Identify and Exclude Underperforming Keywords Before Launch
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Quick answer
Underperforming keywords are search terms that generate clicks without meeting a campaign's target ACoS, ROAS, or cost-per-order threshold. Identifying and excluding these terms before launch reduces wasted spend and creates a cleaner Sponsored Products structure. Amazon Ads search term data is typically reviewed for high spend, low conversion, and poor return patterns before negative keywords are approved and added to a bulksheet.
A pre-launch cleanup step is easier when you have a clear negative keyword list. Instead of waiting for wasted spend after launch, you can apply historical search term insights to your bulksheet and avoid repeating known low-performing matches. The Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza supports this by importing and classifying search term reports before you commit changes.
Use historical search term data first
Before launching a new Sponsored Products campaign, review search term performance from similar existing campaigns or previous launches. Look for terms that consistently spend budget but do not produce orders at an acceptable rate.
- Check where spend exceeds the target return thresholds.
- Compare cost per click and orders per term over a meaningful window.
- Separate generic, branded, and competitor terms before applying negatives.
Keep the focus on patterns rather than one-time outliers, especially for new keywords with limited data.
Build a clean negative keyword list before launch
A negative keyword list is most useful when it reflects the campaign structure you are about to upload. Group terms by match type and campaign objective so the bulksheet stays manageable.
- Add terms that repeatedly underperform against your ROAS or cost-per-order goals.
- Exclude search terms that are not relevant to the product or offer.
- Have team members review the list before applying it in the bulksheet.
This read-only review workflow can help catch difficult negatives before they affect a live campaign.
When this matters
This cleanup step is especially useful when you manage multiple campaigns or marketplaces and cannot manually review every search term. It also matters when launching competitive or high-volume keywords where a bad match can consume budget quickly. If you are already using Amazon Ads analytics tools, a pre-launch negative list fits naturally into a bulksheet-based campaign build.
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Once underperforming terms are identified and excluded, the next step is to map the remaining keywords into Sponsored Products campaigns using a structured bulksheet workflow. That keeps pre-launch cleanup connected to the broader process of building and uploading campaigns.