%20(4).png)
Amazon sellers often focus on keyword search volume when building their advertising campaigns. However, high search volume does not always translate into sales. A keyword may attract thousands of shoppers but generate few clicks, cart additions, or purchases for a particular product.
The Amazon Search Query Performance (SQP) report helps sellers understand how customers discover products and how those searches move through the shopping journey. By analyzing impressions, clicks, cart additions, and purchases, sellers can identify relevant search queries with stronger conversion potential.
This guide explains how to use the Amazon Search Query Performance report to discover high-converting keywords, improve product listings, and make more informed Amazon PPC decisions.
What Is the Amazon Search Query Performance Report?
The Search Query Performance report is part of Amazon Brand Analytics. It provides search-funnel data for queries associated with a brand or a specific ASIN.
The report helps sellers understand how shoppers search for products, how often their products appear for those searches, and how customers interact with their listings.
Amazon provides two main views:
- Brand View: Shows search query performance across a brand’s catalog.
- ASIN View: Shows query performance for a selected product.
The report includes search-funnel metrics such as impressions, clicks, cart additions, and purchases. It can also show a brand’s share of performance compared with the overall query. Availability and report details may vary by marketplace and account.
For more information, see Amazon’s Brand Analytics overview.
Why the SQP Report Matters for Keyword Research
Traditional keyword research tools help estimate search demand and identify relevant phrases. The SQP report adds another layer by showing how shoppers interact with your brand or product after searching.
This makes it useful for:
- Finding search queries that generate product purchases.
- Identifying keywords with strong click or cart-add activity.
- Discovering relevant terms missing from product listings.
- Evaluating whether a product is attracting clicks but not converting.
- Finding opportunities to improve Amazon PPC targeting.
- Understanding your brand’s share of search-funnel activity.
SQP should be used alongside advertising reports, listing analytics, and profitability data. It is not a replacement for campaign-level PPC reporting.
How to Access the Amazon Search Query Performance Report
To access the report, your brand generally needs to be enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry and have access to Brand Analytics.
Follow these steps:
- Sign in to Amazon Seller Central.
- Open the Brands menu.
- Select Brand Analytics.
- Navigate to Search Analytics.
- Open Search Query Performance.
- Choose Brand View or ASIN View.
- Select the marketplace and reporting period.
- Apply the filters and review the query data.
For product-specific keyword research, use ASIN View. This helps you focus on queries associated with an individual product rather than the entire brand catalog.
Key Metrics to Analyze in the SQP Report
Understanding each metric is important before deciding whether a keyword is worth targeting.
Amazon’s SQP metrics are specific to its search shopping funnel. They may not match figures in advertising dashboards or other reports because the reports can use different attribution rules and traffic sources.
Step 1: Start With ASIN View
Brand View is useful for understanding broad brand-level search behavior. However, ASIN View is often more practical when looking for high-converting keywords for a specific product.
Select the ASIN you want to analyze and review the queries associated with it.
For example, a seller offering a stainless steel water bottle may discover queries such as:
- stainless steel water bottle
- insulated water bottle
- leakproof water bottle
- water bottle for gym
- 1 litre insulated bottle
These phrases may have different levels of search demand and purchase intent. The goal is to determine which queries attract relevant shoppers and contribute to meaningful product engagement.
Step 2: Identify Queries With Purchase Activity
Start by reviewing the purchase metrics. Queries with purchases are valuable candidates for further keyword evaluation, especially when they are closely related to the product.
Do not select keywords based only on the highest purchase count. Consider search volume, clicks, cart additions, relevance, and the product’s share of performance.
A query with fewer purchases may still be attractive if it has lower competition, strong relevance, or a higher purchase rate.
Use the following table as a practical screening framework.
Step 3: Calculate Funnel Conversion Rates
The SQP report can help you compare how queries move through the shopping funnel. Use the available metrics to calculate directional rates.
Click rate
Click rate = Clicks ÷ Impressions × 100
Cart-add rate
Cart-add rate = Cart Adds ÷ Clicks × 100
Purchase rate
Purchase rate = Purchases ÷ Clicks × 100
These calculations are useful for comparing query performance within the same report and reporting period. Make sure the numerator and denominator use compatible metric definitions.
For example, a query with 1,000 clicks and 80 purchases has a purchase rate of 8% based on those figures. Another query with 500 clicks and 60 purchases has a purchase rate of 12%. The second query has fewer purchases overall but a higher purchase rate.
Use these rates as indicators, not guarantees. A small number of clicks can produce volatile percentages, so consider the volume behind each metric.
Step 4: Compare Brand Share With Overall Query Performance
SQP can show your brand’s share of performance compared with the total performance for a query.
This can help identify opportunities where shoppers are searching for a relevant product category, but your brand captures only a small portion of clicks, cart additions, or purchases.
For example:
- A query has strong overall demand.
- Your ASIN receives impressions but a low share of clicks.
- Your product receives clicks but a smaller share of cart additions.
- Competitor products may be meeting shopper expectations more effectively.
Use this information to review your listing’s relevance, pricing, images, reviews, delivery promise, and product differentiation.
A low brand share does not automatically mean the keyword is unprofitable. It signals an opportunity to investigate.
Step 5: Turn High-Converting Queries Into PPC Keywords
After identifying relevant queries with purchase activity, validate them using your advertising data.
SQP shows search-funnel performance, while Amazon Ads reports provide campaign-level information such as spend, attributed sales, and advertising efficiency.
Use both sources before increasing bids or budgets.
