Etsy Shop Audit Guide 2026

How to Score AuditYour Etsy Shop

A shop score audit examines every factor that affects your Etsy visibility and sales. This includes your SEO score (how well your listings rank in search), listing quality score (photos, descriptions, tags), shop stats (conversion rate, review score), and customer satisfaction metrics.

SEO Score AnalysisListing Quality CheckConversion TrackingStar Seller StatusCompetition BenchmarkingActionable Insights

📊Quick Answer: What is an Etsy Shop Score Audit?

A shop score audit systematically examines every factor affecting your Etsy visibility and sales:

Key Metrics to Audit:

  • • Search ranking position for target keywords
  • • Listing quality (titles, tags, photos, descriptions)
  • • Star seller status requirements
  • • Conversion rate vs. category average
  • • Review score and response rate

What Audits Reveal:

  • • 40% have listings with missing or weak tags
  • • 65% have underperforming listings dragging down shop average
  • • 30% are missing Star Seller requirements
  • • Most have 2-3 "easy wins" that could boost sales

Key Insight: Regular audits (monthly or quarterly) keep your shop optimized as Etsy's algorithm changes.

The 5-Part Etsy Shop Audit Framework

Comprehensive system for evaluating your shop

Part 1: SEO Score Audit

Title optimization, tag usage, category accuracy, attributes, long-tail keywords

Part 2: Listing Quality Audit

Photos, descriptions, pricing — the factors that influence buyer decisions

Part 3: Shop Stats Audit

Conversion rate, favorite rate, add-to-cart rate, response time, review score

Part 4: Star Seller Audit

95%+ metrics for reviews, on-time shipping, and message response

Part 5: Customer Satisfaction

Review sentiment, return rate, repeat customers, inquiry patterns

SEO Score Breakdown

How to evaluate your search optimization

What to Check:

  • 1. Title optimization — First 40 characters should include primary keyword
  • 2. Tag usage — All 13 tags filled, no duplicates with title
  • 3. Category accuracy — Correct primary and secondary categories
  • 4. Attributes filled — All relevant attributes completed
  • 5. Long-tail keywords — Targeting specific buyer searches
Score RangeStatusWhat It Means
90-100%ExcellentAll listings optimized, ranking on page 1 for target keywords
70-89%GoodMost listings optimized, some gaps in tag usage
50-69%FairBasic SEO in place, missing long-tail opportunities
Below 50%PoorMajor SEO issues limiting visibility

SEO Red Flags:

  • • Listings not appearing for obvious keywords
  • • Tags that repeat title words exactly
  • • Generic tags (like "gift" alone) instead of specific ones
  • • Empty attribute fields

Shop Stats Benchmarks

Know where you stand compared to top performers

MetricGoodNeeds WorkCritical
Conversion Rate3%+1-3%Below 1%
Favorite Rate5%+2-5%Below 2%
Add-to-Cart Rate8%+4-8%Below 4%
Message Response TimeUnder 24hr24-48hrOver 48hr
Review Score4.8+4.5-4.8Below 4.5

Find these metrics: Shop Manager → Stats → Detailed breakdown by listing and shop-wide

Star Seller Requirements (2026)

Badge requirements for search boost

Current Requirements:

  • • 95%+ 5-star reviews (rolling 3 months)
  • • 95%+ shipped on time (rolling 3 months)
  • • 95%+ message response within 24 hours
  • • Minimum 10 orders in evaluation period
  • • Minimum $300 in sales in evaluation period

Common Issues:

  • • One late shipment tanks on-time percentage
  • • Missing messages in spam/other folders
  • • Customers leaving 4-star "good" reviews thinking it's positive

Check your status: Shop Manager → Star Seller

6-Step Audit Process

Your systematic approach to shop optimization

1

Export Your Data

Download your shop stats from Etsy (Shop Manager → Stats → Export). This gives you a spreadsheet to work with.

  • Navigate to Shop Manager
  • Go to Stats section
  • Click Export to download your data
  • Open in spreadsheet software
2

Prioritize by Revenue

Sort listings by revenue. Focus audit effort on your top 20% - they generate most of your income.

  • Sort listings by total revenue
  • Identify your top 20% performers
  • Mark these for priority optimization
  • Calculate revenue contribution per listing
3

Score Each Listing

Create a simple scorecard to evaluate each listing systematically.

  • SEO: /25 points (titles, tags, categories)
  • Photos: /25 points (quality, quantity, variety)
  • Description: /25 points (completeness, benefits-focused)
  • Pricing: /25 points (competitive, profitable)
4

Identify Quick Wins

Look for listings with high traffic but low conversion (pricing/photos issue) or low traffic but high conversion (SEO issue).

