It's only July, but over at eRank.com, we're seeing some of the very first searches for Christmas and holiday-themed products on Etsy. Who are these people, and where the heck do they get their motivation from? With shoppers buying earlier than ever this season, right now is the time to get ahead so you can optimize your shop and marketing before Etsy's busiest season. For anyone who may be new here, my name is Starla Moore - founder of the Handmade Alpha Academy for Etsy sellers and manager at eRank.com, Etsy's most popular SEO tool. And historically on Etsy, we see traffic progressively increase from July through November - which is Etsy's busiest month. So even if you don't sell giftable products, colder weather tends to keep more people indoors, which increases the overall interest in online shopping across most industries. And right now is the very best time to start planning product lines,

freshening up your shop and prepping your marketing so that you'll have already generated momentum by the time the busy shopping season hits. Here are a few things you can accomplish now to promote better holiday success. When it comes to actually planning holiday product lines, it's impossible to know what'll be trending a few months from now. But by looking at what was trending around holiday time last year, we can get a sense for what shoppers may be searching for this year as well. To do this, I recommend heading over to the eRank Monthly Trend report, then filter by November of last year. From here, you'll be able to see the top 100 most searched keywords for some of Etsy's most popular categories, which can help you to come up with ideas that may be popular this year as well. Just be sure to watch out for trademarked terms and themes that could get you in trouble.

If you still have empty photo slots in your shop, right now is a great time to fill those out with relevant photos that showcase key details about your products. Aside from your thumbnail, which should ideally represent your product in its entirety, I recommend utilizing your other 9 slots to showcase some of the finer details of your product - such as a close-up to represent texture, the back of your product, your product in use, a lifestyle shot of your product, a photo representing the size of your product using a precise unit of measure, a photo of your product next to an imprecise unit of measure, a photo outlining anything the customer should know about your product, and even a photo that represents your shipping times. For POD sellers, there's nothing more frustrating for your buyers than seeing the exact same mock-up over and over again, so get creative with your mock-ups by using a site like Canva - or order a few sample products in order to take a few of your own product photos.

It's important to note that the number of product photos you've added to your listings has no weight in Etsy search. However, every photo you add is an opportunity to convert a casual shopper into a buyer. So, when possible, add as many photos as Etsy will allow. Along with listing photos, your listing videos are a great opportunity to keep shoppers on your listing page for longer, thus increasing the chances of converting them into a buyer. Not to mention, Etsy listings that utilize listing videos literally come to life in an Etsy search page, helping you to stand out next to your competitors. Etsy listing videos don't need to be perfect, so don't be afraid to shoot something simple with your phone. If you want to edit your video, I recommend using the free CapCut app, which is super easy to use and can help you to clip, brighten, and add text to your videos. No sound needed because, thankfully, these videos are silent.

If you create POD products, try creating an animated video or even a slideshow in Canva with some of the product mock-ups you already have on hand. In an age where online scams and resellers have taken platforms like Etsy by storm, showing buyers that you're an authentic and trustworthy shop is essential for success, especially during the busy holiday season. One of the best ways to convey this information is by spending time on a detailed About Section, which should include a compelling headline, the story of your brand, and photos that will help form a connection with your shoppers. These could be photos of your workspace, of your family, or of your hands creating or designing products - which are a great way to show buyers that you're a passionate small business that cares about the products you create. On top of building trust with customers, Etsy also tells us that a filled-out about section can help your shop rank higher in search. So it's definitely something

you'll want to consider updating before the busy holiday season. During last year's EtsyUp event, Etsy revealed that product descriptions are not used for query matching. Which basically means that Etsy likely isn't looking for keyword consistency between our titles, tags, and descriptions like we once believed. Instead, we speculate that Etsy likely uses our descriptions in order to gain additional context about your listings so that they can more easily decide who should see your products in search. Especially when it comes to personalizing a shopper's unique experience. With this in mind, it's important not to keyword stuff your descriptions, or to copy your entire Etsy listing title into your product description. Instead, use your product description to share important details about your products, such as the size, texture, weight, how it should be used, or even care instructions. Right now is the perfect time to audit your descriptions to ensure

you're filling them out as accurately as possible while also answering some of the most common questions that could prevent customers from completing their purchases. While summer sales are typically slower for most industries, this is a crucial time for social media growth. Because, while people may be spending less time shopping right now, they ARE spending time on social media. Especially in the afternoon. Which means that generating more followers right now can be a great source of future sales as cooler weather rolls around. As long as you remain consistent in your marketing, early engagement with your target customers can keep your brand top of mind. So rather than waiting until the holiday season starts to begin really pushing your social media presence, start generating that momentum now. That way, you already have an audience by the time peak selling season begins. And if that sounds impossible, be sure to snag my free 30-day Instagram Challenge kit.

up here, which contains a content posting schedule, a goal tracker, and ideas to help you generate a month's worth of social media content for your business. I'll leave the link for the challenge in the description down below. Before the holiday season rolls around, it's important to consider all possible disasters that both you and your customers could be faced with. What would you do if a package went missing in transit? Or if a customer's order arrived broken? What if you're a print-on-demand business and someone wants to make a return? If you have customers in the UK, you legally have to provide the option to return products for exchange or refund, unless those items are digital, perishable, or customized specifically for that customer with something like their name. With all these factors in mind, auditing your policies and FAQ section is essential before the busy holiday rush in order to minimize bad reviews and even cases against your shop.

In fact, I recommend sitting with a piece of paper and writing down ALL possible worst-case scenarios that could happen after a customer places an order. Then, think of ways that you'll handle these situations. After doing a review of your policies, you can add additional guidelines for customers in your FAQ section, which is a great way to extend and elaborate on some of your shop policies. Holiday success on Etsy is achieved by planning ahead and having a game plan for your shop and marketing. So don't wait until the last minute. Shoppers are already starting their very first searches for holiday products. So, spend the next few weeks auditing all areas of your shop and nailing down your social media marketing strategy in order to generate momentum BEFORE the busy shopping season begins. Oh. And let me know down in the comments if you've sold anything Christmas-related yet. I've noticed a lot more people favoriting my Christmas ornaments than usual.

which feels a bit like watching a bobber wiggling in the water. Let's hope for all of us that this season leads to lots of bites on our fishing line. Until next time, Pookie.

EVERY Etsy Seller Should Prep for Christmas NOW!

EVERY Etsy Seller Should Prep for Christmas NOW!