If you’re an Amazon seller, you’ve probably realized how competitive the marketplace can be. With millions of products listed, getting your item noticed organically can take time. That’s where Amazon PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising comes in. By setting up your first PPC campaign correctly, you can increase product visibility, drive traffic, and boost sales.
In this blog, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about setting up your first Amazon PPC campaign successfully.
What is Amazon PPC?
Amazon PPC is Amazon’s paid advertising platform where sellers pay a small fee every time a shopper clicks on their ad. These ads appear in prime spots, like the top of search results or product detail pages, giving you the visibility needed to beat competitors.
Types of Amazon PPC Ads
Before diving into campaign setup, let’s look at the main types of PPC ads on Amazon:
- Sponsored Products – Promote individual listings. These are the most common and beginner-friendly ads.
- Sponsored Brands – Highlight your brand and multiple products at once. Perfect for brand awareness.
- Sponsored Display – Reach shoppers both on and off Amazon. Best for retargeting.
For your first campaign, we recommend starting with Sponsored Products because they are simple and highly effective.
Step 1: Do Your Keyword Research
Keywords are the backbone of any successful PPC campaign. They decide when and where your ad appears. Use tools like:
- Amazon’s Search Term Report
- Helium 10 / Jungle Scout
Look for a mix of:
- High-volume keywords (for reach)
- Long-tail keywords (for lower competition and higher conversion)
Step 2: Choose the Right Campaign Type
When you create a Sponsored Products campaign, you’ll be asked to choose between:
- Automatic Targeting – Amazon automatically decides which keywords to target based on your product listing. Best for beginners and keyword discovery.
- Manual Targeting – You choose the keywords and bids. Best once you’ve gathered data.
👉 Pro tip: Start with Automatic Targeting for the first 1-2 weeks, then use the data to build Manual Campaigns.
Step 3: Set Up Your Campaign
Inside Seller Central:
- Go to Advertising → Campaign Manager.
- Click Create Campaign → Sponsored Products.
- Name your campaign (e.g., “Product Name – Auto Campaign”).
- Set a daily budget (start small: $10–$20/day).
- Select the product(s) you want to advertise.
Step 4: Adjust Your Bids
Amazon allows you to choose bidding strategies:
- Dynamic Bids – Down Only (Amazon lowers your bid when your ad is less likely to convert).
- Dynamic Bids – Up and Down (Amazon increases/decreases bids based on conversion likelihood).
- Fixed Bids (Your bid stays the same regardless).
👉 For beginners, Dynamic Bids – Down Only is safest to control spend.
Step 5: Monitor and Optimize
Launching your PPC campaign is just the beginning. The real success comes from optimization:
- Check Search Term Reports to see which keywords bring sales.
- Add Negative Keywords to avoid wasting money on irrelevant searches.
- Increase bids on high-performing keywords.
- Pause keywords that aren’t converting.
Step 6: Scale Your Campaigns
Once you see positive results:
- Move winning keywords from Automatic → Manual campaigns.
- Experiment with Broad, Phrase, and Exact Match Types.
- Try Sponsored Brand Ads once your brand is registered.
- Expand into Sponsored Display to retarget shoppers.
Best Practices for Beginners
- Optimize your product listing first (images, titles, bullet points, and descriptions). Ads won’t work if your listing isn’t appealing.
- Don’t overspend at the start. Test with small budgets.
- Give campaigns time. Amazon PPC takes 1–2 weeks to collect meaningful data.
- Focus on ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales). Keep it within your profit margin.
Final Thoughts
Setting up your first Amazon PPC campaign may feel overwhelming, but once you understand the process, it becomes an essential growth tool. Start with automatic targeting, learn from the data, and gradually move into manual campaigns for maximum control. With consistent monitoring and optimization, Amazon PPC can become a powerful driver of traffic and sales for your business.
🚀 Ready to launch your first campaign? Take it step by step, and you’ll soon see your products rising in Amazon search rankings!
