Drop in the search term report from your Amazon Ads console and this free tool sorts every search into three lists: the ones that sold and should become exact-match keywords, the ones that have had a fair test and never sold, and the ones that need more clicks before you can tell. It suggests a starting bid for each new keyword, and it runs entirely in your browser.
How to get your search term report
- In the Amazon Ads console, open Reports and create a new report.
- Choose Sponsored Products and the report type Search term.
- Pick the last 60 days or so. Set the time unit to Daily if you want the tool to flag searches that sold in the last 30 days.
- Download the finished report, Excel or CSV, and choose it above.
The tool finds the columns by name, so it works on the report as Amazon delivers it. You don’t need to edit or tidy anything first.
How it decides
The rules come from our study of 2,846 keywords and the follow-up on keyword harvesting by order level, not from rules of thumb:
| List | What puts a search there | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Promote | At least one order, and not already an exact-match keyword | Keywords from one-order searches did about as well over their lifetime as those from two or three, and they added sales rather than moving them. |
| Negate | No orders after about 3 ÷ your conversion rate clicks, or after spending what one sale earns you | At a 15% conversion rate that is 20 clicks, Amazon’s own minimum before a negative. Fewer than that and no sales is often just luck. |
| Still testing | No orders yet, but not enough clicks or spend to judge | Leave these running. The tool shows how many clicks each one still needs. |
Promote candidates are listed with searches that sold in the last 30 days first, then by orders. The tool does not rank by the search’s ACOS: in our data, a search term’s ACOS before promotion said nothing about how the keyword would do afterwards.
the lower of: what the search cost per click, and your break-even bid
Break-even bid = average order × break-even ACOS × conversion rate, all taken from your report.
New keywords that started well above what the search had been paying ran at much higher ACOS for the same conversion rate. Starting at the search’s own cost per click keeps the first test honest. What the price premium did to ACOS.
How it differs from free PPC audit tools
Most free Amazon PPC tools are built for product sellers. They score each search by its ACOS against a target you type in, and they treat a low ACOS as proof of a good keyword. For books that is the wrong test twice over: a search with one or two orders has an ACOS that is mostly luck, and your break-even depends on your royalty, not on a seller’s margin. This tool uses order counts, fair-test clicks and your own break-even instead.
Your report stays on your device
The file is read by your browser and never sent anywhere: the page has no upload step and makes no request with your data. Close the tab and it is gone. That also means nothing is saved between visits.
What it can’t see
- Which book a search belongs to. The report lists campaigns, not books, so promote each search in a campaign for the same book it sold in.
- Your existing negatives. A search you have already negated can still appear if it was clicked earlier in the date range.
- Page reads and organic sales. Kindle Unlimited reads and the sales an ad helps outside the 14-day window are not in the report.
- Anything outside the date range. It judges the report you give it. A longer range gives slower searches a fairer test.
Common questions
Is this Amazon PPC tool free?
Yes. There is no sign-in and no limit: choose your search term report and the results appear on the page.
Is my search term report uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser reads the file on your own device. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else, and nothing is stored once you close the page.
Which report does it need?
The Sponsored Products search term report from the Reports section of the Amazon Ads console, as an Excel (.xlsx) or CSV file. Daily time unit is optional; it lets the tool flag searches that sold recently.
Why doesn’t it use ACOS to pick keywords?
Because the ACOS of a search with one to three orders is mostly luck. In a study of 2,846 book keywords made from search terms, the search term’s ACOS before promotion had almost no relationship with the keyword’s ACOS afterwards.
How many clicks before I negate a search term?
About three divided by your conversion rate: 20 clicks at 15%, 30 at 10%. Amazon’s own guidance is at least 20 clicks before adding a negative, and our data supports it.
What break-even ACOS should I enter?
Your royalty per sale divided by the list price. A $14.99 paperback that pays $5.00 a sale breaks even at 33%. The KDP royalty calculator works it out for eBooks, paperbacks and hardcovers.
- Promote any search that has sold and is not yet an exact keyword; one order is enough.
- Negate after about 3 ÷ conversion rate clicks with no order, or one royalty of spend.
- Start the new keyword’s bid at what the search already cost per click, capped at your break-even bid.
- Ignore the search term’s ACOS when choosing; with so few orders it is mostly luck.
- The report is read in your browser and never uploaded.