Amazon Search Query Performance: What the Data Means and How to Use It

Why Search Query Performance Is One of My Favourite Amazon Reports

Amazon sellers have access to huge amounts of data.

The challenge isn't obtaining more numbers.

It's understanding what those numbers are telling you.

Search Query Performance — often shortened to SQP — is one of the reports I find particularly valuable because it gives sellers a view of how their brand or ASIN performs across the Amazon search funnel.

Amazon describes SQP as answering a fundamental question:

Which customer queries led shoppers towards my products?

It provides query-level information at brand and ASIN level, while Amazon's search dashboards follow behaviour through impressions, clicks, basket adds and purchases.

Where to Find SQP

For eligible Brand Registered sellers:

Seller Central → Brands → Brand Analytics → Search Query Performance

You can analyse the report by period and, depending on the available view, drill into individual ASIN performance.

Amazon also allows sellers to download SQP data, including a comprehensive view and monthly outlier reports, which is particularly useful when analysing larger datasets.

Start With Search Query Volume

Query volume tells me the size of the opportunity.

If a search query generates substantial activity on Amazon, I want to know:

Is it genuinely relevant to my product?

High volume alone isn't enough.

I would much rather compete strongly for a highly relevant medium-volume query than spend heavily trying to force relevance for a huge generic term.

Analyse the Funnel

The real power comes from looking at each stage.

Impressions

Are your products being shown? If Amazon has significant query activity but your ASIN receives very little impression share, potential causes include:

• Weak organic ranking
• Poor listing relevance
• Low PPC presence
• Competition
• New product status

This may be a visibility problem.

Clicks

Next ask: when customers see us, do they click? Strong impressions but weak click share suggests investigating:

• Main image
• Title
• Price
• Reviews
• Ratings
• Offer
• Product positioning

This is effectively a CTR problem.

Basket Adds

A basket add suggests stronger buying intent. If customers click but don't add the product to their basket, something on the product detail page may be creating resistance.

Purchases

Finally: are we winning the sale? If click share is relatively strong but purchase share collapses, I start looking at conversion. Possible issues include:

• Price
• Reviews
• Weak listing
• Delivery
• Poor differentiation
• Product mismatch

The Shares Are Often More Valuable Than the Raw Numbers

Suppose a query accounts for significant Amazon purchase activity. Your ASIN receives:

5% of impressions

but:

12% of purchases

That's interesting. It suggests that when customers find your product, it performs disproportionately well.

My thought becomes: could we win more impressions? That might justify investigating:

• Organic ranking
• Exact PPC campaigns
• Increased bids
• Top-of-search placements
• Listing relevance

That's a genuine opportunity.

The Opposite Pattern Is Just as Useful

Imagine:

15% impression share, 12% click share, but only 3% purchase share

We're already getting visibility. Buying more impressions probably isn't my first solution.

I'd investigate the product page and conversion first.

Use SQP With PPC

SQP becomes even more valuable when combined with advertising data. A query might show:

• Strong Amazon demand
• Weak ASIN visibility
• Excellent conversion when clicked

That could be a PPC ranking opportunity.

Another query might have:

• Huge visibility
• Weak CTR
• Poor conversion

Increasing PPC spend there may simply create more wasted traffic.

Compare Yourself With Leading ASINs

Amazon's Search Query Details dashboard also allows a selected ASIN to be compared with the top-performing ASINs for a query, using search-funnel signals including impressions, clicks, basket adds and purchases.

That gives sellers another question to ask:

What are the strongest competitors doing differently?

Look at:

• Price
• Reviews
• Main image
• Features
• Offer
• Listing quality

How I Use SQP in Practice

I usually classify queries into:

• Visibility opportunities
• CTR problems
• CVR problems
• Strong performers worth scaling
• Low-priority queries

The objective isn't to create another spreadsheet.

It's to create actions.

Where I Can Help

SQP is exactly the sort of report I use in consultancy and coaching because the raw numbers are less valuable than the decisions behind them. I can help sellers identify:

• Ranking opportunities
• PPC opportunities
• Listing problems
• Conversion gaps
• Keyword priorities

If you're Brand Registered but rarely use Search Query Performance, there's a good chance you're leaving useful Amazon data untouched.