How to Add Negative Keywords in Amazon Ads: Step-by-Step Guide

Negative keywords in Amazon Ads prevent your ads from being triggered by irrelevant or low-converting search queries, reducing wasted spend and improving campaign efficiency. By thoughtfully adding negative keywords, Amazon sellers can optimize targeting, eliminate underperforming terms, and make the most of their advertising budgets. Effective negative keyword management directly impacts campaign profitability and ad relevance.

Step-by-step process to cut wasted ad spend efficiently

Optimizing your Amazon Ads with negative keywords ensures your budget is spent only on search terms that drive sales. Mastering this process is essential for sellers and teams who want to cut waste and boost campaign profitability. This step-by-step guide covers how to identify, select, and implement negative keywords effectively.

What You'll Need

Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza – Tool to analyze and prioritize negative keywords for Amazon Ads to reduce wasted spend.
Amazon Seller Central account access
Recent Amazon Search Terms reports

See Negative Keyword Analysis Tools in Action

Visualizing your search term performance can highlight wasted spend. Interactive dashboards, such as those from Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza, make it easier to spot trends, rank keyword candidates, and share findings with your team.

Step 1: Review Your Search Terms Report

Start by downloading the Search Terms report for your campaigns inside Amazon Seller Central. This file lists the actual queries shoppers used before clicking your ads. Examine these terms carefully—look for high-spend, low-return queries or phrases unrelated to what you sell. Negative keywords ensure your Amazon Ads show only for relevant search queries.

For in-depth insights, consider using a dedicated analysis tool like the Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza, which helps organize and rank keywords for faster decision-making.

Step 2: Identify Underperforming or Irrelevant Terms

Next, assess which search terms are draining your budget without generating sales. Focus on metrics like spend, sales, conversion rates, and ROAS as you review. Group terms that are irrelevant to your product or consistently underperforming. These are prime candidates for negative keywords.

A tool like Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza is designed for cross-campaign visibility, so you can spot patterns and make consistent decisions across different ad groups or marketplaces.

Step 3: Add Negative Keywords in Amazon Ads

Sign in to Amazon Seller Central and navigate to Campaign Manager. From here, select your campaign, go to the Keywords tab, and choose 'Negative Keywords.' Manually add the selected negative keywords or upload your compiled list. Take special care when applying negative keywords to avoid blocking valuable traffic.

Review suggested negative keyword candidates thoroughly—whether from your analysis or a tool—so you don't inadvertently filter out relevant search terms that might convert in the future.

Step 4: Monitor Results and Refine Regularly

After implementing negative keywords, monitor your metrics closely. Check for changes in impressions, clicks, cost-per-click, and conversions. Regularly reviewing search terms and refining negative lists is key for long-term success.

Structured tools allow for team review and approval of each negative keyword, ensuring you keep visibility and control as your campaigns evolve.

Tips and Common Mistakes

Use negative keywords at both campaign and ad group levels for targeted control.
Avoid broad matches unless you're certain the phrase is universally irrelevant.
Don’t set-and-forget—review your search terms every week, especially after significant campaign changes.
Be mindful of seasonal shifts; a term that’s irrelevant now might perform well later.

Focus on Continual Improvement

Regular reviews and incremental changes build lasting ad performance. Use structured processes and the right tools to streamline your negative keyword workflow, prevent campaign surprises, and reclaim valuable advertising budget with every round of optimization.