#Etsy Etsybusiness Etsyshop googlesearch SERP seo searchengineoptimization

[cindylouwho-2]

Repost of: How I Got my Snippet Back in Google SERPs

(Repost from my now defunct Google+ page, Sept. 17 2016)

In April 2016, when Etsy changed the coding so that shop announcements were no longer meta descriptions for search engines, many sellers found that their home pages now came up in Google with Etsy's generic blurb "Browse unique items from cindylouwho2 on Etsy, a global marketplace of handmade, vintage and creative goods". However, that depended on the search - a more specific query than your shop name may turn up different snippets. I managed to keep a combination of featured items and shop announcement as my snippet until the end of June, when changing my announcement to mention the Canada Post labour uncertainty seemed to be the trigger for showing Etsy's meta-description. I have been playing with different elements since then, trying to figure out what Google might like better than Etsy's wording. Finally this week, success! My screenshot captures what Google is currently showing for my Etsy shop in the SERPs. I cannot guarantee that it will stay this way, of course, but here are some of the factors which seem to favour showing the shop owner's text instead of Etsy's generic blurb: 1) Featured items that are representative of your shop. Google is usually showing part of my featured items' titles, which overlap several words with my page title "Abalone Shell Jewelry Sea Glass Jewellery Fossil Stones" while not copying them exactly. My text wasn't showing on Google when I removed my featured items. 2) A shop announcement that relates to your shop. When I inserted a line about Canada Post at the beginning, Google decided to show Etsy's meta description instead. 3) Using the shop name in the announcement. I did not have "cindylouwho2" near the top of my announcement when the Etsy blurb took over - & note the Etsy blurb does include the shop name. 4) A recognized (by Google) shop name. When you Google "cindylouwho2" Google gives you other suggested searches that include items I make. Most of the first page of a Google search for my name  - sometimes the whole page  - is about me. Google also gives suggestions about what I sell when you enter "cindylouwho2" into the Keyword Planner. Google recognizes my online presence as a bit of a brand (tiny, but still a brand). I have noticed that shops whose names are similar to many other business and websites, and who do not own most of the first page real estate on Google, are less likely to avoid the Etsy generic blurb. (How do you get most of the first page on Google to lead to you? Have your own website, have shops on other venues, have social media accounts) 5) Ever-changing shop home page. I do believe this is quite important, and with items not automatically renewing to the front of our shops anymore, this is something many people are not doing. By adding new & renewed/edited listings to the first page of your shop quite frequently, you send Google the signal that this is a happening page that it should keep track of. Do you know of any other shops that have avoided being represented by Etsy's meta description in the SERPs? Let me know about them (in the comments on this post, or via message) because I would love to analyze more examples!