---
title: "What Are KDP Keywords? Book Search Metadata"
description: "What KDP keywords are, how many you get, what kinds of phrases work, and the words KDP says to leave out of a book's metadata."
url: "https://www.superebook.ai/glossary/kdp-keywords"
updated: "2026-10-20"
---

# Keywords (KDP metadata)

**Definition.** KDP keywords are the short words and phrases you enter with a book's details so Amazon can match it to shoppers' searches. KDP lets you use up to seven. Together with the title, description and categories they make up the book's metadata, and they should add search terms the title doesn't already cover.

Sources checked October 20, 2026.

## How it works

You add them under Keywords on the book's details page. KDP's advice is to put words in the order people search ("military science fiction", not "fiction science military"), to try each phrase in Amazon's search box first, and to think like a reader. Useful kinds include setting, character types and roles, plot themes and tone. Phrases work without quotation marks: KDP says a quoted phrase only matches shoppers who type every word in it, while separate words can each be found.

## An example

For a budgeting guide titled "Money for Freelancers", repeating "freelancer money book" wastes a box, since the title already covers it. Better are phrases a reader would type that the title doesn't contain: "irregular income budget", "self-employed taxes set aside", "budget for uneven paychecks". Each one should describe the book honestly.

## Common mistakes

Repeating words from the title or the chosen categories. Using claims about quality ("best guide"), time-sensitive words ("new", "on sale"), Amazon program names such as Kindle Unlimited, or another author's name: KDP has zero tolerance for misleading metadata. And filling all seven boxes with variants of one phrase (plurals, spacing, capitals), which KDP lists among the things to avoid.

## Questions

**How many keywords can I add on KDP?** Up to seven. KDP describes them as keywords or short phrases, each limited by the character count of its text field.

**Should I use quotation marks around keyword phrases?** No. KDP says a quoted phrase only matches searches containing all of its words, while unquoted words can each match, so leave the quotation marks out.

## Sources

- [KDP: Make Your Book More Discoverable with Keywords](https://kdp.amazon.com/en_US/help/topic/G201298500): Up to seven keywords, word order, testing searches, useful keyword types, keywords to avoid, quotation marks and zero tolerance for misleading metadata.

## Related terms

- [BISAC subject codes](https://www.superebook.ai/glossary/bisac-subject-codes.md)
- [ASIN](https://www.superebook.ai/glossary/asin.md)
- [KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing)](https://www.superebook.ai/glossary/kdp.md)

## Read next

- [KDP categories and keywords: the rules](https://www.superebook.ai/guides/kdp-categories-and-keywords.md)
- [How to write a KDP book description](https://www.superebook.ai/guides/how-to-write-a-kdp-book-description.md)
- [A 30-day ebook launch checklist](https://www.superebook.ai/blog/ebook-launch-checklist.md)
- [All glossary terms](https://www.superebook.ai/glossary.md)