How to set up your first Amazon PPC campaign

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Setting up your first Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaign can help boost your product visibility and drive sales. Follow these steps to create an effective campaign:

Step 1: Choose Your Campaign Type

Amazon offers three main types of PPC campaigns:

1.Sponsored Products – Promotes individual product listings.

2.Sponsored Brands – For brand-registered sellers to promote multiple products.

3.Sponsored Display – Retargets shoppers who viewed your product or similar ones.

For beginners, Sponsored Products is the best option.

Step 2: Create a New Campaign

1.Go to Amazon Seller Central → Click on Advertising → Select Campaign Manager.

2.Click Create Campaign and choose Sponsored Products.

3.Name your campaign (e.g., “T-Shirt Promo Q1 2025”).

4.Set a start and (optional) end date.

5.Choose your daily budget (start with at least $10–$20/day).

Step 3: Choose Targeting Type

•Automatic Targeting: Amazon selects keywords for you (best for beginners).

•Manual Targeting: You choose specific keywords (better for optimization).

For your first campaign, start with automatic targeting, then refine later.

Step 4: Set Your Bidding Strategy

Amazon offers different bidding options:

•Dynamic Bids – Down Only (Recommended for beginners) – Amazon lowers your bid if a click is unlikely to convert.

•Dynamic Bids – Up and Down – Amazon adjusts bids based on likelihood of a sale.

•Fixed Bids – You control the bid amount without adjustments.

Start with Down Only to avoid overspending.

Step 5: Select Products to Advertise

Choose the best-performing product(s) with good reviews and competitive pricing.

Step 6: Keyword & Match Type (If Manual Targeting)

If using manual targeting, you’ll select keywords:

•Broad Match: Shows ads for related terms (high reach, lower precision).

•Phrase Match: Shows ads when search includes your keyword in order.

•Exact Match: Shows ads only for the exact term (high precision, lower reach).

Use Amazon’s Suggested Keywords or tools like Helium 10 or Jungle Scout to find high-converting keywords.

Step 7: Adjust Bids for Placements

•Top of Search (First Page): Higher bids increase visibility.

•Product Pages: Ads show on competitors’ listings.

Start with a moderate bid ($0.75–$1.50 per click) and adjust based on performance.

Step 8: Launch & Monitor Your Campaign

1.Click Launch Campaign and let it run for at least 7 days before making adjustments.

2.Monitor performance in the Campaign Manager:

•ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sales) – Keep ACOS below 30% for profitability.

•CTR (Click-Through Rate) – Should be above 0.3%.

•Conversion Rate – Aim for above 10%.

3.Optimize: Pause low-performing keywords, increase bids on profitable ones, and adjust your budget based on sales.

Final Tips for Success

✔ Start with a small budget and scale as you optimize.

✔ Use automatic targeting first, then switch to manual targeting.

✔ Test different bidding strategies to maximize your return.

✔ Monitor search term reports to find new profitable keywords.