Writing a book usually begins with an idea.
A writer has a story to tell, a subject to explore, an experience to turn into words, or a message to share with readers.
But today, there is another question worth asking before writing the first page:
How will I make this book discoverable by people who are already looking for the very thing I want to write about?
This question changes the way we approach book planning.
It does not mean writing an artificial book, filling it with keywords, or sacrificing creativity for SEO.
On the contrary, it means understanding that a book does not exist only within its pages.
A book has a title, a subtitle, a description, categories, keywords, an Amazon listing, potential reviews, an author, a website, articles, interviews, social media content, and search engine visibility.
All these elements contribute to its discoverability.
That is why SEO should become part of the planning process before writing begins, not an afterthought once the book is finished.
1. The Wrong Question: “What Book Do I Want to Write?”
The first question most writers ask themselves is:
“What book do I want to write?”
It is a perfectly reasonable question, but it is not enough.
Writers who want to build a lasting online presence for their work should ask a few more questions:
- Who might be interested in this book?
- What do these people search for on Google?
- What do they search for on Amazon?
- What problems are they trying to solve?
- What questions do they ask?
- Which words do they use to describe the subject?
- Which competing books are already available?
- Which topics are saturated?
- Where are there still opportunities?
- What content could I create around the book?
- Could my book become the centre of an entire topic area?
At this point, we are no longer simply planning a book.
We are planning a content ecosystem around a book.
2. Start with the Subject, Not the Title
One of the most common mistakes is choosing a title immediately.
The title matters, but it should be one of the outcomes of the planning process rather than necessarily the starting point.
Suppose we want to write a book about artificial intelligence.
We might begin with a creative title such as:
“Beyond the Machine”
The title might be intriguing, but it communicates relatively little to search engines and may not immediately match what a reader is looking for.
Before choosing the title, we should identify the book’s central subject.
For example:
Artificial intelligence and everyday life.
From this starting point, we can build a semantic map:
- Artificial intelligence
- AI
- Artificial intelligence in everyday life
- The future of artificial intelligence
- The relationship between humans and AI
- AI and work
- AI and society
- How to use artificial intelligence
- Benefits of artificial intelligence
- Risks of artificial intelligence
This does not mean that every one of these phrases must appear in the book.
It means understanding the wider semantic territory in which the book is intended to sit.
3. Identify the Primary Keyword
Every publishing project should have one or more primary keywords.
The primary keyword represents the central concept around which the book’s positioning can be developed.
For example:
Primary keyword: books about artificial intelligence
Secondary keywords might include:
- Artificial intelligence books
- Books about AI
- Best books about artificial intelligence
- Artificial intelligence and the future
- AI and society
- The relationship between humans and artificial intelligence
We can also identify long-tail keywords: more specific search queries that often reveal a clearer interest or intention.
For example:
- Books about artificial intelligence for beginners
- Books about the relationship between humans and AI
- Books about the future of artificial intelligence
- Books about the impact of AI on society
These search queries can be valuable not only for the book itself, but also for the author’s website.
The objective is not to collect as many keywords as possible. It is to understand which concepts are relevant to the intended readership and how people express their interest in them.
4. Understand Search Intent Before Writing the Book
SEO is not simply about identifying keywords.
We also need to understand why someone uses those words.
The same keyword can reflect very different intentions.
Someone searching for:
“artificial intelligence”
might simply want to understand the subject.
Someone searching for:
“how to use ChatGPT”
has a more practical intention.
Someone searching for:
“books about artificial intelligence”
is showing an interest in finding reading material.
Someone searching for:
“best books about artificial intelligence”
is probably comparing different options before deciding what to read or buy.
This allows us to establish a logical sequence:
Subject → Search query → Intent → Content → Book
The book should fit coherently within this sequence.
Understanding search intent helps us decide whether a topic is better suited to a book, an explanatory article, a practical guide, or a page designed to introduce a particular publication.
5. Research the Competition Before Writing
Before beginning the manuscript, it is worth examining what already exists.
This means looking beyond the books that are selling well.
We should also examine:
- The titles competitors use
- Their subtitles
- The categories in which their books appear
- The subjects they cover
- The questions readers ask them
- The language used in their descriptions
- The content published by competing authors
- The results appearing on Google
- The results appearing on Amazon
This research is not about copying other authors.
It is about identifying opportunities in the publishing landscape.
If ten books make virtually the same promise, differentiating another book may be difficult.
If, however, readers are asking an interesting question that receives relatively little attention, we may have identified a potential opportunity.
Competition research helps us understand how to position a book, what makes it distinctive, and whether the proposed subject offers enough room for a meaningful contribution.
6. The Title Should Be Creative but Clear
The title is one of the most delicate decisions in the publishing process.
Writers want a memorable title.
SEO benefits from clarity.
The solution is not necessarily to choose one at the expense of the other.
A useful approach is:
Creative title + descriptive subtitle
For example:
BEYOND THE MACHINE
How Artificial Intelligence Is Changing Our Relationship with Work, Society, and the Future
The title creates an identity.
The subtitle expands its meaning and introduces relevant terms that help readers understand the subject.
