Etsy Tags Best Practices: A Data-Driven Approach

How to choose the best tags for your Etsy listings using autocomplete data. Stop guessing, start using real search data.

By George Lawrence

Your Etsy tags are the single most controllable factor in whether buyers find your listings. Here’s how to choose them using actual search data instead of guesswork.

The Rules of Etsy Tags

  • You get 13 tags per listing
  • Each tag can be up to 20 characters
  • Tags are matched as phrases, not individual words
  • Tags and title words are combined — don’t duplicate between them
  • Order doesn’t matter for search ranking

The Common Mistakes

Mistake #1: Single-word tags. Using “phone” as a tag wastes the slot. “Phone case cute” uses the same slot but matches a much more specific (and less competitive) search.

Mistake #2: Guessing what people search. You think buyers search “cellular protective accessory”? They don’t. They search “phone case”. Autocomplete data proves what real buyers actually type.

Mistake #3: Copying competitors. Their tags might be terrible. Use data, not imitation.

Mistake #4: Never updating. Search trends change. Tags that worked 6 months ago might be irrelevant now.

A Data-Driven Tag Strategy

Step 1: Find your core keywords

Search for your product type on MakerWords. Note the top results and their autocomplete positions. Position #1-3 keywords are your highest-demand tags.

Step 2: Mix broad and specific

Use 3-4 broad keywords (high demand, high competition) and 9-10 long-tail keywords (lower demand, lower competition). The broad tags ensure visibility; the long-tail tags ensure you rank well for specific searches.

Example for a kawaii phone case:

  • Broad: “phone case”, “iphone case”, “cute phone case”
  • Long-tail: “kawaii phone case”, “cute phone case cat”, “anime phone case”, “pastel phone case”

Step 3: Check depth and position

Keywords that appear deeper in the autocomplete tree (depth 3+) tend to be less competitive. If “kawaii phone case cat ears” appears at position #1 at depth 4, that’s a strong signal: there’s demand, and fewer sellers are targeting it.

Step 4: Use all 13 slots

Every empty tag slot is a search you’re not matching. Even your #13 tag could be the one that connects a buyer to your listing.

Step 5: Review monthly

Set a reminder to check your tags against fresh autocomplete data. When new keywords appear in autocomplete, they represent emerging demand. Be early, not late.

The MakerWords Workflow

  1. Go to the keyword search and type your product category
  2. Review the results — note position and depth for each keyword
  3. Click into the Tree Explorer to find long-tail variations
  4. Pick 13 tags: 3-4 broad (position #1-3, depth 1) + 9-10 specific (depth 2+)
  5. Update your listing tags
  6. Check back next week for new opportunities

One More Thing

Don’t forget: words in your title count for search matching too. If “phone case” is in your title, don’t waste a tag slot on it. Use that slot for a keyword that isn’t in your title.

Your 13 tags + your title words = your total search footprint. Maximize it.

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