Amazon PPC can feel like a maze when you’re starting, but trust me, once you get the basics right, it’s one of the best ways to drive sales and improve your product rankings. Here’s a breakdown of strategies that work:

1. Know Your Keywords Like the Back of Your Hand
If you’re not doing solid keyword research, you’re burning money. Start with Amazon’s auto campaigns to discover high-converting keywords (they’re great for mining data). Then, move to manual campaigns and organize your keywords into Exact, Phrase, and Broad match types. Tools like Helium 10 or Jungle Scout can help uncover relevant, high-traffic keywords, but don’t forget Amazon’s suggestions – they’re gold. Pro tip: Negative keywords are your best friend for trimming the fat and keeping your budget focused.

2. Segment Your Campaigns
Don’t lump everything into one campaign. Segment your campaigns by product type, match type, or even goals. For example:

One campaign for high-traffic exact-match keywords.

Another for broad match keywords to cast a wider net.

Separate campaigns for branded and non-branded keywords.

This makes it easier to monitor performance and scale what’s working.

3. Bid Strategically (Start Small, Scale Smart)
Your bidding strategy can make or break your campaign. Start with lower bids to test the waters and increase them for promising keywords. Amazon’s suggested bids can sometimes be inflated, so don’t blindly follow them. Use dynamic bids (down only) initially to avoid overspending and switch to fixed bids once you’ve got solid data.

4. Leverage Product Targeting Ads
Don’t sleep on product targeting. Go after competitor ASINs, especially those with weaker reviews or higher prices. Your product shows up on their listing, allowing you to steal their customers. Plus, use category targeting to get in front of buyers searching for products similar to yours.

5. Obsess Over Your Metrics (But Don’t Panic)
ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) isn’t the only metric to watch. Pay attention to your TACoS (Total Advertising Cost of Sales) – this measures how ads affect overall sales. High ACoS is fine if you’re gaining organic rankings. Keep a close eye on CTR (Click-Through Rate) and CVR (Conversion Rate). If CTR is low, your ad or targeting might be off. If CVR sucks, it’s probably your listing (images, reviews, pricing, etc.).

6. Don’t Let Auto Campaigns Run Wild
Auto campaigns are fantastic for research but can quickly drain your budget if you’re not setting bid caps. Monitor them closely, pull out performing keywords/ASINs, and move those to manual campaigns for better control. Oh, and regularly add irrelevant terms as negative keywords.

7. Test, Optimize, Repeat
This is where most sellers lose patience. Run experiments, analyze what’s working (or not), and keep refining.

Test different bids, ad copy, and keyword match types.

Adjust based on seasonal trends (e.g., Prime Day or Q4).

Check your placement reports – sometimes top-of-search bids are worth it, and others are not.

8. Set a Budget That Matches Your Goals
Are you focused on profitability or visibility? If you’re launching a product, expect to spend more to gather data and gain traction. Don’t be that person who dumps $1k into ads without checking their numbers. Start with a modest budget, let the campaign breathe for a week, and then make adjustments.

9. Take Advantage of Sponsored Brand Ads
Sponsored Brand ads are excellent for increasing visibility if you have a registered brand. They’re great for driving traffic to your storefront or showcasing multiple products. Even better, they often have lower CPCs compared to Sponsored Product ads.

10. Use Video Ads
Amazon loves video ads, and so do customers. They convert like crazy by grabbing attention and showing your product in action. If you’re not using them, you leave money on the table.

Bonus Tip: Your Listing Matters More Than Your Ads
 
This is something people don’t talk about enough. If your product images, title, bullets, or reviews aren’t top-notch, your PPC campaigns won’t save you. Optimize your listing before pouring money into ads. Great ads can’t fix a bad product page.