The right way to use Amazon KDP keywords to sell more books!
Updated on July 15th, 2026
Amazon KDP keywords are a big deal! Amazon KDP lets authors add 7 keywords when they publish a book, so the last thing you want is to mess it up. In the following article, we’ll discuss effective strategies for maximizing your Amazon KDP keyword strategy to help you sell more books.
When you upload your ebook or print book to Amazon KDP, you can use Amazon keywords. Are you investing enough time and research into your keywords? We’ve written and self-published dozens of best-selling books now on Amazon KDP and IngramSpark Publishing. Keywords have always been an essential part of the self-publishing process, but recently we’ve been placing much more emphasis on our books. One of the areas we’re focusing on is the Amazon KDP keyword section for book uploads.
Amazon KDP has a whole help topic for authors on keyword breakdown, with information on how to get the most out of your book’s keywords. Take your time and read through the whole help topic.
In the following article, we’ll break down some of Amazon’s recommendations for getting the most out of your Amazon KDP keywords to increase your book’s discoverability and ultimately sell more books.
If you’re ready to self-publish your book and are considering Amazon KDP as your self-publishing platform, check out Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing for Canadian Authors, where we discuss everything you need to know about setting up your Amazon KDP account, uploading print and ebooks, and managing titles through your KDP author dashboard.
Amazon KDP Keyword Best Practices
- Start off by combining your keywords in the most logical order. For example, a potential customer would most likely search for ‘books about hockey,’ not ‘hockey books about.’ Make sure those keywords are written as someone would likely search for them on Amazon when looking for a book about your topic.
- You can use up to 7 keywords or short keyword phrases. Ensure you keep an eye on your character limit, but just because you can add 7 keywords doesn’t mean they have to be single words. They can also be key phrases. For example, use “hockey books for boys and girls“, rather than simply “hockey book.“
- Test your keywords by searching on Amazon first. Then, type in your keyword, and if you get a lot of results that aren’t relevant to your book, then consider adjusting them or being a little more specific. Also, pay attention to the search suggestions that drop down as you type, as they can be useful.
- Think like a reader would think. For example, if you were a potential customer looking for your book, what would be the easiest way to find it? Stop thinking like an author, and start thinking like a potential customer.
- You don’t need to include keywords which are already part of your book title. For example, if your book is called “stock market tips,” you don’t need to add “stock market tips” as a keyword. Think about other keywords or key phrases related to the stock market that aren’t already in your book’s title or subtitle.
This is how to add your keywords to Amazon KDP when uploading your book. You have 7 boxes to add your keywords or keyphrases, and you’re allowed up to 50 characters per box.
Different Types of Keywords You Can Use For Your Book
- The Book Setting (such as Colonial America or Africa). Location-based keywords are extremely important if you want your book to appeal to readers from specific geographical locations. If your book is based in Canada and you want it to appeal to Canadian readers, but Canada isn’t mentioned in the title, then make sure you include it in your keywords.
- Character Types (such as veteran, mother, father, son). The character type is another strong area for your keywords. If the book has a strong family connection or family turmoil, then add that as a keyword.
- Character Roles (strong female lead, strong male lead). Readers typically stick to reading the same types of books. If they enjoy books with a strong male lead, such as the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, they’ll naturally gravitate towards similar books. Be sure to include a keyword related to character roles.
- Plot Themes (forgiveness, understanding, confrontation). This is a huge area for authors to harvest some fantastic keyword ideas. What’s your book about? Be sure to let readers know the overall theme and plot.
- Story Tone (feel-good, dystopian). How does your story leave readers feeling? Happy, sad, scared, anxious, excited?
Some Amazon KDP Keywords Authors Should Avoid
- Any information you covered elsewhere, such as your book’s title, contributors, subtitle, etc. Your book description is another great area to add additional information. Your book description on your Amazon KDP listing doesn’t have to match the description on your physical cover, so feel free to add more helpful information in this section when you’re uploading your book.
- Subjective claims about your book’s overall quality. It’s not recommended and may even be removed if you try to add keywords such as “bestseller”.
- Any time-sensitive statements like on sale, new, available now
- Spelling errors! Proofread your keywords.
- Different variations utilizing spacing, capitalization, or pluralization. Search engines are pretty good at reading between the lines. Using a variation of the same keyword 7 different ways is just a waste of your very limited keywords.
- Any misrepresentation, such as the names of other authors or books. Don’t use other authors’ names or book titles in your keywords. For example, don’t use a keyphrase like “better than Lee Child’s Jack Reacher” book.
- Rather than typing “complex, suspenseful mystery” as one key phrase, use the words singularly because someone would need to type all three words rather than just one to see your book.
- Any Amazon program or company names, such as Kindle, KDP, or Kindle Unlimited.
If you’re a new Canadian author still considering where to self-publish your book, read The Best Self-Publishing Platforms for Canadian Authors! We cover everything there is to know about the most popular self-publishing platforms in Canada, including Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), IngramSpark Publishing, Apple Books, and many more.
Bonus Amazon Title and Keyword Tips
- Avoid Long Titles – Customers are more likely to skip titles over 60 characters.
- Accurate Book Description – Ensure that your book description focuses on the book’s content.
- Keywords – Use your keywords to accurately capture information that isn’t already in your book title, description, or subtitle, such as setting, plot, or theme.
- Consistency – If your book is available in different formats, ensure your keywords and descriptions remain consistent across all formats.
- Use the Amazon Menu – When you’re on Amazon, you can use its menu to brainstorm potential keyword ideas. For example, in the romance section, you can use the available sub-categories as potential keywords.
Using Amazon KDP Keywords Correctly In Your Book! | An Author’s Guide to Amazon KDP Keyword Best Practices | Conclusion
Everything you wanted to know about Amazon KDP Keywords and what Amazon KDP believes is the most effective way to get the best out of your keywords. When you have great keywords, your book is more discoverable to readers and buyers on the Amazon marketplace. The more people that see your book, the more sales you’ll get, and the higher it will climb in the ranks. If you have any questions about self-publishing a book on Amazon KDP or any other self-publishing platform, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the experienced team at Indie Publishing Group. We have been assisting Canadian authors with self-publishing books for over a decade.
If you are writing a book and need assistance with paperback or ebook formatting, cover design, professional editing, uploading to self-publishing sites such as Amazon KDP and IngramSpark Publishing, or Amazon KDP keyword and category research, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We also offer children’s book illustrations and formatting services.
Chrissy Hobbs is the owner and founder of Indie Publishing Group, a self-publishing services provider based in Ontario, Canada, which helps authors self-publish their books on Amazon KDP, IngramSpark Publishing and other self-publishing platforms. With over a decade of experience in the publishing industry and also being a best-selling children’s book author of The Day My Fart Followed Me to Hockey and Hockey Wars, you know your book is in good hands.
Chrissy Hobbs is the owner and founder of
