Understanding the Basics of Amazon Algorithm for Selling More Books

Once you finish writing your book and publish it on Amazon, you want that book to be read by thousands of readers and be a bestseller. But the truth is that not every book becomes a bestseller, and not each author attains a massive reader base. 

Have you ever thought why so many good authors don’t get noticed, and their books don’t reach the bestsellers list on Amazon? It is primarily because they ignore the significant factors required for selling more books. 

Many self-published authors commit the mistake of merely uploading their book on Amazon and wait for miracles to happen. It doesn’t work that way. You need to put in the effort to make your book visible to your potential readers. 

The article will shed light on the aspects you need to pay attention to, increase your book’s visibility on Amazon, and turn it into a bestseller. 

Amazon is a Search Engine for Customers

It is a fact that by optimizing your product page, you can tremendously increase the visibility of your book on Amazon. To achieve that result, you first need to understand how the system of Amazon works. 

We are all familiar with Google, as it is the biggest search engine. We rely on Google to give us information about anything and everything under the sun. We type in words or phrases. Google provides us with an array of websites and pages with relevant information. So, how does Google do it? It uses an algorithm to calculate and provide users with the results. 

In the same way, Amazon also works as a  search engine. You type the product you need, and it uses an algorithm to display the relevant or right product to the user. They use an algorithm or calculation to decide which product ranks where. The Amazon algorithm’s primary job is to serve the customers best by making relevant recommendations on products (books) they may like. 

To do this job, the algorithm needs a lot of data about the book. The more the data, the more it is recommended or suggested to users. For books, you need to concentrate on optimizing metadata information like keywords, categories, reviews, etc. It increases the visibility of your book.

Before you dive into optimizing these inputs, let us get familiar with a few essential terms to better understand the process. 

Optimize your book sales page on Amazon:

Many authors spend enough time and effort in writing the book and getting it ready for publication. They assume that their job ends there. The truth is that you need to put in your best efforts to make your book reach potential readers. 

You can’t expect your potential readers to find you automatically. You have to optimize certain factors on your book sales page to increase visibility. The aspects that require your attention include, namely:

1. Choosing the Relevant Keywords & Categories

Amazon keywords and categories are essential inputs to optimize your sales page. When you add the relevant keywords and categories, it helps new readers to find your book while browsing through Amazon. When you begin the publishing process in Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), you need to select keywords and categories. 

 A lot of self-published authors make the mistake of selecting just one or two keywords for their books. It is vital to choose more keywords and longer trails ok keywords since it helps readers discover your book. Think from the reader’s perspective and try adding the words to search that particular type of book. You need to efficiently do keyword research to optimize your book sales page on Amazon. 

The next factor to consider is categories. On Amazon, categories mean the genre of the book. While choosing the categories, make sure you select the ones closely related to your book’s content. 

2. Write a Compelling Book Description

Amazon book description is the first introduction that a reader gets about your book, so it is crucial to write a compelling book description that would instill curiosity. Similarly, it is also significant to optimize this input so that the algorithm identifies it and later shows your book to the potential readers. 

Writing a good book description requires another set of skills altogether. It is more of a copywriting where you drive people to buy the book. Be sure you use emotionally gripping language and also the long tail keywords in your book description to attract potential readers.

3. Give a Good First Impression

The first time a reader comes across your book, they will likely notice two crucial factors- the book title and the cover. These two factors are critical in creating an excellent first impression. So, book title and cover are two deciding factors that will determine the fate of your book.

1. Book Title & Subtitle

The book title is indeed the factor that boosts your book sales. It should give the reader an idea about what kind of book it is and increase their curiosity. As far as Amazon is concerned, it would be better to emphasize what type of book it is in your title itself. The authors do that by adding a subtitle to the title so that the longer subtitle will give the readers a clear idea. 

You need to consider these critical points while giving the title and subtitle for your book:

1. Add the right keywords to your book’s title or subtitle so it is discoverable to a vast audience.
2. Make sure the title is catchy and appropriate to the genre of the book. 

2. Book Cover

People judge a book by its cover, and there is no escape from that. It is the first impression that a reader gets about the book, and the cover should entice the reader. 

You need to consider these factors before you settle on the cover for your book:

1. Get the cover designed by a professional. Your book cover has to look professional and not amateurish. 
2. Make sure the cover gives an idea to the potential reader about what’s inside the book. It should meet the expectations of the book’s genre. 
3. Remember that your book cover should stand out and not blend in with the rest of thousands of books on Amazon. 

4. Add Genuine Book Reviews

When you browse for any product on Amazon, many of us read the product reviews and decide whether to buy it. Reviews are one of the most influential deciding factors when it comes to purchasing any product online. It is the same case with books as well.

You need to strive to have good reviews on your sales page. It is always better to include honest book reviews there, which might consist of both positive and negative. Ask your readers to send a review of your book after reading and try adding that information since the number of reviews on Amazon is more significant than its rating. 

5. Update your Author Page

The author page also provides essential information to Amazon’s algorithm, so it is vital to update your author page. It gives information like the readers who follow the page, the readers who browse the age, and the book titles added in your catalog. 

Ensure you have the following updated on your author page:

• An engaging author bio
• A professional author photo
• List all your books
• Add book trailers, if any.
• Add information about your social media platforms.
• Add the follow button.
• Add the author’s name in the page’s URL.

6. Drive the Book Sales

The main objective of Amazon is to promote sales. To achieve that, you need to market your book on Amazon efficiently. There are many ways you can drive book sales on Amazon. You can boost your book sales by taking the following steps:

• Having a well-planned promotion plan
• Using KDP Select promotions 
• Giving the book free for a limited period.

It requires time and effort to optimize your Amazon book sales page. It might be a difficult task for authors who love to spend time writing, but it is nevertheless a crucial step that would decide the success of your book. So, you must take that time to optimize your Amazon page to turn your book into a bestseller.