I Changed My Longtail Keywords...Again

I was reading an article by Penny Sansevieri tonight about book marketing tips. Not one that gives the same worthless advice ad nauseam, but more about optimizing one's Amazon book page. This statement stood out:

"One of the biggest keyword mistakes authors make is describing the book the way they think about it rather than the way readers search for it." 

Guilty.

Sansevieri goes on to note that:

Readers search by:

• emotional experience
• tropes
• problems to solve
• familiar genre language
• outcomes they want

I think my keywords have been too dry. They listed the book's themes, such as "music industry novel" and "female self-discovery", both of which apply, but I'm skeptical that anyone even searches those terms. 

Google states:

For books specifically, long-tail keywords are the secret to getting discovered in a massive online marketplace like Amazon or Google. Broad terms like "women's fiction" or "thriller" are flooded with millions of competing titles, making it nearly impossible for an independent author or smaller publisher to appear on the first page.

Long-tail keywords bridge the gap by connecting your book directly with readers who are searching for your exact type of story.

Sure, I've been known to use "women's fiction". (Duh)

My confusion was based on my own search methods. I've never once searched for books on Amazon based on a particular vibe. But then again, I only search for a particular title or author. Are there really people who'll go with a random book that pops up in the search results? That's so foreign to me. I enjoy gambling, but only if there's a potential money payout.  

 More from Google on long-tail keywords:

They attract readers with high "buying intent." A reader searching for "fiction books" is just browsing. A reader searching for "small town second-chance romance with a singer" knows exactly what they want to read next and is highly likely to click "Buy Now" when your book matches that description. 

(I never search for "fiction books", either.)

Let's say there actually are people who do that. I'm more than willing to buy into it, if it works. 

A while back, I consulted Copilot for some long-tail keyword suggestions. Copilot is basically the dunderheaded stepchild of the AI world. But it was all I had---I wasn't about to fork over money for a paid AI subscription. But now that Google has taken to providing AI responses as a matter of practice, I really love it. It doesn't waste time complimenting me on stupid-ass stuff, such as "Great question!" (Don't patronize me.) And it's very patient. I can ask it any follow-up question I'd be embarrassed to ask an actual human and it'll go into detail without dumbing it down for me (although it would, if I asked it to).

Example:

ME: I'm skeptical anyone would enter long-tail keywords in the search bar.

AI: No (you idiot!) They could type any of the words into the search bar. 

Thus, with some back and forth between us, a couple of disagreements, AI and I have devised new long-tail keywords for Running From Herself. One thing I appreciated was that it didn't duplicate any words, but rather utilized each 50-character keyword space efficiently.

Here they are, with AI's justifications:

Box 1: The Dual Setting & Journey

small town to big city and back fiction story

Box 2: The Musical Career

uplifting singer songwriter music industry drama

Box 3: The Emotional Core

heartwarming female self discovery journey hope

Box 4: Coming Home / Fresh Starts

second chance romance returning home novel hope

Box 5: Ambition & Dreams Chasing

big city dreams country girl inspired

Box 6: The Reading Vibe/Feel

good comforting summer beach read books

Box 7: Support & Relationships

found family supportive small town community

 

(Not crazy about "summer beach reads", but okay, it could work.) 

I'm not going to quibble that AI knew my book. It and I have talked about it before, which is why it knew that the main character's name is Leah. It is a bit jarring, though. I choose to regard that as interacting with someone (some thing) that really knows me. 

Will all this result in book sales? Sadly, no, that ship has sailed.

But where would we be if we simply stopped trying?