How do I read the Amazon search term report?
The search term report shows every actual shopper query that triggered your ad, plus clicks, spend, and orders per term. Sort by spend descending and look for two patterns: terms with high spend and zero orders (negatives), and terms with strong conversion that are not yet in an exact-match campaign (promotion candidates).
Where to find it and what it contains
In Seller Central, go to Reports > Advertising Reports > Sponsored Products > Search Term. Pull the last 60 days. Each row is a customer search term, the ad-group keyword it matched, spend, orders, sales, and ACoS.
The two moves that matter
First, filter for search terms with 10+ clicks and zero orders. Add each as a negative-exact to the campaign burning the spend. Second, filter for search terms with 3+ orders and ACoS below target that are matched via auto or broad. Promote each to its own exact-match ad group with a slightly higher bid.
Common mistakes
Do not negative-match a term after 3 clicks; the sample is too small. Do not promote a term after 1 order; the conversion may not repeat. Do not run the report only monthly: waste accumulates weekly.
Frequently asked questions
How often should I run the search term report?
Weekly for accounts spending $500+/month, biweekly for smaller accounts.
What is the click threshold for negatives?
10 clicks with zero orders is the standard threshold. On low-priced items, 15 clicks.
Should I negative-match at campaign or ad-group level?
Ad-group level unless the term is universally irrelevant across the whole product line.
Does Nova replace the search term report?
No. Nova aggregates ad spend into SKU profit; keyword-level tuning still happens in the Amazon Ads console.
See this in Nova
Nova surfaces this metric per SKU in near real time so you can act before your next monthly close catches it.
Try Nova free for 14 daysRelated questions
What is a good negative keyword strategy on Amazon?
Run negatives weekly using two rules: negative-exact any search term with 10+ clicks and zero orders, and negative-phrase any recurring irrelevant modifier (free, cheap, competitor brand names when you cannot rank). Applied consistently, this cuts 15% to 30% of wasted spend within 60 days without hurting sales.
How do I audit wasted Amazon ad spend?
A 30-minute weekly audit catches most wasted PPC spend. Pull the search term report for 14 days, negative-out any term with 10+ clicks and zero orders, cut bids on keywords with ACoS 2x above target, and pause any SKU whose product-level ad spend exceeds its net profit for the period.
How do I lower TACoS on Amazon?
Lower TACoS by growing organic sales faster than ad spend. The three levers that move it most are: cut wasted ad spend on non-converting search terms, raise listing conversion rate so ads earn more per click, and build organic rank on branded and long-tail keywords so you buy less of your own traffic.
What is a good ACoS for Amazon PPC?
A good ACoS on Amazon depends on your target margin. Break-even ACoS equals your pre-ad contribution margin (usually 25% to 40%). Profitable ACoS sits 5 to 10 points below that: most private-label brands aim for 15% to 25%. Launch campaigns often run at 40% or higher for the first 30 days on purpose.
How do Amazon PPC bid adjustments work?
Bid adjustments let you multiply your base bid by placement (top of search, rest of search, product pages) and by audience segment. Top-of-search adjustments often move ACoS the most: raising the top-of-search modifier by 50% on a winning campaign can add 20%+ in sales at similar efficiency. Product page adjustments rarely pay off outside of ASIN targeting.