Erank and Marmalead are the two tools you'll hear about a lot as you develop
your SEO strategy on Etsy,
but they actually can help you do much more than that. With that said,
the free versions of both of these tools are limited and upgrading to the full
version does cost money - money that you might not be swimming in as you're just
getting started. So, is it worth it? Let's dive in.
Hi, I'm Deb and I'm the founder of Tizzit.co,
a membership community for handmade shop owners.
Today we're taking a look at whether tools like Marmalead and Erank are really
worth your money.
But we can't mention these tools without mentioning Etsy SEO or search engine
optimization as that's what they are designed to help you with - although that's
not all they can do - more on that in a minute.
So if you're not 100% clear on exactly what Etsy SEO is or if you need help with
it,
I have a free Etsy SEO 101 guide and checklist that I will list just below this
video and that I recommend you download just so you're sure to have a solid
understanding of how the Etsy algorithm actually works.
To keep it short, here's what an SEO strategy process looks like:
to optimize your listings for the Etsy search engine,
you have to first decide on a strategy which is going to include brainstorming
ideas for potential keywords that you could use and then picking the right
keywords from that brainstorming list. Second,
you're going to have to actually implement,
meaning making changes to your listings. Finally,
you're going to need to wait to see which keywords are working,
not working and which ones are showing up in your Etsy stats.
This is so that you can repeat the process all over again,
tweaking and improving it with better or new keywords along the way,
making sure that you are meticulously tracking your results.
Are you exhausted just thinking about this? Because I sure am. To say the least,
optimizing your listing can be quite a tedious task and most of the time you
really just take a bet on which keywords you think are going to work.
Yes, you might hit the jackpot the first time,
but it could also take you months to figure out what the best combination of
keywords and tags is going to be for you.
That's when Marmalead and/or Erank come into the picture.
They might not be necessary to get your products in front of shoppers
successfully,
but they can make the task a lot faster and a lot easier by giving you access to
the data and the insights that you need to build an effective strategy for your
listing from the get go. Here are a few things that they can help you do.
They can help you in your brainstorming activities and help you find keywords
and tags you might not have otherwise thought of with the list of related tags,
related searches, synonyms, and other keyword tools. I'm sure you've been there:
you're trying to brainstorm keywords for your shop and you keep thinking about
the same ones and can't seem to find new ones.
This is when those brainstorming tools are super, super useful.
They can also help you find keywords that people are actually searching for on
Etsy, based on real Etsy visitors' data and shoppers' data;
and they can compare their search volume and engagement.
This is going to save you a lot of trial and error by answering the question:
is this a good keyword to target - with a low volume of competition,
high engagement - or should I find another one?
They can also help you audit your current listings and give you SEO scores so
that you're not missing on an opportunity to optimize your listings further.
This is based on Etsy guidelines and they're going to give you a quick overview
of what you've done well so far and what you can improve to make sure that your
listings show up in front of as many people as possible.
They can also help you understand your market and competition better with price
range and shipping fee analysis for a specific keyword;
so what's the average listing price,
how many listings are offering free shipping for that keyword,
what is the average shipping cost for that keyword...
They also allow you to strategically time product launches and promotions.
How do they do that?
They do that by helping you understand what keywords are performing best
depending on the month of the year, depending on the season we're in,
so you can time your launches when they are likely to make you the most sales
because you know that this is when people are actively looking for those
keywords. Finally,
they can also help you with your product development research and validating
your ideas when you're thinking about new products or new future collections
that you want to create.
This is helpful because they help you figure out ahead of time if a new product
idea has good potential, so good search volume, little competition,
good engagement;
or if it might not really be worth creating that product because not many people
are actually looking for that keyword.
These are what I would consider to be the most valuable features of both
Marmalead and Erank.
Of course you might want to test those two different platforms and see which one
you like most and compare their specific features.
But they really offer much more than just SEO data and they can truly help you
step up your game by allowing you to build an SEO strategy that's solid and to
make decisions that are based on data rather than guesses.
So in the end, I really do believe these tools are helpful;
and this isn't one of those videos where I'm like, "by the way,
my affiliate link is just below this video".
I do not make money if you go and purchase something from Erank or Marmalead.
This is my honest opinion, this is what I think,
because I think that yes, there is a cost to those services,
but it can easily be covered by the sales that it's going to help you make.
You should really be considering this as an investment for your handmade
business because the data is going to help you make better decisions.
And maybe more importantly,
it's going to help you make the right decision much quicker,
and saving time is what we're all about out here. Now, before I'll let you go,
one last very important tip.
I truly believe that Marmalead and Erank are incredible tools,
but you shouldn't lose your common sense when you are using them.
I'd like to recommend you watch a super short video I've recorded about the
number one mistake I see makers who use these tools make,
and that's costing them a lot of traffic and a lot of sales.
I don't want this to happen to you, so make sure you take a look.
I'll put a link below this video to that one.
And also don't forget to download your free Etsy SEO guide as well - the link is
below the video. If you like this video,
make sure to like and subscribe to my channel.
I release a new video every Tuesday,
always with the goal to help you start and grow a successful shop. Bye guys.