Just like your author website, you can apply SEO (search engine optimisation) techniques to your book descriptions to increase the likelihood of being found by your ideal readers!
Read on for three ways to search engine optimise your blurbs:
1. Keywords
You can read the first blog in my Author SEO series for a more in-depth explanation of what SEO keywords are, and ideas for which ones to use.
Keywords - even on paper - can tell readers what a book is about, and why they should buy it. This concept is also applicable to search engines, whether that's Google, Goodreads, Amazon, or wherever your readers might be searching for new reads.
Weaving specific words into a blurb isn't easy. You're already trying to make it compelling and concise, while giving potential readers the perfect taste of your book. Now you have to add keywords, too!
The comparative titles section of your book description (usually placed at the end) is a great section for keywords. Of course you'll already have comp titles there, which are great keywords, and you can easily add in keywords such as your audience and genre.
i.e. Perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, this fast-paced teen adventure will get your heart racing.
Outside of this section, try to write tropes into the book description (i.e. but when she finds out she's the chosen one...). Also clarify the ages of your characters and the themes of the book. These will all help with searches!
2. Title & cover
Your title and cover are the first things people see, but you may be surprised to hear they can be SEO'd. Your title is what people will search for, so keeping it unique but specific, and not too long, will make it easier for people to find.
Online, you can put the genre right in the title, so it comes up when people search for it. You should also add the series name to the title, if the book is part of a series (i.e. The Hunger Games Book 3).
Your cover should be genre-specific and eye-catching so people are more likely to be drawn to it and click. If a reader sees a floral cover with a vintage font, when they're looking for a sci-fi adventure, they probably won't give it a chance!
3. Convincing people to buy
So you have some basics for getting the book description SEO'd, but that doesn't mean the blurb is compelling enough to make readers buy the book. You have to get them to the next step - actually reading!
Here are some aspects to add to make your blurb more compelling:
A hook
Comparative titles
Use of italics and bold
A 5-star review
Awards/recognition
A cliffhanger
And a call to action
Don't make your description just about summarising the book or following the rules of SEO. It should be all about making an emotional connection with a potential reader, and leaving them with enough burning questions to start reading!
Want more? Head to my shop and use code AWSOCIALS20 for 20% off my writing worksheets!
Comments