Amazon’s Keyword Rules for Authors

What Actually Matters (and What Doesn’t)

When Amazon recently updated their keyword guidelines, they complicated matters for us authors. Some of the new guidance is of use, whereas some is simply Amazon covering their backsides.

But, sadly, not every “rule” is hard and fast. Several are just recommendations that Amazon would prefer you follow. Whereas others are strict policies that could get your book hidden or even delisted until corrected.

The tricky part is knowing which is which.

In this post, I’ll walk you through the updated keyword rules, show you which ones matter most, and give you simple advice to optimise your keywords without falling foul of Amazon's system.

Remember, the seven KDP keyword boxes are where you enter words or phrases that help Amazon understand what your book is about, so the store can show your book to shoppers searching for those topics. These keywords do not appear publicly on your book’s page, although they influence which search results and categories your book will appear in across the Amazon store.

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The New Amazon Keyword Rules You Need to Know

Let’s go through the updated rules, one by one:

Photo by Mark Duffel on Unsplash

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1. No Brand Names You Don't Own (Including Amazon Program Names)

If you put a brand name you don’t own in your keyword boxes (like Disney or Google), you’re taking a risk. If you use Amazon’s own names, like Kindle Unlimited or KDP Select, you will get flagged. Amazon’s system catches this fairly quickly.

Verdict: Hard Rule. Break it and Amazon will act on it.

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2. Avoid Subjective Claims (e.g., “Best Sci-Fi Novel”)

Amazon doesn’t want your keywords making claims like “bestseller”, “award-winning”, or “best thriller ever”. This is partly to avoid misleading readers, and partly to protect Amazon from being blamed for poor search results.

While the system does not always catch these, if it does, your book will be flagged, and you will be asked to change it.

Verdict: Soft Rule. Sometimes enforced, but risky to ignore.