Using the Amazon Search Term Report to Improve Your Ads

The search term report in your Amazon seller dashboard is loaded with raw, unfiltered insight straight from real shoppers. And if you know how to utilize it, you can turn these insights into conversions.

Most sellers may download the report, glance at it, then move on. However, deep into these spreadsheets are the exact words shoppers use when searching for products. These bits of information are gold and can be the secret sauce to campaigns that work.

What are Search Terms?

Amazon search terms are the exact words or phrases shoppers type into the Amazon search bar when looking for a product.They represent real-time customer intent, making them unfiltered and often surprising.

Unlike the keywords you target in your ads, search terms are what your customers are actually using to find your listings.

Here’s a quick experiment you can do: start typing any product-related term on Amazon search, and you’ll see autocomplete suggestions. These are based on:

Popular recent search terms
Frequently searched combinations
High-converting long-tail queries

Let’s say you’re bidding on the keyword “wireless earbuds.” A shopper might type “Bluetooth headphones for gym” into the search bar. If your ad shows up and gets clicked, “Bluetooth headphones for gym” becomes the search term captured in your search term report, even though it doesn’t exactly match the keyword you set.

So, what is a search term example?

Here are a few practical ones:

Keyword: “running shoes” → Search Term: “best shoes for marathon training”
Keyword: “desk lamp” → Search Term: “minimalist desk lamp with desk clip”

These insights form the basis of search terms optimization, giving you the ability to detect patterns in customer behavior and make smarter campaign decisions.

Data tells us that more than six in ten shoppers in the U.S. start their product search on Amazon, more than those who begin their hunt using search engines.

Where U.S. Shoppers Start Their Product Search (Source – eMarketer)

These numbers only underscore how crucial it is to make sure that your products are visible on Amazon. Doing so means optimizing for Amazon search terms to get lower ad spend, increase conversions, and boost your product’s organic ranking.

What is a Search Term Report?

A search term report is a downloadable document found in Amazon reports that shows you exactly which customer search queries triggered your ads and how those queries performed.

Think of it as a direct line to real Amazon search data, which can take out the guesswork in your campaigns. The report provides key insights for those managing Sponsored campaigns, including:

The search terms customers used
The keywords or ASINs you targeted that matched
The match type (broad, phrase, exact)
Performance data like impressions, clicks, CTR, ad spend, conversions, and ACoS

What makes the search term report so valuable is that it bridges the gap between your strategy and your customer’s intent. It doesn’t just show how your ads are performing, but it tells you why they’re performing that way.

How the Amazon Search Term Report Works

The search term report works by capturing the actual phrases Amazon shoppers type when they interact with your Sponsored ads.

Here’s how it works:

It starts when someone searches for a product on Amazon.
If that phrase matches one of your campaign keywords (based on your match type), your ad becomes eligible to appear.
If the shopper clicks your ad, Amazon logs that search term and records metrics like impressions, clicks, and sales.
This data is compiled into your Amazon Search Terms report for download.

The report organizes each entry around three core elements:

Search Term (what the shopper typed)
Matched Keyword or Target (what you bid on)
Performance Metrics (impressions, clicks, conversions, ACoS, etc.)

The report isn’t just a log of what happened. It’s a roadmap for what to fix, what to scale, and what to stop targeting altogether. In short, if you’re spending on Amazon ads and not reviewing your search term report regularly, you’re operating in the dark.

How to Access the Amazon Search Term Report

You can retrieve the search term report in Seller Central by following these steps:

Log in to your Amazon Seller Central account.
In the top menu, hover over “Reports” and click on “Advertising Reports.”
Under Report Type, choose either Sponsored Products or Sponsored Brands (depending on what you’re running).
Then, select “Search Term” as the specific report type.
Choose your date range—you can go back up to 60 days for Sponsored Products and 90 days for Sponsored Brands.
Click “Create Report.” Once it’s ready, download the file (usually a CSV format).
Open the report in Excel or Google Sheets for analysis.

