KDP Keywords: How to Fill All Seven Slots Step by Step

KDP gives you seven keyword boxes on your book's details page. Use each box for a short phrase that a reader would type into Amazon search, not a single word. Leave out anything already in your title, other authors' names, and claims or terms Amazon's guidelines prohibit.

The steps below take you from a blank list to seven finished phrases. Most authors can finish in an hour or two.

What do you need before you start?

Gather these before you open your KDP dashboard:

• Your final title and subtitle. Keywords should add new search terms, so you need to know which words your title already covers.
• Your book description. It helps you see how you already describe the book. If you haven't written it yet, see how to write a book blurb.
• Your chosen categories. Keywords and categories work together. Pick categories first using how to choose KDP categories.
• A list of five to ten comparable books. These are recent books in your genre that your ideal reader would also buy.
• A logged-out or private browser window on Amazon. Amazon may tailor results to your own history, so a clean window gives you a better view of general results.
• A blank document or spreadsheet for collecting phrases.

If you're new to the term, the keywords glossary entry explains how keywords fit into your book's wider metadata.

How do KDP's seven keyword slots work?

On the Kindle eBook Details page and the Paperback Details page, KDP shows seven text boxes under "Keywords." Here is what KDP's published guidance says, and what it means for you:

• Each box can hold a phrase. You are not limited to one word per box. KDP limits the length of each entry, and the box shows the limit as you type. Check your dashboard for the current figure.
• Phrases beat single words. Single words like "mystery" or "romance" are shared by a huge number of books. A phrase like "cozy mystery with a bakery setting" matches a specific reader with a specific want.
• Your title, subtitle and author name are already searchable. Repeating those words in keyword boxes wastes space.
• You can edit keywords after publishing. Changes go through KDP's review, and it can take a while before search results reflect them.

Amazon doesn't publish exactly how it weighs keywords against other signals such as sales and reviews. Treat keywords as a way to tell Amazon what your book is about. They help the right readers find you. They don't guarantee a ranking.

How do you find KDP keywords, step by step?

Step 1: Write down how a reader would describe your book

Before you research anything, spend ten minutes writing phrases from the reader's side. Ignore the way a writer would describe the book.

A writer might say "a character-driven exploration of grief." A reader is more likely to type "sad book about losing a parent" or "novel about grief and healing."

Think about:

• Subgenre: cozy mystery, epic fantasy, sweet romance, military thriller
• Setting: small town, Regency England, space station, Scottish Highlands
• Character type: amateur sleuth, single dad, female detective, chosen one
• Tropes or themes: enemies to lovers, found family, second chance romance
• Mood or tone: clean, funny, dark, slow burn, heartwarming
• For nonfiction, the problem solved: budget meal planning, beginner strength training, potty training a toddler
• Audience: for teens, for beginners, for nurses, for new managers

Aim for 20 to 40 rough phrases. You'll trim later.

Step 2: Check what Amazon's search bar suggests

Open Amazon in a private window and set the search dropdown to "Kindle Store" or "Books." Start typing the beginning of a phrase from your list, such as "cozy mystery with," and look at the suggestions that drop down.

Those suggestions come from what shoppers type, which makes them one of the best free sources you have. Try:

• Typing a phrase and then adding each letter of the alphabet after it ("cozy mystery a", "cozy mystery b") to see more suggestions
• Starting with a trope or setting instead of the genre
• Typing "books like" or "books about" followed by your theme

Add any suggestion that honestly fits your book to your list. Skip suggestions that contain an author's name or a book title, even if they appear often. Step 7 explains why.

Step 3: Study comparable books

Look at the Amazon pages of your comparable books and note:

• Subtitles. Many self-published books use subtitles packed with descriptive phrases ("A Small-Town Cozy Mystery").
• The categories they appear in. Scroll to the product details to see their category rankings.
• Repeated words in their descriptions. If five books in your niche all mention "witchy," that word is probably part of how readers shop.

You're looking for descriptive language, not names. You can't use another author's name or book title as a keyword, but you can borrow the genre vocabulary those books share.

Step 4: Read reader reviews for their exact words

Reviews show how buyers describe what they liked. Read the three-, four- and five-star reviews of comparable books and copy recurring phrases: "no swearing," "great for a long flight," "loved the banter," "practical exercises."

These phrases often line up with what new readers type. A review that says "finally a fantasy without romance" points to a real search like "fantasy with no romance."

Step 5: Group your phrases and pick seven

Sort your list into themes. A typical grouping looks like this:

Theme	Example phrases (cozy mystery)
Subgenre	cozy mystery series, amateur sleuth mystery
Setting	small town mystery, seaside village whodunit
Character	retired teacher detective, female sleuth over 50
Hook or trope	mystery with a cat, bakery mystery
Tone and content	clean mystery no swearing, funny murder mystery
Reader occasion	light mystery to read on vacation

Then choose seven phrases using these filters:

1. It's accurate. A reader who finds your book through this phrase would feel they got what they searched for.
2. It's not already in your title or subtitle. Choose new words where you can.
3. It covers a different angle from the others. Seven variations of "cozy mystery" waste six slots.
4. A real shopper would type it. Phrases from Step 2's autocomplete and Step 4's reviews usually pass this test.

