Amazon KDP Keyword Research: Find Profitable Topics 2025
Discover a proven keyword research process that has generated over $100,000 in Amazon KDP sales. Learn how to find profitable book topics, validate keywords, and identify untapped niches with low competition.
Understanding Keywords and Bestseller Rank
Before diving into the keyword research process, understand two fundamental concepts that form the foundation of successful Amazon KDP publishing.
A keyword represents what customers search for on Amazon. When someone types "stock market investing for teens" into Amazon's search bar, that search term becomes a keyword. In the context of book publishing, keywords and book topics are essentially interchangeable. While "stock market investing" and "stock market investing for teens" cover the same general subject, they represent different book topics because they target distinct audiences with specific needs.
Bestseller Rank (BSR) is a metric that indicates how well a book is selling compared to all other books on Amazon. Every published book receives a BSR that reflects its sales performance. Lower BSR numbers indicate higher sales volume, while higher numbers suggest fewer sales. This ranking system provides valuable insights into market demand and competition levels for specific topics.
Why Specificity Matters
Authors should focus on highly specific topics rather than broad categories. A book targeting "stock market investing for beginners" serves a different market than one targeting "stock market investing for teens," even though both cover investing fundamentals. This specificity allows writers to create books that precisely match customer search intent.
The Wrong Approach to Keyword Research
Many authors make a critical mistake in their keyword research approach. They begin by selecting a book topic, creating the book, and then attempting to find keywords that might help their book rank. This backward process significantly reduces the likelihood of success.
When writers treat keywords as an afterthought, they often discover that their chosen topic lacks sufficient demand or faces overwhelming competition. By this point, they've already invested time and resources into creating a book that may struggle to generate sales.
Why This Approach Fails
- No proof of market demand before creating the book
- Potential oversaturation in the chosen topic
- Misalignment between book content and customer search intent
- Wasted time and resources on books that may never sell
The Correct Approach: Keyword-First Publishing
Successful authors reverse this process entirely. They begin by identifying profitable book topics through comprehensive keyword research, then create books specifically designed to rank for those validated search terms. This keyword-first approach ensures that every book targets proven demand.
The process follows a clear sequence: first, find a profitable keyword or book topic that demonstrates existing demand. Next, create a book that directly addresses that specific search term. Finally, launch the book strategically so it appears on the first page of search results when customers search for that keyword.
When a book ranks prominently for its target keyword, it becomes visible to customers who are actively searching for that exact topic. Because the book matches their search intent precisely, these customers are highly likely to make a purchase. This alignment between search intent and book content creates a natural sales funnel.
The 90% Rule
Approximately 90% of a book's sales typically come from its primary search term. As long as a book ranks well for its main keyword and sufficient demand exists, it will generate consistent sales. Additionally, books optimized for specific keywords naturally rank for related search terms, expanding their visibility without additional effort.
The fundamental principle behind this approach is simple: identify topics that people are already purchasing, reverse-engineer what's working in those markets, create high-quality books that meet customer needs, and launch them strategically so customers can discover them. When authors follow this formula, they eliminate the need for extensive marketing because they're placing their books directly in front of customers who are actively seeking those topics.
How to Find Profitable Book Topics
The keyword research process begins by exploring Amazon's bestseller categories. Authors navigate through various categories, examining books that are currently selling well. This method works for both high-content and low-content book publishing, making it universally applicable.
While browsing categories, look for books that immediately reveal their topic. If a book's subject isn't apparent at first glance, it's best to continue searching. With practice, profitable book topics become quickly recognizable. Spend substantial time exploring multiple categories, recording potential topics as you discover them.
⏰ Time Investment Matters
Some authors spend only a couple of hours on keyword research and wonder why they haven't found profitable keywords. If finding profitable topics were that straightforward, everyone would be successful. Real keyword research requires patience and persistence.
Successful authors often dedicate one to three weeks to keyword research, spending several hours daily exploring categories and building comprehensive lists of potential topics. They create lists containing hundreds of keywords, then validate each one systematically. This thorough approach helps them discover winners that most competitors miss.
Amazon KDP success is a slow, methodical process. Authors who rush through keyword research typically find the same obvious topics that everyone else discovers. Taking time to explore deeply and identify untapped niches provides a significant competitive advantage.
Essential Tools for Keyword Research
- DS Amazon Quick View: A free Chrome extension that displays bestseller ranks for books on Amazon pages
- Book Beam: A paid tool that provides comprehensive BSR data, search volume metrics, and additional research features
- BookKeyword Pro: Get 40+ keyword suggestions, Amazon Top 7 keywords, Goodreads tags, and competitor analysis. Perfect for discovering keywords that help readers find your book.
- Private/Incognito Browser Window: Essential for viewing Amazon.com with a US zip code without personalization bias
Using a private browser window ensures that search results aren't skewed by personal shopping history or algorithmic personalization. This provides a more accurate view of what typical customers see when searching for book topics.
