How to Find Negative Keyword Opportunities in an Amazon Search Term Report

Finding negative keyword opportunities in an Amazon Search Term Report enables advertisers to minimize wasted ad spend by identifying search terms that drive clicks but fail to convert. Regular review of search term data helps refine keyword targeting, improve return on ad spend, and maintain cost-effective Amazon advertising campaigns.

Reduce wasted ad spend and refine Amazon campaigns efficiently.

Optimizing Amazon advertising budgets requires regular pruning of inefficient terms that drag down performance. This guide will show you how to use Amazon Search Term Reports to pinpoint where your spend is going to waste—so you can add negative keywords, boost campaign ROI, and drive more profitable sales.

What You'll Need

Amazon Ads Report Analyzer – Streamlines report import and provides clear performance insights.
Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza – Analyzes search terms to surface negative keyword candidates.
Amz Ad Waste Detector - Amazon Ads Analytics Module – Delivers in-depth spend and keyword efficiency analysis.
Amazon Ads Dashboard by Todoza – Centralizes metrics and trends for campaign-wide opportunities.

Why Negative Keyword Mining Matters

Consistently finding and applying negative keywords prevents wasted ad spend and ensures your Amazon Ads budget is focused only on converting search terms. This continuous process helps keep performance metrics in check as your campaigns evolve.

Step 1: Export and Organize Your Amazon Search Term Report

Begin by exporting a recent Search Term Report from your Amazon Ads console, choosing a date range that reflects a typical campaign cycle. Save the file in CSV or XLSX format for easy handling and analysis. Structure the data by key columns such as search term, clicks, spend, orders, and sales, so you can quickly surface trends. Segmenting by campaign and ad group empowers more targeted decisions and helps prevent accidental negating of productive terms.

For fast start and error-free import, Amazon Ads Report Analyzer automates uploading and highlights relevant metrics, reducing manual prep work.

Step 2: Analyse Key Metrics to Surface Inefficient Terms

Pay attention to order count, spend, number of clicks, conversion rate, ACoS, and ROAS for each search term. Typically, inefficient search terms are the key to wasted ad spend—these are terms with high spend but few or no conversions. Use filters to quickly identify terms with the highest spend and zero or very low orders. Monitoring ACoS or ROAS can help prioritize which terms need review first.

The Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza automatically classifies terms by spend, sales, and ACoS, so you can focus on the highest-impact candidates in seconds.

Step 3: Validate and Shortlist Negative Keyword Candidates

After compiling suspect search terms, confirm that none are highly relevant but underperforming due to external factors like stockouts or seasonality. Check for repeated wasted spend across multiple periods. Negative keywords should reduce spend on non-converting terms, not limit valid reach. For multi-account or multi-marketplace setups, cross-reference candidates across campaigns to ensure consistency.

Tools like Amz Ad Waste Detector - Amazon Ads Analytics Module and Amazon Ads Dashboard by Todoza make it easy to compare search terms, spot recurring issues, and view inefficiencies at different levels.

Step 4: Apply and Monitor Your New Negative Keywords

Add your selected negative keywords to their relevant campaigns and ad groups, then monitor the impact over time. Check that wasted spend on those terms declines in subsequent reports and adjust further if needed. Some tools allow you to flag negative keyword candidates in a workspace before rolling them out live, giving clarity and control over every change.

Continue monitoring search term performance weekly to surface new wasted spend and keep your campaigns performing at their peak.

Tips and Common Mistakes

Look at search terms with high spend but no orders first, but beware of limited data periods that might not reflect true performance. Use negative keywords only when you're sure a term can't convert; premature negation can unintentionally reduce reach. Regular review each campaign's product context—user behavior and search intent vary, so don't generalize findings. Document every negative keyword added, so troubleshooting future spend shifts is easier.

Advanced Data-Driven Amazon Ads Optimization

Powerful analytics tools streamline the identification of underperforming terms and spotlight negative keyword opportunities, enabling sellers and agencies to act proactively and maintain an efficient advertising workflow.