Amazon Ads Search Term Report vs. Targeting Report

Amazon Ads search-term and targeting reports answer different questions. A search-term report focuses on shopper queries associated with ad activity; a targeting report focuses on the keyword, product, or automatic target that received delivery. Use both to understand not just what matched, but which control produced it.

Search-term reporting shows shopper language

The search-term view helps identify the queries associated with reported clicks or sales. It can reveal useful wording, irrelevant searches, and variations not obvious from the target list. Reporting thresholds and available fields can limit what appears, so it may not represent every query.

Use the report to understand intent and to consider deliberate keyword or negative-keyword changes. Do not automatically add every converting search term; check whether it is distinct, repeatable, and economically relevant.

• Group queries by intent before editing campaigns.
• Review spend and sales after attribution has matured.
• Check for repeated query patterns, not only isolated clicks.

Targeting reporting shows the campaign control

The targeting report reports results against the target itself, such as a keyword, product target, or automatic targeting group. It helps answer which target is generating delivery and how its results compare with other campaign controls.

A target can serve many search terms, and one search term can be eligible through more than one target or campaign. The two reports therefore do not always reconcile as a one-to-one mapping.

• Use the target view to adjust bids and structure.
• Use search terms to review relevance and wording.
• Keep campaign, ad group, and advertised-product scope consistent.

Reconcile without forcing a perfect match

Before comparing, align marketplace, date range, campaign selection, attribution fields, and report granularity. Some conversions may be reported after the click date; returns, cancellations, or different attribution definitions can also change totals.

Use the query report for intent decisions and the target report for control decisions. Together they offer a more complete view than either report alone.

A query-level row and a target-level row represent different grains. When one target matches many queries, its total can exceed any single query row; when several targets can match a query, attribution may not map back one-to-one. Preserve the report grain in dashboards instead of joining the files only by campaign name.