Should You Add Negative Keywords for Low-CTR Search Terms?
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Quick answer
Negative keywords are Amazon Ads targeting controls that prevent sponsored products from appearing for selected search terms. A low click-through rate alone does not mean a term should be negated. The stronger case is a query with high impressions, low or no clicks, and no orders. In that situation, adding the term as a negative keyword removes a source of wasted spend and helps the campaign show for more productive queries.
The practical question is whether a term is wasting impressions or contributing orders. Low CTR by itself is not a full reason to add a negative keyword, especially in a campaign where conversions remain strong.
When a Low-CTR Query Deserves a Negative Keyword
Look at the Amazon Ads Search Terms report and focus on high-impression terms that rarely receive clicks or have not produced orders after enough exposure. These queries can drain budget without supporting sales.
- High impressions, low clicks: the ad is visible but not relevant enough to earn engagement.
- Spend with no orders: the search term consumes budget but does not convert.
- Clicks that do not lead to sales: repeated clicks without conversion may be worth excluding after a meaningful data window.
For help identifying these patterns across campaigns, Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza is designed to evaluate search terms with campaign-specific signals instead of a fixed threshold.
Low CTR but High Conversion Rate: Do Not Negate Automatically
A query with a low click rate can still be profitable if the people who do click are highly likely to buy. If sales, ACoS, and conversion rate are healthy, adding the term as a negative may cut a meaningful revenue stream. Judge the term on contribution, not just CTR.
Keep the query running if it shows:
- Orders at an acceptable ACoS or ROAS
- A conversion rate that offsets the lower click volume
- Relevance to the product, even if the ad is not the first thing shoppers click
When This Matters
This decision matters when spend is outpacing sales or when a campaign has a few distracting terms that inflate impressions. For advertisers managing multiple marketplaces, a unified view can make negative keyword workflows easier. Amazon Ads Dashboard by Todoza provides visibility into core metrics such as spend, CTR, conversion rate, and wasted spend, which can help separate harmless low CTR from harmful inefficiency.
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Adding negatives is not a penalty for low CTR; it is a way to control which search terms receive your budget. For advertisers seeing low clicks but strong orders, the broader question is not whether CTR is too low, but whether the full search term mix is profitable. That balance is exactly why low CTR can still be a healthy signal when conversion rate is high.