How to Find Buyer Keywords for Your Product Listings

What makes a keyword a buyer keyword

Broad words like "mug" or "necklace" have huge search counts, but most people typing them are browsing. A phrase that adds an attribute, a use, an audience or an occasion, such as "personalized dog mom mug" or "waterproof hiking backpack 30l", comes from someone much closer to buying. Growing Your Craft and Alura both recommend these longer, specific phrases because competition is lower and they convert better.

The other half is matching the buyer's words. You may call it a "ceramic vessel"; buyers type "pottery vase". If the listing does not use the words buyers search with, it is harder to find, however good the product is.

Step 1: write seed words the way a buyer would

List five to ten plain words and short phrases for the product: what it is, what it is made of, who it is for and when it is used. Ask a friend what they would type to find it. These are seeds, not the final list.

Step 2: grow the list from the search bar

Type a seed into the marketplace search bar and write down every suggestion. Alura and Growing Your Craft both point out that these suggestions come from real shopper searches. Then add a letter after the seed ("gold ring a", "gold ring b") and a space plus "for" ("gold ring for") to surface more. Do the same on Google and Pinterest if you sell on your own store.

Step 3: read the listings that already sell

Search each seed and open the top results, especially listings marked Bestseller or with high sold counts. Note the phrases at the start of their titles and the attributes they repeat. Look at the filters and related searches the marketplace shows for that search: they show which attributes buyers narrow by, such as scent, size or material.

Use competitors to learn the words, not to copy their listings, and never add a competitor's brand name to your own keywords.

Step 4: check your own search data

Your own shop data is the most reliable source, because it shows what real buyers typed to find you. On Etsy, the Stats page lists the search terms that brought visits, and an Etsy Ads listing shows the terms it appeared for in the last 30 days. On Amazon, the advertising search term report and, for brand-registered sellers, Brand Analytics do the same.

Step 5: judge demand, competition and fit

Put the candidates in a sheet and mark each one for demand, competition and how exactly it describes your item. Keyword tools such as Alura, eRank, Helium 10 or Google Keyword Planner estimate demand. A phrase is only worth using if it is true for your product: a "vintage" keyword on a new item brings clicks and then returns.

AI keyword generators, ours included, are quick at turning product facts into candidate phrases, but they do not have live search data. Treat their output as a starting list and check the volume in the search bar or a keyword tool.

Step 6: place each keyword once, in the right field

Put the strongest phrase at the start of the title, then spread the rest so each field adds something new. Repeating the same words in the title, tags and backend fields does not help: SellerSprite and BidX both note that Amazon backend terms already in the listing waste the space. See the table above for each field.

Step 7: check again every few months

Search habits change with seasons and trends. Every few months, look at your search term data again, swap out phrases that bring views but no sales, and try the new suggestions the search bar shows.

A worked example

This is an invented example for a generic product, not a real listing. Seed words: macrame plant hanger, plant holder, boho decor. The search bar adds "macrame plant hanger indoor", "hanging planter for small pots" and "boho plant hanger large". Top listings lead with "Macrame Plant Hanger" and repeat "cotton rope" and a length.

Result: title starts "Macrame Plant Hanger for Indoor Plants, 40 in Cotton Rope Boho Hanging Planter". Tags take the phrases the title does not cover, such as "plant lover gift", "small pot holder" and "housewarming gift". The description opens with one natural sentence using the main phrase, and the length and pot size go in bullets.

Before you publish

• The title starts with the phrase a buyer would type, in their words.
• Every keyword is true for the item: material, size, style and use.
• Tags or backend terms add new phrases instead of repeating the title.
• No competitor brand names in titles, tags or backend fields.
• The description uses the main phrase in a natural sentence, with no keyword list.
• You checked at least the top phrases in the search bar or a keyword tool.