How to Select Keywords for Your Book
Here, we explore what keywords are, how to research them, and why they're helpful. We share more indie author tips on The Cameron Journal Podcast and the Online Business Launchpad Podcast.
How to Select Keywords for Your Book
Recently, we explored how BISAC categories can help with book discoverability. This week, we’ll explore keywords.
Keywords help search engines and online retailers understand what your book is about, allowing it to appear in your target audience’s search results.
With as saturated as the book market is, it’s more important than ever to ensure the right audience finds your book.
By optimizing your book with the most relevant and high-ranking keywords, you can increase your book’s chances of being discovered by those who are already interested in your genre, themes, topics, etc. This, in turn, can lead to higher engagement rates, translating into better sales, improved reader retention, more positive reviews, and a lasting presence in the market.
In this article, we delve into the art of selecting keywords for your book, guiding you through the process of identifying the terms and phrases that will help propel your book to success. Let's dive in.
Understand Your Book’s Target Audience
To effectively select keywords, you must understand your target audience. Knowing who will read your book enables you to tailor your keywords to their preferences, interests, and search behaviors.
To begin, you can create a reader persona that outlines the characteristics of your ideal reader. This can include demographics such as age, gender, location, and reading habits, as well as psychographics like values, interests, and lifestyle choices. This persona will guide you in identifying keywords that resonate with potential readers.
Consider why your audience would seek out your book. What problems are they looking to solve? What are they struggling with? What may motivate them to buy your book? How can you help? Position your book as the solution to their problems, the answer to their questions.
It helps to engage with your audience through social media, forums, reader communities, and your own website. This not only allows readers to feel more connected to you (and vice versa) but also helps with keyword research. Observe the conversations around your genre to get a feel for the language your audience uses. Their questions and comments can reveal common themes and terms that you may be able to incorporate into your keyword selection.
Research Relevant Keywords for Your Book
Once you've established a clear understanding of your target audience, it’s time to dig deeper and research your keywords. Start by brainstorming a list of potential phrases and terms that reflect the themes, genres, subgenres, and topics covered in your book, as well as the emotions you want your readers to feel or the problems you’re solving.
Think about what you would type into a search engine if you were looking for a book similar to yours. Also think about what potential readers might search for at different stages of their journey, from discovery to decision.
Your keywords should be specific to your book. Understanding the unique characteristics of your genre, the depth of your themes, the emotions you want your readers to feel, and the knowledge you want them to walk away with is crucial. For example, a book designed to give people more power over their personal finances and help them make wise decisions might benefit from keywords such as “empowering financial success” or “financial freedom strategies.”
After creating your list, utilize keyword research tools to analyze the popularity and competitiveness of your chosen keywords. Look for keywords that have a good balance of search volume (i.e., many people are searching for those terms) and low competition (i.e., not too many books are competing for visibility). This will increase your chances of ranking higher in search results.
Additionally, explore keywords used by successful books in your genre. Examine the titles, subtitles, and descriptions of top-selling books to explore effective keyword strategies. Note how best-selling authors phrase their content. Pay particular attention to what specific terms they emphasize to get a better feel for how you should position your book.
You can test your keywords by putting them into Amazon and seeing what kinds of books come up. They should be similar to yours. Allowing search engines to autocomplete the text you put in can help refine your terms (search engines will suggest popular phrases that are commonly searched).
Keep in mind that your keywords should be logical. Put them in the order customers are most likely to search. Just be wary of banned keywords. Amazon, for instance, has a list of keywords to avoid.
Keyword Research Tools
There are many keyword tools available to help streamline the research process, but here are two of the more popular options.
Google Keyword Planner
This allows you to enter potential keywords and see their search volume, competition, and related keywords. It’s helpful for brainstorming potential keywords to then research further to verify their relevance for your book.
Publisher Rocket
Specifically designed for authors, Publisher Rocket provides insights into Amazon’s search algorithms and helps you identify profitable keywords. It also allows you to analyze your competitors.
Long-tail vs. Short-tail Keywords for Books
Understanding and incorporating both long-tail and short-tail keywords is vital for crafting a balanced, productive strategy. By carefully analyzing search data and reader behavior, you can determine the right combination that will enhance your book’s performance on the market.
Long-tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords consist of three or more words and are usually more descriptive. For instance, phrases like “time travel romance novel” or “beginner’s guide to gardening” are examples of long-tail keywords that cater to a niche audience.
These keywords typically have lower search volumes but often lead to higher conversion rates, since readers searching for them know what they want and thus are more likely to purchase your book.
Short-tail Keywords
Short-tail keywords are usually one to two words long and are broader in nature. For example, keywords like "romance" or "science fiction" may attract a high volume of searches, but they are also highly competitive.
While they can generate significant traffic and connect you with a wider audience, they may not always lead targeted, genuinely interested niche readers to your book.
Conclusion
By understanding the importance of keywords, knowing your target audience, and employing effective research methods, you can position your book for greater success.
This is no small feat, however, which is why we offer several marketing plans for authors at any stage in their career. Contact us to learn more about how we can help with marketing, as well as preparing your book for publication.
In case you missed it…
How to Typeset a Book
Click here to learn about professional book typesetting and why it’s important.
Latest Podcasts
Cameron Cowan: The Cameron Journal Podcast
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