If you sell handmade products online (such as with Etsy or perhaps your own website) and you find product items are getting very low views (and sales!) then chances are the first photo you selected (which is the ‘calling card’ for the entire listing) is not a good choice.

Check out this screenshot from Etsy’s Recently Listed Items

The thumbnails in the black boxes are not the best choices for the first photo slot because they don’t intigue buyers and in some cases, make the product hard to decipher.

The thumbnails in the yellow boxes are good to great choices for the first photo slot because:

• You can see exactly what the item is
• The shot looks catered toward that size image
• The shots are vibrant and/or interesting
• They stand out in the crowd

Go through your online shop right now and reevaluate your product photo by going to a single  item listing. Take a look at the thumbnails in the listing to see which ones stands out from the others.

If you don’t see one being much different from the others, you will need to crop and brighten your photos until you have the best possible choice for each of your listings. If you make a point to use the best first image for every listing you add your views and sales will start improving.