Quick Links
What is Search Term Isolation?
Search Term Isolation is an advanced Amazon PPC strategy that separates your best-performing search terms into dedicated exact match campaigns while simultaneously blocking them from triggering in broader match type campaigns. Instead of allowing the same search term to compete across Auto, Broad, Phrase, and Exact match campaigns, you isolate it. Hence, it appears in only one campaign, typically your Performance campaign with an exact match keyword.
This approach eliminates the confusion that occurs when multiple match types bid on the same search term. Without isolation, when a customer searches for a term that matches keywords across several of your campaigns, Amazon's algorithm determines which ad to show based on factors like bid amount and ad relevance -meaning you're essentially competing against yourself.
Why Search Term Isolation Matters
Prevents Keyword Cannibalization
When you run the same keyword across multiple match types without isolation, you create internal competition. Your broad match, phrase match, and exact match keywords may all be eligible to show for the same customer search, causing your campaigns to compete against each other for the same impression. This keyword cannibalization dilutes your advertising effectiveness and makes bid management nearly impossible.
Enables Granular Bid Control
The core benefit of Search Term Isolation is precision. Keywords are "buckets" of search terms, and on Amazon, you can only set one cost-per-click bid per keyword. For example, if you bid $2 on the keyword "running shoes", all related search terms like "men's running shoes" or "trail running shoes" also receive that $2 bid. With isolation, you can bid differently on each individual search term based on its actual performance.
Improves Campaign Performance and Profitability
By isolating your top-performing search terms, you can allocate budget more efficiently. High-converting terms receive aggressive bids in dedicated exact match campaigns, while underperforming variations are negated entirely. This focused approach typically results in better ACoS, higher conversion rates, and improved return on ad spend.
Provides Clearer Performance Data
When search terms are isolated, your reporting becomes significantly clearer. You can see exactly how each search term performs without the noise of aggregated data from multiple match types. This visibility makes it easier to identify winners and losers, make informed bidding decisions, and scale what's working.
How Search Term Isolation Works
The strategy relies on a structured campaign framework with three core campaign types:
Auto Campaigns (Discovery)
These campaigns let Amazon automatically target what it considers relevant keywords based on your product title and description. Auto campaigns serve as your primary discovery tool for finding new search terms.
Research Campaigns (Broad Match)
Broad match keywords cast a wide net to capture variations, synonyms, and related terms. These campaigns continue the discovery process with slightly more control than Auto campaigns.
Performance Campaigns (Exact Match)
This is where your validated, high-performing search terms live. Each keyword in this campaign targets one isolated search term using exact match, ensuring maximum control and optimization.
Search Term Isolation represents a fundamental shift from broad, exploratory advertising to precise, data-driven campaign management. By ensuring your best-performing search terms receive dedicated attention and optimized bids, you transform your Amazon PPC from a scatter-shot approach into a surgical profit-generation machine.
Article last updated October 2025. If you find this information to be out of date, please contact [email protected].