This allows a publishing project to preserve its creative character without sacrificing clarity.
A descriptive subtitle can help communicate a book’s subject, but it does not guarantee search visibility. Its primary purpose is to make the book’s value and focus easier to understand.
7. The Book Needs a Semantic Structure
SEO is not limited to the title.
The structure of the content itself can also be planned strategically.
Suppose the book explores the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence.
A possible structure might be:
Chapter 1 – What Is Artificial Intelligence, Really?
Chapter 2 – How AI Is Entering Our Everyday Lives
Chapter 3 – Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Work
Chapter 4 – Humans and Machines
Chapter 5 – The Risks of Artificial Intelligence
Chapter 6 – The Future of AI
Notice something important.
The structure of the book already contains a collection of related concepts and subjects.
Those same concepts can later become:
- Website articles
- LinkedIn posts
- Medium articles
- Newsletters
- Topic-specific pages
- Informational content
- Questions and answers
- Content in other languages
The book therefore becomes the central piece of a much larger system.
Its chapters provide a starting point for developing related content that can reach readers interested in specific aspects of the subject.
8. H2 and H3 Headings Are More Than Visual Elements
When this strategy is applied to a website article, the heading structure becomes important.
The H1 should identify the main subject of the page.
H2 headings divide the subject into major sections.
H3 headings explore individual aspects in greater detail.
For example:
H1: How to Plan a Book with SEO in Mind
H2: Why SEO Should Begin Before Writing
H2: How to Choose the Subject
H2: How to Identify Keywords
H2: How to Understand Search Intent
H2: How to Plan the Title and Subtitle
H2: How to Structure the Chapters
H2: How to Build a Website Around the Book
H2: How to Use Amazon
H2: How to Turn a Book into a Content Ecosystem
H3 headings can then be used within these sections to explore specific topics.
Headings should accurately describe the content that follows.
They should not be used merely as containers for keywords.
A clear heading structure makes an article easier to navigate and helps readers understand how its different sections relate to one another.
9. From the Book to the Website: Building a Content Hub
This is one of the most important parts of the strategy.
The book should not exist as an isolated page on the author’s website.
It should become the centre of a connected structure.
Imagine a book called:
“Beyond the Machine”
The author’s website could contain:
Main book page
↓
Article: What Is Artificial Intelligence?
Article: How AI Will Change the Workplace
Article: Humans and Artificial Intelligence
Article: What Are the Risks of AI?
Article: The Future of Artificial Intelligence
↓
Each article links back to the book where relevant.
This creates a content hub: a central page supported by related articles that explore different aspects of the same subject.
The website no longer talks only about the author.
It also covers the subject for which the author wants to be discovered.
The result is a more useful digital presence, built around a coherent topic rather than a collection of disconnected promotional pages.
10. The Book Becomes the Centre of a Keyword Network
We can think of the project as a structure with several levels.
Level 1 – Primary keyword
Books about artificial intelligence
Level 2 – Related keywords
- Artificial intelligence
- AI books
- AI and the future
- AI and work
- Humans and machines
Level 3 – Long-tail keywords
- Books about the relationship between humans and artificial intelligence
- Books about the impact of AI on work
- Books about the future of artificial intelligence
Level 4 – Questions
- Will artificial intelligence replace humans?
- How will AI change the workplace?
- What are the risks of AI?
- How do we use artificial intelligence in everyday life?
Each level can generate different types of content.
Some queries may be suitable for explanatory articles. Others may support a book page, a frequently asked questions section, or a more detailed guide.
The result is a semantic network, not a single keyword repeated continuously across multiple pages.
The objective is to cover a subject meaningfully and create useful connections between related pieces of content.
11. Google and Amazon Should Not Be Treated Separately
A common mistake is to assume:
“SEO is about Google. Amazon is where you sell the book.”
In reality, a publishing project can work on both fronts.
Amazon is primarily a product discovery and shopping platform, where readers search for books and compare potential purchases.
Google reaches a much broader range of informational, navigational, and commercial searches.
Our objective should therefore be to create consistency between:
Google → Website → Content → Author → Book → Amazon
And, at the same time:
Amazon → Book → Author → Website → Content
Each element can support the others.
A reader might discover an article on Google, visit the author’s website, learn more about a book, and then follow a link to Amazon.
Another reader might discover the book on Amazon, explore the author’s profile, and visit the website to find more information.
These journeys are not identical, and not every reader will follow the same path. Nevertheless, a coherent publishing presence gives interested readers more opportunities to discover the author’s work.
12. The Book Description Must Be Planned
The Amazon book description should not be written simply as a synopsis.
It should communicate, quickly and clearly:
- What the book is about
- Who it was written for
- What problem or question it addresses
- What value it may offer the reader
- Which subjects it covers
- Why someone might want to read it
Keywords should appear naturally.
There is no need to repeat the same phrase ten times.
A good description must first and foremost be useful to the reader.
It should explain what makes the book relevant and help the reader decide whether it matches their interests.
SEO should support understanding, not undermine it.
A description that is clear, specific, and persuasive serves the reader better than one written primarily to repeat search terms.
