The Ultimate Guide to Search Term Negation on Amazon Ads
Author:
Neha Bhuchar
Last Updated:
Category:
Published on:
Table of Contents
“Should I negate a keyword or should I reduce the bid?”
“How long should I wait before negating a keyword?”
“What kind of keywords should I absolutely not negate?”
If these are some of the questions you struggle with, keep reading. We will touch on the basics of search term negation and a fantastic framework for evaluating bid reduction vs. negation. We will also discuss how you can use atom11, an Amazon ad automation software, to automate search term negation.
Amazon's advertising platform has evolved significantly, borrowing key elements from Google search engine ads. When Amazon Ads launched in 2016, it lacked fundamental features like negative keywords—an omission that quickly became a major concern for D2C sellers familiar with Google Ads. Their demand for better targeting led Amazon to introduce this critical functionality.
Search term negation on Amazon advertising is a crucial strategy to optimize advertising spend on Amazon, allowing advertisers to refine their PPC campaigns' targeting by excluding irrelevant or low-performing search terms. Negative keywords instruct Amazon not to display ads for those keywords, preventing wasted ad spend and ensuring budgets are allocated to high-performing keywords that drive conversions. The definition of a “bad keyword” varies from advertiser to advertiser—a premium watch brand may negate “replica” or “fake”, while a budget-friendly brand may negate “luxury watches”.
In a Linkedin poll conducted by atom11, we found that 70% of Amazon sellers prefer to negate “bad” keywords over reducing bids.
In the following section, we will explain a framework for search term negation on Amazon ads:
What Keywords Should You Not Negate?
Even though search term negation on Amazon ads can save hundreds of dollars, negating the wrong keywords can hamper your sales and overall ROI. So, here are the specific terms you should exclude from your negative keyword list:
1. High-Performing Search Terms
a. High Converting Search Terms: This is a no-brainer. If a search term is performing according to your ACoS targets, resulting in conversions and generating sales, you should not negate it.
b. Low CAC Search Terms: If the Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) on the search term is lower than the target CAC (i.e., AOV x Target ACoS), but the keyword is not performing well ACoS-wise, then consider reducing the bid.
2. Branded Search Terms
Branded search terms often perform well, driving high-intent traffic from customers already familiar with your brand. However, if a branded keyword isn't delivering expected results, it's better to pause it rather than negate it. Pausing allows you to reintroduce the term later if market trends or competition shift, while negation permanently blocks it, potentially losing valuable brand-related traffic.
3. Ranking Search Terms
To rank for a new search term, avoid negating related keywords solely based on past performance data, as this may restrict visibility and growth potential. Ranking campaigns focus on bidding aggressively on target keywords to secure higher placement. For example, if you're selling office chairs, you should create a dedicated PPC campaign for the term "office chair" with a competitive bid. These keywords often have a high ACoS, but despite the cost, they are crucial for improving ranking.
What Keywords Should You Negate?
Now that you know the keywords you must exclude from your negative keywords list, let’s look at the search terms you should negate to optimize ad spend.
1. Similar but Irrelevant Search Terms
Let’s say you sell hair oil. If you bid on the high-search-volume keyword “oil,” your ads may appear for searches related to cooking oil, automobile oil, or essential oils—leading to unnecessary impressions and clicks. Instead, you can bid on “oil” while negating terms like cooking oil, vegetable oil, automobile oil, and essential oil to ensure your ads reach the right audience.
Similarly, if you sell adult diapers and bid on “diaper,” your ads may primarily show up for baby diaper searches. To avoid irrelevant traffic, you can negate terms like baby diaper, baby diaper size M, and newborn diaper while still bidding on “diaper.”
These irrelevant searches can be identified through search term reports, allowing you to continuously refine negation rules for your search term negation on Amazon ads strategy.
2. Branded Terms in Generic or Competition-based Campaign
If your campaign structure separates search terms into branded, generic, and competition-based categories, it’s important to negate branded search terms from generic and competition campaigns.
Why is this necessary?
Amazon’s search algorithm prioritizes ads with a higher expected Click-Through Rate (CTR) to maximize revenue. Since branded search terms often yield higher CTRs, Amazon may favor them in placements, even within your generic campaigns. If you don’t negate branded search terms, these terms will start appearing in generic campaigns, reducing visibility for truly generic keywords and distorting campaign objectives.
