The simplest free method of Etsy keyword research is to type a short seed phrase into Etsy's own search bar, write down the suggestions it offers, and repeat with letters, modifiers and any related searches shown on the results page. Record every phrase in a sheet with where you found it and how many characters it has, so the list turns directly into a title, 13 tags and a description.
This is for sellers who are not ready to pay for a keyword tool, and for anyone who uses one but wants to check its ideas against what Etsy itself shows. The method is slow, but it costs nothing, and every phrase comes from Etsy's search box rather than from a third-party estimate.
Why the search bar is a good place to start
Etsy says sellers control the most important factors in Etsy search placement, and it names tags and titles, attributes, listing quality and customer service. It also says search results are ordered by how relevant the items are to what the shopper searched for. The words you choose are the part of relevance you write yourself.
Search suggestions give you phrasing in the form a shopper types it, short and plain, rather than in the words a seller would choose. Etsy does not publish how it chooses those suggestions, so treat them as phrases worth testing rather than as measured demand. If you want numbers, keyword tools estimate them, and our guide to how Etsy keyword tools estimate search volume explains what those estimates can and cannot tell you.
Step 1: set up a clean search
Etsy says search results differ from shopper to shopper, so do your research in a private browser window where you are not signed in. Your own browsing history then shapes less of what you see.
Start with a seed: the product plus one subject, written the way a buyer would say it. "Teacher sweatshirt", "dog mom mug" and "camping shirt" are good seeds. "Unique premium cotton apparel" is not, because no buyer types it. Research in the language your buyers search in, which for most print-on-demand shops selling to the US is English.
Step 2: collect the suggestions
Work through the seed in a few passes and write down every suggestion that describes something you could sell:
Type the seed slowly and note the suggestions that appear as you type.
Add each letter of the alphabet after the seed ("teacher sweatshirt a", "teacher sweatshirt b") and note what new endings appear.
Put modifiers in front: funny, personalized, custom, retro, vintage, minimalist.
Add recipients and occasions: for her, for him, for mom, birthday, Christmas, appreciation.
Run the search and look for related searches or suggested phrases on the results page, where Etsy shows them.
Etsy's own Marketplace Insights tool is worth adding to the routine. It shows price ranges of recently bought listings for search terms, and you can save up to 50 searches, which makes it a useful place to keep your strongest phrases for later checks.
Step 3: check each phrase against the results
A suggestion is only useful if the results match your product. Search every candidate and look at the first rows: if they are full of a different product, the phrase means something else to buyers and will not help your listing. If the results look like your item, the phrase is a candidate.
Drop any phrase that contains a brand, a character, a celebrity or a team name, even when the search bar suggests it. Those names belong to their owners, and your designs and listings should be your own. Our trademark basics for print on demand sellers covers why.
Also notice how specific each phrase is. A broad phrase describes many items, while a longer one describes fewer items more exactly, and our guide to long-tail keywords on Etsy helps you decide where the useful middle sits.
Step 4: record what you find
A plain spreadsheet is enough. Give every phrase its own row, note where it came from and count its characters, because Etsy allows 13 tags of up to 20 characters each. Anything longer has to live in the title or the description. The rows below are an illustration of the format, not research results:
| Phrase | Found in | Characters | Type | Use it in |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| teacher sweatshirt | Seed | 18 | Product | Start of title, tag |
| funny teacher sweatshirt | Modifier pass | 24 | Style and product | Title |
| teacher appreciation gift | Suggestion | 25 | Occasion | Title or description |
| retro teacher shirt | Suggestion | 19 | Style and product | Tag |
| gift for teacher | Related search | 16 | Recipient | Tag |
Add a date column and you can see which phrases are still showing up the next time you check, a few months later or before a new season.
Step 5: turn the list into a listing
Use the strongest product phrase at the start of the title. Etsy advises you to clearly describe your item at the beginning of the title, and a title can be up to 140 characters, though Etsy suggests using fewer than 15 words and avoiding repetition and subjective words such as "perfect". Settle the main phrase before you publish: a listing's URL is based on its first title, and listing URLs now remain fixed after the listing is first published.
Fill the 13 tags with the short phrases from your sheet. Etsy recommends a diverse array of tags and calls tags great for buyer-minded terms such as "gift for her". It also advises you to fill out both attributes and tags, so let attributes carry details like colour, and spend tags on phrasing attributes cannot express. In the description, open with a sentence that says exactly what the item is, and use your phrases naturally rather than repeating them. After you change a listing, Etsy notes that changes can take up to one day to reflect in search.
How a listing run uses keywords in Alomations
In Alomations, the listing run writes a buyer-intent title within Etsy's 140 characters, all 13 tags and a description for every design, and you set your SEO preferences (title length and tag style) once. The run also fills Etsy listing attributes from the product, says Custom or Personalized when a design is personalized, and keeps fabric claims in line with the template's materials. Our guide to how Alomations writes titles, 13 tags and descriptions goes into detail.
Your phrase sheet stays useful alongside it. A run publishes live to your shop or, when you prefer to look first, saves an Etsy draft: one setting on the run. With a draft, compare its title and tags with your research before it goes live. For listings already live, the listings manager can rewrite title, tags and description with Update SEO, and the first one per listing is free.
Frequently asked questions
Are Etsy search suggestions ranked by search volume?
Etsy does not publish how it chooses or orders suggestions. Treat them as phrases shoppers use that are worth testing, and use a keyword tool if you want volume estimates.
How many keywords can one Etsy listing hold?
A title of up to 140 characters, 13 tags of up to 20 characters each, and a description. Attributes add structured details such as colour on top of that.
Should every tag come from the search bar?
No. Use the search bar to find real phrasing, then mix product, style, recipient and occasion phrases so the 13 tags cover different searches.
How often should I repeat this research?
Before each new product line and ahead of each season you sell into. Suggestions can change over time, and a dated sheet shows you what changed.
Once your phrase list is ready, you can compare it with what a listing run writes on our free plan.