Recommended viewing: eRank's Pam Duthie shows you how to find competitors.

Competitor research is essential on Etsy. In fact, competitor research is worth doing at any level of development. You'll learn a lot about what buyers are looking for, what makes them happy, and what can cause a shop to lose sales.

Begin by following several groups of Etsy sellers:

You likely already know who among your family and friends sell on Etsy. Maybe they encouraged you to sell on Etsy in the first place! Want to learn how to find other competitors from whom you can learn a thing or two? Read on.

Rank Checker will fetch the top 500 listings from Etsy for any keyword you enter. Sort and filter the listings to get keyword ideas from the top sellers in your niche.

In the main menu, select "Keyword Research" and then Rank Checker.

Now you have a list of products from competing shops sorted in a useful order. Look for listings similar to yours that have a high number of views. These products are most likely to have a strong sales history (by the way, this is also where to find the best product ideas!). But, back on task: make a note of shop names. If the same shop keeps popping up during your research, it could be a competitor worth monitoring!

Have your list started? Awesome. From eRank’s "Competitor Research" menu, select Top Sellers on Etsy. Enter each shop's name in the “Find Your Etsy Rank” search box to access our Shop Info feature and see their most recently sold and updated listings. Look for products similar to what you sell. Then, make a note to return to this shop regularly to discover what else they do well selling. This practice will save you steps when doing product research.

If you have a paid plan for eRank, you can add your competitors' shops to your Competitor Sales report using the Shop Info feature. Do this by clicking the eye in the top right corner of the blue box displaying the shop's name and logo. This report tracks how many sales each of these shops have each day. Focus on the shops making lots of sales consistently.

Now you’ve got a solid list of top shops in your niche. Next, pop over to Etsy to see what kind of feedback they’re getting. As you read their reviews, be sure to note what annoys their buyers and what delights them.

Positive types of feedback worth your attention:

Noteworthy negatives:

As you learn what your competitors' buyers think, you can apply the good qualities to your listings and avoid the same mistakes they made.

Having a goal, someone smart to learn from, an aesthetic or mastery of craft you admire – all are useful. For this, browse eRank's Top Sellers report for shops in your category. Rather than looking for competitors this time, try to identify the best of the best.

Make sure to check out:

When analyzing top seller titles and tags, please note that they may diverge from Etsy’s best practices. For instance, you might see keyword-stuffed titles, one-word tags, or fewer than 13 tags. Remember the rule that trumps all others: never change a listing that is selling well. And listings you are likely to see in the Top Sellers report are exactly that: selling well.

These listings may have gained popularity through social media (via an influencer) or perhaps through a national magazine. That won’t show in a listing audit. But you can still learn from such a listing. If its tags are poor, something else is doing some heavy lifting. Can you detect its secrets?

You now have more ways to identify your competitors and discover inspirational shops. Learn as much as you can from their successes – and their failures. Keep in mind that not all top shops are still selling well. Some may have gone on an extended break or are selling items that are no longer popular. You want to follow the shops that are still selling well!

Further viewing: eRank's Pam Duthie shows you how to put what you learn from your competitors to work.