Your Etsy 'About' page: do it right

Would you buy online from a buyer you didn't know anything about?

Probably not.

The same holds true for your potential buyers. The better they are able to get to know you, the more likely they are to trust you and buy from you.

In fact, a recent study found that visitors to an online shop with an About page were five times more likely to purchase a product, while spending on average 22.5% more on their purchases.

This is why it's well worth your time to write a good 'About' page.

Is the 'About' page the same as the seller 'Profile'?

No, they are very different.

The seller profile appears when someone clicks on your name (under your profile picture), while the link to the 'About' page is found under 'shop Info' in the left column.

Here's an example of both from Etsy shop Lyla Supplies.

Seller Profile

Owner Louise's seller 'Profile' is more about her shop and includes a peek at her products, her favorites and her treasuries:

'About' page

Louise's 'About' page is all about her. She can tell her story, include 5 large photos of her workspace, link to her social networks and introduce other team members:

Create your 'About' page

1. Go to Etsy.com and sign in.

2. Place your mouse on the ‘shop’ icon towards the top right corner of the Etsy homepage

3. From the drop-down menu, click on ‘Shop settings’ (last tab)

4. In the left column, click on the ‘About’ link under ‘shop Settings’.

Step 1: Add 'Shop Members'

1. You will land on the 'Shop members' tab. Click on 'Add shop member'.

2. Upload your photo, add your name, role and bio. Click 'save'

3. repeat this for any other team members.

TIP: Feel free to add your family members or pets here to make this more personal.

Step 2: Write your Story

1. Click on the 'Story' tab at the top of the page.

2. Story HEADLINE: Describe what makes your shop special in 1 line.3. Some things you could write about in your STORY section:

why and how you started your shop
what excites you about creating
what you enjoy doing in your spare time
your family - your spouse, kids and pets
your creative process
any anecdotes about your journey as an artist and a seller
what is unique about your shop / service
handmade - what raw materials you use
vintage - what you look for in pieces
anything else that paints a picture about you as a person and a seller

INSPIRATION: Adam and Devin Green, owners of Mermaid Tears tell a great story of how they got started and include beautiful, relevant photos of their work and life.

4. Upload 5 PHOTOS and add captions. Some ideas:

your workspace
a close up of you creating
the raw materials you use
your shop / group of finished products
your family - your spouse, kids and pets
any crafts fair or booth you have set up
any fun photos of you
again, anything that shows off your personality and work

Images can be .jpg, .png, or .gif files up to 2MB. You can upload photos of any dimension you like, but your photos will be cropped to display at 760 x 428 pixels.NOTE: Make sure the photos you upload are clear and of good quality.

Here's some INSPIRATION:

‍Shop: Pepper Swimwear.

All their photos are relevant and fun - from Sibylle sewing patterns (below) to co-owners Sibylle and Bridget playing beach volleyball in their swimwear.

Shop: Dixie's Window.

Where it all started - Dixie got her first sewing machine at age 6.

Shop: Lazy T Crochet.

Tricia's button wrap was featured in MidWest Living magazine.

Shop: Maddieloos.

Marsallai's studio.

Shop: Alley Cat Design Studio.

Close-up of the creative process

5. Add Shop LINKS

‍You can add direct links to your Facebook page, Twitter account, blog and website here.

- Under 'Link Type' select what type of page you want to link

- Under 'Link URL' enter the url of that page.

See example below:

NOTE: You can add up to 3 links to your 'About' page.

Step 3: Outside Manufactures

Etsy now allows sellers to work with outside manufacturers as long as you take responsibility for their customer’s experience personally. However, to do this, you must first fill up an application and list everyone involved in your shop. *If you make everything yourself, you can skip this step*.

1. Click on the 'Manufacturer' tab at the top of the page.

2. Complete the details and click 'Submit your answers for review'

Step 4: Preview & Publish

Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click the 'Save & Preview' button. You'll see a preview of your about page.

If you're happy with it, publish your page by clicking the blue 'Publish' button. If you'd like to make any changes, click the gray 'Continue Editing' button.

NOTE: You can edit your 'About' section at any time after publishing as well.

IMPORTANT UPDATE:

While getting found on Etsy is crucial, it’s also important not to ignore other channels. One channel which can get you high returns is Social Media.

But social media either means ads (which are expensive) or engaging content (which is time consuming), right?

Well, that used to be true.

But what if I told you that you could now showcase your Etsy shop on your Facebook and Instagram Pages?

That's right! Facebook's new Shops feature allows you to showcase your Etsy products on Facebook & Instagram pages for your social media visitors to browse, favorite, and purchase right from the page itself.