Keyword stuffing in product descriptions: Does keyword stuffing help you rank better on Etsy?

You come to Etsy with only ONE goal — fulfill that dream of becoming an online entrepreneur and seeing sales roll in. But only if it were that easy, right? Only if the competition was a little lower, correct?

In Q3 2024, Etsy reported a whopping 6.2 million active sellers, which means you are competing against almost the entire state of Colorado. But that’s not it. You are not just competing against the sellers but also challenging yourself to get the attention of 91.2 million active buyers.

So, the race to Etsy SEO is undeniably on its peak and the only weapon you have is the Etsy Search. The higher you rank, the more you increase the chances of getting the sales. One of the most important factors to increasing your ranking are the keywords in titles and product descriptions but the question here is – Does keyword stuffing in your product descriptions actually help you rank better?

What are keywords and how important they are for Etsy?

Keywords are words or phrases that potential buyers type into Etsy’s search bar when looking for a product. They act as a bridge between your listing and your customer. For example, if you’re selling handmade leather wallets, keywords might include “handmade leather wallet,” “real leather wallet,” or “personalized wallet.”

Beyond being bridges, keywords are also a key factor influencing your ranking. Even the platform has confirmed it in the Etsy Seller Handbook, saying, “The keywords you use across your listing titles, descriptions, tags, categories, and attributes are essential when it comes to query matching, the first phase of search ranking, within Etsy’s search algorithm.”

So, using keywords in your titles and product descriptions is crucial to being found, but there’s a right and wrong way to do it. And keyword stuffing is definitely the wrong way!

What exactly is keyword stuffing?

Keyword stuffing is when you cram as many keywords as possible into your product description, hoping to rank higher in search results. It’s like throwing every possible search term at the wall to see what sticks.

For example: Retro Softball Mama PNG, Softball Mama Png, Softball Coquette Png, Game Day Softball Bow Png, Checker Softball Png, Softball Mom Png.

Can keyword stuffing in product descriptions help you rank better?

Keyword stuffing might sound like an easy way to get your listings noticed. After all, if one keyword is good, then ten must be better, right? Unfortunately, that’s not how Etsy’s search algorithm works anymore.

Etsy’s algorithm has grown smarter over the years, focusing less on keyword quantity and more on keyword quality and product relevance. Instead of rewarding stuffed descriptions, it prioritizes listings that provide real value to shoppers and convert into sales.

Does Etsy penalize listings for keyword stuffing in product descriptions?

While Etsy doesn’t directly penalize keyword stuffing, it doesn’t reward it either. Let’s take a closer look at what happens when you stuff too many keywords in your listing!

When your product descriptions are crammed with keywords, they often come across as unnatural, spammy, or hard to read. This turns potential buyers away and affects your engagement metrics like click-through and conversion rates. Since Etsy’s algorithm favors listings with high-quality content and positive user engagement, this can be a bad news for you.

Your listings may rank lower or worse not rank at all because of the low conversion ratio.

So, while Etsy won’t ban or penalize you directly for keyword stuffing in your product description, the side effects can be just as damaging.

What to do and what to avoid in product descriptions

Now that you know how important product descriptions are, it is time you learn what to do and what not to ensure you avoid keyword overstuffing and rank on Etsy. We have already created a guide to help you write 10/10 product descriptions and even shared some templates for you here. But here is a quick overview to help you understand the dos and don’ts.

Add this to your Etsy product descriptions	Avoid this in your Etsy product descriptions
Include keywords naturally in the first few sentences.	Copying your title in the description.
Add clear details that help buyers imagine using your product, like size, material and color.	Vague information that says nothing about your product.
Behind-the-scenes glimpses to build a connection with your audience.	Losing the opportunity to connect with your audience.
In 2022, 66% of Etsy buyers used their mobiles for purchases. So, format your description by ensuring short sentences.	Overlooking formatting for mobile shoppers.
Show how your product genuinely helps the user to increase the conversion rate.	Focusing only on keywords.

Examples of good product descriptions

Embroidered beanie winter	Cosmo chessboard mini	Happy easter mug
Credit: EmblifeDesign	Credit: ateliercosmo	Credit: Zehnaria

What works for these product descriptions?

There are multiple things that work in favor of these 3 Etsy product descriptions but the major one is their focus on user experience.

Here is exactly what’s working for them:

1. Natural and engaging tone that feels welcoming.
2. Clear and concise description that doesn’t feel forced.
3. Includes essential details like size, material, and care instructions.
4. Highlights unique selling points and quality.
5. Uses keywords naturally without overloading.
6. Focuses on customer experience and usability.
7. Maintains a classy and organized presentation.
8. Personalization options are clearly outlined.
9. Festive or thematic elements are emphasized appropriately.
10. Well-formatted with bullet points and short paragraphs.

How to find keywords for product descriptions using Listadum?

There are two types of keywords — Long-tail and short-tail. Long-tail keywords are multi-word phrases that are very specific, while short-tail keywords are single words and very general. For example, ‘long floral dress’ is a long-tail keyword, and ‘dress’ is a short-tail keyword.

Short-tail keywords are very difficult to rank for but long-tail? They’re easier since you are catering to a specific audience but finding them isn’t easy, especially in real-time. You need to know the exact keywords that are trending now or have been trending for the past 7-10 days to decide whether you want to include them in your listing or not.

So, we have a FREE keyword research tool that can help you in 2 major ways!

Find FREE new keywords for Etsy

Once you open Listadum’s Etsy keyword explorer, you will find top trending keywords.

We source this data directly from Etsy so you can know what customers are searching for NOW instead of relying on outdated data. You can filter through the keywords based on your category and check currently trending keywords along with the ease of ranking for that particular keyword. But this isn’t all!

Do a FREE keyword analysis for Etsy

You can also click on a particular keyword and view a detailed analysis that includes:

• Listings: Overall listings using this particular keyword on Etsy.
• Keyword difficulty: Difficulty level of ranking for this keyword.
• Average views: Average number of views on listings using this keyword.
• Average favorites: Average number of times the listing has been added to favorites.
• Average price: Average price of products using this keyword.
• Estimated revenue: Total estimated revenue made by products using this keyword.
• Is long tail: States whether the keyword is long-tail or not.

Hope this article will help you understand all about keywords, product descriptions, and overstuffing keywords in product descriptions!