By performing search term negation on Amazon ads for branded terms in generic and competition campaigns, you ensure that each campaign serves its intended purpose, helping you allocate ad spend efficiently while maintaining targeted audience segmentation.
Negation Framework
The following framework for search term negation on Amazon ads summarizes when to use negative keywords based on your Amazon objective.
Objective | Negation Use Case | Suggested Actionable | Time Frame |
Increase share of voice | Does not negate keywords. | Minimize bid instead. | - |
Increase sale | Click → 4*CTC, Sale = 0 | CTC (Click to Conversion) = Click/Orders If CTC = 10 i.e., 10 clicks to get a sale, then you should negate if the search term has 40 clicks but no sale. Anything less than that should be a case of bid reduction. |
|
Improve profit | Spend → 10*CAC, Sale = 0 | Target CAC = AOV * Target ACoS If Target CAC = $6 and spend = $60 Anything less than that should be a case of bid reduction | 60 days |
Low margin | Spend → 5* Target CAC, Sale = 0 | Target CAC = AOV * Target ACoS If Target CAC = $6 and spend > $30 Anything less than that should be a case of bid reduction | 30 days |
Here’s a detailed explanation:
a. If your objective is to increase your share of voice or visibility, do not negate keywords. You should set up rules to reduce bids until they hit the minimum target.
b. If your objective is to increase sales, focus on optimizing clicks rather than just search terms. Evaluate your account’s average click-to-conversion rate. If a keyword generates four times the typical click-to-conversion rate but still doesn’t result in a sale, consider negating it.
c. If your objective is profitability, focus on the ad spend threshold instead of clicks. If spending on a search term exceeds five times your target CAC, consider negating it. Otherwise, reduce bids strategically to optimize cost while maintaining visibility.
How to Set Up Search Term Negations Using an Amazon Ad Automation Software atom11
Negating search terms directly in the Amazon Ad Console comes with significant limitations:
Lack of Bulk Negation – The Ad Console doesn’t support bulk search term negation, requiring advertisers to rely on bulk sheets, which can be unreliable and difficult to navigate.
Difficulty in Tracking Negation History – You must manually review each campaign and ad group to determine when and where specific keyword terms were excluded.
Due to these challenges, using an Amazon PPC automation software like atom11 is a more efficient alternative for managing search term negation on Amazon ads. Its rule-based algorithm ensures you negate the right search terms.
Key features of atom11
Custom Rule-Based Negation – Set up keyword negation rules tailored to campaign objectives.
Multi-Campaign Implementation – Apply rules across multiple campaigns for consistency.
Flexible Rule Editing – Modify negation rules as your objectives change or evolve.
Negation History Tracking – View history of search term negation on Amazon ads by campaign, time, and rule name for better analysis.
How to Implement Search Term Negation on Amazon ads with atom11
1. By Campaign Objective
atom11 allows advertisers to define search term negation rules for Amazon ads based on campaign goals. For example, you can set up three different rules for three distinct objectives, ensuring precise exclusions.
2. By Campaign Structure
atom11 enables you to exclude branded and single-keyword campaigns from negation rules, preventing unintended exclusions in key areas.
3. Setting Up Negation Rules
You can set up rules as per your strategic formula based on performance metrics. Here are a few effective formulas:
Clicks-Based Negation: If a search term has > 20 clicks in the last 21 days but no sales, negate it.
Conversion-Based Negation: If a keyword exceeds 5x the average click-to-conversion rate but results in zero sales, negate it.
Formula: Click-to-Conversion Rate = Clicks / Orders.
Example: If your conversion rate is 10%, then click-to-conversion is 10 clicks per sale. A search term receiving 50 clicks (5x conversion rate) with no sales should be negated.
Spend-Based Negation: If ad spend surpasses $100 in the last 21–30 days and generates no sales, negate the term.
