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KDP Keyword & Category Finder

Generate 7 long-tail Amazon keyword phrases and ghost category paths — including ghost categories only reachable by emailing KDP support — tailored to your genre, comparable titles, and target reader. Each keyword includes estimated competition level and ranking potential. 2 credits per run on the Starter plan.

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How KDP keywords work

Amazon gives you 7 keyword fields when you publish on KDP, each up to 50 characters. These backend keywords are the direct signal you send to Amazon's search algorithm — they determine which reader queries surface your book in search results, which "Customers also bought" chains your book enters, and which ad targeting groups it qualifies for.

Your title and subtitle are indexed automatically. The 7 keyword slots are for everything else: the sub-genre, the tropes, the setting, the target reader's emotional need. A reader who types "cozy mystery with a cat sidekick" will never find your book unless that phrase — or close to it — is in one of your 7 fields.

For a deeper look at how Amazon's backend keyword system works versus what appears in your listing: KDP Backend Keywords vs Search Terms →

Common KDP keyword mistakes

  • Using single words instead of phrases. "Mystery" puts you against tens of thousands of books. "Cozy mystery female detective small town" matches a specific reader query. Use all 50 characters as one complete phrase. Why keywords underperform →
  • Repeating words already in your title. Amazon indexes your title automatically. Adding those words again in a keyword slot wastes the slot. Use keywords for angles your title doesn't cover. Full breakdown →
  • Using banned terms. Amazon silently strips prohibited keywords — superlatives ("best," "top"), price references ("sale," "discount"), competitor names — without any warning. Your KDP dashboard still shows the keyword, but Amazon doesn't use it. Full banned terms list →
  • Using the wrong phrase structure for your genre. Fiction readers search by trope and experience ("enemies to lovers small town"). Nonfiction readers search by problem and outcome ("how to build passive income"). Mixing them kills discovery. Genre phrase patterns →
  • Never updating keywords after launch. Keyword performance degrades as new titles enter your categories and seasonal trends shift. Review every 60–90 days — or immediately when organic traffic drops. How to diagnose underperformance →
  • Confusing backend keywords with search terms. Backend keywords and the search terms readers type are related but not the same thing. Understanding how Amazon maps between them changes how you write keyword phrases. Backend keywords vs search terms →

KDP categories vs keywords — and ghost categories

KDP categories and backend keywords are two separate systems that work together. Keywords control which search queries surface your book. Categories control which browse paths your book appears in — the hierarchical lists readers navigate when they're not searching, just browsing.

KDP lets you select 2 categories during upload. You can request up to 10 total by emailing KDP support after publishing. Most authors stop at 2 and leave 8 category slots empty. See: KDP category limit — how many can you choose →

Ghost categories are real Amazon browse categories that don't appear in the standard KDP upload interface. They exist in Amazon's public browse tree but are only accessible by emailing KDP support with your ASIN and the exact category path. Ghost categories often have far less competition and more attainable bestseller ranks because most authors don't know they exist. How to find Amazon ghost categories →

How to use this KDP Keyword Finder

  1. Enter your book details. Title, genre, comparable titles (comps), target reader, and key themes. The more specific your inputs, the more targeted the keyword phrases. Comps are especially important — they tell the tool what sub-genre conventions your book follows.
  2. Generate keyword phrases and category paths. The tool produces 7 keyword phrases formatted for KDP's 50-character backend fields, each with a character count shown. It also outputs primary and alternative category paths including ghost categories, with the exact path text needed for a KDP support request.
  3. Copy to KDP and request categories. Paste each phrase into the 7 keyword fields in your KDP book setup. For categories, copy the full category path text and email KDP support with your ASIN to request placement in up to 10 categories total.

Common questions

Amazon KDP gives you 7 keyword fields, each up to 50 characters including spaces. Use each slot as a complete keyword phrase — not a list of single words — to match the specific search queries real readers type.
A ghost category is a real Amazon browse category that doesn't appear in the standard KDP category picker during upload. These categories exist in Amazon's public browse tree but are only accessible by emailing KDP support with your ASIN and the exact category path. Ghost categories often have less competition because most authors don't know they exist.
Amazon prohibits superlatives (best, top, greatest), price or promotional references (sale, cheap, discount), words already in your title, category names used as keywords, and competitor brand or author names. Amazon silently strips banned terms without any warning — your dashboard still shows the keyword, but Amazon doesn't use it.
Always use complete phrases. Single words like 'romance' or 'thriller' compete against every book in the genre. Phrases like 'small town romance with pets' or 'psychological thriller unreliable narrator' match specific queries real readers type and face far less competition. Use all 50 characters as one phrase.
Publisher Rocket ($97 one-time) pulls real Amazon search volume data and historical BSR trends — best if you want hard volume numbers and publish frequently. This tool works differently: it generates AI-crafted keyword phrases tailored to your specific book — genre, comparable titles, target reader, and themes — formatted as complete 50-character phrases, filtered against Amazon's prohibited terms, with ghost category paths included. No live volume numbers, but deep personalization to your book's positioning.
The tool costs 2 AI credits per run. Credits are included in the BookKraft Starter plan ($19 one-time payment, no subscription). The Starter plan includes credits usable across all AI tools on the platform.