A query with purchases in SQP is a candidate for testing, not an automatic winner. Confirm its profitability through your advertising reports and product margin.
For deeper campaign analysis, review your Amazon PPC management strategy and related advertising performance data.
Step 6: Improve Product Listings With Query Insights
SQP can reveal the language shoppers use when searching for products. Use relevant queries to improve listing content naturally.
Consider optimizing:
- Product titles
- Bullet points
- Product descriptions
- A+ Content
- Backend search terms
- Product images and infographics
Prioritize keywords that accurately describe the product and match customer expectations. Avoid inserting unrelated terms simply because they appear in a report.
For example, if shoppers search for “leakproof insulated water bottle,” confirm that the product genuinely has leakproof and insulated features before using those terms in listing content.
You can also use query insights alongside your Amazon listing optimization process to improve relevance and shopper clarity.
Step 7: Find Long-Tail Keyword Opportunities
Long-tail keywords are more specific search phrases that often communicate a clearer need.
Examples include:
- insulated water bottle for office
- leakproof bottle for school bag
- stainless steel bottle with straw
- lightweight bottle for hiking
These queries may have lower search volume than broad terms, but they can be highly relevant to a specific product.
Use SQP to identify long-tail queries that show engagement or purchases. Then evaluate whether the product meets the intent behind each phrase.
Long-tail keywords can be useful for:
- Exact-match PPC campaigns
- Listing bullet points
- Backend search terms
- Product-specific content
- New product development research
Do not assume every long-tail keyword will convert better. Test performance and evaluate profitability.
Step 8: Use Search Query Details to Study Competitors
Where available, the Search Query Details view provides a comparison between your selected ASIN and top-performing ASINs for a query.
This can help you assess how your product compares in the search funnel.
Review factors such as:
- Product relevance
- Price and promotions
- Main image quality
- Review count and rating
- Delivery speed
- Product features
- Listing content clarity
Competitor performance can help explain why a query has demand but your product captures limited engagement. Use the findings to improve your offer rather than copying competitor listings.
Step 9: Build a Keyword Prioritization System
Create a keyword list from the SQP report and classify each query by relevance, purchase activity, volume, and PPC performance.
A practical keyword sheet can include:
- Search query
- ASIN
- Search query volume
- Impressions
- Clicks
- Cart adds
- Purchases
- Click rate
- Cart-add rate
- Purchase rate
- PPC spend
- PPC sales
- ACoS or ROAS
- Relevance rating
- Recommended action
This makes it easier to turn report insights into an actionable keyword strategy.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Choosing keywords based only on search volume
High volume can attract traffic without generating sales. Evaluate relevance and funnel activity instead of relying on demand alone.
Treating SQP purchases as PPC-attributed sales
SQP and advertising reports measure different things. Use SQP to understand search behavior and Ads reports to evaluate campaign performance.
Ignoring product relevance
A query may show purchases across the market but still be unsuitable for your ASIN. Confirm that the product directly satisfies the shopper’s intent.
Making decisions from small data samples
A high conversion rate based on a small number of clicks may not be reliable. Compare multiple periods and look for consistent performance.
Increasing bids without checking profitability
A keyword can convert but still be unprofitable if CPC is high or product margins are low. Review break-even ACoS and contribution margin before scaling.
Updating listings with keywords unnaturally
Use search terms where they help shoppers understand the product. Keyword stuffing can reduce readability and weaken the buying experience.
How Often Should Sellers Review the SQP Report?
A consistent review schedule helps sellers identify changes in customer search behavior and evaluate listing improvements.
Use comparable reporting periods when evaluating trends. Seasonal demand, promotions, inventory availability, and price changes can all affect search performance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Amazon Search Query Performance report used for?
It helps sellers understand how customers search for products and how their brand or ASIN performs across search-funnel stages, including impressions, clicks, cart additions, and purchases.
Is the SQP report available to all Amazon sellers?
Access is generally available to brands enrolled in Amazon Brand Registry through Brand Analytics. Availability may vary by marketplace and account eligibility.
Can the SQP report identify high-converting keywords?
It can help identify queries associated with purchase activity and strong funnel engagement. Sellers should validate these opportunities with advertising performance and profitability data.
What is the difference between Brand View and ASIN View?
Brand View shows query performance across a brand’s catalog. ASIN View focuses on search queries associated with a selected product.
Does SQP show Amazon PPC sales?
SQP includes search-funnel activity associated with organic and Sponsored Products traffic originating from search results, but its metrics are not the same as advertising-attributed sales in Amazon Ads reports.
How can I use SQP data for Amazon PPC?
Identify relevant queries with purchase or cart-add activity, then test them in appropriate campaigns. Monitor spend, attributed sales, ACoS, ROAS, and conversion performance before scaling.
How is SQP different from the Search Term Report?
The SQP report provides search-funnel insights for a brand or ASIN. The Amazon Ads Search Term Report focuses on customer search terms that triggered ads and provides advertising performance metrics such as clicks, spend, and attributed sales.
Final Thoughts
The Amazon Search Query Performance report can help sellers move beyond basic keyword volume and understand how shoppers interact with products after searching. By reviewing impressions, clicks, cart additions, purchases, and brand share, sellers can identify relevant queries that deserve deeper investigation.
The most effective approach is to combine SQP insights with Amazon Ads reports, listing optimization, and profitability analysis. Use the report to discover keyword opportunities, improve product relevance, and build campaigns around search terms that align with customer intent.
High-converting keywords are not simply the phrases with the most searches. They are the relevant queries that attract the right shoppers and support profitable growth.
