The biggest problem for any author attempting to promote a book on the biggest marketplace in the world is getting their book heard over the literally hundreds of thousands of other books that are out there.

Acquiring a command of Amazon keywords will help. In this article we’ll dispel myths about Amazon keywords, explain why they’re important, and show you how to choose the ones that will catapult your book to the top of the bestseller list.

What Makes Keywords On Amazon Important?

The precise search terms or expressions that will direct a client to pertinent listings on Amazon are known as keywords. 

While the majority of people only think of Amazon as a shop, it actually functions as a robust search engine that lets users not only find books and writers they’ve heard of but also discover new material to read. In this situation, keywords are useful.

An author can choose as many as seven keywords to be added to the book’s backend metadata, or the information that is not accessible to customers, whenever they upload their book to KDP. 

These keywords might all be single words or brief phrases. Together with the book’s visible metadata (title, author, book description, etc.), these Amazon keywords help Amazon’s algorithms comprehend what the book is about so it can be shown to the appropriate customers.

Your book should be indexed for relevant searches. Very few people who are browsing on Amazon will be capable of finding your book without any keywords associated, and definitely not the individuals you want to find it.

Enter unique Amazon Book categories for your book. On the Kindle Store, some sidebar categories can only be accessed if your book is associated with a particular keyword.

Persuade Amazon to promote your book on your behalf. 

Amazon will credit you by placing your book at the top of the results for these kinds of keywords and related ones if you choose your keywords carefully and successfully market them. 

In essence, stronger keywords from the start result in larger sales, which gives the Amazon algorithm a boost.

Given these elements, it should be clear why authors shouldn’t skimp on keyword selection. After all, if you choose carefully, these tiny terms could hold the secret to locating your target audience. 

So let’s get started with the crucial keyword selecting process and discuss how to refine your keyword concepts.

How To Create A List Of Potential Keywords

You should initially cast a wide net; afterwards, you could (and should) narrow it down such that you eventually wind up with the 7 best keywords. But where do you find the inspiration for your extensive list?

Amazon invites its authors to think about the following as a starting point:

• Setting 
• Type of characters
• Story arc (e.g., suspenseful, feel-good)

Here are some techniques for locating (and evaluating the potency of!) your keyword suggestions beyond these fundamentals.

1. Test Out The Amazon Autocomplete Search Feature

Examining the keywords Amazon is promoting is one method for finding and testing keywords. Ricardo proposes experimenting with their autocomplete feature to do this. 

Enter the start of your possible keyword or a pertinent phrase (such as your genre or subject) into the Amazon Ebooks and Kindle Store search field while in Incognito (also termed as InPrivate or just private mode, based on your browser).

If Amazon provides the exact term you were thinking of as a prospective search, you’re onto a winner because it has already been looked up and has a decent volume. 

You might branch out into entirely new topics or discover more precise keywords with the aid of this strategy, which may also help you discover previously unconsidered terms.

2. Examine Your Category’s Sidebar

Here’s another method Amazon can help you focus if you can only think of broad keyword ideas. Again taking a cue from the KDP help page, you can generate keyword ideas on your category’s sidebar: 

For instance, you can find relevant search results throughout the Romance section by ‘Romantic Heroes’.  Use the keyword “Vikings” if your work is a Viking Romance.

Another indication that a keyword has high search volume is if it is included as a sidebar check subcategory here.

3. Utilize A Keyword Research Tool To Obtain The Figures

While the sidebar and autocomplete are helpful for generating keyword ideas, you want to glance at the real, hard figures as well, which is where keyword analytics come in.

There are other various Amazon keyword tools available, but Publisher Rocket is a fantastic all-arounder. It will offer longer variations of short key phrases for you.

Along with providing sales data for the top-ranking items for a certain search phrase, Publisher Rocket also estimates the volume of keyword searches. 

This can truly assist you gauge the strength of your competitors and determine the commercial viability of your proposal.

As a result, keyword tools are a great purchase for any author who is serious about breaking the keyword code as they are essential for locating ideas and evaluating their potential. 

Additionally, you can use them in the subsequent stage of your decision-making process because the statistics they offer will enable you to compare your concepts to the killer keyword requirements listed below.

How To Choose The Final 7 Keywords In KDP

Your longlist of prospective keywords is now ready for separation into wheat and chaff. Here are the qualities of a truly effective Amazon keyword that you should consider while deciding between prospective keywords.

Ensure your keywords include terms that people genuinely look for first and foremost. 

Also, keep in mind that we purposefully use the term “decent” rather than “high” volume. 

Most high-volume keywords are also incredibly competitive, so if you want to rank in the top 10 or 20, you’ll need to outnumber a lot of other books. In light of this, you should focus on some strong mid-range keywords that you stand a greater likelihood of ranking for.

The “search intent” of that keyword matches your book. The second thing you should think about is if your book satisfies the keyword’s intended search intent. 

If a consumer searches for this term and doesn’t think of your book, they won’t click on it and they won’t buy it, which will drop you down the ranks and could have an impact on how any other keywords perform.

Therefore, even if they don’t have the highest search traffic, it’s important to give priority to keywords that are actually pertinent to your work.

Final Thoughts

In conclusion, the characteristics you need in keywords are:

• Decent volume of searches
• In keeping with your book
• Competitive titles you believe you can outsell

Additionally, you should use keyword phrases and utilize as many characters as possible to get the most out of your keywords. If all of those criteria are met by your potential keywords and none of the aforementioned Amazon no-nos, you’re in the clear.

Don’t worry that your keywords are etched in stone; you could (and should!) revisit them at a later time. 

However, a solid 7 will give the book the most chance of achieving success, but take your time choosing them. Once you’ve determined your longlist’s top seven candidates according to the criteria we’ve covered, enter their information into the KDP interface.