How to Use Negative Keywords in Amazon PPC: Boost CTR

In the competitive landscape of Amazon PPC advertising, leveraging negative keywords can greatly improve your campaigns.

These tools help you target better, make ads more relevant, and increase your click-through rates (CTR). By minimizing wasted ad spend and avoiding irrelevant traffic, you’ll maximize your return on investment.

This guide will help you understand negative keywords Locate and use them well, and stick to best practices to improve your campaigns for success.

Check out these key methods to improve your Amazon PPC performance.

What are Negative Keywords in Amazon PPC?

Negative keywords in Amazon PPC are important for a good advertising plan. They help Amazon sellers improve their ad campaigns by stopping their ads from showing up in unrelated searches.

By carefully choosing negative keywords, sellers can make sure their ads appear only to the right audience, which improves how well their marketing works and boosts click-through rates (CTR). This method reduces advertising costs and improves conversion rates and natural search rankings as time passes, as explained by Neil Patel in his guide to using negative keywords in PPC advertising. For additional strategies to enhance CTR, see also How to Improve Amazon PPC CTR? 10 Effective Strategies for 2025.

Why Should You Use Negative Keywords in Amazon PPC?

Adding negative keywords in Amazon PPC is essential for better ad performance, as it impacts click-through rates (CTR) and conversion rates.

By filtering out irrelevant traffic and ensuring that ads appear only to the most relevant audiences, you can reduce wasteful ad spending and allocate your budget towards campaigns that yield better returns.

This approach helps more people notice your product and fits with what potential customers prefer, leading to better engagement with them. As mentioned, according to Search Engine Land, effectively using negative keywords can drastically improve ad relevancy and audience targeting, which is crucial for maximizing your marketing efforts. As mentioned, utilizing strategies such as Amazon CTR Optimization can further enhance ad performance and audience engagement.

1. Improve Ad Relevance and Click-Through Rate (CTR)

Improving ad relevance is important for increasing click-through rates (CTR) in Amazon PPC campaigns, and using negative keywords greatly helps in achieving this. By removing unnecessary search terms, sellers can make sure their ads appear only to users who are specifically looking for certain product categories, increasing the likelihood of clicks and purchases.

This plan increases visibility and matches ads with what shoppers are really interested in, resulting in more interaction.

Negative keywords serve as a barrier against unwanted clicks, allowing sellers to concentrate their budget on targeted traffic that is far more likely to convert.

To improve campaigns, sellers should regularly analyze keywords to find terms that do not match their target audience.

By improving their keyword lists and carefully handling exceptions, they can create a more relevant ad experience, which is important for getting the best return on investment.

2. Reduce Wasted Ad Spend

Using negative keywords in Amazon PPC campaigns helps reduce wasted ad spending by focusing the budget where it is most useful. By preventing ads from appearing for irrelevant search queries, sellers can focus their budget on high-performing keywords that drive genuine interest and engagement.

This approach improves fund usage and boosts campaign performance.

Common mistakes include failing to identify terms that may attract the wrong audience or neglecting to update negative keyword lists regularly.

For instance, if a seller offers luxury watches, including ‘cheap’ as a negative keyword can prevent their ads from being shown to bargain hunters.

Using competitive intelligence tools helps sellers see which keywords other brands are skipping. This information can help them decide which negative keywords might be useful for their own campaigns.

By carefully improving their keyword strategy, sellers can greatly increase the effectiveness of their ad spending.

3. Target Specific Keywords and Avoid Irrelevant Traffic

Selecting relevant keywords and avoiding unwanted clicks is essential for successful Amazon PPC campaigns. Sellers can improve their keyword strategies by using negative keywords. By identifying and excluding terms that attract non-relevant shoppers, sellers can create a more focused advertising approach that aligns with actual buyer behavior.

For example, a seller with high-end kitchen tools might study their website traffic and find that words like “cheap” or “free” are attracting visitors but not leading to sales.

By adding these as negative keywords, they can prevent their ads from showing up for those queries, thereby saving budget and increasing the likelihood of engaging with customers genuinely interested in quality products.

This strategic move increases conversion rates and makes the whole campaign run more effectively.

Looking at search term reports often can show trends, allowing sellers to change their strategy based on how their target audience’s actions change.

How to Find Negative Keywords for Your Amazon PPC Campaign?

Finding negative keywords for your Amazon PPC campaign is an important step in making your advertising strategy better. You can do this by examining the Amazon Search Term Report, using tools from other companies, and analyzing your competitors’ ads. Learn more about improving Amazon PPC CTR with effective strategies that complement your negative keyword research.

Amazon sellers can use these resources to find search terms that don’t work well and should be removed from their campaigns, helping to improve performance and ad effectiveness.

1. Utilize Amazon Search Terms Report

The Amazon Search Terms Report is a helpful resource for finding keywords that don’t work well. It gives sellers detailed information about how their ad campaigns are doing, showing which search terms lead to clicks and sales. Analyzing this report allows sellers to pinpoint ineffective keywords that need to be excluded from their targeting strategy.

