Amazon Advertising Red Flag: Forgetting Negative Keywords ??
Recently, we conducted audits for three brands in the consumer packaged goods (CPG) space and found a common issue: the lack of keyword negation. In simpler terms, these brands were not using negative keywords in their Amazon advertising campaigns. This oversight can lead to significant inefficiencies and wasted resources.
Negative keywords are essential for several reasons.
First, they help keep your data clean. When your campaigns are not cluttered with irrelevant search terms, it’s easier to analyze performance and make informed decisions. Second, they save money. By filtering out unwanted clicks, you ensure that your budget is spent on terms that are more likely to convert. Finally, they contribute to a healthier campaign structure. A well-organized campaign is easier to manage and optimize over time.
Why are negative keywords important?
Let's break down what happens when negative keywords are not used in Amazon campaigns. Imagine you have three campaigns: one targeting a list of Fish Sauce keywords with broad match, another with phrase match, and a third with exact match. If none of these campaigns include negative keywords, two main issues can arise.
First, multiple sponsored ads might appear on the same search page for the same term. While this can increase your brand's visibility, it can also confuse your advertising strategist. They won't clearly understand how their bidding strategy is achieving specific placements and conversions. For instance, if the bids are equal, each campaign might sporadically win the same spot. This randomness can lead strategists to misallocate funds, mistakenly believing that focusing on one campaign over another will boost efficiency.
Second, without negative keywords, your data collection process becomes inefficient. Imagine trying to pour water from a bucket into a syringe. Most of the water spills out, and very little actually goes into the syringe. Similarly, without filtering out irrelevant terms, you'll gather a lot of useless data, making it hard to derive actionable insights.
How to Choose the Right Negative Keywords
To avoid these pitfalls, it's crucial to implement a robust negative keyword strategy. Here are some actionable steps to get started:
Where do I find my Negated Keywords in Amazon Ad Console?
Navigate to Amazon Ad Console’s sponsored ads dropdown, and select Bulksheets. Then, create a bulk file and filter out Campaign Negative Keywords and Negative Product Targeting under the Entity column. This report will provide you with all of the negative keywords that are currently running across all campaigns.
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Conclusion
By implementing these strategies, you can improve the efficiency of your Amazon advertising campaigns, reduce wasted spend, and ensure that your data remains clean and actionable. Remember, a well-maintained negative keyword list is key to a successful advertising strategy.
Want to see if this (or worse!) is taking place in your brand’s ad console??Let us take a look.???
If you want to check out more results from our weekly audits, we've got one on Low Volume Keywords and another one on Main Images.