How to Research Etsy Keywords for Free in 2025

You don't need a paid tool to do effective Etsy keyword research. While paid tools like eRank Pro and Marmalead provide richer data, the free methods available in 2025 are genuinely powerful — especially for POD sellers who are just starting out or want to validate a niche before investing in premium tools. Here are five methods that cost nothing.

Method 1: Etsy Search Bar Autocomplete

Etsy's own search bar is the most underused and highest-signal keyword research tool available. The autocomplete suggestions it shows are ranked by actual buyer search frequency — these are the phrases real buyers type most often.

The systematic approach:

1. Open Etsy in an incognito/private browser window (removes your browsing history from influencing results)
2. Type your seed keyword slowly: "mountain wall"
3. Record every autocomplete suggestion: "mountain wall art," "mountain wall art print," "mountain wall art canvas," "mountain wall decor"
4. Click each suggestion to see how many results exist (this is your competition level)
5. Use the alphabet method: "mountain wall art a," "mountain wall art b," etc. — each letter reveals new long-tail suggestions

A thorough autocomplete session on one seed keyword typically generates 40–80 keyword variations. Many of these will be low-competition long-tail phrases that you can realistically rank for within 60–90 days.

One important insight from the results count: under 5,000 results is low competition. 5,000–50,000 results is moderate. Over 50,000 results is high competition — you'll need an exceptionally strong listing quality score to rank in the top 10 pages.

Method 2: eRank Free Tier

eRank offers a free plan that gives you 5 keyword searches per day, a daily listing audit, and basic competitor analysis. Five searches per day sounds limiting, but a focused researcher can extract significant value from each search by examining every related keyword in the results.

When you enter a keyword in eRank's explorer, it returns:

• Estimated monthly Etsy search volume
• Competition level (searches ÷ listings — higher is better opportunity)
• 30 related keyword suggestions, each with their own volume and competition data
• Seasonal trend chart (is this keyword growing? peaking? declining?)

Use your 5 free searches strategically: focus each one on a different product category rather than variations of the same phrase. Research "mountain wall art" one day, "dog mom mug" the next, "teacher shirt" the following day. Over a week, you'll have solid keyword data for 35 different product ideas.

Method 3: Competitor Listing Tag Analysis

Every Etsy listing's tags are visible in the page source code. This is fully legal, requires no tools, and reveals exactly which keywords the top-ranking sellers in your niche are using.

How to do it:

1. Search for your target keyword on Etsy (e.g., "mountain wall art print")
2. Open the top 10 listings in separate browser tabs
3. On each listing, right-click → View Page Source (or press Ctrl+U)
4. Press Ctrl+F and search for "tag" — you'll find a section of the source code containing all 13 tags
5. Copy all tags into a spreadsheet, one row per listing
6. Count how many times each tag phrase appears across all 10 listings

Tags that appear in 6+ of the 10 top listings are proven high-performing keywords that the algorithm has already validated through real sales data. This is the fastest way to build a keyword list without paying for any tool.

Method 4: Google Keyword Planner (for Intent Validation)

Google Keyword Planner is free with a Google Ads account (you don't need to run ads to use it). While it shows Google search volumes rather than Etsy volumes, it's useful for two specific purposes:

Understanding buyer intent: If a phrase has high Google search volume AND appears in Etsy autocomplete, it's a buyer-intent phrase with real commercial value. The Google data confirms that people are actively searching for this product type across the internet.

Discovering modifier phrases: Enter your base keyword in Google Keyword Planner and look at the "related keywords" — many modifiers and variations you'd never think of will appear. "Mountain wall art" in Keyword Planner might surface: "mountain wall art for bedroom," "mountain wall art large canvas," "mountain wall art black and white" — all potential Etsy tag phrases.

Method 5: Pinterest Trending Topics

Pinterest is an underused Etsy keyword research source. Pinterest users have very similar demographic profiles to Etsy buyers, and Pinterest's trending topics section shows you what visual content is generating the most engagement right now.

Visit Pinterest Trends (trends.pinterest.com — free) and filter by category (Home Decor, Style, etc.). Trending topics on Pinterest typically translate into Etsy search trends 2–4 weeks later. Finding a rising Pinterest trend early lets you publish Etsy listings optimized for that keyword before competing sellers catch on.

For example, when "dark academia aesthetic" started trending on Pinterest in late 2023, sellers who listed dark academia wall art and mugs on Etsy within 4–6 weeks captured a surge in organic search traffic before the category became saturated.

Organizing Your Free Research

After running through these free methods, organize your findings in a simple spreadsheet with these columns:

• Keyword phrase
• Etsy results count (from search bar)
• eRank monthly volume estimate (if checked)
• Competitor frequency (how many top 10 listings use it)
• Intent type (broad browse / specific style / gift/occasion)
• Priority (High / Medium / Low)

Prioritize High for any phrase with under 5,000 results, confirmed by autocomplete, and appearing in 4+ competitor tag sets. These are your fast-track ranking opportunities.

Once you have your keyword data, building it into optimized listings is the next step. CatalogPush takes your designs and uses AI to automatically generate listings with the right keywords in the right places — so your research directly translates into ranking-ready listings.