The Deep-Dive Method for Untapped Topics
While browsing bestseller categories reveals surface-level topics that many authors discover, a more advanced technique involves diving deep into Amazon's recommendation system. This method helps writers find less obvious, untapped topics with lower competition.
The deep-dive method works by clicking into individual books and examining the "customers also bought" or "related books" sections. When you click into a book, you see recommendations for similar titles. By continuing to click into these recommended books, you navigate deeper into Amazon's catalog, discovering topics that don't appear in surface-level category browsing.
As you navigate deeper, you encounter books that only appear through this exploration method. These books aren't prominently featured in category listings, meaning fewer competitors have discovered them. This creates opportunities to identify profitable niches with less saturation.
The Niche Finder Tool
For authors using Book Beam, the Niche Finder tool provides another powerful method for discovering profitable topics. This tool allows you to set specific parameters:
- Bestseller rank between 1 and 30,000 (indicating strong sales)
- Review count between 150-200 (showing books that are selling but haven't accumulated massive review counts)
- Publication age of 6-12 months (indicating newer, potentially untapped topics)
The Niche Finder generates lists of books that meet these criteria, revealing topics where books are selling well with relatively low review counts. This suggests opportunities where you can compete effectively by creating quality books and building review counts.
Keyword Validation: The Most Important Step
Finding potential book topics is only the first step. The critical component that separates successful authors from those who struggle is keyword validation. This process uses specific metrics to predict whether a keyword can actually generate sales.
Two fundamental questions must be answered during validation: First, are people already buying books in this topic? Second, can you realistically compete and sell books in this market? These questions are addressed through two categories of metrics: traffic and demand, and competition and visibility.
Validation metrics have been refined over years of testing and provide the most accurate method for predicting keyword profitability. Authors who skip validation or use guesswork often publish books in topics with insufficient demand or overwhelming competition.
Traffic and Demand Metrics
The traffic and demand section evaluates whether customers are actively searching for and purchasing books in a given topic. These metrics provide proof that a market exists and that books can sell in that market.
Search Volume
Search volume indicates how many times customers search for a keyword on Amazon each month. Higher search volume suggests greater potential demand. However, search volume alone doesn't tell the complete story, so it should be considered alongside other metrics.
Note: Search volume data requires tools like Book Beam. Authors without access to these tools can still validate keywords using other metrics.
Winning Books
Winning books are those with a BSR of 50,000 or less and fewer than 150 reviews. You should identify at least three winning books for a keyword to consider it viable. These books prove that:
- Books with low review counts can still sell well in this topic
- Demand exists for the keyword
- New authors can compete by creating quality books and building reviews
If multiple books with low reviews are selling successfully, it indicates high demand and suggests that a well-executed book can achieve similar results.
Dead Books
Dead books are those with 25 or more reviews but high BSR numbers, indicating poor sales performance. A high number of dead books relative to winning books suggests that:
- More books are failing than succeeding in this topic
- Demand may be insufficient to support new books
- The keyword may not be profitable
If a keyword shows zero winning books but numerous dead books, avoid that topic regardless of other metrics. This clearly indicates insufficient demand.
Competition and Visibility Metrics
Once traffic and demand are confirmed, you must evaluate whether you can realistically compete in the market. Competition and visibility metrics assess market saturation and the difficulty of ranking for a keyword.
Search Results Relevance
Publishers must verify that books appearing in search results actually match the search term. If someone searches for "diet cookbook" and sees results for keto diets, Mediterranean diets, and pescatarian diets, the data becomes unreliable because these represent different topics.
For accurate validation, all books on the first page should address the same specific topic. This ensures that metrics reflect the actual market for that keyword rather than a mix of related but distinct topics.
Pages of Relevant Books
While search results show what appears on the first page, examining multiple pages reveals the true depth of competition. Publishers should count how many pages contain relevant books before results either:
- Transition to books with very low reviews that aren't selling
- Shift to different topics entirely
- Show books with no reviews, indicating no real competition
If only four to six pages contain relevant books, ranking on page one becomes much more achievable. However, if 30 or more pages show relevant books, the market is highly saturated, making it difficult to achieve visibility.
Authority Figures
Authority figures are books with over 1,000 reviews. These books have established significant market presence and are extremely difficult to compete against. Count how many authority figures appear in search results.
If all top-performing books are authority figures with thousands of reviews, new authors will struggle to compete. However, if winning books have fewer than 200-300 reviews, you can compete effectively by creating quality books and building your own review counts.
Real Validation Examples: Good vs. Bad Keywords
Examining real validation examples helps illustrate how these metrics work in practice and demonstrates the clear difference between profitable and unprofitable keywords.