By closely examining key metrics like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and cost-per-click (CPC), sellers can better understand which search terms are helping their campaigns and which are wasting their money.

You need to look at expensive keywords that don’t lead to sales and decide if they should be removed from upcoming campaigns. Looking closely at how search terms perform can show useful patterns and trends. This helps sellers make better choices about keywords and concentrate on those that genuinely connect with their audience.

2. Use Third-Party Keyword Tools

Using third-party keyword tools can improve your skill in finding negative keywords for Amazon PPC campaigns. These tools often give detailed analyses and information that you can’t easily get from Amazon’s own tools. By incorporating these external resources, sellers can make more data-driven decisions in their keyword targeting strategies.

These tools, like SEMrush and Ahrefs, help sellers study competitors’ keyword tactics, find unrelated search terms, and show hidden trends that can improve ad spending.

For example, they can point out different negative keywords that may not be immediately clear, helping to improve ad campaigns.

Many of these platforms offer metrics on search volume and competition, aiding sellers in recognizing which keywords to exclude, ultimately leading to improved ROAS and minimizing wasted ad spend. According to a review by TechRadar, some of the best keyword research tools can significantly optimize Amazon PPC campaigns by providing insights into search trends and competitive analysis.

Using this information makes targeting more accurate and improves the success of the entire campaign.

3. Analyze Competitor Ads and Product Listings

Analyzing competitor ads and product listings is a strategic approach to uncovering potential negative keywords for your Amazon PPC campaigns, as it allows you to gain competitive intelligence and understand what terms may not yield desired results. By looking at the keywords your competitors focus on and areas where they might be spending too much, you can improve your own approach to using keywords.

This process includes a detailed examination of rival advertisements, concentrating on the words they use and the results of their campaigns.

Observing which keywords result in high impressions but low conversions can highlight terms that are likely ineffective. Using tools that show competitor performance measures can help you better understand the advertising situation.

Focusing on this competitive knowledge helps remove poorly performing keywords and allows you to make a more focused and successful PPC campaign, making better use of your budget and improving ad results.

How to Add Negative Keywords to Your Amazon PPC Campaign?

Including negative keywords in your Amazon PPC campaign is an easy but important step that makes your advertising strategy work better.

Sellers can include negative keywords in both campaigns and ad groups, providing options for focused targeting. Knowing how different keyword match types work, such as negative phrase and exact match, can greatly improve your campaign results. For those interested in optimizing their strategies even further, exploring effective methods to enhance your Amazon PPC click-through rate might be beneficial.

1. Add Negative Keywords to Campaign Level

Putting negative keywords at the campaign level in Amazon PPC helps control ad costs and organize your campaigns. This stops ads from appearing for unwanted search queries throughout the whole campaign. This method gives you more control over performance data and can improve your advertising strategy.

By implementing this tactic, advertisers can significantly increase the relevance of their ads, ensuring they reach the right audience while minimizing wasted budget on unqualified clicks.

To successfully carry out this strategy, you need to do detailed keyword research to find terms that result in low conversion rates. Checking search term reports often helps find extra negative keywords to improve targeting over time.

Changing these keywords based on seasonal trends can make campaigns work better, leading to higher ROI and more successful marketing results.

2. Add Negative Keywords to Ad Group Level

Adding negative keywords at the ad group level allows Amazon sellers to target their ads more precisely, ensuring that only relevant traffic sees their ads while avoiding unwanted clicks. This method directly influences performance data for each ad group, enhancing the effectiveness of individual campaigns.

By removing words that don’t match what they sell, sellers can greatly increase both their click-through rates and conversion rates.

For instance, if a seller specializes in eco-friendly products, adding negative keywords like “cheap” or “discount” can help avoid users looking for low-cost alternatives, thereby attracting only those who value sustainability.

This cuts down on unnecessary spending and helps bring better quality traffic to their listings. This approach allows for better optimization of budgets and ultimately leads to higher return on investment, as the ads are shown to a more interested audience.

3. Use Negative Phrase and Exact Match Keywords

Utilizing negative phrase and exact match keywords in Amazon PPC campaigns is essential for refined keyword targeting, as these types of negative keywords allow sellers to exclude specific terms or phrases that may lead to irrelevant traffic. This strategic approach enhances campaign optimization by ensuring that ads are shown only to the most relevant audiences.

Knowing the differences between these match types is important for advertisers who want to make the most of their budget.

Negative phrase match keywords help sellers filter out a wider range of search queries that contain the specified negative term, whereas exact match keywords focus strictly on excluding searches that include that exact term only.

By implementing these strategies, sellers can fine-tune their campaigns, ensuring that their ads are not just viewed but are also effective in reaching an audience that is genuinely interested in their products.

