How to Audit Your Etsy Shop: A 12-Point Checklist

An Etsy shop audit is a structured check of your listings and shop settings, looking for the gaps that cost you views and sales. You can do it by hand with the checklist below, or run the free Etsy shop audit to check every listing in about 30 seconds.

How to run the audit

Work listing by listing, starting with your best sellers and most-viewed listings. Improving a listing that already gets traffic pays off fastest. Note every gap, then fix the ones that affect the most listings first.

Part 1: Listing checks

1. Number of photos

Etsy allows up to 10 photos per listing. Aim for at least 8: the product on its own, scale, close-up details, the product in use, variations and packaging. Listings with fewer than 5 photos give buyers too little to go on.

2. Main photo quality

Your first photo appears in search results. It should be bright, sharp and clearly show the product, at least 2000px on the shortest side so it stays crisp when zoomed. Avoid collages and heavy text.

3. Listing video

A short video shows the product in a way photos can't. In our study of 199 Etsy shops, 64% of listings had no video. A 5 to 15 second clip of the item turning or being used is enough.

4. Title

Start with what the item is, in the words buyers search for. Watch out for:

• titles too short to describe the item
• cluttered titles of 15 or more words
• the same word repeated three or more times

5. All 13 tags

Use every tag slot. Prefer multi-word phrases buyers actually type, like "pride and prejudice mug", over single words, and don't repeat the same tag.

6. Description

Lead with the essentials: what it is, size, materials, and how it's made or personalised. Descriptions under about 300 characters usually leave out details buyers check before ordering.

7. Materials and attributes

Fill in materials and every relevant attribute, such as colour, occasion and style. They help Etsy match your listing to filtered searches. In our study, 72% of listings left materials blank.

8. Price and delivery

Compare your total price, including delivery, with similar listings. Expensive delivery is a common reason buyers don't buy, and Etsy favours US listings with low or free delivery. Make sure every price still makes a profit: see the Etsy fees and profit guide.

Part 2: Shop checks

9. Shop announcement and about section

Use your announcement for what's current, such as Christmas order dates or a new collection, and tell your story in the about section. A complete shop feels safer to buy from.

10. Shop logo and banner

A clear logo and banner make your shop recognisable and look established.

11. Number of listings

Shops with very few listings give buyers, and Etsy, little to work with. Aim for 20 or more good listings around a clear theme.

12. Policies and service

Set clear return, delivery and processing policies, and check your customer service stats: replies within 24 hours, on-time dispatch with tracking, and your review average. See Etsy Star Seller requirements.

What to fix first

1. Anything that affects most of your listings, such as missing materials or no video. One fix pattern helps everything.
2. Your best sellers and most-viewed listings, because they already have traffic.
3. Your weakest listings, which may be dragging your shop down.

Re-audit after each batch of fixes, and at least once a month.

Audit every listing in 30 seconds

Checking a whole shop by hand takes hours. The free MOOSIZE Etsy shop audit checks photos, video, tags, titles, descriptions, materials and shop setup for every active listing, scores each one, and ranks your fixes by impact. There's no sign-up and no login, and it never touches your shop.

Related: How to get your first Etsy sale · Why did my Etsy views drop?

Sources: Etsy Seller Handbook, the MOOSIZE study of 199 Etsy shops.