Example: Good Keyword - "Good Energy Cookbook"
This keyword demonstrates strong validation metrics:
- Search Volume: 40,000 (high demand indicator)
- Winning Books: 5 books with BSR under 50,000 and fewer than 150 reviews
- Dead Books: 8-14 books (manageable number relative to winners)
- Search Results: 3,000 results, all books match the search term
- Pages of Books: Only 3 pages before transitioning to different topics or books with no reviews
- Authority Figures: Only 1 book with over 1,000 reviews
These metrics indicate strong demand with manageable competition. Multiple books with low reviews are selling well, suggesting that a new author could achieve similar success with proper execution. The limited number of pages and minimal authority figures make ranking achievable.
⚠️ Important Note
While "good energy" demonstrates strong metrics, authors should be aware that this term may have trademark considerations. This example serves to illustrate validation principles rather than as a recommended topic.
Example: Bad Keyword - "Renal Diet Cookbook"
This keyword demonstrates poor validation metrics:
- Search Volume: Zero or extremely low
- Winning Books: Zero books meeting the criteria
- Dead Books: Over 20 books with reviews but high BSR (not selling)
- Authority Figures: Multiple books with over 3,000 reviews dominating results
These metrics clearly indicate insufficient demand. With zero winning books and numerous dead books, the market demonstrates that books in this topic are not selling. Even if competition metrics appeared favorable, the traffic and demand section alone would disqualify this keyword. Publishers should stop validation immediately when traffic and demand metrics are poor, as competition metrics become irrelevant without demand.
The Validation Rule
The most important principle in keyword validation: if traffic and demand metrics are poor, the keyword should be rejected regardless of competition metrics. Without proven demand, no amount of low competition will make a keyword profitable. Publishers must always prioritize finding keywords where people are actively buying books.
Key Principles for Keyword Research Success
Several fundamental principles guide successful keyword research and help authors avoid common pitfalls.
Proof Over Assumption
Successful authors seek proof that books can sell in a topic before creating content. They look for evidence that other books with low reviews are selling well, indicating that demand exists and competition is manageable. This proof-based approach eliminates guesswork and focuses effort on topics with demonstrated profitability.
When you find books with low reviews selling successfully, it signals that creating a quality book, building reviews, and launching properly can achieve similar results. This proof provides confidence that the keyword represents a viable opportunity.
Don't Fear Competition
Many authors avoid keywords with any competition, but this fear often leads them to topics with insufficient demand. The key is understanding what represents real competition versus manageable competition.
Books with 100-300 reviews don't represent insurmountable competition. If you create a better book with a superior cover and title, you can compete effectively even with fewer reviews. Reviews become a significant barrier only when they reach 1,000 or more, creating true authority figures.
Focus on competing with the first two rows of page one results. If those books have reasonable review counts (under 200-300) and decent but not exceptional covers, there's opportunity to compete. Most books in search results aren't real competition; they're present but not selling well.
Focus on Demand, Not Just Low Competition
While low competition is desirable, it means nothing without demand. Prioritize keywords where people are actively buying books, even if some competition exists. Going where demand exists ensures that well-executed books will find customers.
The most successful authors target keywords with proven demand and manageable competition rather than seeking completely empty markets that may lack customer interest entirely.
Continuous Optimization After Launch
Once a book ranks on page one, the work continues. Analyze performance metrics, adjust covers based on click-through rates from ads, optimize product pages, and gradually improve conversion rates. A book selling well at 50 reviews can perform even better at 200+ reviews.
This ongoing optimization process transforms good keywords into great opportunities, maximizing the potential of validated topics.
Getting Started with Keyword Research
Authors ready to begin keyword research should start with the right tools and mindset. The process requires patience, but the investment pays dividends in finding profitable topics that competitors miss.
Keyword Research Checklist
- ✓Set up a private/incognito browser window with Amazon.com and a US zip code
- ✓Install DS Amazon Quick View (free) or subscribe to Book Beam (paid) for BSR data
- ✓Create a spreadsheet to record potential keywords and validation metrics
- ✓Spend 1-3 weeks exploring bestseller categories and deep-diving into book recommendations
- ✓Build a list of 200+ potential keywords
- ✓Validate each keyword using traffic/demand and competition/visibility metrics
- ✓Select keywords with all green metrics (proven demand and manageable competition)
- ✓Create books specifically for validated keywords
- ✓Launch books strategically to rank on page one for target keywords
Real-world success stories demonstrate the effectiveness of this approach. Authors who follow this keyword research method have generated substantial income, with some books earning thousands of dollars in their first few months. The key is finding topics with proven demand, creating quality books that meet customer needs, and launching them where customers can discover them.
Remember: Amazon KDP is not oversaturated. There are always people searching for something and buying books. The challenge isn't finding customers; it's creating the right books and placing them where those customers can find them. When you master keyword research, you unlock the ability to consistently identify profitable opportunities in the Amazon KDP marketplace.
