Can you share a story where optimizing a book's keywords or categories on Amazon led to a significant spike in sales or visibility?

One of my clients, an independent author, had a compelling historical fiction novel that was struggling to gain traction. Despite positive reviews, it was buried deep within Amazon's vast catalog. After analyzing their book's existing keywords and categories, we discovered they were too broad and didn't accurately reflect the niche appeal of their story. We then researched more specific, less competitive keywords, focusing on unique historical elements and character archetypes. We also refined their categories, opting for more precise sub-genres within historical fiction. Within weeks of implementing these changes, their book's sales rank soared, leading to a 300% increase in sales and a remarkable spike in visibility, proving that even small adjustments can have a massive impact.

Here are some personal tips for your own optimization efforts:

• Be hyper-specific with keywords: Think like your ideal reader. What exact phrases would they type into the search bar to find a book like yours?

• Utilize all available keyword slots: Don't leave any empty. Each one is an opportunity to be discovered.

• Target niche categories: While broad categories offer a larger audience, highly specific sub-categories make it easier for your book to rank higher and be seen by a more relevant audience.

• Monitor and adapt: Amazon's algorithms and reader behaviors change. Regularly review your book's performance and adjust your keywords and categories accordingly.

I worked with an author who created a soundboard book—essentially a playful, interactive hybrid of a book and a toy. Unfortunately, the book was categorized solely under “Books,” which limited its visibility and disqualified it from Amazon's advertising features, as KDP doesn’t support soundboard books.

The solution? I restructured her listings on Seller Central, redirecting the product into the "Toys & Games" -> "Books" category, which aligned far better with how customers might search for a soundboard book.

I sharpened her keywords to emphasize its interactive and entertaining features, while letting the product visuals convey it was also a book. With this seamless adjustment, her sales and visibility surged from non-existent to consistently solid. 

There was an instance where optimizing a book's keywords and categories on Amazon led to a significant increase in its sales and visibility. Initially, the author had used broad, generic keywords that weren't driving much traffic. After conducting thorough research, they selected more specific, niche keywords related to personal growth and wellness, which resulted in the book appearing in more relevant searches. Additionally, the author re-categorized the book to better align with popular sub-genres. Within a month, these changes led to a dramatic spike in both sales and reader engagement, marking a turning point in the book's success.

I once worked on a book that was struggling to gain traffic—sales were flat, and visibility was minimal. After a thorough review, I identified two key issues:

1. Unoptimized keywords and
2. A poor cover.

Armed with this insight, I revamped the book’s keyword strategy, targeting terms with higher search volume and relevance. But the real game-changer was transforming the cover.

On Amazon, a book is judged by its cover, not its content. A well-designed cover does more than attract—it compels. I ensured it had bold visibility, clear fonts, and explicitly spoke to the target audience. I even included a professional logo and highlighted the book's unique value proposition, both on the cover and in the metadata.

The result?

Instant recognition. Clicks skyrocketed, and so did sales. Readers couldn’t resist exploring further, and the book went from being unnoticed to a top performer in its category.

This experience proved that success on Amazon comes down to visibility and relevance. Optimize the right elements, and the marketplace will take notice.

Your book deserves to shine—let it be seen and celebrated

I worked with an author who wasn’t seeing much visibility for their book on Amazon, despite having a great product. After reviewing their keywords and categories, I realized they weren’t fully optimized. The book was a sci-fi adventure, but it wasn’t appearing in the right searches.

I helped them update their keywords to include popular search terms like “space adventure,” “galactic battle,” and “alien invasion,” which aligned better with what readers were searching for. We also changed the book’s category to a more specific niche within sci-fi.

Within a few weeks, the book started showing up in more relevant searches, and the visibility increased. The author reported a noticeable increase in interest after these changes. It showed how important the right keywords and categories are in getting the book in front of the right readers on Amazon.