this is probably how you’re used to typing your etsy shop address. easy to remember, easy to tell someone, easy to put on a business card. it looks great without the “http://” and gives your brand a little zip!
but: it’s not giving you everything it could be!
that etsy address of yours has always been handy but it’s always resolved to another URL, the URL your shop is actually located it. up until a few months ago, your actual URL involved a random user id number. well, it doesn’t anymore!
now your etsy URL looks like this (above). that’s the URL your shop actually resides at, no resolving or redirecting. whenever you’re linking to your shop on your blog, twitter, facebook, or anywhere that search engines may scan, use this URL.
if you’re telling people your shop URL in “real life” or using it in printed marketing materials – even in email marketing! – feel free to use the easier to remember URL (top).
nailing your shop URL is a quick & easy way to improve your shop’s SEO and page rank!
Thank you so much for this tip! I am relatively new to Etsy and love learning all these little details (that add up to make a real difference). Though I haven’t made a ton of comments, I have learned a lot from your blog. Thank you.
that really is great advice! thank you! xo
Hi Tara, I’m a little confused. I usually link my shop to my blog by writing it this way:
http://www.therubyneedle.etsy.com
Are you saying we no longer need to put the http://www
Thanks for your help.
Beth
hi beth! you definitely don’t need the www. it redirects to an address without it – to get the most bang for your buck, leave it off. it’s always good to use the http:// because it helps browsers automatically detect your link & create a hyperlink.
but whenever linking to your shop from a website that contributes to page rank & seo (blogs, websites, even facebook!) type your address like this: http://etsy.com/shop/therubyneedle
I am so very glad that Etsy has taken steps to make their shops SEO friendly. It *does* make the marketing/branding side of the biz much easier!
About using links in social media – I understand the value of using option #2 when hand coding a link in your blog or sharing it on Facebook.
In regards to the use of your URL on Twitter: like a business card or printed marketing, Option #1 is something that is quickly read and probably easier to remember. I’d think on those days when tweets are coming out of everyone’s ears, Option #1 might be preferable. Otherwise, Option #2 would be Google-friendly.
(Aren’t your tweets archived for a while, anyway?)
My question: Is there any harm in going back and forth between Options #1 and #2 in your tweets, provided that you aren’t using a URL shortening service?
well, your twitter links aren’t going to contribute much to your page rank. and yes, the way people “view” them it might be best to using the print marketing approach. but i think there is also value in getting people to think of your link the “new” way so that’s the way they would blog it or enter in a link list.
but – there is absolutely no HARM in doing it as you say! thanks so much for stopping by!
Comments like this one make the difference.
Thank you soooo much for sharing.
NoniBam
you’re so welcome! thanks for stopping by!
Thank you so much for this. I was actually worried that the http://nanouke.etsy.com was going to disappear or something, since I have it printed in my business cards.
Actually, my boyfriend told me about this, the difference between the real link and the other redirecting link (#1)
I’ll have to check my own blog to find out how am I redirecting my own links
Thanks for the info! I was curious on the difference and most sources seem to be outdated pointing to the old way of doing it.
“nailing your shop URL is a quick & easy way to improve your shop’s SEO and page rank!”
- http://www.etsy.com/shop/photobychris
Thank you so much for the advice. We are new to Etsy and looking for ways to improve our SEO
I’ve been wondering this for a while and am just at this moment trying to make some SEO improvements to my site so very timely information for me. Thanks!
Laura
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KitzieG
thanks for this
for me it was actually the other way around. i knew about the longer address (http://www.etsy.com/shop/KariOriginal) but was not aware of the short link (www.karioriginal.etsy.com) so i’ll definitely be using that in marketing in future!
many thanks
Sarah
http://www.etsy.com/shop/KariOriginal
Thanks so much, the info is really useful.
hi tara
thank you so much for taking the time to share what you know . I really appreciate any and all info that will grow my business
carol
Hi Tara,
I appreciate your blog and have read through the comments and how you addressed each one of them. You are so helpful and kind. I’m working to raise my page rank and I have a website and an etsy shop. I don’t see my etsy shop come up in google like I do with other cuff bracelet shops from Etsy. What advice do you have to get my page rank up? I look forward to hearing from you!
Thank you so much Tara!
Denise
The shorter one cmjolley.etsy.com looks so much better though….I may still use that one for business cards and on my backlinks on my etsy page….use the other for SEO.
Thanks for clearing that up, Tara—I was also using the long address for everything, which got kind of unwieldy when I was sharing the link verbally and found myself sans business card.
Wendy
Business cards are essential to the business owner who wants to make sure that his name and the name of his company is easily remembered. Networking is extremely popular and you don’t want to miss an opportunity to pass out your card to someone who might become valuable to you in the future.
Thank you so much for this post! I’ve been trying to get backlinks out there but had no idea the links I was using weren’t going to increase my ranking. This is MUCH appreciated!
Handmade Jewelry Findings by me Nadin Art Design
On my store you can find high quality lampwork and wire jewelry findings and more unique jewelry components..
Sincerely,
Nadin
Another thing that is helpful is to periodically check how many links you have to your shop. The “link” command in Google can provide a listing of all the sites that link to your Etsy shop. Links are a good thing because they help you list higher in the search engine results. My shop name is
etsy.com/shop/forgetmenotkeepsake
For example, in the Google search box you would enter
link: http://www.etsy.com/shop/forgetmenotkeepsake
and Google will list all the sites that link to your shop (including your blog, facebook, internal links, etc). If you have a lot of links, it will not show you all of them unless you go to the bottom of the list and click on “repeat the search with the omitted results included.” Hope this helps.