#negative keywords #Amazon Ads #KDP #ACOS #search term report
Negative Keywords: When and How to Use Them
James Whitfield · July 23, 2026 · 6 min read
A negative keyword is a search term you tell Amazon not to show your ad for. You use them to stop wasting money on clicks that never turn into sales, which lowers your ACOS without cutting the clicks that actually sell. This guide explains when to add them and how to find the right ones.
Negative keywords are the cheapest optimization in Amazon Ads, because every one you add stops a leak. Yet most new advertisers never touch them.
Why they matter
Your ads inevitably show for searches that look relevant but are not. A thriller might show for "children's books"; a cookbook might show for a dish it does not contain. Those clicks cost money and almost never convert. A negative keyword blocks them, so your budget goes to searches that buy.
The effect is direct: fewer wasted clicks means the same sales for less spend, which means a lower ACOS.
When to add them
Add negatives once a campaign has enough data to show a pattern, usually after a couple of weeks. You are looking for search terms with many clicks and zero sales. One or two clicks without a sale is normal; twenty clicks and nothing is a leak worth plugging.
How to find them
The source is your search term report, the same report that powers good keyword research. It lists every actual phrase that triggered your ads, with clicks and sales for each. Sort by clicks, look at the top spenders with no sales, and those are your negative keyword candidates.
| Search term | Clicks | Sales | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| "free thriller books" | 24 | 0 | Negate |
| "audiobook mystery" | 18 | 0 | Negate |
| "cozy mystery series" | 15 | 4 | Keep and raise bid |
The two match types
- Negative exact blocks only that precise phrase. Use it when a specific term wastes money but close variants still convert.
- Negative phrase blocks any search containing that phrase. Use it for a whole theme that never works for you, like "free" if you sell paid books.
Start with negative exact so you do not accidentally block converting searches, and use negative phrase for clear, whole-theme wastes.
Make it a habit
Reviewing the search term report and adding negatives should be a regular routine, not a one-time cleanup. Every cycle you keep the winners, negate the wasters, and the campaign gets leaner. New to campaigns? Start with the first campaign setup guide first.
Doing this review across every campaign, every week, by hand is slow and easy to skip, which is exactly why Essentia harvests converting search terms and negates the wasteful ones automatically.
FAQ
Can I add too many negative keywords? Yes. Over-negating can block searches that would have converted. Add them based on real data (clicks with no sales), not on guesses about what "sounds" irrelevant.
What is the difference between negative exact and negative phrase? Negative exact blocks one precise phrase; negative phrase blocks any search containing it. Phrase is broader and riskier, so reserve it for themes that never work for you.
How often should I review negatives? Every one to two weeks while a campaign is active. The search term report keeps filling with new phrases, and each review is a chance to cut fresh waste.