Negative Keywords on Amazon PPC: Complete 2026 Guide

Negative keywords tell Amazon which searches should not trigger your ad. In Sponsored Products you add them as negative exact (blocks one specific search) or negative phrase (blocks any search containing that phrase), at the campaign or ad group level. Use them to cut spend on irrelevant or non-converting search terms and to stop your own campaigns competing for the same search.

Key takeaways

• Two match types only: negative exact and negative phrase. There is no negative broad.
• Negate irrelevant terms right away; negate relevant-but-unprofitable terms after enough clicks.
• Use negatives to route traffic: a harvested term goes to exact match and gets negated in the discovery campaign.
• Check for converting searches before you add a broad negative phrase.

How negative keywords work

Every Sponsored Products ad is eligible for many searches. Broad match, phrase match and auto campaigns can all show your ad for searches you never typed in. Negative keywords are filters on top of that matching. If a search matches a negative, your ad does not show for it in that campaign or ad group.

Negative exact vs negative phrase

Say you sell queen bamboo sheets.

Rule of thumb: use negative phrase for words that make any search wrong for your product (a different size, material, audience or product type). Use negative exact when a specific search fails but its words appear in good searches too.

Commonly cited limits are 4 words for negative phrase and 10 words for negative exact, with an 80-character cap. Amazon can change limits, so check the console if a negative is rejected.

Campaign level vs ad group level

You can add negatives in two places:

• Campaign-level negatives apply to every ad group in the campaign. Use them for terms that are wrong for the whole campaign, such as competitor brand names in a generic keyword campaign.
• Ad group-level negatives apply only to that ad group. Use them when one ad group should not show for a term but another should, for example to keep a broad ad group from spending on a term an exact ad group in the same campaign already targets.

Negative product targeting

In auto campaigns and product targeting ad groups, you can also block ASINs and brands. This stops your ad from appearing on specific product pages, such as much cheaper products that rarely send you sales, or your own listings where a different ad would make more sense.

When to add a negative keyword

There are two kinds of search terms to negate.

1. Irrelevant terms: negate immediately

These are searches for something you do not sell. Examples for queen bamboo sheets:

• Wrong size: "twin", "crib", "king" (if you do not sell king)
• Wrong material: "flannel", "jersey", "silk"
• Wrong product: "duvet cover", "mattress topper"
• Wrong intent: "used", "free", "diy", "pattern"

You do not need data to negate these. One click on "crib sheets" is a wasted click.

2. Relevant but unprofitable terms: negate after enough data

These terms describe your product, but they do not convert or cost too much. The question is how many clicks to give them. A common rule is to wait for roughly the number of clicks your product usually needs for one sale:

Clicks to judge a term ≈ 100 / your conversion rate (%)

CVR (conversion rate) is orders divided by clicks. Many sellers use 10–15 clicks with no sale as a simple default. Products with a low conversion rate need more patience.

For terms that do convert but at a poor ACoS (advertising cost of sales, or ad spend divided by ad sales), try lowering the bid first, or move the term to exact match with its own lower bid. Negate only if it still cannot reach your target.

Worked example: how much negatives save

Say you pull a 30-day search term report for one broad campaign. Your product sells for $32.00 and your break-even ACoS is 32%.

The four negated terms cost $82.40 with no sales. That is about 23% of this campaign's $356.90 total spend in the month. Cutting it, with no change in sales, drops campaign ACoS from 34.9% ($356.90 / $1,024) to 26.8% ($274.50 / $1,024).

You can check your own break-even point in the Break-even ACoS & Max Bid Calculator.

Negatives to keep campaigns from competing

Negatives are also a routing tool. When you move a proven search term into an exact match campaign, add it as a negative exact in the auto and broad/phrase campaigns it came from. Otherwise:

• The same search triggers several of your campaigns.
• Amazon picks one, often the one with the higher bid, not the one you intended.
• Performance data splits across campaigns and becomes hard to read.

This is the core of keyword harvesting. Use negative exact here, not negative phrase. A negative phrase would block every longer search that contains the term, and those are exactly the new terms you want the discovery campaign to keep finding.

How to add negative keywords in the Ads console

At campaign level:

1. Go to Campaign Manager and open the campaign.
2. Click Negative targeting (or Negative keywords) in the left menu.
3. Click Add negative keywords.
4. Choose Negative exact or Negative phrase, enter the terms one per line, and save.

At ad group level: open the ad group instead, then follow the same steps.

From the search term report: in the campaign's Search terms tab, you can add a term as a negative directly from the row. For many terms across many campaigns, use Bulk operations and upload a spreadsheet.

Negative products: open an auto or product targeting ad group, go to Negative targeting > Negative products, then search or paste ASINs, or exclude a brand.

Build a starter negative list

Before launch, you can negate obvious mismatches. Typical starter categories:

Keep this list in a spreadsheet and apply it at campaign level across all products it fits.

Should you negate competitor brand names?

It depends on the campaign. In a generic keyword campaign, competitor brand searches usually convert poorly, so negating them keeps the data clean. If you want competitor traffic, target those terms deliberately in a separate campaign with its own budget and bid.

Common negative keyword mistakes

• Negating too early. Five clicks with no sale is normal for most products.
• Negative phrase on a valuable word. Negating "cooling" as a phrase also blocks "cooling bamboo sheets queen", which might be a top seller. Search the report for every term containing the word first.
• Never reviewing negatives. Listings change. A term that failed before a price drop or new images may convert now.
• Forgetting the auto campaign. Auto campaigns pick up the widest range of searches and need the most negatives.
• Only negating keywords, not ASINs. Product page placements can waste spend too.

Our Search Term Report Analyzer flags zero-sale terms past your click threshold and suggests negative phrase words in one pass. For the report itself, see the Amazon search term report guide.

Bottom line

Negative keywords are the fastest way to cut wasted Amazon ad spend. Negate irrelevant searches straight away, give relevant terms enough clicks before you judge them, and use negative exact to stop your own campaigns competing. Review the search term report every week or two so the list keeps up with your traffic.

Frequently asked questions

Amazon fees, policies and features change often. Figures here were checked in October 2026; confirm current rates in Seller Central before making pricing or budget decisions. Sotrics is not affiliated with Amazon.