Introduction
Every seller wants to scale — but too many are flying blind.
Want real growth?
You need data-driven insights — and the most powerful one might already be sitting in your Seller Central dashboard:
📊 The Amazon Search Term Report.
In this guide, we’ll break down:
- What the Search Term Report is
- How to access and read it
- What insights it reveals
- How to use it to scale your ads, listings, and strategy
Let’s dive in.
What Is the Amazon Search Term Report?
The Search Term Report is available in Amazon’s advertising console and Seller Central. It tells you:
🔍 What exact search terms customers typed before clicking your ad
📈 Which terms led to sales
💸 Which terms cost you money but didn’t convert
This is different from keyword targeting — it’s about real-world shopper behavior.
How to Access It
- Go to Advertising → Reports
- Choose Sponsored Products → Search Term Report
- Select your timeframe (last 7, 30, or 60 days)
- Download the .csv file and open in Excel or Google Sheets
Key Columns in the Report
Here’s what to pay attention to:
| Column Name | What It Tells You |
|---|---|
| Search Term | What shoppers typed |
| Campaign Name | The ad campaign it came from |
| Match Type | Broad, Phrase, or Exact |
| Impressions | How often your ad showed |
| Clicks | How often it was clicked |
| Spend | What you paid |
| Orders | Conversions |
| Sales | Total value of purchases |
| ACoS | Cost per sale (spend/sales) |
5 Ways to Use the Search Term Report to Scale
1. Identify Your Top-Performing Search Terms
Sort by lowest ACoS or highest ROAS.
These are your winning search terms.
✅ Increase bids
✅ Move them into Exact Match campaigns
✅ Use them in your listing copy for SEO
2. Cut Waste by Finding Poor Performers
Sort by:
- High spend
- Zero or low orders
- ACoS above your target
Pause or negative match these terms — they’re eating budget without producing sales.
3. Discover Hidden Keyword Gems
Sometimes, customers find you through terms you didn’t expect.
Look for:
- Long-tail keywords
- Misspellings
- Seasonal terms
These can be added to your campaigns or listings for cheap conversions.
4. Optimize Your Campaign Structure
If you notice certain search terms performing better in phrase or broad match, build new campaigns around them.
You’ll:
✅ Control bids better
✅ Reduce overlap
✅ Improve campaign efficiency
5. Use It to Improve Product Listings
The best-performing search terms = language your customers use.
Incorporate them into:
- Title
- Bullet points
- A+ content
- Backend search terms
This boosts organic rank and conversion rate.
Real-World Example
We helped a client selling home goods identify that “minimalist kitchen rack” was driving high-converting traffic.
✅ It wasn’t in their listing
✅ It wasn’t targeted in ads
✅ It came from a broad match campaign
We:
- Added it to their product title and bullets
- Created an exact match campaign for it
- Saw a 43% sales lift in 30 days
Mistakes to Avoid
🚫 Ignoring the report entirely
🚫 Optimizing based on keyword targeting, not actual search terms
🚫 Overreacting to short-term data (use at least 14–30 days)
🚫 Failing to implement negative keywords
Bonus Tip: Use Negative Keywords
If a search term is:
- Getting clicks but no sales
- Driving irrelevant traffic
- Wasting budget
…negative match it.
This tells Amazon: “Don’t show my ad here again.”
Clean data = better results.
How Often Should You Review the Report?
🔁 Every 7–14 days for active campaigns
🔁 Monthly for less active SKUs
Consistent review = consistent improvement.
Final Thoughts
The Amazon Search Term Report is a goldmine for growth.
It shows you:
✅ What works
✅ What doesn’t
✅ Where your customers are
✅ How to scale with confidence
Use it to:
- Optimize campaigns
- Improve your listings
- Increase profit per click
- Reduce wasted ad spend
It’s not a luxury — it’s a necessity.
Want Help Scaling?
At Marketplace Valet, we turn data like this into real dollars.
Let’s scale your listings → justin@marketplacevalet.com
Or visit https://marketplacevalet.com