This can significantly improve click-through rates and ultimately lead to higher sales.

Best Practices for Using Negative Keywords in Amazon PPC

Following best practices for using negative keywords in Amazon PPC campaigns is important for keeping and improving the success of your advertising strategy.

Regularly updating your negative keywords list, utilizing different keyword match types, and considering language and regional differences can significantly impact campaign optimization, allowing sellers to stay ahead of market trends and improve overall ROI. To further enhance your understanding of effective advertising practices, exploring different Amazon ad strategies can provide insights into placement, scaling, and best practices.

1. Regularly Review and Update Negative Keywords List

Regularly reviewing and updating your list of negative keywords is important for enhancing Amazon PPC campaigns, as it ensures your advertising approach aligns with current market trends and performance data. By consistently refining your list, sellers can maximize the effectiveness of their campaigns and prevent wasted ad spend.

This approach improves targeting and increases the overall return on investment. Performance data is essential for directing these updates, as it shows which search terms result in low interaction or sales.

Sellers should analyze metrics like click-through rates and conversion ratios frequently to identify potential negative keywords. Using strategies like sorting keywords based on importance and results can make improving the process easier.

Regular audits, ideally on a monthly basis, will help keep the list updated and effective, allowing sellers to make informed decisions that drive better results.

2. Use Negative Keywords to Improve for Specific Match Types

Using negative keywords in Amazon PPC helps sellers make their ads more accurate and bring in more specific visitors. By learning how negative phrase and exact match types function, sellers can adjust their campaigns for the best results.

This method reduces unnecessary clicks and increases both the click-through rate (CTR) and conversion rates.

For instance, by applying negative keywords effectively, a seller who specializes in fitness equipment might exclude terms like “cheap” or “free” to attract more serious buyers.

Similarly, utilizing negative exact matches ensures that ads do not appear for search queries that include undesired terms, thus maximizing budget efficiency.

Using negative keywords correctly helps sellers make more targeted advertising plans that get better outcomes and help businesses grow.

3. Consider Negative Keywords for Different Languages and Countries

For Amazon sellers planning a worldwide PPC strategy, it’s important to think about negative keywords for different languages and countries. This approach helps prevent unrelated traffic that might come from language differences and variations between regions. Creating a specific plan can greatly improve how well your advertising campaigns work in different markets.

To improve PPC efforts, sellers need to understand the details of each target market. This includes studying local language, cultural references, and phrases that might cause users to confuse or misunderstand the products.

Tools focused on keyword research can help find frequently searched terms linked to negative keywords in different languages. Speaking with locals or those familiar with the area can provide a better sense of the community’s views, aiding in adjusting the negative keyword strategy.

Businesses can make their advertising process more efficient by focusing on the message that connects directly with their target audience, eliminating any unnecessary elements.

Additional Resources for Amazon PPC and Negative Keywords

It’s important for sellers to gather more materials for Amazon PPC and negative keywords to improve their advertising strategy and make their campaigns work better.

By using different tools, guides, and expert advice, Amazon sellers can learn about best practices and the latest updates in PPC management.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I use negative keywords to improve my CTR in Amazon PPC?

To add negative keywords in Amazon PPC, start by going to your campaign settings and then go to the Negative Keywords section. Here, you can enter any words or phrases that you want to exclude from triggering your ads. This will prevent your ads from appearing on irrelevant or low-performing searches, ultimately boosting your CTR.

What are some common negative keywords to use in Amazon PPC?

Some common negative keywords to consider using in Amazon PPC include “free,” “cheap,” “used,” and “reviews.” These words are often associated with bargain hunters or people looking for information rather than making a purchase, making them less likely to convert into sales for your products.

How do I determine which negative keywords to use in my Amazon PPC campaign?

The best way to determine which negative keywords to use is by looking at your search terms report. This report shows you the exact search terms that are triggering your ads, and you can identify any irrelevant or low-performing terms that you want to exclude. You can also use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner to generate ideas for negative keywords.

Can I use negative keywords at the ad group level in Amazon PPC?

Yes, you can use negative keywords at the ad group level in Amazon PPC. This allows you to have more specific control over which searches trigger your ads within a particular ad group. For example, you may want to use different negative keywords for different product categories or target audiences within your campaign.

Do negative keywords affect my organic rankings on Amazon?

No, negative keywords do not directly affect your organic rankings on Amazon. However, by using negative keywords in your PPC campaign, you can improve the relevance of your ads and potentially increase your click-through rate (CTR). This can indirectly impact your organic rankings by driving more traffic and conversions for your products.

How often should I review and update my negative keywords in Amazon PPC?

It is recommended to review and update your negative keywords in Amazon PPC regularly, at least once a month. This will help you regularly improve your campaigns and remove any unnecessary or poorly performing terms. You may also want to review your negative keywords after launching a new product or during seasonal trends to make sure your campaigns are targeting the most relevant searches.