Wondering what the top Etsy searches are now? We data geeks at eRank are here to help! Let us take the guesswork out of your Etsy SEO and product research. We’ll show you the highest-ranked keywords for Q3 (Jul-Sep 2024). Then we’ll analyze what these tell us about what’s selling best on Etsy now.
Reading time: 13 minutes
Tip: See what the most searched keywords on Etsy were yesterday, as well as on dozens of other marketplaces like Amazon, eBay, and Google Shopping.
Top 20 shopper searches Jul-Sep 2024
- halloween
- wall art
- stickers
- tshirt
- rings
- bruno mars
- earrings
- shirt
- bruno mars shirt
- womens clothing
- jewelry
- bruno mars merch
- home decor
- dorm
- furniture
- poster
- keychain
- pokemon
- christmas
- ring
Warning: Beware of trademarked terms. This report may contain keywords that are trademarked. USPTO Trademark Database
We love analyzing these quarterly lists! Because they have less turnover than our monthly Top 20s, they provide a better high-level overview of current trends. We get to confirm which searches are still mainstays. And it’s fun to check in on 2024’s hottest fads. Just a fleeting fancy? Or might we spot the start of something like the phenom that was Mid Century Modern?
Mainstays: these Q1-Q2 top Etsy searches still ranked high in Q3
In Q2, there were nine Top 20 keywords that had also made Q1’s Top 20. Now, three-quarters through 2024, we are down to just seven mainstays. Here they are with their Q3 rank first, followed by their ranks in Q2 and Q1.
#2 wall art (was #1 in both Q2 and Q1)
#3 stickers (ranked #4 in Q2; #5 in Q1)
#5 rings (#8 in Q2; #13 in Q1)
#7 earrings (#3 in both Q2 and Q1)
#11 jewelry (#6 in Q2; #3 in Q1)
#13 home decor (same rank in Q2; #12 in Q1)
#15 furniture (#19 in Q2; #17 in Q1)
Two of these – rings and furniture – rank higher this quarter than they have all year. And of the two mainstays that have fallen, one has been a bit of a shock. So let us pause a moment to pay our respects.
Gift
Here is “gift.” One we never expected to see go!
At least “gift” has the Trend Alert banner; it’s been popular with shoppers this past week. But honestly, of all the keywords on any Etsy Top 20 list, which seemed more secure than gift? Yet for Q3, it ranks down at #208!
That said, its plural “gifts” ranks #41. And there are 40 entries in Q3’s Top 1000 with the word “gift/s.” Ah, but in Q2 there were 72! Comparing September 2023 to September 2024, “gift” is down by 98% – yikes!
The other mainstay that dropped out of the Quarterly Top 20 is “necklace.” But this one didn’t fall far; it ranks #21 now. And it would have made it if it hadn’t been for dark horse Bruno Mars!
Bruno Mars
We were baffled when this search cropped up in July – to the tune of 136,240 searches! Sure, who doesn’t love Bruno Mars… but what the heck, right? So we did some digging and learned that he’d just commenced a world tour.
By August, the debut album that had made Bruno Mars a superstar was back to climbing pop charts. And in mid-August, Mars and Lady Gaga released a new song, “Die with a Smile,” as a stand-alone single.
Even so, we remain perplexed. Have a look. With a Q3 total of 137,820 searches, here is “bruno mars” in Keyword Tool.
When you’ve seen as many pie charts as we have, you get a feel for the sus ones. And when they’re coupled with such an exorbitant single-month spike like this? Well, let’s just say we don’t think this is an organic shopper search. Could it be influencer-driven?
If so, they did a remarkable job. Three of Q3’s Top 20 searches are Bruno Mars-related. This one, ranked 6th; #9 bruno mars shirt; and #12 bruno mars merch. Fascinating as this might be for data geeks though, as Etsy sellers all we need to know is this. The click-through rates (CTRs) are as remarkable – for how abysmal they are.
Calculated for Q3, the CTR for “bruno mars” is 8%. For “bruno mars shirt,” it’s 12%. And for “bruno mars merch,” it’s 3%. Guess this means influencers may lead the proverbial horse to Etsy but can’t make it drink. These CTRs tell us in no uncertain terms that there is no purchase intent here.
