If you're here right now you are probably trying to figure out how to start your digital Etsy shop on the right foot. Well fret not I have seven things you should do when starting your Etsy shop for digital downloads.  By applying these Etsy tips for new shops you will get started with your best foot forward and better yet you won't make the same mistakes I have! 

Feel free to watch the video below or read all about it below the video. 

If you haven't already go ahead and join the Facebook Group where we are creating a community of like minded individuals looking to grow their semi-passive income with digital downloads. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel to get the most up to date information as it comes out! 

 I promise this won't be TOO painful or long and very compressed compared to the above video so keep that in mind. For more details watch above. I do have closed captions available as well. 

1 - Have Enough Listings

One of the things I talk about in the Open your Etsy shop course is to ensure you have enough listings when you first open your shop. Etsy does recommend at least ten listings. However, in a digital world I recommend anywhere between 20 to 25 listings if possible. Now fret not if you don't have that many listings. It's not a huge deal. It is just my personal recommendation. My shop at the time of writing this has about 600 listings and I haven't added much in the past year. 

The bottom line is the more listings you have in your shop, the more chances you have at being found on the platform itself. 

2 - Fill out your profile!

Etsy doesn't want spam accounts on their system. Therefore you should be filling out EVERYTHING in your profile. Including your about me, shop policies and stories. Don't forget this step! 

3 - Don't forget about BRANDING

Branding is super important to convey a professional look and feel to your shop. You want to ensure you have colors and a theme that is not contrasting and that your logo looks great in a small format. Take a browse around Etsy to get some inspiration on how you can brand your items for a more professional feel. 

4 - SEO is crucial

To be found in the sea of Etsy listings you need to make sure your Search Engine Optimization is on point. You need to be able to do the research to find the proper long tail keywords to target. If you're completely new to SEO then check this SEO course out - you'll get everything you need to know to start out on the right foot! 

Remember Etsy takes into consideration your titles, tags and attributes. Descriptions are not important to the algorithm. If someone is searching for "purple fuzzy blanket" Etsy will gather all of the listings containing those words in their titles, tags OR attributes. Then Etsy will rank everything based on clicks, favorites, add to carts and purchases so keep that in mind while you're listing items. 

5 - Price for what you're WORTH

Low prices are not always better. There is some consumer psychology out there that equates low pricing to low quality. Etsy also has a bad rep for low prices to equate to a knock off shop. A general rule of thumb is at LEAST $3.00 per SVG. Depending on what you sell there could be a wide swing. 

6 - Keep your seasonal listings active

Don't bother deactivating seasonal items. I can't tell you how many times I have made Christmas sales in the spring or summer. People buy files during all times of the year. I personally keep them up all year but really the choice is yours to make. 

7 - DRIVE TRAFFIC

Marketing is crucial. You can't expect to post a bunch of listings and magically make money. With the changes to the search algorithm there is a heavier weight on customer interaction that will boost listings. Try to drive traffic through social media and other avenues. I highly recommend Pinterest and have a 101 course that will walk you through everything you need to know. While it does take about 8 months of "soak time" it's a slow burn and a long game worth investing your time. Check the course out here. 

So that's that. If you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out to me!