Amazon negative keywords: exact vs phrase
Two match types, one job: stop paying for searches you'll never win. Pick the wrong one and you block sales you wanted.
Short answer
Sponsored Products has two negative keyword match types. Negative exact blocks one specific search term; negative phrase blocks every search containing that phrase. Use negative exact to stop a single bad term or to protect a keyword you've moved to its own campaign, and negative phrase when a word is always wrong for your product, like “used” or “pattern”.
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What negative keywords do
A negative keyword tells Amazon: don't show my ad for this search. It doesn't make your ad cheaper or better. It just stops spend on searches you've decided can't pay off, so the budget goes to the ones that can.
In Sponsored Products you can add negatives at the campaign level, where they apply to every ad group, or the ad group level, where they apply to that ad group only. There's no negative broad match.
Negative exact vs negative phrase
| Negative exact | Negative phrase | |
|---|---|---|
| Blocks | That search term | Any search containing the phrase |
| Example negative | dog bed pattern | pattern |
| Blocks “dog bed pattern” | Yes | Yes |
| Blocks “dog bed sewing pattern” | No | Yes |
| Blocks “large dog bed” | No | No |
| Risk | Low: very narrow | Higher: one word can block a lot |
| Use it for | One proven bad term; protecting a harvested keyword | Words that are always wrong for your product |
When to use negative exact
1. A single term that spends without converting. You found “orthopedic cat bed” with 40 clicks and no orders on your dog bed. You still want “orthopedic dog bed.” Negate the exact term.
2. After you harvest a keyword. When a search term converts well in an auto or broad campaign, add it as an exact keyword in its own campaign, then add it as negative exact in the original campaign. Now that term only runs through the campaign where you control its bid, and your campaigns stop bidding against each other.
When to use negative phrase
Use negative phrase when a word or short phrase is wrong in every combination:
- Wrong condition:
used,refurbished, if you only sell new. - Wrong intent:
pattern,diy,how to,free. - Wrong product:
cat, if you only sell dog beds. - Wrong size or fit:
toddler, if you only sell adult sizes.
Keep phrase negatives short and specific. One word is powerful; make sure it's never part of a search you'd want.
Five mistakes that cost sales
- Negating a generic word with phrase.
bedas a negative phrase on a dog bed campaign blocks every search with “bed” in it. Including the good ones. - Negating your own brand. It happens with copy-pasted lists. Check every list for your brand and product names before adding it.
- Negating too early. Two clicks with no order is noise. Wait until clicks pass about 2 divided by your conversion rate.
- Forgetting new campaigns. A new campaign starts with no negatives. Reuse your list.
- Never reviewing the list. Products, seasons and listings change. A negative that made sense last year may block a term you now want.
A weekly routine
- Pull the search term report for the last 30 to 60 days.
- Negative exact for single bad terms above your click threshold.
- Negative phrase for words that are always wrong.
- Harvest winners into exact campaigns and negate them in the source.
- Write down what you added and why. WavyCloud's change log does this part for you.
Ask your AI
From the last 60 days of search terms, propose negative exact keywords for terms with 25+ clicks and no orders, and negative phrase keywords for words that are clearly irrelevant to my products. Preview only.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a negative broad match on Amazon?
No. Sponsored Products negative keywords come in two match types: negative exact and negative phrase.
Should negative keywords go at the campaign or ad group level?
Use campaign level when the term is wrong for everything in the campaign, which is most of the time. Use ad group level when a term is wrong for one product but right for another product in the same campaign.
Do negative keywords work in auto campaigns?
Yes. You can add negative exact and negative phrase keywords to Sponsored Products auto campaigns, and you can exclude products and brands with negative product targeting.
Can I add negative keywords with AI?
Yes. Through WavyCloud, your AI app can propose negatives from your search term report and add them after you approve a preview of the exact list.