What is “purchase intent”?
Are you new to online selling? Click-through rates (CTRs) reflect how often shoppers using a given keyword click on listings in their search results. We care about these because CTRs are one indicator signaling purchase intent. That is, a shopper who’s searching with the intent to purchase (as opposed to one just browsing).
Climbers: these top Etsy searches rose the most in Q3
Now let’s turn from the mainstays and flukes to Q3’s climbers. These weren’t in Q2’s Top 20. There are six; we’ve listed them with their Q3 rank first, followed by their rank in Q2.
#1 halloween, up from #60
#14 dorm (ranked nowhere in Q2’s Top 1000, but “dorm decor” ranked #331)
#16 poster, up from #31
#18 pokemon, up from #40
#19 christmas, up from #426
#20 ring, up from #51 (but “rings” is Q3’s #5; in Q2 ranked 8th; 13th in Q1)
We’ll take them in turn but before we do, one observation. Increasingly over the past year+, we’ve seen unprecedented turnover in our monthly Etsy Top 20s. Formerly, the norm was to see between five and nine keywords be new Month on Month. Having only five new was definitely on the low side for Etsy. We only saw that during the pandemic.
Beginning last year though, we’ve been seeing at least nine new every month. Australia had 15 climbers this month! And that was far from the first time or country with that many. So we’ve been thinking we needed to raise our parameters. The new normal turnover rate is more like nine to fourteen.
However, the Quarterly data is more like the old Etsy. Apart from those three rogue Bruno Mars searches, the rest of the climbers are Top 20 “frequent flyers.” That is, while not mainstays, they make frequent flights to the top. Some of these we can count on to come and go because they’re seasonal (like “dorm”), or holiday-related. Like Q3’s No. 1.
Ranking 1st: halloween, up from #60
How huge is Halloween on Etsy? Well, Q2 (Apr-Jun) is as far from Halloween as the year gets. Yet “halloween” still ranked 60th in Q2 with 63,400 searches and a Quarterly CTR of 108%. We’ve noted this before: in terms of year-round search volume, on Etsy Halloween beats out Christmas. Here is how it’s trending now.
Don’t be dismayed by seeing “halloween” is down Year on Year. We’ve been observing that with a number of monthly No. 1 searches. We have our theories as to why, but no conclusions yet. So instead, focus on that 101% Average CTR. When calculated for Q3, it’s even higher: 103%. Etsy’s Halloween shoppers have plenty of purchase intent!
Ranking 14th : dorm
Conversely, “dorm” is a seasonal trend that’s way up Year on Year!
In recent years, its annual peak has been in July. And Year on Year, “dorm” was up this July by 350%! And its 12-mo Average CTR is 97% – that’s exceptional for a seasonal search. (Calculated for Q3, its CTR is 101%.)
Ranking 16th: poster, up from #31
This one didn’t have far to climb. “Poster” has been a year-round Top 20 frequent flyer.
That pop-up on its Search Trend chart marks its 15-mo low in terms of searches: 25,790! That’s one hecking high of a low, right? It’s got a 12-mo Average CTR of 104%; same as it has for Q3. And it’s got our bright green banner calling out that it’s still trending now.
If you’re here researching what to sell on Etsy, “poster” sure looks good. All but that eye-wateringly high competition figure, that is. Nearly three million listings use this keyword: ouch! So what’s a new or small seller to do? Niche down!
Tutorial: how to “niche down” using eRank’s Keyword Tool
Are you new to eRank? “Niche down” means identifying products you can rank for high enough in search for yours to be found. And Keyword Tool can help! We’ll start with an overview of the process. Then in the next section, we’ll do a quick demo.
First, enter the singular form of your search (in this case, “poster”) into Keyword Tool. Note that the default for this tool is to “Include Near Matches.” This will show you both singular and plural searches.
Next, scroll down the page to the Keyword Ideas table. There, you’ll use filter and sort to find “long-tail keywords” – the top Etsy searches with lowest competition. Once you find ones that fit your product best, these will be your superstar keywords. The ones you will focus on ranking for in search.
