Published 24 October 2026

Free Print-on-Demand Keyword Research in 15 Minutes

You do not need a paid tool to choose the right words. Search engines already tell you what people type: those are the suggestions that appear when you start a phrase. This fifteen-minute routine, to do for every new design, is enough to build titles and tags that sound like buyers.

Step 1: describe the design in four words (3 minutes)

Before searching for anything, describe your design in four categories: the subject (fox, mandala, quote), the style (watercolor, minimalist, retro), the occasion (Christmas, wedding, back to school) and the audience (moms, teachers, cat lovers). Some categories will stay empty, which is normal.

This base keeps you from going in every direction. When you scroll through suggestions, you will know right away which ones concern your design and which have nothing to do with it.

Write this sheet in a spreadsheet or on paper. You will use it at the end to build your title and tags.

Step 2: the marketplace's own suggestions (4 minutes)

Open the search bar of the platform where you sell. Type the start of a phrase, for example "teacher mug", and note the suggestions that appear. They are searches buyers have actually made on that platform.

Try several starts: the product alone, the product + style, the product + occasion. Each variation brings up different suggestions. Note those that match your design and ignore the rest.

These suggestions tell you what people type, not how many people type it. Treat them as clues, not as numbers.

Step 3: Google and its suggestions (3 minutes)

Type the same phrase into Google. Look at the search bar suggestions, then the "People also ask" box and the related searches at the bottom of the page. They show how people phrase their need in their own words.

Look at the first results too: do they show the same type of product as your design? If the results are about something else, the phrase is ambiguous and may attract the wrong visitors.

This step is especially useful for intent phrases, like "end of year gift idea for teacher": they reveal what the buyer is looking for before they even know the product.

Step 4: Pinterest for visual and seasonal subjects (2 minutes)

Pinterest is a visual search engine, particularly useful for decor, holidays, weddings and gifts. Type your subject in the search bar and look at the word suggestions that appear under the bar.

Pinterest suggestions bring up styles and moods you had not thought of naming: "boho", "cottagecore", "rustic". If one of them truly describes your design, it is a good candidate for a tag.

For seasonal subjects, do this search several weeks before the event: people start searching early, and your product needs time to be indexed.

Step 5: sort and choose (3 minutes)

Take your sheet and your list of suggestions. Keep the phrases that really match your design, from two to four words, and that show results of the same kind as your product. Remove words that are too general and those that mean something else.

Split what you keep: the most important phrases go in the title, following the product + style + occasion formula, and the rest in the tags, varying synonyms, recipients and uses.

If you sell in several languages, redo step 2 in each language, with the suggestions of the relevant marketplace. What buyers type is not a translation of what other buyers type.

Keep a keyword bank

In a spreadsheet, create one row per phrase with four columns: the phrase, the language, the product type concerned and the date. In a few weeks you will have a bank you can reuse for your next designs.

Add a notes column for results: which products got visits, with which words. It is the memory of what works for you, and it is worth more than any generic tool.

Review your bank from time to time: searches change with seasons and trends, and platform rules change. A phrase that worked may become less relevant.