Etsy attributes: what they are and how to fill them in

Attributes are the structured fields on a listing, such as color and material. Shoppers can filter search results by them, and Etsy lists them among the search factors sellers control.

What attributes are

Etsy's definition: "Listing attributes allow you to describe your items with distinct, detailed characteristics to help buyers get a clear idea of what you're selling." Its examples are "the color, material, size dimensions, etc." The fields you get depend on the category: "The category you select for your items determines the attributes you can add for the item." They appear only after you pick a category, so choose the most specific one first. "The listing's category is as specific as possible" is also one of Etsy's listing quality checks.

Why they matter for search

• Attributes "can also help buyers find your items more easily in search results."
• "Sellers control the most important factors in Etsy Search placement: tags and titles, attributes, quality, and customer service."
• Shoppers narrow results with Show filters. Etsy's shopper help lists Color among the filters. For Material and Material features it says "Sellers select these attributes based on their items", and "the available filters and values depend on the category of item you're searching for."

Etsy does not say what happens to a listing with a blank attribute when a shopper applies that filter. A filter can only match values a seller entered, so a blank is a search you gave up before it started. That last step is our reading, not Etsy's wording.

How to fill them in

1. In Shop Manager, open Listings and create or edit a listing.
2. Choose the category that best describes the item.
3. Under Item options, find Attributes and select the options that best apply. In the Etsy Seller app, use Add attributes.
4. Select Publish (or Save in the app). To remove one, select the pencil icon, deselect it and save.

When no option matches exactly, Etsy says to "select the most relevant attributes available" and to "fill out both attributes and tags". Its example is a lemon-colored scarf when Color has no "lemon": pick Yellow for the attribute, then add "lemon scarf" as a tag.

Materials and Material features

These carry extra weight. Examples of Materials are Hemp, Organic cotton and Recycled glass. Examples of Material features are Plastic-free, Reusable, Upcycled and Vegan. Etsy: "By selecting a Material or Material feature, you are making a claim that it accurately describes your item, is not misleading, and is supported by sufficient information." It also says it "does not verify or assume any responsibility for the accuracy of attributes selected by sellers." Select one only when it is true, put the item's material or fiber composition in the description, and keep the records that support the claim.

Attributes and tags do different jobs

Etsy: "Tags are helpful when there's no matching attribute and are great for aspirational or buyer-minded search terms (for example, "gift for her")." Fill both. The tags guide covers the 13 tag slots and their character rules.

A five-minute check

Search your main keyword on Etsy, open Show filters and note the Color and Material options offered for your category. Then open your listing in Shop Manager and confirm the values that are true of the item are selected. Listrank does not read a listing's attributes, so this check is manual. The shop audit does flag listings with an empty materials column in your CSV export. The search ranking guide covers where attributes sit among the other factors.