13. The Author’s Website Should Be Planned Alongside the Book
Before the book is published, we can already identify the content that will be needed to support it.
If the book is about artificial intelligence, we can plan the following elements at the same time:
- Author page
- Dedicated book page
- A page focused on the main subject
- Related articles
- Frequently asked questions
- Content in other languages
- Links to Amazon
- Reviews, when available
- Additional materials
This means that publication day does not have to be the moment when everything begins.
We have already built the digital environment into which the book will be introduced.
The website can be developed progressively, with the book page acting as the central reference point and related content providing additional context for readers.
This approach also makes it easier to maintain a consistent structure as the author’s catalogue grows.
14. A Multilingual Strategy Should Begin Before Translation
For authors publishing in more than one language, simply translating a book may not be enough.
An Italian keyword should not be mechanically translated into English, Spanish, German, or French and automatically treated as the equivalent search term.
Each market may have:
- Different search queries
- Different terminology
- Different reading and purchasing habits
- Different competitors
- Different search intentions
For this reason, an international publishing strategy should include semantic research for each language.
The book itself may remain the same.
The way it is presented and discovered online, however, may need to change.
A title, subtitle, description, or article that works well in one language may not communicate the same idea naturally in another.
The objective is not to abandon consistency across editions. It is to preserve the book’s identity while adapting its presentation to the language and expectations of each audience.
The same principle applies to the author’s website: every language version should be developed with its own readers and search behaviour in mind.
15. The Fundamental Principle: Optimise the Entire Project, Not Just the Book
This is probably the most important point.
We should not ask:
“How can I put more keywords into my book?”
We should ask:
“How can I build a publishing project in which the book, website, Amazon presence, and online content reinforce one another?”
The difference is substantial.
SEO should not enter the writer’s creative process to restrict it.
It should inform the decisions made before writing begins and the work that follows publication.
The story, ideas, characters, arguments, and voice remain the writer’s responsibility.
SEO helps us understand the context in which the book will be presented, the people it may interest, and the ways those people might discover it.
This is a broader and more sustainable approach than treating search optimisation as a last-minute exercise in adding keywords.
16. The Practical Method: Before Writing a Single Page
Before beginning the manuscript, we can follow this sequence.
1. Define the subject
What do I want to write about?
2. Define the reader
Who do I want to reach?
3. Identify the problem or desire
Why would this person search for this subject?
4. Research search queries
Which words and phrases do people use?
5. Identify the primary keyword
What is the central concept?
6. Build the semantic field
Which related subjects should be considered?
7. Analyse the competition
What is already available?
8. Define the positioning
Why should my book be different?
9. Plan the title and subtitle
How can I combine creativity with clarity?
10. Plan the table of contents
Which subjects need to be covered?
11. Plan the website
Which additional pieces of content could grow out of the book?
12. Plan the Amazon strategy
How will I present the book to potential readers?
13. Consider language editions
Which international markets might be relevant?
14. Only then begin writing
Writing remains the heart of the project.
But it is no longer the first step.
This sequence does not eliminate uncertainty or guarantee commercial success. It provides a framework for making more informed decisions before investing time in the manuscript and its eventual promotion.
17. Writing a Book Also Means Building a Digital Asset
A book may be read once.
Online content can continue to be discovered for years.
For this reason, authors should also think of a book as a potential source of ongoing content.
A single book can generate:
- Dozens of articles
- Hundreds of social media posts
- Topic-specific pages
- Frequently asked questions
- Quotations
- Newsletters
- Interviews
- Podcasts
- Videos
- Content in multiple languages
The book becomes a primary source of ideas and material.
At the same time, the content generated from it can help introduce the book to new readers.
It is a circular system.
The book generates content, the content attracts attention to the subject, and some of that attention may lead readers back to the book.
Not every piece of content will perform equally well, and not every visitor will become a reader. The value lies in creating a coherent body of material that can continue to support the author’s work over time.
18. The Real Question to Ask Before Writing
Ultimately, the question should not simply be:
“Do I want to write a book about this subject?”
The more complete question is:
“Can I build a recognisable, discoverable, and sustainable publishing project around this subject?”
If the answer is yes, we have already completed an important part of the work.
Writing then becomes the centre of a broader project.
Conclusion
An independent author does not necessarily need to become an SEO specialist.
However, it is worth learning to think in terms of search, intent, and positioning.
Creativity determines what we want to tell.
Understanding the reader helps us determine whom we want to reach.
SEO helps people discover that content.
Amazon provides a platform for discovery and sales.
The author’s website develops the project’s digital presence and connects its different elements.
Related content expands the project’s reach.
A multilingual strategy allows the same underlying approach to be adapted for other markets.
All of this can be planned before writing the first line of the book.
Because a book does not begin when we write the first chapter.
It begins when we decide what we want to communicate, whom we want to reach, and how we want readers to discover it.
Perhaps this is one of the most important differences between a writer who publishes a book and a writer who builds a digital publishing presence around their books.
First, plan the positioning.
Then, write the book.
Finally, build the ecosystem that helps readers discover it.
By Gaetano Buglisi
Independent author exploring technology, identity, and human behaviour.
Discover more about my books and publishing approach on my official website.
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