OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Keywords and search engine optimization have been considered important for a long time in the online world, particularly for ranking in the search engines on the first few pages so people can actually find you.
But these principles and tools are also important for your book page on the retail stores. They make up a critical part of the meta-data which is crucial in the discoverability of your book. I also realize this might sound like gobble-de-gook so I will explain further using the example of my non-fiction book, and also my novels, because keywords can also be important for fiction authors.
Although I am wary of anecdotes, because they have no statistical value at all, I do want to share the sales figures for my non-fiction book. Written as a labor of love, it has never sold very well (like many first books) and now I focus on fiction, so I barely mention it. As my worst selling title, it is a good example to use. Here's the background.
I spent 13 years as a miserable IT consultant, unhappy with my work for many reasons and so I embarked on a journey to find work I could be passionate about. The journey of how I found it (and how you can too) is encapsulated in my book: Career Change: Stop hating your job, discover what you really want to do with your life and start doing it! That's the title that I adopted in Dec 2012 after I rewrote the book and also updated the cover. The previous title was How to enjoy your job … or get a new one, and was first published in 2008.
At a purely gut level, I hope you can see which title is better 🙂 but as we go through, you will also note the keyword shift.
What is a keyword anyway?
A keyword is a word or phrase that is associated with your book.
It's based on the words that people actually use to search online and this is a crucial aspect, because often the language you use online is not the language customers might use. For example, many of us have claimed ‘indie author' or ‘indie publishing' but to a new author who is not yet in the tribe, they would only recognize ‘publishing' or ‘self-publishing'.
Importantly a keyword is not just one word and that is critical to remember as you go through the following process. For example, my thriller novel Exodus is associated with the keyword “ark of the covenant” and my non-fiction book with “career change”.
(1) Brainstorm words and phrases
First, make a list of all the words and phrases that are associated with your book. For fiction that will include themes, places, things and anything concrete you can hang your book off.
For Exodus, I might consider keywords: thriller, action adventure, exodus, ark of the covenant, israel, freemasons – as those are the themes of the book and people searching for those things will be interested in it.
For my non-fiction book Career Change, I tried: career change, what should I do with my life, career help, hate my job, career match, career books, choosing a career
(2) Check the usage of keywords in the search engines
Google has a Keyword Search Tool that you can use to discover what search terms people are using and what is most popular. It is primarily used for people wanting to bid on advertising terms, but we can use it as an indication of interest, as well as a verification of the kind of language people use when searching.
As related to my book on Career Change, I tried the following:
* How to enjoy your job – 5400 global monthly searches
* Changing careers – 27,100 global monthly searches
* I need a career – 60,500 global monthly searches
* Choosing a career – 40,500 global monthly searches
* career change – 165,000 global monthly searches
For each search term, Google will recommend a whole load more options. Look through that list and write down anything else with a high number of searches. (Don’t worry about the Competition column as that is aimed at the advertising crowd.)
(3) Check the usage of keywords on Amazon
Amazon doesn’t have a specific tool to check keywords but it does have an auto-populate tool that enables you to see a drop-down of specific words or phrases. Just start typing something in and you’ll get a drop-down. Make sure you’re in the Books/Kindle store if you want to narrow the search down.
Go into Amazon and start typing in the word/phrase you want to check.
My example with career change is shown right.
You can see that I typed in ‘career c’ and it came up with everything that fitted with that. This can help you with deciding on topics or titles, particularly again with non-fiction.
But the principle is the same with fiction. You want the most commonly used keywords in your meta-data.
You should find that some of your keywords from Google don’t even show up in the Amazon listing, so discard those and focus on those which appear in both lists.
[I’d like to acknowledge Michael Alvear who featured this technique in ‘Make a Killing on Kindle’ which is a book I can only recommend with a caution as I definitely don’t advocate fake/bought reviews which he also includes in the book.
With any kind of marketing tactic, please be authentic, honest and consider the value to your customer.
Feel free to read his advice, but as with my own advice, please weigh it up against your own situation and don't assume the same things will work. This is a constantly shifting environment.]
(4) Add the keywords into your metadata
For non-fiction authors, you can use this technique to decide on your book title, and indeed, I changed mine based on the keyword search. This can make a huge difference to appearing in search results and significantly impact your success.
Although I don't have a full year for each title, you can see the difference between January 2012 and 2013 (a huge month for career change books). I changed the title mid Dec. I also changed the cover but not the price. Remember, this is basically a ‘write-off' book for me and not something I market in any other way at all, so any sale is a good sale!
My book sales rank rose within days after the key word changes and now the book ranks on the first page of Amazon.com for the keyword ‘career change’.
Changing a fiction title to include keywords is far more unlikely, but there are two more places to include keywords.
Description: You need a description any time you enter information about your book, so make sure it includes some of your keywords, BUT as a primary rule, ensure that it is people-friendly and not just a list of keywords. More on creating a book description that rocks in this interview with Mark Edwards on secrets of Amazon metadata.
