Amazon search term report analysis
How to analyze an Amazon search term report: harvest winners, cut waste, bid from profit.
The search term report shows the searches that actually triggered your ads. This guide turns it into three decisions (keep, harvest, negate) using a spend threshold from your own margin, not a rule of thumb.
Free spend-threshold calculator
When has a search term had enough clicks?
Enter contribution per order, the profit you want to keep and your average CPC. The calculator shows how much a search term can spend, and how many clicks that buys, before zero orders means it has cost more than a sale would earn.
Formula
Allowable ad spend per order = contribution per order − protected profit. Zero-order click threshold = allowable ad spend ÷ average CPC. Expected clicks per order = 100 ÷ conversion rate %. Seller-entered values only; nothing is fetched from Amazon.
Search term report guide
What the search term report shows
The Sponsored Products search term report lists the actual searches shoppers typed before clicking your ad, matched to the keyword or target that triggered it. For each customer search term you get impressions, clicks, spend, orders and sales, which makes it the most direct evidence you have of what shoppers call your product and which searches pay. Amazon keeps only a limited lookback for this report, so download it on a regular schedule and keep the files.
The columns that matter
| Column | What it tells you | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Customer search term | The exact search the shopper typed | Harvesting, negatives, listing copy |
| Targeting / match type | Which keyword or target in your account matched it | Seeing where broad, phrase and auto campaigns drift |
| Clicks and spend | Traffic and cost | Spend threshold for negatives |
| Orders and sales | Attributed results within Amazon's attribution window | Conversion rate and ad cost per order |
| Impressions | How often the ad was shown for that search | Spotting relevant searches with no clicks |
The spend threshold: when a search term has had its chance
The cleanest rule for negatives comes from your own economics. Allowable ad spend per order is contribution per order minus the profit you want to keep. If a search term has spent more than that with no orders, it has already cost more than a sale would have earned. In clicks, the threshold is allowable ad spend ÷ average CPC. The calculator above does the arithmetic.
It is a threshold, not a verdict. Check relevance before adding a negative: a highly relevant term with one unlucky week may deserve a lower bid rather than a block.
Worked example (hypothetical report rows)
Product contribution per order is $12.00 and the seller wants to keep $4.00, so allowable ad spend per order is $8.00.
| Customer search term | Clicks | Spend | Orders | Ad cost per order | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| insulated bottle 32 oz | 60 | $54.00 | 9 | $6.00 | Winner: add as exact match, keep in title |
| water bottle for kids | 14 | $11.20 | 0 | — | Spend above $8 with no orders: negative or lower bid |
| gym flask | 22 | $19.80 | 2 | $9.90 | Above $8 per order: lower bid |
| hiking canteen | 5 | $4.25 | 0 | — | Below threshold: keep collecting data |
| bottle with straw lid | 18 | $13.50 | 3 | $4.50 | Winner: add as exact; add "straw" to backend if missing |
Harvesting: moving winners into exact match
A search term that converts in an auto, broad or phrase campaign can be added as an exact-match keyword in its own ad group, where you control its bid directly. Many sellers also add it as a negative exact in the source campaign so the two do not compete. Set the new bid from the term's own conversion rate with the Amazon PPC bid calculator.
Use the report for your listing, not just your ads
Converting searches tell you the words shoppers use. If a converting term is missing from your title or bullets, consider adding it; if it does not fit, put it in the backend field. The backend search terms checker shows how many bytes you have left.
How often to analyze it
Often enough to catch waste, but not so often that you judge terms on a handful of clicks. Weekly suits accounts with steady traffic; fortnightly or monthly suits smaller ones. Use the same date window each time so results are comparable.
Where CEILR fits
CEILR imports your Amazon search term and targeting reports and runs these checks against each product's own economics: spend thresholds from allowable ad spend, a Profit-Safe CPC per term, and coverage of converting terms in your listing. The PPC guardrails show the result and Decision Memory records what you changed, so the next report can grade it. CEILR is read-only and does not add negatives or change bids for you.
Search term report FAQ
Search term report questions, answered.
Downloading, negatives, harvesting and listing use.
Set bids from profit →How do I download the Amazon search term report?
In the Amazon Ads console, open Reports (Measurement and Reporting), create a Sponsored Products report, choose the Search term report type, pick the date range and run it. Download the result as a spreadsheet.
How do I find negative keywords in the search term report?
Look for customer search terms whose spend is above your allowable ad spend per order with no orders, then check relevance. Irrelevant terms become negatives; relevant ones usually get a lower bid instead.
How many clicks before adding a negative keyword?
Use your economics rather than a fixed number: allowable ad spend per order divided by average CPC. With $8.00 of allowable spend and a $0.80 CPC, that is 10 clicks without an order.
What is the difference between keyword and customer search term?
The keyword or target is what you bid on. The customer search term is what the shopper actually typed. Broad, phrase and auto targeting can match many different searches to one keyword.
Should I add converting search terms to my listing?
Often, yes. A search term that converts shows real shopper language. Add it to the title or bullets if it fits naturally, or to the backend search terms field if not.
How far back does the search term report go?
Amazon keeps a limited lookback window for search term data, so download the report regularly and keep your own copies if you want a longer history.
Continue the PPC decision
Turn the report into bids, negatives and listing changes.
Amazon PPC bid calculatorMax CPC from contribution and conversion.
Amazon PPC profitability guideCheck whether ads make money.
Backend search terms checkerFit converting terms into 249 bytes.
Profit-Safe vs Fundable CPCThe two ceilings CEILR uses.
CEILR remains read-only to Amazon seller state and does not change listings, campaigns, bids, budgets or keywords for the seller.
PPC guardrails