Demo: finding superstar keywords
In the Keyword Ideas table below, we chose “Broad” for the Keyword Match filter (circled in lime green here). Then we sorted by the Search Trend column. (Just click the header, circled here in yellow.) This sort will show us what’s trending now.
Note that the table’s default sort is by Average Searches count. But that can make it easy to miss opportunities like “dog poster.” Because its 12-mo average is only 393 searches. But by current search count (4,510), it ranks fourth from the top! And it’s got an Average CTR of 147%!
And compared with the competition for “poster/s,” (both near 3 million), dog poster’s is high but doable. As are the competition rates of the other two here, “movie poster” and “car poster.” And all three have higher CTRs than “poster” and “posters.”
There were other poster-related keywords worth researching here too. The main pitfall to avoid in the poster category is trademarks. That’s why we like “dog poster” best of these top five. And competition will drop a lot more if you niche down by dog breed. Hopefully too, those have better search history. The one drawback with “dog poster” is that at least for now it’s a single-month spike.
And speaking of trademarks, let’s move on to our next climber.
Ranking 18th: pokemon, up from #40
No way would mere mortals get permission to use this keyword. That said, the Pokémon franchise is over 27 years old. Its first video games were released in Japan in 1996. So for you vintage sellers, here’s “pokemon.”
Pokemon’s another frequent flyer on our Top 20 lists. And not just Etsy’s. Seems like Pokemon pops up on Amazon’s and eBay’s too. If it weren’t for that pesky intellectual-property issue… but alas. So let’s just move on, shall we?
Ranking 19th: christmas, up from #426
“Christmas” is another that’s done some climbing since Q2. To be expected; as the song goes, Christmas comes but once a year. Let’s have a look.
Indeed, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. It has the trending-now banner; a fab Average CTR (129%); all systems are go. Of course, with competition nearing nine million listings, forget about ranking for “christmas.” We’re just here to get a sense of this year’s interest in Christmas shopping on Etsy.
That Search Trend graph shows it’s down Year on Year, same as Halloween. As mentioned, we’ve been monitoring this issue since December 2022. The search volumes of a number of top keywords have been down Year on Year. Maybe more shoppers are learning that “christmas” is too broad a search to be useful!
Ranking 20th: ring, up from #51
True, our final climber “ring” (singular) only ranked 51st last quarter. But remember, “rings” plural ranked eighth in Q2 and 13th in Q1, and it’s No. 5 now. One of only two mainstays to rank higher this quarter than in either of the others. Rest assured, rings are popular!
In these reports, we review keywords as they were entered in search. Therefore, singular and plurals are considered separately. But when trying to gauge shopper interest, it’s best to look at merged search volume. That’s why in Keyword Tool, the default is to have that “Include Near Matches” option ticked.
And for comparison’s sake, here is “ring” on its own.
At 145% (mad high!), “ring” has a better Average CTR than the 124% CTR of the two combined. And “ring” also beats the 110% Average CTR for “rings” – we checked.
In short: heaps of purchase intent here! So don’t be discouraged by that competition stat. You all know how to niche down now. Good luck on the hunt!
Though you know we could go on and on…
We’re eager to discover what’s trending now on Amazon and eBay. Meanwhile, are you looking for more inspiration for your Etsy shop? Here is our monthly trend report analyzing what the top Etsy products are now, and back in Q1 2024. There’s also our annual overview of what the top Etsy searches were in 2023.
Anyone interested in what’s selling internationally? Here are this month’s Etsy trend reports for the UK, Canada and Australia. Parlez vous français? You can read our report on Etsy’s French shopper trends here.
As always, we love hearing what you think. Got questions or suggestions? You’re welcome to join us in eRank’s private Facebook group. With over 28,000 members from around the world, someone friendly is always up and about. And don’t miss our weekly live Q&As on YouTube. There you’ll find dozens of eRank tutorials, tool demos and more! Finally, here we are on TikTok with lots of fun and quick how-tos.
RESOURCES: eRank’s Trend Buzz and Keyword Tool have 15 months of historical Etsy search data to help you understand trends in what’s selling on Etsy now, what did well this time last year, and to help you spot what’s new. Together, they are the best way to track what’s popular with Etsy shoppers now.
