Worked example
A term spends $1.20 per click and the product contributes $12 per order before advertising. It needs a 10% conversion rate to break even. If the term has several clicks and no orders, that result alone does not establish that it cannot reach the threshold. The amount of evidence matters alongside relevance and the cost of continuing.
Separately, a clearly irrelevant query may justify exclusion without waiting for a statistical threshold. For example, a product that is not a replacement part should not be presented as one. Review the full query and product before choosing how widely to exclude it; a broad exclusion can block useful variations as well.
Why it matters for profit
Negatives can stop spend on traffic you do not want, but excluding a relevant term too early can also stop useful sales. Compare the clicks, spend and attributed orders with the product’s break-even conversion rate. A decision based on contribution is more specific than a fixed rule such as stopping every term after a set number of clicks.
Amazon supports negative phrase and negative exact matching, including close variations. Negative phrase can exclude queries containing the phrase, while negative exact targets the matching query more narrowly. Review the platform’s current matching rules and existing negatives before adding one. A negative keyword and a negative product target are different controls; product-targeting exclusions should be reviewed separately.
Check it on your numbers
Use When to Negate.
Read the worked lesson: Give search terms a fair test before adding negatives.
Related terms
Source: Amazon Ads guidance. Platform rules checked October 30, 2026.