Broad Match Is a Budget Dumpster Fire

Stop Burning Cash: How Keyword Isolation Saved My Ad Budget (and My Sanity)
aka the Amazon ad hack most sellers never use

Here’s the deal…
Most sellers bleed money on Amazon ads and don’t even know it.
Not because they’re lazy.
Not because they’re bad at math.
But because they skip one simple thing: keyword isolation.

Let me tell you a story about how I learned this the hard way—so you don’t have to.

🧠 "Why Am I Losing Money If I'm Getting Clicks?"

Back in 2018, I was selling a bamboo bathtub caddy. Real sleek.
Wine glass holder, phone slot, extendable arms—the works.

Sales were trickling in. I was running automatic and broad match ads like the PPC course said.
Every week I’d check my ad spend and scratch my head:

• $500 spent

• $480 in sales

• 🤯 Negative ROI

It felt like I was just donating to Bezos’ yacht fund.

Then I pulled a search term report… and almost choked on my iced coffee.
My top spenders?
“Wooden baby bathtub.”
“Wine gift set.”
“Shower caddy.”

Not one of them was for a bamboo bathtub tray.

🧪 Enter: Keyword Isolation

Keyword isolation is like Marie Kondo-ing your PPC.
You only keep the words that spark conversions.

Here’s how it works:

1. Run Auto and Broad Campaigns First

This is where you test the waters.
Let Amazon show you what search terms people are using.
You’re not looking to win the Super Bowl here.
You’re scouting for star players.

2. Check the Search Term Report Weekly

Find the keywords that are spending money but not converting.
Cut ‘em. Fast.
Use negative keywords like a bouncer at your listing’s VIP section.

3. Move Winners to Exact Match Campaigns

Found “bamboo bath tray” bringing sales?
Make an exact match campaign just for that.
Give it a tighter budget and higher bids.
Let the keyword cook.

4. Keep Testing, Keep Trimming

Every week:

• Pause losers

• Boost winners

• Rinse and repeat

Keyword isolation isn’t set-and-forget.
It’s more like grooming a bonsai tree. ✂️

💸 The Turnaround

After isolating keywords:

✅ I paused every auto and broad campaign that was underperforming.
✅ Moved my top 5 converting terms into their own exact match campaigns.
✅ Set negatives on all the junk terms that were eating budget.

Result?

📈 43% drop in ad spend
📈 62% jump in ROAS
📈 4x more profit in 30 days

And just like that, my bamboo tray business went from break-even to printing.

💡 Big Lesson

If you’re still using broad match or auto campaigns with no isolation…
You’re not running ads.
You’re gambling.

Keyword isolation turns your ad strategy from spaghetti-at-the-wall…
Into sniper-level precision.

It’s not about more keywords.
It’s about the right ones.

🧠 Proverb of the Day:

👉 "Cut the fat, feed the winners." 👈

📦 So... are you bleeding ad spend without knowing it?
Drop a comment below if you’ve tried keyword isolation (or if you’re gonna start).
Let me know your results—I read every reply.

✅ Save this post if you want to revisit it during your next PPC audit.
⭐ Star it if it gave you an “aha” moment.
📤 And share it with a friend who’s still stuck in auto campaign purgatory.

Until next time,
Stay sharp and sell smart.

✌️
— Ryan Keene
Your friendly Amazon ad whisperer