If you’re selling your book on Amazon, your Amazon author page can be just as important as the book itself. An author page is a great way to let readers learn more about you as a writer, your book, and your publishing history (if you’ve got more than one book under your belt). Because of this, it’s important to keep the page in tiptop shape. Here are seven ways to refresh your Amazon author page right now, which will help you get more searches, more clicks, and more book sales.

*Note of caution: At SparkPress and She Writes Press, we handle all the author data for our authors, so if you have a publisher, make sure to check in with them about when and how they would like you to update certain data fields, since unchecked changes could clash with the publisher’s data feed.

1. Keep Your Author Bio and Headshot Up to Date

Keeping your bio updated highlights your strengths as a writer and keeps potential readers informed about your overall career. Include any recent accomplishments of note that were not there previously, such as new writing awards, a fresh MFA, a spot on a bestseller list, etc. It also never hurts to have a recent, professional photo above your bio.

2. Optimize Keyword Searches

Before potential readers will buy your book, they first need to find your book. In order to increase the chances of this happening, you want to make use of keywords, or search terms, that relate to your book. You can add up to 100 words—but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should. Focus on the top 10-20 keywords that you think your potential reader might look for when trying to find a book like yours. You can help guide them to you by maximizing your keywords.

3. Link to Your Blog/Website

On the Amazon author page, you have the option to allow “Author Updates,” which can sync up to a number of webpages including your blog and/or author website. Linking your author page to these sites will keep readers updated about your writing, and also show them that you’re invested in your work.

4. Link to Your Twitter and Other Social Media Platforms

Author Updates can also sync to your Twitter account, allowing your latest tweets to appear on your author page. This comes in handy when a bestselling author tweets at you about how awesome your book is!

[[so you mean if you’re tagged that shows up in your feed on your author updates? This needs to be clarified]] Always make sure your tweets are professional and on-brand.

5. Add Upcoming Events

The Amazon author page also allows you to add any upcoming events, such as readings and book signings. This is great exposure, and can help garner more attendees at your events, too. Keep in mind that these events won’t update automatically, so you’ll need to remove past events from your page to keep it looking fresh.

6. Know That Your Amazon Reviews Do Carry Weight

The number of Amazon reviews you have results in more visibility for your book on Amazon. Industry wisdom seems to suggest that 50 reviews is the magic number, and that by reaching this number, Amazon’s algorithms start to track you and give you higher visibility. (We have not been able to corroborate this!) Ask for reviews, and direct readers to your Amazon page to provide them. This is especially important right around on or within the few weeks after your release date.
7. You Can Control the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” Feature

Since this is another of Amazon’s algorithms, you can encourage readers to purchase your book along with titles and authors you want to be associated with. When your book is purchased with authors at the level you’re reaching for, this ultimately helps your ranking and associates you with the kind of author you want to be listed next to on Amazon.