Identify Bid Increase and Negative Keyword Candidates

Separate underperforming terms from rising candidates

Start with search terms that have enough click history to be judged reliably. If a term spends consistently but produces no orders or a return well below the account target, it is usually a stronger negative keyword candidate than a bid increase candidate. For broad or phrase match terms that trigger too many irrelevant queries, adding a negative exact match prevents future spend while preserving control.

At the same time, isolate terms that already convert at an acceptable rate but show low impression share. These are the most natural bid increase candidates. The Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza can help classify search terms so the review team sees a cleanup plan instead of a raw report.

Review volume before raising bids

Bid increases work best when the decision is based on a repeatable pattern rather than a short-term spike. Before pushing a bid higher, confirm the term has enough clicks to show whether poor performance is temporary or structural. Check the following:

• Whether the term has enough click volume to be judged separately from one-off events
• How its conversion rate compares with similar converting terms in the same campaign
• Whether the impression share trend is flat or declining, indicating budget pressure may be limiting exposure

A low-data term may need a moderate bid increase solely to gather more clicks, but that should be treated as a test with a clear review date rather than a permanent change.

When this matters

This classification process is most useful when an Amazon Ads account has broad match campaigns, large search term reports, or multiple marketplaces to review. In those cases, manual checks become inconsistent and spend can drift toward terms that rarely convert. It is also helpful for agency teams that need a documented cleanup plan before making bid adjustments, especially when changes require client or stakeholder approval.