Alomations has two SEO preferences, title length and tag style, and you set them once so every listing run after that writes titles and tags the way your shop wants them. Title length decides how much of Etsy's 140-character title space a generated title uses, and tag style decides how the 13 generated tags are phrased.
Think of them as your Etsy SEO settings at shop level: a decision you make once, instead of one you remake on every listing. They matter most to sellers who publish in batches, run several niches, or have caught themselves rewriting the same kind of generated title by hand.
The two settings at a glance
Both settings work inside Etsy's rules, and neither one switches off the accuracy rules every run follows. Here is what each controls:
| Detail | Title length | Tag style |
|---|---|---|
| What it decides | How long the generated title runs | How the 13 generated tags are phrased |
| Etsy's hard limit | 140 characters | 13 tags, 20 characters each |
| Etsy's own advice | Describe the item first, fewer than 15 words | Use a diverse array, include buyer-minded terms |
| What never changes | Custom or Personalized in the title when the design is personalized | All 13 tags are filled every time |
| When it applies | Every listing run after you save it | Every listing run after you save it |
The rest of this guide explains what you are really choosing with each setting, and how to pick.
Title length: what you are choosing
Etsy's limits are clear. A title can be up to 140 characters long, and in the same article Etsy suggests you "consider using less than 15 words" and avoid repetition and subjective words such as "perfect". Its SEO article adds that you should "clearly describe your item at the beginning of the item title" and that "search engines only show the first 50 to 60 characters for a page title".
So the choice is a trade-off:
A shorter title reads cleanly in search results and on Google, follows Etsy's word-count advice and leaves no room for filler. It relies more on tags and attributes to cover other search phrases.
A longer title uses more of the 140 characters for extra phrases buyers type, such as the audience, the occasion or the product style. It gives search more to match, at the cost of a title that takes longer to scan.
Whichever you choose, the first words do the heavy lifting, because they are the part shoppers and Google always see. Etsy's August 2025 newsletter put it this way: "Buyers frequently tell us that clear, easy-to-scan titles help them with browsing and purchasing." Our guide to writing Etsy titles that rank covers the structure in more depth.
Tag style: what you are choosing
Tags have tighter rules than titles. You get up to 13 tags per listing, each up to 20 characters, made of letters, numbers and spaces. Etsy asks for "a diverse array of tags", says tags are "great for aspirational or buyer-minded search terms (for example, "gift for her")", and points out that tags help most when there is no matching attribute.
Tag style is the shape of that set. In general, a set can lean toward broad theme phrases, toward specific long-tail phrases, or mix the two. The setting changes the phrasing, not the count: whichever style you choose, the run still fills all 13 tags. If you are unsure how specific to go, read long-tail keywords on Etsy: how specific is too specific and our guide to all 13 Etsy tags.
How the preferences apply to every future listing
You set the two preferences once. From then on, every listing run you start writes titles and tags that follow them, whether you start a single run or a large batch, so you never retype the same instructions.
They shape the listings written from that point on. Live listings that already exist keep their current titles and tags. To bring an older live listing in line, use Update SEO, which rewrites the title, tags and description of a live listing (the first rewrite of each listing is free); see Update SEO for live listings.
One Etsy rule makes the timing matter. A listing's URL is based on the title you enter when you first publish it, and since a March 2026 update, listing URLs remain fixed after first publication. Settle your title preference before a big batch goes live, not after.
What the preferences never change
Some rules are built into every run, whatever you set:
Titles say Custom or Personalized when the design is personalized.
Personalized designs are detected, so sample names stay out of the copy.
Fabric claims in the copy match the materials in your template.
A long-sleeve shirt is never called a "tee".
Etsy listing attributes are filled from the product.
The title stays within Etsy's 140 characters, all 13 tags are written, and a description is written with them.
Together with the filled attributes, this follows Etsy's own advice to "fill out both attributes and tags for your listings". For the full picture of how a run writes its copy, see how Alomations writes titles, 13 tags and descriptions.
Choosing your settings: a short method
Read your own best listings. Look at the titles and tags of the listings in your shop that get views and sales. They tell you which length and phrasing already work for your buyers.
Pick, then test small. Choose a title length and a tag style, then start a small run saved as Etsy drafts instead of live. Going live or saving drafts is one setting on the run.
Read the drafts as a buyer. Check that the first words say what the item is, that a shopper would understand the title on Google, and that the tags cover the audience and the occasion.
Adjust before the big batch. Change a preference while the stakes are small, then publish.
Check search terms later. A new listing can take up to 48 hours to appear in Etsy search, so give it time, then compare the search terms in your Etsy Stats with the phrases you chose.
The features page shows where SEO preferences sit alongside the rest of the listing run.
Frequently asked questions
Do SEO preferences change listings that are already live?
No. They apply to listings written after you save them. To refresh a live listing, use Update SEO, where the first rewrite per listing is free.
Can I still edit a title after the run?
Yes. Save the run as Etsy drafts if you want to read and adjust before publishing, or edit the listing on Etsy later. Remember that the listing URL is fixed from the title at first publish.
Which title length is best for Etsy SEO?
There is no single answer. Etsy suggests fewer than 15 words and putting the item first, and the right length depends on how many phrases your buyers really use.
Does tag style change how many tags I get?
No. Every run fills all 13 tags. The style changes how they are phrased, not how many there are.
You can start your first listing runs on the free plan, which includes 40 credits a month once your Etsy shop is connected.
