Why Etsy sellers need their own website too.
It’s a question I get asked a lot, and truthfully the answer is not the same for everyone.
I know a lot of small businesses making a regular income and some even a good living from their Etsy stores, so firstly let’s just say it can be a whole lot more than a #sidehustle when you do it right. However there’s a lot to be said for the freedom you get when buying your own house instead of renting, am i right? And that’s not to say that I think you need to chose between one or other either, this is just how I like to talk it through with my clients.
When you’re just getting started, Etsy can serve as the ready-made market place platform of dreams. It offers everything you need to trial and error your business without the need for any website, logistical or operational expertise - it’s all about the product and sussing out what your customer’s want. But if you’re looking at the long game, there are a few things you probably need to consider and that includes your online business model.
The ‘ups’ of using Etsy
No set up costs
Minimal set up time
Instant credibility from customers (due to Etsy name)
Reliability (secure payments and delivery)
Community (become part of the small business industry)
The ‘downs’ of using Etsy
Competition - you are a small fish in a very big pond meaning it’s very difficult to stand out
Fees - 5% transaction + 4% payment processing fees
Lack of control - you are 100% reliant on the Etsy platform and policies
image credit: reuters.com
Listen. I get it, having your own website can be daunting. Paying Etsy to take care of all the techy stuff is SO much easier, sure. For some businesses this is as far as they want and need to go, a website might just not be in the plan, and that’s ok it doesn’t have to be.
But if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the last 10 years in eCommerce, is that everything online changes, and it changes fast. If you can’t keep up, there’ll be another brand that can, and what’s always clear is that it’s not because they’re better or have nicer products, it’s because they were able to adapt when and how they wanted because they have complete control of their business and sales channels.
Having an Etsy store is almost like renting a house - you have a home for all your stuff and you can decorate it all pretty, but you’re paying someone else’s mortgage. On it’s own or without a plan to grow, Etsy it isn’t a long game strategy.
The ‘ups’ of having your own website
Establish and build a strong brand and message
Complete autonomy of your business, inventory, marketing and product
Access to free analytics to help you understand your customer and their shopping behaviour
Flexibility in choosing the right platform and systems for you and your business
Create your own policies, shipping / returns guidelines and fees
Ability to create your own customer database / email list
Significant influence of where your brand sits in Google search results
The ‘downs’ of having your own website
Set up time and research before starting
Hosting fee - a small regular fee for the platform you are using (these are usually tiered depending on what service you need)
Maintenance - having full control means you will need to make time to manage all areas of your site fairly regularly
Legal Requirements - having your own transactional website means you will need to adhere to and display terms on your website. This is straightforward to do but you may need to do a bit of extra research if you haven’t done it before, which might be a bit confusing at first
Investing in your business takes courage. Investing in yourself takes a whole lot more, and often the thing that’s standing in our way of growing, is us.
Know this.. you’re worth the investment, and your business is worth taking that next step for. If in doubt, keep the Etsy store and launch your website too - you will soon start to feel what the right path is.
