Should I Use Negative Keywords or Lower Bids First?
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Quick answer
Negative keywords and bid reductions are two different Amazon Ads controls that address different problems. Negative keywords block search terms that have no sales history and are unlikely to convert. Bid reductions reduce exposure for keywords that already generate some orders but do so at an inefficient cost. The preferred sequence is to add negative keywords first for non-converting terms, then lower bids on active but inefficient keywords once enough click and sales data exists.
Choosing the right order can protect ad spend without cutting off valuable traffic too early. The core rule is simple: remove what has never worked, then adjust what is working but costs too much. This keeps your product page bids focused on queries that actually have a chance to convert.
Start with Negative Keywords for Zero-Sales Terms
Search terms with meaningful clicks but no orders are the clearest candidates for negative keywords. They consume budget without showing evidence of purchase intent. Adding a negative exact or phrase match prevents your ad from appearing for that specific query. This step belongs before bid reductions because lowering a bid only reduces how often you appear; it does not stop irrelevant impressions entirely. A tool like Amazon Negative Keyword Tool by Todoza can help surface those terms from search-term reports.
- Look for terms with high click volume and zero sales over a stable observation window.
- Use negative exact match for clearly irrelevant or mismatched queries.
- Use negative phrase match when the irrelevant portion repeats inside longer queries.
Lower Bids Only After a Keyword Has Proven Demand
Keywords that bring some sales but have poor efficiency are better handled by lowering the bid. These terms are relevant enough to convert, but the current cost per click or ACOS is too high. Reducing the bid keeps the keyword active while shifting impressions toward less expensive placements. This stage should come after negative keyword cleanup because you need a cleaner set of terms to evaluate. Without removing zero-sales queries first, bid reductions can hide the real performance of productive keywords.
- Use ROAS or ACOS as the efficiency signal rather than clicks alone.
- Make gradual bid changes and monitor performance over a consistent period before the next change.
- If a keyword still underperforms after multiple reductions, consider pausing it or moving it back to a negative keyword.
When This Sequence Matters
This order matters most when a small number of search terms account for a large share of ad spend but never convert. Fixing zero-sales terms first protects budget for keywords that have already demonstrated buyer interest. Teams that reverse the order often see lower overall spend but also lower sales because they throttled good terms too early. If you manage multiple campaigns, using a read-only analysis tool can help you see which terms deserve a negative keyword versus a bid reduction before you make manual changes.
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After applying negative keywords and reducing bids where needed, the next step is to review product page bid adjustments as a whole. That decision depends on whether the remaining traffic is still profitable enough to justify the current bid level. Combining keyword cleanup with careful bid reduction keeps product page visibility aligned with actual performance.