As the school year winds down, graduation season kicks into high gear! Whether it’s kindergarten or a PhD, every milestone deserves to be celebrated. Shoppers are already searching for party supplies, personalized gifts, and keepsakes to mark the occasion—and your Etsy shop should be ready. With a free eRank account, you can explore trending products and discover the search terms buyers are using right now. These insights help you fine-tune your listings and boost your visibility in Etsy search.
In this post, you’ll learn how to use eRank’s free tools to research graduation trends, uncover high-performing keywords, and prepare your shop for one of the biggest gifting seasons of the year.
Spot Graduation Trends with the Keyword Tool
eRank’s Keyword Tool makes it simple to identify seasonal trends. For example, in 2024, search volume for the keyword “graduation” peaked in April and May in the US—and it’s already trending again. That means shoppers are actively browsing and buying graduation-themed items right now.
To dig deeper, scroll down and click the “Search Results Analysis” tab to reveal helpful metrics such as average price, processing times, and most popular categories. The results are generated from the top 100 listings ranking on Etsy for the keyword “graduation”. There is also a word cloud showing the most popular tags used within those listings, giving you an idea of what keywords may drive traffic. Use these tags to spark new product ideas or strengthen your current keyword strategy.
💡TIP: If you click on a keyword within the word cloud, the Keyword Tool will reload with analysis for that specific keyword.
Look Back at Last Graduation Season with Monthly Trends
To explore past data, head to eRank’s Monthly Trends tool. You can view 15 months of keyword history to see what shoppers searched for during last year’s graduation season.
For example, the top category for products using the keyword “graduation” was “Paper & Party Supplies” (as seen above). Choose this category from the drop-down menu to refine your trend search results. Type “grad” into the filter box, and the keyword “graduation decorations.” This keyword was especially popular last spring, falling within the top 100 keywords for the “Paper & Party Supplies” category.
These historical insights give you an advantage in planning your product lineup early—before competition spikes.
Combine Your Insights for Deeper Research
Now that you know “graduation decorations” trended last year, head back to the Keyword Tool to find more keyword ideas. A new word cloud is generated for the search “graduation decorations.”
A few more specific keywords populate now than in the previous word cloud. “Graduation banner” and “graduation sign” are two keywords that jump out—both of which can be sold as physical or digital products. That means handmade sellers and digital creators alike can capitalize on the demand.
Once you’ve identified your best-fit keywords, be sure to include them in your listing title as well as your tags. Use the “Occasion” attribute only if your items are specific to graduations—for example, a greeting card that says “Congrats, Grad!”—and not for general gift items like a plain bracelet.
Keep Your Etsy Shop Ahead of the Curve
Planning ahead for seasonal trends gives your shop a competitive edge—and eRank makes that process easier. Use tools like the Keyword Tool to uncover high-traffic, low-competition keywords and discover fresh product ideas tailored to upcoming shopping seasons like graduation.
Want to sharpen your Etsy SEO even further? Don’t miss the eRank blog article Etsy SEO Basics, as well as Etsy’s Keywords 101 article.
For a more in-depth look at how a free eRank account can help you perform Etsy keyword research, check out Etsy Keyword Research for FREE on the eRank YouTube channel.
Have more Etsy questions? Join thousands of fellow sellers in the eRank Facebook Group and grow your shop with a community that’s ready to help. 🎓