Because Amazon can combine words across your keywords, title and subtitle, you don't need to repeat a word in every box. One box with "small town" and another with "cat mystery" can still help with "small town cat mystery."

Step 6: Enter your keywords in KDP

1. Sign in to KDP and open your book's eBook or Paperback Details page.
2. Scroll to the Keywords section.
3. Type one phrase per box, in plain lowercase. Capitalization and punctuation don't add anything.
4. Don't add quotation marks around phrases.
5. Read each box once more against the "what to leave out" table below.
6. Save and continue.

If you want a walkthrough of the whole Details page, the Amazon KDP publishing guide covers each field in order. Inkora's Publishing Hub also has a step-by-step KDP checklist for ebook and paperback, though you enter and upload everything in your own KDP account.

Step 7: Review your keywords after launch

Give your book some time after publishing, then check:

• Search each phrase on Amazon in a private window. Is your book showing up anywhere in the results?
• Are the books around yours similar? If your sweet romance appears next to dark thrillers, a phrase is pulling in the wrong audience.
• Your sales and page reads in the KDP Reports dashboard. Look for changes after any keyword edit, but remember that many other factors affect sales.

Replace phrases that don't seem to connect you with the right readers. Change one or two at a time so you can tell what made a difference.

What should you leave out of KDP keywords?

KDP's published keyword guidelines list things that shouldn't go in your keyword boxes. Some can get a book's metadata rejected, and some just waste space. Always confirm the current rules in KDP's help pages, because they can change.

Don't include	Why	Use instead
Other authors' names ("like Agatha Christie")	KDP's guidelines prohibit references to other authors	Describe the style: "classic golden age whodunit"
Other books' titles or series names	Prohibited, and misleading to shoppers	The shared trope or setting
Trademarked brand or character names you don't own	Can be treated as misleading metadata	Generic descriptions of the theme
Amazon program names ("Kindle Unlimited", "KDP Select")	Listed as not allowed in KDP's guidance	Leave out entirely
Subjective claims ("best thriller ever", "bestseller")	Not allowed and not something shoppers search	Concrete features: "fast paced thriller"
Time-sensitive terms ("new", "on sale", "free")	Not allowed, and quickly out of date	Leave out entirely
Words already in your title, subtitle or author name	Already indexed, so they waste space	New angles from your research
Generic words like "book" or "ebook"	Every listing already has them	Specific descriptive phrases
Misleading terms (a genre, age group or topic the book doesn't fit)	Brings in the wrong readers, which can mean bad reviews and returns	Only what's honestly in the book
Spelling variants, misspellings, or the same word with different spacing	KDP's guidance discourages these, and Amazon handles many variants itself	One clean version of the phrase

The "misleading terms" row matters as much as the rules. A clean romance tagged "steamy romance" might pick up clicks, but readers who wanted steam will feel let down. Disappointed readers leave poor reviews, and those hurt sales more than a weak keyword would.

How do keywords connect to the rest of your book listing?

Keywords are one part of your listing. Readers who find your book through a keyword still decide based on the cover, title, description and reviews. A few points to keep in mind:

• Your title and subtitle carry a lot of weight. If a key phrase fits naturally in your subtitle, it may serve you there. See how to choose a book title.
• Your description should match your keywords. If you tag "enemies to lovers," your description should make that trope clear in the first lines. The KDP description formatter helps you format the description for the KDP box.
• Categories narrow where you compete. Keywords help shoppers find you through search. Categories place you on browse lists.

If you write your book in Inkora, its publishing kit includes a suggested description, keywords and BISAC categories. Treat those as a starting draft and run them through the steps above before you paste them into KDP.

Common problems and fixes

My book doesn't show up when I search my own keywords. Search results depend on more than keywords, including sales history and reviews. New books with no sales often appear low for competitive phrases. Try more specific phrases with fewer competing books, and check again after your launch activity.

KDP rejected my metadata or sent me an email about keywords. Read the email carefully. It usually points to the problem field. Look for an author name, a book title, a program name or a claim like "bestseller," then remove it and resubmit.

I used single words and nothing happened. Single broad words compete with a huge number of books. Rewrite each box as a specific phrase that combines two or three ideas, such as subgenre plus setting or problem plus audience.

My book shows up next to the wrong kinds of books. One of your phrases probably matches a different audience. Search each phrase on its own, find the one producing mismatched results, and replace it with something closer to your actual content.

I can't think of seven different phrases. Go back to Step 4 and read more reviews of comparable books. Readers describe books in ways authors rarely think of. Also try the "reader occasion" angle, such as gifts or travel reads, if it honestly fits.

I keep changing keywords every few days. Each edit goes through review and needs time to show in results. Constant changes make it impossible to tell what's working. Pick a set, wait a few weeks, then adjust one or two boxes at a time.

Good KDP keywords are honest, specific phrases in a reader's own words, spread across seven different angles of your book. Build your list from autocomplete, comparable books and reviews, filter out anything the guidelines rule out, and revisit it once your book has been live for a while.