  • High traffic + low conversion = Fix immediately
  • Low traffic + high conversion = SEO boost will scale sales
  • Low traffic + low conversion = Major overhaul or deactivate
  • Prioritize by potential impact
5

Create Action Plan

Prioritize fixes by impact and create a timeline for implementation.

  • List all issues found
  • Rank by revenue impact
  • Set deadlines for each fix
  • Track progress systematically
6

Track Improvements

After making changes, wait 2-4 weeks, then re-audit affected listings.

  • Document baseline metrics
  • Wait 2-4 weeks after changes
  • Compare new metrics to baseline
  • Iterate and improve further

What Audits Reveal About Etsy Shops

40%
Sellers Missing Tags
65%
Have Underperformers
30%
Missing Star Seller
2-3
Easy Wins Per Shop

Etsy Audit Best Practices

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't Do This

  • Panic over daily fluctuations — Look at weekly/monthly trends
  • Change everything at once — You won't know what worked
  • Ignore negative patterns — Small issues become big problems
  • Audit only when sales drop — Proactive beats reactive
  • Copy competitors blindly — Understand why something works
  • Neglect older listings — Refresh content periodically
  • Forget mobile view — 60%+ of Etsy traffic is mobile

Do This Instead

  • Audit regularly — Monthly minimum, weekly for high-volume shops
  • Focus on top performers — Your best listings deserve the most attention
  • Track changes over time — Keep a log of what you changed and when
  • Test one variable at a time — So you know what worked
  • Use data, not hunches — Let stats guide your decisions
  • Benchmark against competitors — What are top sellers doing?
  • Act on findings — An audit without action is pointless

Free Etsy Shop Audit Checklist

Use this for your monthly audit

SEO (Weekly Check)

  • ☐ Top 10 listings have optimized titles
  • ☐ All listings use 13 tags
  • ☐ No duplicate tags across listings targeting same keyword
  • ☐ Attributes filled for all listings

Photos (Monthly Check)

  • ☐ All listings have 5+ photos
  • ☐ First photos are scroll-stopping
  • ☐ No blurry or dark images

Shop Stats (Monthly Check)

  • ☐ Conversion rate stable or improving
  • ☐ No sudden drops in traffic
  • ☐ Message response time under 24 hours
  • ☐ On-time shipping above 95%

Reviews (Weekly Check)

  • ☐ Respond to all reviews (positive and negative)
  • ☐ Address negative feedback promptly
  • ☐ Look for patterns in complaints

Tools for Etsy Shop Audits

Resources to help you analyze your shop

Etsy's Built-in Tools

  • • Shop Manager Stats
  • • Star Seller Dashboard
  • • Search Analytics (with Ads)

Third-Party Tools

  • • InsightAgent — AI competitor analysis
  • • Spreadsheet exports
  • • Google Search for brand visibility

DIY Methods

  • • Incognito search testing
  • • Friend navigation tests
  • • Multi-device mobile checks

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about auditing your Etsy shop scores.

Monthly for most sellers. Weekly for shops with 100+ listings or during peak seasons. Quarterly deep-dives into all listings.
Etsy doesn't provide an official "SEO score." But you can self-assess: if your listing appears on page 1 for your target keyword, your SEO is working. If it's on page 5+, improvements needed.
Etsy uses a Listing Quality Score internally but doesn't share it. Focus on the factors they've publicly stated: relevance, listing quality (photos, description), customer experience, and shipping.
Common causes: algorithm update, new competition, listing quality degraded (old photos/info), or shop-wide stats dropped (shipping delays, negative reviews). Run a full audit to identify.
Check Stats → Traffic sources → Etsy search. Look for which search terms bring visitors. If your target keywords aren't there, your tags need work.
Average Etsy conversion is 1-3%. Top shops hit 5%+. Below 1% usually indicates pricing, photo, or trust issues.
You can analyze publicly visible data: their listings, photos, pricing, reviews, and estimated sales rank. InsightAgent automates this analysis with AI.
SEO changes: 1-4 weeks. Photo changes: Often immediate. Review improvements: 2-3 months to build.
If they're costing you nothing (pre-April 2024 free listings), leave them. If you're paying listing fees, either optimize them or deactivate.
Conversion rate. High traffic with low conversion means you're wasting visibility. Fix conversion first, then worry about traffic.

Etsy's algorithms and requirements may change. Always refer to Etsy's official Seller Handbook for the most current information. Metrics and benchmarks provided are industry estimates and may vary by category.

Ready to Audit Your Etsy Shop?

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