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I run an Etsy shop selling digital printables. For months, “do keyword research” sat on my to-do list like a chore I kept rescheduling. I’d guess at tags, hit publish, and then wonder why the listing just sat there.

My options were: hire someone to do my Etsy SEO, or find a tool that does the boring part. I started on the free plan. Now I pay $10 a month for Basic, and I’d make the same

call again.

Alura homepage: We help sellers build successful Etsy shops, trusted by 800,023+ Etsy sellers

What Alura actually is

Alura logo

Alura is an all-in-one Etsy seller platform. The pieces I actually use:

  • Keyword research — search volume, competition level, and keyword scores, so I’m not guessing which phrases buyers type
  • Listing helper — scores your listing’s SEO live, while you’re writing the title and tags, and flags what’s missing
  • Product and shop research — search across 1M Etsy listings on the Basic plan (100M+ on Growth and up) to see what’s actually selling before I make anything
  • Chrome extension — overlays sales estimates and data right on top of Etsy while I browse

It also has email follow-ups for reviews, a fee calculator, and Pinterest auto-pinning on Growth and up (15 pins/day on Growth, 40/day on Professional). That last one is fine as a background trickle, but don’t buy Alura for Pinterest. Buy it for SEO.

Four main Alura features: keyword research, live listing grader, competitor research, Chrome extension

My workflow now

Before I publish a listing, I run my title idea through keyword research, check the competition on the top phrases, then let the listing helper grade my tags before I hit publish. What used to be a Sunday-afternoon guessing session is about 15 minutes now.

Three-step Etsy listing workflow: research keywords, grade listing live, publish with confidence

The part that sold me: seeing what’s already working

Here’s the feature I didn’t expect to care about. You can pull up any Etsy shop or listing and see estimated sales, which keywords it’s ranking for, and what the top sellers in your niche are actually doing. It’s not about copying anyone. It’s about walking into a crowded niche with data instead of vibes. Before I make a new product, I check what’s already selling in that corner of Etsy, then look for the gap or the better keyword angle. That’s the closest thing to a cheat code in this whole process.

Pricing snapshot

  • Free: $0, limited searches, no credit card required
  • Basic: $9.99/month or $7.99/month billed annually
  • Growth: $29.99/month or $19.99/month billed annually
  • Professional: $69.99/month or $29.99/month billed annually

All plans have a 7-day no-questions-asked cancellation period.

Try Alura free here

The honest math

One hour of a decent VA’s time costs more than a month of Alura’s Basic plan. And a VA still guesses without data. The tool doesn’t replace judgment, but it replaces the three hours I used to spend manually digging through Etsy search suggestions per listing.

The bigger win isn’t even the money. It’s that SEO stopped living in my head rent-free. No more 2am “are my tags wrong” spirals. One less open loop competing for brain space. That’s the whole thesis of this site: work less, live more.

Time comparison: 3 hours guessing at tags versus 15 minutes with the tool

Honest limitations

  • The data is estimates, not guarantees. Etsy changes search all the time.
  • It won’t save bad photos or a product nobody wants. Research tells you where demand is; you still have to make something good.
  • If you only look up keywords occasionally, the free plan (or a free competitor tier) may be enough. Don’t pay for data you won’t open.

Quick heads-up

Quick heads-up: the link below is my affiliate link, which means I may earn a commission if you sign up. It costs you nothing extra.

Try Alura free here

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Hi, I’m VJ.

I’m a busy mom with a full-time job, and I’m almost always running out of time.

Ironically, for someone who doesn’t have much time, I spend a surprising amount of it testing tools, apps, and shortcuts that are supposed to save me time.

Since I’m already doing all that experimenting, I figured I might as well share what actually helps, what doesn’t, and what seems worth trying.

Hopefully, it helps you get some hours back too.

Let’s connect

Side project: I also run Olive Marlow Studio, a little collection of printables and gifts with a mix of wedding designs and cardiology-inspired pieces, because when you work in the cardiology department, some heart puns are just too good not to turn into stickers.

Free Download

Get the 15-Minute Daily Reset Template

Reclaim 5+ hours every week. A simple 3-part Notion operating system to stop spinning your wheels.

  • Morning 3-Priority Filter: Focus on high-leverage outcomes first
  • Open-Loop Brain Dump: Clear mental clutter instantly
  • 5-Minute Shutdown: Disconnect cleanly for the evening

Your duplicate link appears instantly after you subscribe.

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