Overview

Amazon sellers who run Sponsored Products ads often group many shopper queries under a single keyword, whether it’s broad, phrase, or exact match. Because each keyword carries one bid, the performance of every search term inside that group is tied to that same bid. Separating high‑performing queries from low‑performing ones—a practice known as search term isolation—lets advertisers adjust bids and add negatives with precision, resulting in more efficient spend and tighter ACOS control.

Key Points

• Match‑type buckets vary in breadth — A broad keyword like “garden hose” can trigger ads for “retractable garden hose,” “sprinkler hose,” and “hose reel,” while an exact match only serves the exact phrase “garden hose.”
• One bid governs the whole bucket — Setting a $1.20 bid on the broad keyword “garden hose” applies that same amount to every query the algorithm groups under it.
• Negatives prune irrelevant traffic — Adding “sprinkler hose” as a negative keyword removes that specific query from the broad bucket while keeping other relevant searches active.
• Isolation surfaces true term performance — When “retractable garden hose” is moved to its own phrase or exact keyword, its click‑through rate (CTR) and conversion rate (CR) can be measured without dilution from unrelated searches.
• Bid tweaks become data‑driven — After isolation, a profitable term such as “garden hose 50 ft” can receive a higher bid, whereas a weak term like “garden hose cheap” can be lowered or paused.
• Budget shifts to proven drivers — By singling out top‑performing queries, sellers avoid wasting budget on generic traffic that rarely converts and can reallocate funds to the terms that generate revenue.

How Search Term Isolation Works

1. Spot high‑impact queries — Pull the Search Term Report and flag queries that deliver sales at a low ACOS, for example “garden hose 50 ft” showing a 10 % ACOS, while noting “garden hose cheap” that exceeds a 30 % ACOS.
2. Create dedicated keywords — Move each high‑performing query into its own phrase or exact match keyword; for instance, add “garden hose 50 ft” as an exact match with a $1.50 bid.