Growing Your Craft Etsy SEO Guides

Best Keywords & Tags for ceramics & pottery

Getting found on Etsy can feel like a challenge, but mastering Etsy Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is your best chance of getting traffic on Etsy. SEO is about using the right keywords to tell Etsy (and your target customers) exactly what you sell so you appear in the right Etsy search results.

Let me walk you through everything you need to know in this SEO guide, including:

  • Understand your ideal target customer
  • Discover high-impact broad and long-tail keywords for your listings
  • Analyse what successful ceramics & pottery sellers are doing right
  • Learn how to use keywords to optimise your titles, tags, and description
  • 6 ways to find more keywords for your listings
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Understanding Your Ideal Target Customer

Before you dive into keywords, you need to understand who your target customer, including their needs, desires, and the language they use. Because when you know what they are looking for, you can target them with the same keywords that they would use in Etsy search. Here’s a closer look at your typical customer in the ceramics & pottery niche:

The typical customer for handmade ceramics & pottery is an individual who appreciates artistry and craftsmanship, such as a home cook, a design-conscious homeowner, or someone seeking a unique, high-quality gift.

What problems are they trying to solve or desires are they trying to fulfill when searching for ceramics & pottery products?

They are looking for beautiful, functional dishes to elevate their daily routines, like eating cereal or soup, and want something more special and tactile than mass-produced dinnerware.

  • This can lead them to search for terms like: handmade stoneware cereal bowl

They need a distinctive centerpiece or serving dish for entertaining guests, or a memorable housewarming or wedding gift that feels both personal and high-end.

  • This can lead them to search for terms like: large pottery serving bowl for weddings
ceramics & pottery is a pretty competitive niche with high demand and high competition, so it's important to use long-tail keywords to niche down and have a better chance of ranking on Etsy.

Top 10 Broad Keywords for ceramics & pottery Sellers

Core keywords (also known as short-tail keywords) are the broad, popular terms that describe your main products. While they often have very high search volume and competition, they are the starting points for you to build your long-tail keywords for the next steps.

Here are 10 popular broad keywords for the ceramics & pottery market:

Pottery Bowl

This is a foundational keyword that captures a broad audience interested in artisan-made bowls. It's a key term for anyone working with clay, whether earthenware, stoneware, or porcelain.

Ceramic Bowl

A high-volume keyword that is often used interchangeably with "pottery bowl." Including this term is crucial for maximizing visibility to shoppers regardless of which word they prefer to use.

Handmade Pottery

This keyword specifically targets buyers who value the unique quality and story behind a handcrafted item. It signals that your work is not mass-produced and has an artist's touch.

Serving Bowl

A function-focused keyword for larger bowls intended for serving salads, pasta, or side dishes. It attracts customers who are entertaining or preparing family meals.

Cereal Bowl

This targets a very common, high-demand use case. A well-optimized listing for "cereal bowl" can attract repeat customers looking to build a set of daily-use dishes.

Stoneware Bowl

This material-specific keyword appeals to buyers looking for durable, sturdy, and often rustic or earthy pottery. Stoneware is known for its quality and is a signifier of a robust product.

Fruit Bowl

This keyword targets customers looking for a decorative and functional bowl to display on a kitchen counter or table. It implies a larger, often more open and artistic form.

Salad Bowl

Similar to "Serving Bowl," this is a popular function-based keyword. It often implies a large, wide bowl perfect for tossing and serving greens.

Soup Bowl

A key term for a specific meal type, often implying a deeper bowl with a comfortable shape for holding. It is frequently searched for in sets or as individual, cozy pieces.

Ceramic Yarn Bowl

A highly specific and popular niche keyword that solves a problem for knitters and crocheters. This is a must-use term if you make these specialty items, as it has a dedicated and motivated customer base.

