When working to optimize SEO, it is important to keep in mind the platform you are on. Each platform has a different algorithm and a different audience. For example, if you are looking to sell a product, the SEO process is going to look very different if you are posting your product on Etsy compared to Amazon.
Etsy and Amazon have very different key features and components they are looking for on your website. Etsy targets creative individuals, and values customization and free shipping. They have implemented a “Star Seller” program for shops that can execute well on these values.
For example, Newyorkjewelrys is a recommended Star Seller on Etsy. They sell personalized jewelry for both men and women and offer free shipping on nearly all of their items. As a result, this shop is the first organic search result on Etsy for “jewelry”. The item name on each of their products also helps to optimize their SEO on Etsy. Each item name is descriptive and includes a long series of keywords their target customers may search for, such as “name necklace,” “dainty,” and “mothers day gift.” As a result of keywords and knowing their audience, Newyorkjewelrys is able to optimize their SEO on Etsy.
Amazon, on the other hand, prioritizes fast shipping. Amazon has built a company around quick 1-2 day delivery and consumers shopping on Amazon expect this. Therefore, sellers on Amazon need to build their site in a way that is optimized for such behavior. Furthermore, Amazon is beginning to feature small businesses more and more.
When searching for the same term, “jewelry” on Amazon, the results are drastically different. All of the top search results would arrive within four days, with the majority arriving in the next two days. Additionally, none of the top search results are customizable. Furthermore, the item descriptions focus more on the features of the product and less on the benefits. The item descriptions emphasize keywords such as “14K,” “layered,” and “layering.” Amazon, while beginning to highlight small business owners, continue to focus on larger companies instead. The prices tend to be less expensive, and the shipping times faster, both of which Amazon consumers value.
The content you post online should be optimized for your intended audience. It is important to know where you are posting, and for who. You can then truly optimize your content for SEO so your intended audience can see your product, service, or content.
2 Responses
This is a really great topic. Even as a past consumer on both Amazon and Etsy sites, I didn’t know that Amazon prioritizes products that ship promptly, while Etsy prioritizes best keyword fit. In addition to that, I can imagine that it would be wise to consider your product type (category, style, price, etc.) based on where you sell or advertise it. For example, I may insert a link to my product page on Pinterest if I am selling bohemian-style necklaces in the $10-$30 range, but not if I was selling refurbished computer hardware. There is probably a larger target market for necklaces than for computer hardware searching on Pinterest.
This is a very insightful post and I appreciate the amount of examples and visuals used to further explain the ideas discussed. It is really interesting to think about how many different results you will get across various platforms. It’s clear that all platforms focus on such different things when prioritizing what comes up in search results depending on the audience, and that is so important to understand as both a seller and a buyer.