If your Amazon Ads campaign is underperforming due to Targeting Expansion, here’s how to turn it off and regain full control over your targeting:
For Sponsored Products (Auto Campaigns):
You can't manually disable targeting expansion here, since Amazon automatically handles keyword matching and product targeting.
What you can do instead:
For Sponsored Products (Manual Campaigns with Product Targeting):
Amazon sometimes applies "Expanded Targeting" under the hood. To avoid this:
Go to Campaign Manager
Select the Ad Group
Under Targeting, choose Product Targeting
Manually select ASINs or Categories
→ Avoid selecting “suggested” or “refined” targets that could expand beyond your intent.
For Sponsored Display Campaigns:
This is where Targeting Expansion is most visible and controllable.
To Turn It Off:
Go to your Sponsored Display Campaign in Campaign Manager
Select the Ad Group
Scroll to the Targeting section
If you're using:
Audiences targeting: Look for a checkbox or toggle that says:
“Expand your audience to reach relevant shoppers”
Uncheck this option.
Product targeting: Amazon may expand to similar ASINs — use “individual product targeting” instead of category-based targeting.
Important: The exact toggle may vary depending on your account setup and interface version.
For Campaigns Already Running:
If you suspect expansion is hurting results but don't see the option to toggle it off:
Pause the current campaign
Duplicate it and build with manual targeting only
Avoid choosing any settings that say “Let Amazon choose additional similar targets” or “expand reach”
Bonus Tip:
Name your campaigns clearly, e.g.,
“SD - Manual - No Expansion”
to track performance differences between expanded and non-expanded setups.