Conclusion
Effective search term negation on Amazon ads requires thorough keyword research and a well-structured framework for optimal ad performance. Unlike adjusting bids or refining keyword selection, this is a significant decision with lasting consequences. Excluding the wrong term can restrict visibility and impact sales, making strategic negation crucial.
atom11’s framework for search term negation on Amazon ads provides a reliable approach to making informed negation decisions, but flexibility is key. Exceptions may arise, and adapting to performance trends ensures your strategy remains effective. Base your negation framework on metrics like clicks and CAC. For best results, negate search terms using an exact match keyword to prevent unnecessary exclusions while maintaining control over targeting.
Mastering good vs. bad search term discretion takes time, so be patient and keep learning.
Happy advertising!
Want to dive deeper into atom11’s negation methodology and ad automation? Read how atom11 helped Betterled achieve a 23% improvement in their Amazon Ads.
To learn more, book a call with us now!
FAQs
What is search term negation in Amazon ads?
Search term negation in Amazon ads is the process of identifying specific words or phrases that shoppers type into the search bar that do not lead to sales for your product, and then adding them to your campaigns as "negative keywords." This tells Amazon's algorithm to stop showing your ads when a customer searches for those exact terms, preventing wasted ad spend on irrelevant traffic.
Can search term negation reduce ACoS on Amazon?
Search term negation can significantly reduce your ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) on Amazon by instantly cutting out the wasted spend generated by clicks that never convert into purchases. By preventing your ads from appearing for irrelevant or overly broad queries, a higher percentage of your budget is preserved for high-converting keywords, which naturally drives down your overall cost of acquisition.
Does search term negation improve Amazon ad performance?
Search term negation does improve Amazon ad performance by directly increasing your campaign's relevance and click-through rate (CTR). When you remove poor-performing search queries from your targeting, your ad is only shown to the most qualified, high-intent shoppers, which signals to Amazon's algorithm that your product is highly relevant, often leading to better ad placements and lower costs per click.
How do I find search terms to negate on Amazon?
You find search terms to negate on Amazon by downloading and analyzing your Search Term Report from the advertising console, which shows the exact customer queries that triggered your ads. You should look for terms that have generated a high number of clicks or a high total spend without producing any sales, as well as terms that are clearly entirely unrelated to your product's features or category.
How do I use search term reports for negation?
You use search term reports for negation by filtering the data to isolate search queries that have crossed your specific failure thresholds, such as receiving more than 10 clicks with zero orders or having an unprofitably high ACoS. Once you identify these bleeding terms in the spreadsheet, you copy them and paste them into the negative targeting section of your respective Amazon ad campaigns or ad groups.
How do negative keywords work in Amazon advertising?
Negative keywords work in Amazon advertising by acting as a strict filter that blocks your ad from entering the auction when a shopper's search query matches the negative term you've set. If you sell a premium stainless steel garlic press and add "plastic" as a negative keyword, Amazon's system will actively prevent your ad from showing to anyone whose search includes the word plastic, saving your budget.
How often should I add negative keywords in Amazon ads?
You should add negative keywords in Amazon ads on a regular schedule, typically once a week or bi-weekly for active campaigns, to ensure you are quickly catching and eliminating new sources of wasted spend. For highly aggressive, high-budget product launches, you might even review search terms every few days, whereas mature, stabilized campaigns may only require a monthly check to maintain efficiency.
What are common mistakes in search term negation?
Common mistakes in search term negation include reacting too quickly by negating a keyword after only one or two clicks before it has a statistical chance to convert, and mistakenly using negative phrase match for a single broad word, which can accidentally block thousands of relevant, profitable long-tail search terms. Another frequent error is forgetting to apply negative keywords at the correct level, such as the campaign versus the ad group level.
What is the difference between negative exact and negative phrase match?
The difference between negative exact and negative phrase match lies in how strictly they block search queries; negative exact will only block your ad if the shopper searches for that precise keyword phrase in that exact order with no other words added. Conversely, negative phrase match will block your ad if the search query contains your negative keyword anywhere within it, regardless of what other words come before or after it.
Why is search term negation important for Amazon PPC?
Search term negation is critically important for Amazon PPC because it is the primary defensive mechanism sellers have to control their budget and protect their profit margins from Amazon's broad matching algorithms. Without a rigorous negation strategy, auto campaigns and broad match ad groups will inevitably bleed money by showing your products to shoppers looking for complementary or completely unrelated items.
