How Should New Search Terms Be Handled?
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Quick answer
New Amazon Ads search terms are phrases shoppers use to find products, and they appear in your reports as new opportunities or potential budget drains. Best practice is to monitor these terms over several reporting cycles before acting, since initial results may be inconsistent and true performance signals take time to emerge. This helps ensure decisions are based on meaningful data, not temporary fluctuations.
When new search terms show up in your Amazon search term reports, it’s tempting to quickly add or block them. Yet, careful observation over time leads to smarter decisions and stronger campaign performance.
Why Monitoring Matters
New search terms often lack enough clicks, conversions, or sales data in their first days or even weeks. Jumping to conclusions based on a small sample can result in missed sales or wasted spend. By reviewing these terms across multiple reporting cycles, you give enough time for trends to become clear, revealing whether a term supports sales or simply consumes budget.
Setting an Observation Window
Establish a consistent window—often two to four weeks—before labeling a new search term as a keeper or a negative. Align this window with your sales cycle and traffic volume. During this period, track core metrics like click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate, and return on ad spend (ROAS), utilizing tools such as the Amazon Ads Report Analyzer to automate trend detection and gather consistent insights.
Making Data-Driven Decisions
Once you have enough historical data, analyze the term's contribution to campaign goals. Remove or add negative keywords only if a term consistently underperforms or proves valuable. Solutions like the Amz Ad Waste Detector can suggest candidates for review, but always combine tool insights with your business context before taking action.
When This Matters Most
This approach is especially important when launching new products, starting fresh campaigns, or adjusting ad strategies. Early campaign phases are prone to volatile results, making patience and proper data collection critical for long-term optimization.
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Effectively handling new search terms sets the stage for accurate Amazon Ads analysis and meaningful optimizations. For more methods and strategic perspectives, continue to our main guide on how to analyse an Amazon Ads search term report.