Negative phrase is a negative keyword match type in Amazon Ads that blocks your ad on any search containing the phrase, with its words in the same order, whatever other words surround it. Adding for kids as negative phrase to an adult yoga mat campaign blocks yoga mat for kids, mat for kids room and every other search with that phrase.
A negative phrase keyword is compared with every search your ad could match. If the phrase appears inside the search with its words in order, the ad is withheld, regardless of what comes before or after. Close variants such as plurals are also blocked. That makes a single negative phrase far more powerful than a negative exact, which removes only one search.
Worked example: a ₹1,499 insulated bottle campaign has 22 search terms containing the word cover, such as bottle cover, steel bottle cover and bottle cover for kids. Together they took 220 clicks and ₹1,540 in a week with no orders, because shoppers wanted a cover, not a bottle. Adding cover as negative phrase removes all 22 at once, along with any new cover searches that would have appeared next week.
On Flipkart, excluded keywords in a PLA keyword campaign do the same job.
Wasted spend usually comes in themes rather than single terms: accessories, the wrong gender, the wrong size, bargain hunters, a different product that shares a word. Negative phrase removes the theme, which is why it is the faster way to clean up broad match, phrase match and auto campaigns.
The risk is equal to the power. A negative phrase on a word that appears in good searches will quietly block sales. Adding steel as negative phrase to a steel bottle campaign would block the whole product. Check the search term report for any converting term containing the phrase before adding it.
The narrow negative that blocks one search term only.
Learn more →The positive match type that uses the same ordering rule.
Learn more →Find search terms with spend and no orders, review them, and upload negatives in bulk.
Learn more →Filter every keyword and target by ACoS, CVR and spend, then change bids in bulk on Amazon India.
Learn more →It is a negative keyword that blocks your ad on every search containing the phrase with its words in order. Extra words around the phrase do not stop the block.
Negative phrase blocks every search containing the phrase; negative exact blocks only the one search that equals it. Use phrase for themes and exact for single terms.
Yes. Any converting search that contains the phrase is blocked too. Check the search term report for converting terms that contain the word before adding it.
As many as the search term report justifies. Review weekly and add negatives for terms with clicks and no orders; a mature campaign often carries more negatives than keywords.
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