Keywords: On every publishing site there is also a place to enter keywords. This is usually 5-7 keywords/phrases that are associated with your book. Just type in the ones you want to use based on your research.
NOTE: if you don't have control of the publishing process you won't be able to access these keywords, but you can do the research and advise your publisher of what you think is the most appropriate.
The most effective usage will be if the keywords resonate between the title, description and keywords box, ticking all three boxes of metadata.
You can also use these keywords for marketing purposes as well, for example, use them in a guest blog post title, or as part of your website.
OK, I know things like meta-data, keywords, search engine optimization, algorithms and stuff can blow people's minds, but it is an important part of being an indie author!
Please do leave any comments or questions below. Have you done keyword research? Has it made a difference to your book?
Tommy Davey says
I cannot second how important keyword searching is. My book(s) were languishing in the pile until I employed the techniques Joanna outlined in her post. (I came about them elsewhere, however, but basically the same process was suggested). With a day, my sales results jumped exponentially. I had been using simple search words such as “mystery” and “children” etc., but when I switched to keyword phrases such as “mystery books for kids” etc., the sales stared rolling in. Still not quite where I want to be, but getting better each month.
Tommy Davey
“Cora Flash” mystery series
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0075NS12Y
Shelley Ring says
Joanna, I’m so thankful I found your blog! I’m working on an e-book about writing back cover copy, and writing keywords is one of the pieces of a strong copy package. Your post shows how important it is.
In addition to writing this e-book, I’ll be taking your advice for the two fiction novels I currently have on Amazon.
I’d like to quote some of your post and refer readers to your site. 🙂 May I?
Joanna Penn says
Yes of course Shelley – I’d love to spread the word about this information – I think it’s critical!
viagra says
The article has proven necessary to us. It’s really useful and you’re simply certainly really experienced of this type. You have got popped my own eye in order to numerous opinion of this kind of subject matter along with intriguing, notable and reliable written content.
Niramisa Weiss says
Hi, this is so interesting, and I knew about it sort of but hadn’t added this bit of the puzzle to my book marketing process.
I’m just rather interested in what you might say about the following. For example, your keyword up there “career change” lists a tonne of books, over 5000. Is there something interesting about “unique” keywords also, as in those that not everyone and his cat is using, and how might you find out what those are?
<3
Joanna Penn says
Hi Niramisa, yes, career change brings up a ton of books, which shows it is a popular keyword phrase that people are looking for books under – it’s worth writing under a keyword/phrase that is already popular as there is a market for it. But of course, you want to be on page 1 of that search term, which my book is for career change, and you can only do that by getting sales.
If you find a keyword/phrase that no one else is using, it may be that no one is searching for it 🙂 but it’s certainly worth doing the research as per the above process.
Niramisa says
Hi Joanna, thank you again. Agreed too, the keyword tool is inordinately useful. Sales are approaching, I’m certain 😀 and keywords can be changed of course. It’s an exciting time.
Amber says
Great advice and easy to follow. I’m always trying to make the most of metadata and I wholeheartedly agree that it requires research and fine-tuning. After checking out Google Adwords and the Amazon search option, I included the terms ‘Paranormal’ and ‘Gothic Romance’ for my debut novel (Screaming Snowflakes). I’ve since seen a leap in sales, so it really works.
The beauty of being an Indie author (God how I love that term) is that you can jump right onto Amazon (or whichever platform you’re publishing on) and amend metadata / descriptions whenever you want. You get to see what works. Or doesn’t. The knack is to keep an open mind and never stop. Thank you once again Joanna for an awesome post. You rock!
Richard Hoskin says
Most helpful! Thanks. Is there a way to find and use the Amazon auto-population tool without signing up for Author Central?
Joanna Penn says
Yes, as above – you just use the Amazon search bar on the normal Amazon.com screen – it has nothing to do with Amazon Central
Richard Hoskin says
Thanks. Tried again with “Amazon auto-population tool” and got 3 prepaid phone offer and one pond filter! Next?
Jim Russell says
Do you believe there is any mileage in regularly (yearly perhaps) changing a title to keep up with trends in ‘keywords’ ?
Reen says
Having got a book on the P.O.D site Feedaread in UK, I want to use the Keyword tool to check on the title. Having used the old Keyword Tool years ago, I now find this one too complicated and it just sends me around loops, never getting to the actual Keyword place. Has anyone any help to give?
Donna Cole says
Hi Joanna,
Wonderful article. My book, “Grace Trumps Guilt,” is not self published, is there any advice you are willing to offer to attract readers to my website or to Amazon, where they may purchase my book?
Thanking you advance for your kind consideration and expeditious reply.
Sincerely,
Donna Cole
Antara Man says
An article full with advice and tips. I like getting advice, Joanna, thank you. I appreciate that you look holistic at the whole process especially for fiction books. ”The most effective usage will be if the keywords resonate between the title, description and keywords box, ticking all three boxes of metadata.” I’m gonna tweet this!