We recommend setting a recurring reminder to download your search term report every week. Patterns change fast, and missing a trend for even a few days could cost you sales.

How to Analyze Your Amazon Search Term Report

The power of the search term report isn’t just in what it shows, but in what you do with it. Here’s how to break it down and use the insights to power your campaigns:

Sort by Sales and ACoS

Begin by pinpointing the search terms that generate the highest sales.. Then look at their ACoS to see how efficient they are.

Low ACoS, high sales = scale these terms
High ACoS, low or no sales = consider lowering bids

The goal is to protect your budget while maximizing return, and analyzing ACoS alongside sales is one of the most effective ways to do that.

Best Practice. Before pausing or eliminating them entirely, check the match type and relevance of search terms. If it’s a broad match, try switching to phrase or exact match to tighten targeting. You can also add truly irrelevant terms (e.g., unrelated product categories) to your negative keyword list to avoid future waste.

Spot Irrelevant or Wasted Terms

Not every click is a good click. Some Amazon search terms may be driving traffic without conversions, especially when you’re using broad or phrase match types.

Let’s say you sell high-end wireless earbuds, but your ad shows up for “cheap wired headphones.” Even if the shopper clicks, that’s likely a wasted spend. The product doesn’t match the intent, and your ACoS will reflect that.

This is where negative keyword optimization comes in.

Data reveals that 62% of advertisers say they plan to add more negative keywords to improve campaign results. Even more telling, 13% admit they need to review their negative keywords more often.

What Advertisers Say About Negative Keywords (Source – WordStream)

Best Practice. Identify terms with high spend and zero conversions and add those you want to block in the Negative Keywords section in Campaign Manager. Start with phrase match negatives to cover broad variations like “cheap,” “free,” “refurbished,” etc.

Find New Keywords for Targeting

Your search term report can also be a goldmine for uncovering long-tail keywords that can transform your campaigns. Long-tail keywords are longer, more specific phrases that shoppers use when they’re closer to making a purchase.

Let’s say you’re bidding on the keyword “running shoes.” That’s broad, competitive, and likely expensive. But your search term report might reveal that shoppers are clicking and converting on queries like:

“best trail shoes for rocky terrain”
“lightweight running shoes for flat feet”
“waterproof marathon training shoes”

They’re exact phrases customers typed in, and they give you insight into what problems they’re trying to solve or features they care about.

Best Practice. For deeper analysis and strategic implementation, consider working with Amazon experts like AMZ Advisers. They specialize in optimizing ecommerce businesses based on live data, from marketing campaigns to boosting sales, they can help you make smarter advertising decisions.

Use Data to Adjust Bids Strategically

According to recent data, the average CPC across roughly 1,000 Amazon marketplaces has steadily increased from just under $0.95 in Q4 2024 to over $1.10 by May 2025. That may not sound drastic, but over hundreds or thousands of clicks, those few cents add up fast.

Average CPC on Amazon Advertising (Source – Ad Badger)

As CPC continues to climb, each unqualified click becomes more expensive. That means every keyword, bid, and campaign needs to work harder and smarter.

Best Practice. Some categories, like electronics or supplements, have more aggressive bidding environments. If you’re in a high-CPC niche, your margin for error is thinner, so bid decisions must be even more precise.

The Bottom Line

Your search term report is one of the most honest tools in your Amazon strategy stack. It doesn’t rely on assumptions or algorithms. It gives you direct access to how shoppers are finding your products, in their own words.

From trimming wasted spend to uncovering long-tail gold and bidding smarter in a rising CPC environment, this report connects your ads to customer intent, all without guessing what your audience wants.

Author

Carla Bauto Deña is a journalist and content writer producing stories for traditional and digital media. She believes in empowering small businesses with the help of innovative solutions, such as ecommerce, digital marketing, and data analytics.

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