Top Long-Tail Keywords for ceramics & pottery

While core keywords are important, long-tail keywords are how you can really get found on Etsy. These are longer, more specific phrases (usually 2-5 words) that buyers use when they have a clearer idea of what they want or are closer to making a purchase. They often have lower search volume than broad keywords but higher conversion rates because they target a more specific need.
How to Brainstorm Your Long-Tail Keywords
A systematic way to build long-tail keywords is by adding descriptive modifiers to your broad keywords. Here are the modifiers I recommend:
Style/Aesthetic Long-Tail Keywords
  • minimalist white ceramic nesting bowls
  • rustic farmhouse pottery soup bowl
  • wabi sabi style handmade pottery bowl
  • modern speckled stoneware salad bowl
  • boho chic hand painted tapas dishes
Occasion/Use Long-Tail Keywords
  • unique wedding gift handmade serving bowl
  • housewarming gift for foodie
  • large ceramic pasta bowl for family dinner
  • artisan pottery bowl for kitchen decor
  • ceramic ramen bowl with chopsticks
Target Customer Long-Tail Keywords
  • gift for mom from daughter
  • pottery bowl for professional food stylist
  • custom dog bowl for large breed
  • unique pottery gift for best friend
  • handmade bowl for host or hostess gift
Materials & Finishes Long-Tail Keywords
File Type/Platform Long-Tail Keywords
  • matte glaze stoneware pottery bowl
  • speckled clay ceramic cereal bowl
  • blue and white porcelain rice bowl
  • earthenware bowl with raw clay exterior
  • bowl with crystalline glaze finish
Technique/Production Method Long-Tail Keywords
  • wheel thrown pottery serving bowl
  • hand built ceramic pinch pot
  • slab built rectangular ceramic dish
  • nerikomi colored clay decorative bowl
  • sgraffito carved pottery bowl
Feature/Benefit Long-Tail Keywords
  • microwave and dishwasher safe ceramic bowl
  • large pottery bowl with matching serving spoons
  • ceramic berry bowl with drainage holes
  • pottery bowl with footed base
  • set of 4 stackable stoneware bowls
Theme/Subject Matter Long-Tail Keywords
  • ocean wave glazed ceramic bowl
  • botanical leaf print pottery bowl
  • celestial moon phase decorative bowl
  • carved mountain landscape bowl
  • cat themed ceramic yarn bowl
Size/Shape/Fit Long-Tail Keywords
  • large 12 inch pottery serving bowl
  • small ceramic ring dish
  • deep stoneware ramen bowl
  • shallow ceramic pasta bowl
  • set of small dipping sauce bowls
Problem Solved Long-Tail Keywords
  • chip resistant stoneware bowls for daily use
  • food safe glazed pottery for serving
  • pottery yarn bowl to prevent tangles
  • personalized ceramic pet bowl slow feeder
  • large fruit bowl for kitchen counter organization
To speed up the process and get even more relevant long-tail keyword ideas, consider using SEO research tools like Alura which you can get a big similar keyword list with information like estimated search volume and demand. Their free plan is pretty generous and you can sign up for free here.

Analysing Best Selling Listing Titles

One of the best ways to improve your Etsy SEO strategy is to see what's working for other successful sellers. By analysing best selling listings, you can gain valuable insights into what effective keywords they use, and how they structure the titles, so that you can apply to your own listings as well.

Let's look at the listing titles from two ceramics & pottery bestsellers to see what we can learn from them:

Bestseller Listing Title Analysis 01:

Set of 10 Handmade Ceramic Bowls Small Serving Pottery for Prep Tapas Nuts Snack Breakfast Turkish Tile Dishes Decorative Hand painted Gift by HeartOfAnatolia

This title is a prime example of a comprehensive, keyword-rich strategy. It leads with a clear offer ("Set of 10") and core product ("Handmade Ceramic Bowls"), then lists numerous use cases ("Prep, Tapas, Nuts, Snack, Breakfast") to appear in a wide variety of specific searches. By including style ("Turkish Tile," "Hand painted") and occasion ("Gift"), it captures multiple customer intents in a single, powerful title.
Bestseller Listing Title Analysis 02

Handmade Ceramic Cereal Bowl by KJ Pottery - Artisan Dinnerware by KJPottery

This title uses a more focused, quality-driven approach. It targets a very specific and popular use case ("Cereal Bowl") and reinforces its value with keywords like "Handmade," "Ceramic," and "Artisan Dinnerware." This strategy appeals to buyers who know exactly what they want and are looking for high-quality, artist-made pieces for their daily use.
Click here to see more Etsy bestseller title inspirations

How to Use Keywords to Optimise Your Etsy Listings

Now that you have a list of descriptive long-tail keywords for your ceramics & pottery, let's see how we can use them to optimise your Etsy listings.

