How to structure your Amazon PPC campaigns for better performance

Running Amazon PPC ads without a proper structure can lead to wasted ad spend, poor targeting, and low conversions. A well-organized campaign structure helps you control your budget, improve ad performance, and scale your sales efficiently.

In this guide, we’ll walk through the best way to structure your Amazon PPC campaigns for better results, whether you’re handling them yourself or working with an Amazon consulting agency.

Why campaign structure matters

A poorly structured PPC campaign can lead to:

• Uncontrolled spending on ineffective keywords
• Competing against yourself in the ad auction
• Low ad visibility due to poor keyword segmentation
• Difficulty analyzing performance data

On the other hand, a well-structured Amazon PPC campaign ensures:

• Better control over ad spend
• Higher conversion rates with targeted ads
• Improved keyword optimization
• Clear performance tracking for optimization

Step 1: Use separate campaigns for different ad types

Amazon PPC has three main ad types, and each should have its own campaign:

• Sponsored Products – Targets individual product listings using keyword or ASIN targeting.
• Sponsored Brands – Promotes your brand and multiple products at once.
• Sponsored Display – Retargets shoppers who have viewed your products.

Best practice: Set up different campaigns for each ad type to track performance separately and optimize accordingly.

Step 2: Organize campaigns based on product category

Grouping unrelated products in the same campaign makes it hard to control bids and analyze performance. Instead, create campaigns based on:

• Product categories (e.g., “Wireless Earbuds” and “Gaming Headphones” should be separate)
• Best-sellers vs. new products (Higher bids for top sellers, lower budgets for new launches)
• Price ranges (Premium and budget-friendly products may require different strategies)

Example campaign structure:

• Campaign 1: Wireless Earbuds – Sponsored Products
• Campaign 2: Gaming Headphones – Sponsored Products
• Campaign 3: Wireless Earbuds – Sponsored Brands

Step 3: Segment ad groups by match type

Amazon allows you to use three keyword match types:

• Broad Match – Shows your ads for variations and related searches.
• Phrase Match – Targets searches that include your exact phrase in order.
• Exact Match – Only targets shoppers searching for the exact keyword.

Best practice: Create separate ad groups for each match type to control bids effectively.

Example Ad Group Structure:

Campaign: Wireless Earbuds – Sponsored Products

Ad Group 1: Broad Match

Ad Group 2: Phrase Match

Ad Group 3: Exact Match

This setup allows you to track which match type performs best and adjust your bids accordingly.

Step 4: Use automatic and manual targeting together

Amazon offers two types of targeting:

• Automatic Targeting – Amazon selects relevant keywords and ASINs for you.
• Manual Targeting – You bid on specific keywords and ASINs.

Best practice: Start with automatic targeting to gather keyword data, then move high-performing keywords into manual campaigns for better control.

Example approach:

• Run an automatic campaign for 2-4 weeks to collect keyword data.
• Analyze which keywords perform best and transfer them to a manual campaign.
• Refine bids in manual campaigns to maximize profitability.

Step 5: Use negative keywords to reduce wasted spend

Negative keywords prevent your ads from showing up for irrelevant searches, saving you money.

How to find negative keywords:

• Check the Search Term Report in Seller Central.
• Identify keywords that get clicks but no conversions.
• Add them as negative keywords to prevent future waste.

Example: If you sell wireless earbuds but not noise-canceling earbuds, add “noise-canceling” as a negative keyword to avoid irrelevant traffic.

Step 6: Set and adjust bids based on performance

Not all keywords perform equally, so you need to adjust bids regularly.

Bid Optimization Strategy:

• High-converting keywords – Increase bids to improve rankings.
• Low-performing keywords – Reduce bids or pause them.
• New keywords – Start with a moderate bid and adjust based on data.

Working with Amazon PPC management services can help automate bid adjustments to maximize returns.

Step 7: Monitor and optimize your campaigns regularly

Amazon PPC requires constant monitoring to stay profitable.

Key metrics to track:

• ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale): Keep ACOS below your profit margin.
• CTR (Click-Through Rate): Low CTR? Improve your ad creatives.
• CVR (Conversion Rate): Low CVR? Optimize your product listings.

An Amazon consulting agency can help analyze these metrics and fine-tune your strategy for long-term success.

Final thoughts

A well-structured Amazon PPC campaign improves targeting, controls ad spend, and increases sales. By organizing campaigns by ad type, product category, and keyword match type, you can optimize performance effectively.

If managing PPC feels overwhelming, consider hiring Amazon PPC management services to handle bidding, keyword research, and performance tracking, allowing you to focus on growing your business.