Negative Keywords on Amazon: How They Work and How to Use Them

A negative keyword is a rule that tells Amazon: "Do not show my ads for search queries that match this term". Negatives don't improve relevance by themselves - they simply block unwanted traffic. They are most effective when you're getting clicks but no sales, or Amazon's matching expands into irrelevant queries.

Negative Exact

Blocks one specific search query (exact match). Use it when you see: "this specific phrase consistently spends money and doesn't generate sales".

Negative Phrase

Blocks any search query that contains the phrase. Use it carefully - it's powerful. Use it when you see: "this specific word/phrase repeats across multiple queries and consistently spends money but doesn't generate sales".

For Amazon's official explanation of negative keyword targeting and match behavior, see Add negative keywords or negative products and Understand keyword match types.

Campaign level

Use campaign-level negatives when the term is irrelevant for the entire campaign.

If your campaign has multiple active ad groups and the term is irrelevant for the entire campaign, you don't need to add the same negative to every ad group. In that case, it's cleaner to add it once at the campaign level-Amazon will apply it to all ad groups in that campaign.

Ad group level

Use ad-group negatives when a query is problematic for one ad group but could still be relevant elsewhere in your structure.

Rule of thumb:

• Narrow issue > ad group
• Globally irrelevant for the campaign > campaign

This distinction matters because negative keywords are not only about blocking traffic, but also about protecting account structure. If a query is irrelevant everywhere, campaign-level cleanup keeps the account simpler. But if the problem exists only inside one part of the structure, ad-group negatives give better control without cutting traffic too broadly.

Negative keywords are a process, not a one-time setup.

Step 1: Pull search-term data

Your primary source is the Search Terms report. A simple, repeatable cycle looks like this:

In Amazon Ads, you can access Search Terms data from the reports area. Open Measurement & reporting → Sponsored ads reports, then select the Search Terms report for the ad type you're analyzing.

Step 2: Separate intent (buy vs research)

Some queries are informational rather than transactional. Avoid blocking too broadly unless the intent is clearly wrong for your product.

Step 3: Use thresholds (don't cut too early)

Use simple triggers so you're not making decisions on noise.

This is the simplest way to find negative keywords: pull Search Terms, sort by spend/clicks, and isolate non-converting queries.

Use your average conversion rate (CVR) as the anchor: the lower your product's CVR, the more clicks you typically need before the first sale shows up in the data. The "5-10 clicks" trigger is a starting point, not a universal rule.

Example: if your average CVR is 10%, then (in simplified terms) you expect about one sale per ten clicks. If you add a negative exact at five clicks with no sales, you may cut a potentially good query before it has enough runway to convert.

Before you block, also check context: CPC, spend, and whether the issue is actually placement-driven (Product Pages often brings high traffic with low CVR).

Step 4: Protect winners (don't block what works elsewhere)

Before adding a negative keyword:

• Make sure the query isn't converting in another campaign/ad group
• Don't block a root that could be relevant in a different context
• If performance is unstable, validate whether the problem is placements rather than the query itself

If you don't want to do this manually, SalesFortuna automates the workflow, including candidate discovery, checks, and bulk negative application across campaigns.

Sometimes the problem isn't the query-it's the placement. In practice, Product Pages often generates high traffic but low CVR, which can quickly waste budget. Before you overuse negatives, review placement performance and control Product Pages spend when needed with Amazon PPC Placement Isolation.

Adding negatives too early is one of the most common problems. If a term has only a few clicks, the data may still be too thin to judge whether it is truly unprofitable or simply slow to convert.

Negative Phrase is often overused. It can look efficient because it blocks waste faster, but it can also remove profitable long-tail traffic if the phrase root still has valid commercial intent in other contexts.

Another frequent mistake is adding negatives at too many levels without structure. Once the same logic is sprayed across campaigns and ad groups, the account becomes much harder to debug and maintain.

Sellers also misread placement problems as query problems. Product Pages often creates high-traffic, low-conversion behavior, and that is not always solved by blocking search terms more aggressively.

Finally, negatives should not be treated as permanent forever. Search behavior changes, campaign structure changes, and old negatives can become outdated if nobody reviews them.