How to Craft Highly Descriptive, Keyword-Rich Titles

Your listing title can make-or-break your Etsy SEO. Write your long-tail keywords to be highly descriptive. For example, compare these two:

Okay Title: Pottery Bowl

Better Title: Handmade Ceramic Soup Bowl, Large Stoneware Pottery, Minimalist Modern Dinnerware, Housewarming Gift


Then put your strongest, most descriptive keyword in the front. Separate each long-tail keyword with symbols like commas or dashes so that the title is easy to read.

Use All 13 Tags with Specific, Long-Tail Keywords

Tags are another important place to tell the Etsy algorithm what your product is about. Use all 13 tags for your listings.

  • Focus on specific, long-tail keyword phrases
  • Tags have a 20-character limit
  • While it's ok for some broad keywords to appear in multiple tags, try to use a wide variety of descriptive terms across your 13 tags

Find Accurate Attributes & Categories

When you list a product on Etsy, you'll select a category and then be prompted to fill out attributes specific to that category (e.g., colour, material, size, occasion). These are just as important for SEO and helping buyers find your items through Etsy's filters.

Be thorough and fill out as many relevant attributes as possible and be accurate for your product category.

Write Description for Shoppers & Etsy search algorithm

Etsy now uses keywords in your listing description for SEO. What I recommend to Etsy seller is to write compelling short paragraph (1-3 sentences) at the very beginning of your listing description that naturally include 3-5 relavant long-tail keywords for the product. Clearly communicate what the product is, its key features, and the benefits it offers the customer.

Let's look at some listing description examples for ceramics & pottery:

Listing Description Example 01
Elevate your family dinners with this stunning large pottery serving bowl, wheel-thrown from durable, earthy stoneware. Perfect as a pasta or salad bowl, its generous size and food-safe glaze make it both a beautiful and functional centerpiece for your table. This unique piece of handmade pottery also makes a thoughtful and lasting wedding or housewarming gift.
Listing Description Example 02
Enjoy your favorite noodles in our deep ceramic ramen bowl, designed to keep your broth hot and your toppings perfectly arranged. Each handmade bowl features a unique glaze pattern, making your meal an artistic experience. This set comes complete with notches for chopsticks, blending authentic design with modern, functional dinnerware.
Listing Description Example 03
Organize your kitchen with our charming set of small ceramic bowls, perfect for prep work, serving nuts, or holding dipping sauces. Hand-painted with a vibrant design, these small pottery dishes add a pop of color and artisan charm to your countertop. They are stackable for easy storage and are both microwave and dishwasher safe for your convenience.

6 Ways to Find More Keywords for ceramics & pottery

Keyword research is an ongoing process. I recommend these 6 ways to find effective long-tail keywords for your listings:
Etsy Search Bar
Start typing your core keywords into Etsy's search bar and pay close attention to the auto-suggestions that appear (guide here). These are real searches from actual Etsy shoppers.
Competitor Research
Look at the titles of listings that rank on page 1 (especially those with "Bestseller" badges). Don't copy directly, but use their keyword choices as inspiration for terms you might have missed.
Your Own Shop Stats
Your shop stats show you the exact search terms shoppers used to find your listings. Pay special attention to those that you are not directly targeting, and consider targeting them in listing titles.
Alura
One of my favourite Etsy keyword research tools. Alura speeds up the process of giving you a list of related popular keywords, and analyse which ones are the best for you.
eRank
Another popular tool among Etsy sellers, eRank offers robust keyword tools, trend analysis, grading your current listings, and checking keyword strength.
Everbee
Another great keyword research tool. I especially love Everbee's Chrome extension that shows you the estimated search volume directly on Etsy.

Your ceramics & pottery Etsy SEO Checklist

Phew, that's a lot of information. Let's do a little recap:

  • Understand My Customer: Do I understand my target customer and their primary search motivations?
  • Core Keyword Research: Have I identified the top core keywords for the ceramics & pottery niche?
  • Long-Tail Keywords: Have I brainstormed a diverse list of long-tail keywords using various modifiers?
  • Ongoing Etsy SEO: Am I using at least 2-3 methods (from Section 7) to regularly find new keyword opportunities for ceramics & pottery?
  • Optimised Titles: Are my listing titles highly descriptive, front-loaded with strong keywords?
  • Maximised Tags: Am I using all 13 tags with specific, long-tail phrases?
  • Compelling Descriptions: Does the opening paragraph of my listing descriptions naturally include 3-5 important keywords and clearly state benefits/features?
  • Analyse & Improve: Am I reviewing my Etsy stats and competitor listings in the ceramics & pottery niche regularly to improve my SEO strategy?
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