You find the keywords competing listings target by searching the phrases buyers type, reading the listings that keep showing up near the top, and writing down the words they put at the start of their titles, the category they chose and the attributes they filled in. Do that across several searches and the phrases that matter in your niche appear as patterns, which you then use in listings written in your own words.
This is for sellers entering a new niche, or with listings that sit unseen while similar items sell. Etsy says "Sellers control the most important factors in Etsy Search placement" and names tags and titles, attributes, quality and customer service among them (Etsy). Competitor research covers the wording part of that list. It shows you which phrases a niche is built on. It does not tell you how good a listing or a shop is, and it is never a licence to copy.
What a competitor's listing can and cannot tell you
A listing page shows its title, category, item details, photos, price and description. Those are the seller's decisions about which phrases to target, and you can read all of them the way any shopper would.
What you cannot see matters just as much. You do not know which phrase brought each sale, how the listing ranks for other shoppers, or how Etsy weighs its quality and the shop's service. Etsy notes that search results differ from shopper to shopper (Etsy), so "ranks for" always means "ranked in the results I saw". Keyword tools that report rankings or volumes for a listing are estimating, as our guide to what an Etsy SEO tool measures and what it only estimates explains.
Step 1: Start from buyer phrases, not from shops
Begin with the phrases buyers type, because those are what listings compete for. Type your product and niche into Etsy's search bar, note the suggestions it offers, then follow the promising ones a level deeper. Our guide to finding Etsy keywords from the search bar walks through it.
Write each phrase on its own row in a sheet. A short list of specific phrases ("retro teacher shirt", "personalized dog mom sweatshirt") gives you more to work with than one broad term like "shirt".
Step 2: Search each phrase and choose the listings to read
Search each phrase and read the first page of results. Because results vary by shopper, check from a private browser window and on the Etsy app as well, and pay most attention to listings that appear in more than one view.
Leave out the ads. Etsy says "Ads use a different algorithm than results in regular Etsy search" (Etsy), so an ad at the top tells you about a bid, not about how well the listing matches the phrase.
Step 3: Record what each listing targets
For each listing you read, fill in the same columns, and keep to what is on the page.
| What to record | Where you find it | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| First words of the title | Search results and listing page | The main phrase the seller targets |
| Other phrases in the title | Listing page | Style, recipient and occasion phrases |
| Category | Category path on the listing page | Where Etsy shows the item |
| Item details | Listing page | Attributes that match buyer filters |
| Price | Search results | The price range buyers see for this phrase |
| First sentence of the description | Listing page | How the item is named for buyers and Google |
| First photo | Search results | What the listing shows to win the click |
Each column maps to something Etsy itself points to. It advises sellers to "Clearly describe your item at the beginning of the item title" (Etsy), says "The category determines which sections of Etsy's marketplace your item appears in" (Etsy), and says attributes "can also help buyers find your items more easily in search results" (Etsy).
Step 4: Turn your notes into a phrase map
Once you have read a few searches, count. Phrases that appear in most top titles are the entry ticket for the niche: your listing needs them to be seen as relevant. Phrases that appear in only one or two listings are angles someone else found. Phrases the search bar suggests but few top listings use are gaps, often the specific kind covered in long-tail keywords on Etsy.
Group the phrases into product, style, recipient, occasion and personalization. That grouping becomes the skeleton of your title and tags. Etsy's own tools help here too: Marketplace Insights shows price ranges of recently bought listings for search terms, and you can save up to 50 searches (Etsy updates), which makes it easier to return to the phrases you track.
Step 5: Write your own listing, then read your own data
Phrases are shared vocabulary, sentences are someone's work. Use the phrases, write the title and description yourself, and never copy another seller's text, photos or design. Etsy points out that "copyright protection automatically exists from the moment a work that can be protected by copyright is created" (Etsy). Treat other sellers' titles, descriptions and photos as their work, and keep brand names and trademarks out of your listings entirely.
Put the main phrase first in a natural-sounding title of up to 140 characters (Etsy), and use your 13 tags, up to 20 characters each, for the phrases that did not fit (Etsy). Our 140-character title formula shows how to order them.
Then let your own numbers take over. A new listing "may take up to 48 hours" to appear in Etsy search results (Etsy). After that, the search terms in your Etsy Stats show which phrases actually bring shoppers to you, and that beats any guess about a competitor. Our guide to reading the search terms in your Etsy Stats shows where to look.
Where Alomations fits
The research is yours, done in Etsy search. Once you have a phrase map, Alomations handles the writing. A listing run writes a buyer-intent title within Etsy's 140 characters, all 13 tags and a description from your design and template, and SEO preferences let you set your title length and tag style once for every run. Accuracy checks are built in, so a long-sleeve shirt is never called a "tee" and fabric claims match the template's materials.
For listings already live, Update SEO rewrites a live listing's title, tags and description, and the first rewrite per listing is free. The listing score runs ten checks on a live listing with the fix attached to each, and Aloma, our AI assistant, reads your own shop and can tell you which of your listings score under 70. The features page has the full list.
Frequently asked questions
Is it fine to study other sellers' listings?
Reading public listings the way a shopper does is ordinary market research. Copying their titles, descriptions, photos or designs is not. Use what you learn as vocabulary and write everything yourself.
How many listings should I read for each phrase?
Enough to see a pattern. The first page of results without ads, checked in more than one view, usually shows which words keep coming back. If a phrase gives you no clear pattern, it is probably too broad.
Should my title match the top listing's title?
No. Two listings with the same wording compete for the same thing and give the buyer nothing new. Use the shared phrases, put your own main phrase first and describe what is different about your item.
Why does my listing not appear for a phrase I targeted?
Wording is only one factor. Etsy also names attributes, listing quality and customer service (Etsy), and changes "can take up to one day to reflect in search" (Etsy).
Turn your phrase map into finished listings with the free plan.
