Etsy keyword research mastery: the types of keywords

The kinds of Etsy keywords (short, mid and long tail, focus, secondary, modifier, theme, color, delivery type, audience, occasion, platform) and the rules for choosing between evergreen and seasonal keywords.

This whole document is from Class 11 of the Etsy module, Keyword Research Mastery, taught by Sir Zafar Ali.

Become an expert at manual research

The tools used for online work are there to help. Become an expert at manual research.
One more way to find keywords: look around your own surroundings. You will find a lot of keywords there, such as mug and logo.
Whatever the product is, its audience and its style must be clear.¹

Keywords by length

Keywords come in multiple types: broad, category, mid and long tail.¹

Type	What it is	Example
Broad / short tail	One or two words. Its volume is high.
Mid tail	A medium-length phrase	"baby shower invitation"
Long tail	The product plus 2 to 3 details	"ATS resume template for nurse"
Exact product keyword	The buyer reads it and understands the product completely	"editable teddy bear baby shower invitation"

You can never rank on a broad keyword, but it is supporting, so use broad keywords as well.
Add supporting words before and after a short tail keyword to make it long tail, so that its CTR improves too.
Make the first phrase of the keyword something like editable or downloadable, so that the CTR is higher.¹

Keywords by job

Type	What it is	Example
Focus (primary) keyword	Reading it gives a clear understanding of the product
Secondary keyword	Improves the CTR	editable, pdf, instant download
Modifier keyword	Words a buyer clicks on, also called clickbait	minimalist, personalized
Theme keyword	Reading it gives an idea of the file, the theme and the logic
Color keyword	The keyword names a color	"sage green invitation"
Delivery type keyword	Tells how the product is delivered	"digital download", "physical invitation"
Audience keyword	The name mentions the audience	resume for nurse, planner for teachers
Occasion keyword	Based on an event
Platform keyword	Names the platform the product is for	canva resume template, google docs resume

If you can mention a color, always add it.
Mention size and quantity in keywords as well.
Never use WH words, and never use informational keywords.¹

Evergreen and seasonal keywords

Target evergreen keywords, but do not leave out seasonal ones either.
An evergreen keyword has demand for all 12 months.
Seasonal keywords get a lot of traffic. To target one, have at least 2 months of time before the season.¹

Shop and product rules

On Etsy we are building a shop, and a shop has multiple products, so always start the shop general.
For physical items, you can work on custom products, and with them the chances of a refund also drop a lot.¹

Class infographic

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iSkills Quick Skills (Etsy) Class 11 notes, Keyword Research Mastery, taught by Sir Zafar Ali. ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