- Jun 14
- 4 min read

How to Correctly Fill in Your 7 KDP Keywords: Important Update!

How to Correctly Fill in Your 7 Keyword Boxes

When publishing and uploading your book on Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), you’ll encounter a section that permits you to enter related keywords associated with your book. You can do this by filling in these keywords via the seven boxes provided.

Each box allows for up to 50 characters, including letters and spaces. Many self-publishers often wonder if they should place just one keyword per box or maximize the space with multiple keywords. The goal is to ensure your book appears more frequently on Amazon, thereby increasing your sales. Through experimentation I've conducted over the years, I’ve discovered the best strategies for filling these boxes and to help boost your book’s discoverability on Amazon.

However, before we progress, I need to highlight the following. You should prioritize your main book keywords in this order.

Priority 1 – Include your main keyword/s in your title if they fit and flow naturally

Priority 2 – If your main keyword/s don’t naturally fit in your title, then include the keywords in your subtitle.

Priority 3 – Add as many related keywords in the 7 boxes provided. I will go into into more detail below.

1. Understanding Indexing and Rankings

Prior to delving into the keyword strategy, it is essential to grasp two fundamental concepts: indexing and rankings.

Indexing:

This is the process where Amazon identifies where your book should be placed for a specific keyword or keyword phrase. When a user enters a keyword on Amazon, the number of books displayed for that keyword indicates how many books are indexed for that particular phrase.

Ranking:

You may be indexed for a keyword phrase but rank either at the top or bottom. Achieving a high ranking for a keyword is crucial. Research from Kindlepreneur.com indicates that being ranked first for a keyword results in 27% of searchers clicking on your book. This percentage decreases to 12% for the second position, 9% for the third, and so forth.

2. Key Insights from my Experience

(i) More Words Lead to Increased Indexing

By adding more words to each box, your book will be indexed for a wider range of phrases on Amazon. This may seem simple, but it's important to consider other factors before overloading the boxes with keywords.

(ii) Combination Indexing Strategies

Amazon doesn't just index your book for the exact phrases entered in the boxes. Instead, they combine the words in each box in different ways, expanding the number of phrases your book gets indexed for.

(iii) Impact on Search Rankings

While increasing the number of words in the boxes results in broader indexing, it can potentially lower your book's initial rankings for specific phrases. Essentially, saturating a box with excessive words weakens the case for your book to appear prominently for a particular phrase.

3. Category Selection and Keywords

Amazon’s new category system means your selected categories can be overridden by Amazon based on the keywords in your seven Kindle keyword boxes. I use Publisher Rocket to help identify which keywords Amazon associates with which categories, making it easier for me to ensure my books remain in the desired categories.

4. Optimizing Your Kindle Keyword Boxes

To develop the most optimal KDP boxes strategy, focus on three key areas:

(i) Specific Phrases

Dedicate at least three boxes to specific phrases you absolutely want to rank well for. The less cluttered these boxes are with additional words, the better your initial rankings will be for these phrases. Tools like Publisher Rocket can help you identify high-traffic, low-competition phrases that best describe your book.

(ii) General Keywords

Use two boxes (out of the seven) for other relevant words and phrases. These should still describe your book well but are either less descriptive or have fewer searches. Avoid using commas or quotation marks; just list the words.

(iii) Category-Specific Keywords

The final two boxes should be filled with keywords that help your book stay in your desired categories. Publisher Rocket can simplify this by showing you which keywords are linked to specific categories on Amazon. If you don't have Publisher Rocket, you'll need to guess which keywords are category-rich and relevant to your book.

Additional Tips

1. Avoid Duplicate Words: Using the same word in multiple boxes doesn’t help or hurt your ranking. Don’t worry if a keyword appears both in your title and in a keyword box.

2. Keywords in your Title and Subtitle: Keywords added in your title and subtitle carry more weight than those in the Kindle keyword 7 boxes. Prioritize these first.

3. Real Words Only: Amazon won’t rank you for made-up words or phrases it doesn’t recognize as searchable.

5. Key Actions for Self-Publishers When Filling in the 7 KDP Keyword Boxes

1. Research Specific Phrases: Use tools like Publisher Rocket to find high-traffic, low-competition phrases that describe your book accurately.

2. Maximize Keywords without Overloading: Fill boxes with as many relevant keywords as possible without diluting the impact of specific phrases.

3. Stay Category-Focused: Ensure your chosen keywords align with the categories you want your book to appear in.

4. Use Realistic and Relevant Keywords: Stick to real words and phrases that potential readers are likely to search for.

By following these strategies, you can optimize your book’s visibility on Amazon, making it easier for readers to find your book, thereby increasing your sales and overall success as a self-published author.

Wishing you all the best for your Self-Publishing

Romney Nelson - Founder of Global Self Publishing

https://www.globalselfpublishing.com/