Keyword or Targeting

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1

I’m just trying to better my targeting in PPC and so my question is, what exactly is the difference between Negative keywords and Negative targeting in a campaign?
I’ve been told they are the same but surely if that were the case there would only be a need for one of them.
Is it beneficial to use one over the other and will they affect your results differently in any way?

Thanks.

2

Negative keywords and negative targeting are related concepts in Amazon PPC campaigns, but they serve slightly different purposes. While they both help you refine your targeting and improve campaign performance, they operate in distinct ways:

  1. Negative Keywords: Negative keywords are specific keywords that you designate as not relevant for your campaign. When you add negative keywords, your ads won’t be shown for search terms that contain those keywords. This allows you to prevent your ads from showing up in irrelevant or low-converting searches.
  2. Negative Targeting: Negative targeting, on the other hand, is a broader concept that includes various options to exclude certain audiences or placements. In addition to negative keywords, you can use negative targeting to exclude specific audiences, placements, product categories, or even certain products. This helps you further refine your campaign’s reach and avoid showing ads to audiences that might not be your target customers.

In summary, while both negative keywords and negative targeting aim to reduce unwanted ad impressions and improve ad relevance, they serve different functions:

  • Negative Keywords: Used to prevent your ads from showing up for specific search terms that contain those keywords.
  • Negative Targeting: Includes negative keywords but also extends to other exclusions like audience segments, placements, product categories, etc.

Both options are beneficial and can be used together to fine-tune your campaign targeting:

  • When to Use Negative Keywords: Use negative keywords when you want to prevent your ads from showing for specific search terms that you’ve identified as irrelevant or low-converting.
  • When to Use Negative Targeting: Use negative targeting when you want to exclude broader segments or categories, such as excluding certain audience types or placements that are not aligned with your campaign goals.

Using a combination of both negative keywords and negative targeting can help you effectively control where your ads appear, reduce wasted ad spend, and improve the overall efficiency of your Amazon PPC campaigns.