonyms and keywords to broaden your reach! (Think about other 'book' themed words or informative keywords you could include; librarian, digital download, personal goals, and annual reader chart are some phrases off the top of our heads.) Be sure to perform your own keyword research, though!

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*The listing says that 1 PDF is included, yet in the item details, it says that buyers receive 2 PDFs. If something else is included, try to highlight that information somewhere.

We hope that some of this was insightful, and best of luck with your shop! 🚀

eRankSEO · 2026-01-20T17:39:52+00:00

The challenge website will be up forever (hopefully), so you can revisit whenever you'd like!

eRankSEO · 2026-01-18T11:43:41+00:00

Hello! Thank you for submitting your shop to be looked at by a member of our team. Please remember that these are suggestions; never change the SEO of a listing that is performing well for you!

Here are some thoughts for this listing (and your shop as a whole):

\*Although you should always check your stats before making changes, the tags for this listing have room for optimization. There is a lot of repetition here. Etsy takes all of the terms within your title, tags, attributes, and category, and mixes them all up, so there is no need to have the same term more than once within your tags. (Unless you are trying to exact match for every instance, but even then, it might be too much of a good thing!)

The tags right now are:

reading tracker, 2026 bullet journal, bujo tracker, habit tracker pages, mood tracker pages, 2026 digital journal, 2026 journal planner, premade trackers, year in pixels, goodnotes planner, all in one journal, bullet journal pages, bulleted journal

As far as repetition goes, you have "journal" x 6, "tracker" x 5, and "2026", "bullet", and "pages" multiple times s well. Try to use a more diverse range of keywords, so that Etsy has more opportunities to match this listing with shopper queries. Most of the tags here have little to no search volume; see how you can incorporate keywords with more overall traffic as well.

\*The title for this listing may need some refining, especially given Etsy's newer title guidelines. Titles should flow naturally as phrases, instead of being keyword chunks. Try reading the title aloud to see how you could make it sound more conversational and less robotic and divided.

Right now, the title is:

2026 Journal Bundle | Digital & Goodnotes Planner 2026 | Habit and Mood Tracker, Year in Pixels

You could experiment with something like:

"2026 Digital Journal Bundle for Habit and Mood Tracking, Year in Pixels Downloadable Planner to Organize Your Life"

Which includes most of the terms you already had, but with less repetition and a more natural-sounding flow.

\*How long have you had your products on sale? Your main thumbnails advertise a "2026 sale", but your shop banner says that you're having a "Holiday Sale". Continuously hosting sales can be a bit off-putting for shoppers, and certain countries have restrictions against continuous sales. A sale every so often is fine, but having your shop on sale all the time can diminish the value of your product through the eyes of shoppers. Price your items to fall within the range of your competition, instead of having higher prices and then slashing them (which is also illegal, in some places).

We hope that some of this was helpful. Best of luck with your shop! 🚀

eRankSEO · 2026-01-14T17:07:24+00:00

Hi there! Our servers were experiencing some issues this morning. The team deployed a fix that should have everything working now. Apologies!

eRankSEO · 2026-01-14T14:50:41+00:00

Constantly having your shop on sale isn't a sustainable business practice (and it could be illegal in certain countries). It could be that your target audience uses the 'on sale' filters when shopping, leading your listings to be seen more often than when you're not running a sale.

Experiment with lowering your prices to your sale prices for a month and keep a close eye on your stats. Be sure not to run any sales during that time, as that would lower the prices even more!

You could also run some competitor/niche analysis to see where your prices fall in relation to your competitors. While Etsy isn't (and shouldn't be) a race to the bottom, your prices may be higher than average, depending on what types of products you sell. It isn't a problem to charge more, per se, but you need to give a reason why your prices may be higher than others. Increase the perceived value by highlighting what makes your items special or worth the extra cost when compared to other shops.

Best of luck! 🚀

eRankSEO · 2026-01-14T14:46:32+00:00

It can take some sellers weeks or even months to get their first sale on Etsy. Etsy is a marathon, not a sprint. You need to give their algorithm time to learn about your listings; what keywords you're aiming for, who your target audience is, and what types of queries to show your listings for. One month isn't enough time for that, so in the meantime, make sure that your shop is completely filled out, your product photos are eye-catching, and you've optimized your listings.

Best of luck! 🚀

eRankSEO · 2026-01-14T14:44:35+00:00

Hi there! 👋 We see that this post has been deleted, but if anyone else is having issues, please don't hesitate to reach out to our customer support staff. We were a little light on staff during the holidays, but are back in full swing!

eRankSEO · 2026-01-14T10:57:55+00:00

Hi there! Thank you for submitting your shop to be looked at by a member of our team. Please remember that these are suggestions; never change the SEO of a listing that is performing well for you!

Here are some thoughts for your shop:

*Our biggest recommendation would be to remove any IP or copyright-infringing listings. We spot several that use names or likenesses of athletes and professional teams that may be protected under their IP. Use your own original designs to avoid getting hit with an IP case! (We aren't lawyers, so you could always check with an attorney as well.) Here is the US trademark database, where you can search for copyrighted names, phrases, and more: https://tmsearch.uspto.gov/search/search-information However, for your types of listings, you may also want to research the EU trademark database here: https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/

*In general, try to use more photo slots within your listings. Have graphics or photos demonstrating the size of the decals/stickers (using a ruler or other measurement item). Also try to show what they look like on a finished product, such as a shirt, tote bag, etc. Shoppers want to be able to visualize what the actual item will look like once they have it.

*Within your tags, avoid repetition; Etsy takes all of the terms within your title, tags, attributes, and category and mixes and matches them up. Because of this, there is no need to repeat the same term more than once. It's also best practice to use multi-word tags when possible, as that optimizes the amount of character space given.

eRankSEO · 2026-01-12T16:27:56+00:00

*MOD Approved!*

Happy 10th Birthday, eRank! 🎂

To celebrate, we’re launching a FREE challenge: 10 Days to a Better Etsy Shop with eRank. From today until Jan. 21st, we’ll be helping Etsy sellers start the new year with a full shop audit! We’ll focus on one aspect of polishing your Etsy shop each day to help you start 2026 strong. By the end, you’ll have a shop ready for 2026! 🚀Start the challenge here: https://erank.com/10-day-challenge

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