Last updated on July 4th, 2025
When it comes to helping brands succeed on Amazon, we at Amazon Listing Services specialize in combining smart tech with human expertise. We don’t just rely on tools; we bring the right people behind the tools. Our focus is on providing human-led services for Amazon PPC management, product listing optimization, and performance reporting. While there’s growing hype about AI-driven automation, we believe in offering a balanced view using technology where it helps but relying on human oversight to drive real results.
Now let’s talk about one of the most underestimated aspects of Amazon PPC strategy, negative keyword harvesting, and whether AI tools can really outperform human judgment.
Table of Contents
What Is Negative Keyword Harvesting and Why It Matters
Can AI Tools Automate Keyword Harvesting on Amazon?
The Benefits of Automating Negative Keyword Management With Caution
Real-Life Example: How One Client Reclaimed 25% of Their Ad Budget
Limitations of AI in Negative Keyword Automation
Where Human Expertise Still Wins
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What Is Negative Keyword Harvesting and Why It Matters
47% of Amazon sellers are already using AI or rule-based automation tools to manage PPC campaigns.
If you're running Amazon PPC ads, you’ve likely heard about keyword targeting. But the unsung hero in your campaign’s success is negative keyword management.
Here’s why: every time someone clicks on your ad and doesn’t convert, that’s money wasted. Most of the time, that’s because your ad showed up for an irrelevant search term. That’s where negative keywords come in; they block your ads from showing for terms that don’t lead to sales.
Negative keyword harvesting is the process of identifying those irrelevant terms, often through search term reports, and adding them to your negative keyword list. When done right, this:
- Saves your ad budget
- Improves click-through rate (CTR)
- Boosts conversion rates
- Makes your overall campaign more profitable
But here’s the kicker: doing this manually can be exhausting. Imagine combing through thousands of search terms every week. That’s where the idea of AI comes in. Can it help? Maybe. But does it always get it right? That’s the real question.
Can AI Tools Automate Keyword Harvesting on Amazon?
AI-driven keyword management tools are designed to scan large volumes of data and flag poor-performing or irrelevant keywords. These tools often use machine learning algorithms to identify patterns over time.
For example:
- They analyze search term reports daily.
- They score each term based on conversion rates, CTR, and spend.
- They can automatically block high-cost, no-conversion keywords.
Tools like Perpetua, Teikametrics, and Sellics are well-known for offering automation features for Amazon PPC. According to a 2024 report by eMarketer, nearly 47% of Amazon sellers are using some form of AI or rule-based automation in their ad campaigns.
But while that sounds great in theory, AI has limitations. Most tools work off preset rules or historical data they don’t know the context. A human might see a keyword like “cheap charger” and realize it doesn’t match your premium product. An AI tool might not.
So yes, AI can help automate keyword harvesting on Amazon, but it still needs human validation.
The Benefits of Automating Negative Keyword Management With Caution
Let’s talk about where AI truly helps in negative keyword automation:
- Time-saving
AI can go through tens of thousands of data rows in seconds. For brands managing hundreds of SKUs, that’s a big win. - Pattern recognition
It can flag terms that drain your budget repeatedly, even across campaigns. - Scalability
For sellers scaling fast, manual harvesting becomes almost impossible. AI tools make keyword management more manageable at scale. - Consistency
AI doesn’t miss things when programmed correctly. It can monitor every day without fatigue.
But again, let me stress: blind automation can backfire. We’ve worked with clients who came to us after using AI tools that over-blocked relevant keywords. One client selling high-end watches had “luxury timepiece” accidentally marked as negative because it had a low CTR one week.
That’s why at Vserve, we review every suggestion flagged by automation before applying it. We don’t let software make final decisions alone humans lead; tech supports.
Real-Life Example: How One Client Reclaimed 25% of Their Ad Budget
Let me give you a real story. A mid-size electronics seller came to us after using an Amazon PPC automation platform. They were spending over $10,000/month, but ROAS was stuck under 2x.
Here’s what we did:
- Audited their negative keyword list and found 183 wrongly blocked terms (some were their best-selling keywords from the previous quarter).
- Stopped over-reliance on the automation settings.
- Applied manual negative keyword harvesting weekly, supplemented by rule-based reports.
- Implemented a tiered keyword strategy with human oversight.
Within 6 weeks:
- Ad spend dropped by 25%
- ROAS jumped from 1.9x to 3.4x
- Conversion rate improved by 18%
Source: Internal campaign results at Vserve (Client NDA restricts name disclosure, but data validated)
This is where we see the value, not in removing automation altogether but in controlling how it’s used. That’s our sweet spot.
Limitations of AI in Negative Keyword Automation
Despite the buzz, AI has blind spots, especially in areas that require contextual understanding and brand strategy.
Here are a few problems we’ve encountered:
- Too aggressive exclusions: AI can block keywords based on short-term performance, not long-term potential.
- No brand voice understanding: AI doesn’t know your target audience or brand positioning.
- Lack of flexibility: Many tools apply a “one-size-fits-all” logic across different product categories.
- No nuance in seasonal trends: What doesn’t convert today might explode next month during holiday sales.
For Amazon PPC, the best results come from strategy, and strategy isn’t code it’s experience.
Where Human Expertise Still Wins
Let’s be honest. AI can be fast. But can it interpret sarcasm in customer search terms? Understand seasonal buying intent? Plan around product launch goals? Not yet.
Human-led services like ours offer:
- Campaign context understanding
- Brand-aligned keyword decisions
- Real-time competitor analysis
- Flexibility to adjust based on performance, not just patterns
That’s why we still manage Amazon PPC manually with support from tools, not the other way around.
We believe this hybrid approach, AI-assisted, human-led, is the best way to manage negative keyword harvesting on Amazon today.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How often should negative keywords be updated in Amazon PPC campaigns?
At least once a week. For high-volume sellers, daily reviews are ideal. Regular updates help you stay ahead of wasted spend.
2. Can AI tools recognize branded or competitor keywords to exclude?
Some tools can, but not always accurately. Branded and competitor keywords often need manual review to ensure you don’t accidentally block valuable traffic.
3. Is it better to automate negative keywords or manage manually?
A combination works best. Let AI tools flag possibilities, but always review them manually before adding them to your list.
Key Takeaways
In wrapping up our look at whether AI tools can automate negative keyword harvesting better than you ever could, it’s clear that the best results come from combining tech with human insight. Here are three streamlined takeaways:
- Use AI as a Tool, Not a Replacement: AI can speed up keyword harvesting, but human judgment ensures relevance and accuracy.
- Avoid Over-Automation: Relying only on AI can lead to missed opportunities or blocked valuable keywords.
- Balance is Key: A hybrid approach that combines automated alerts and human decisions delivers the most effective Amazon PPC performance.
We’ve explored the pros, cons, and real-world outcomes of AI-driven keyword management. Now it’s your turn to join the conversation below!
For more insights and the latest trends in customer support and eCommerce success, follow Amazon Listing Services on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Stay informed, stay competitive.