A good Amazon PPC campaign structure separates discovery from scaling, and groups targets that need the same bid, budget and goal. In practice that means automatic and broad campaigns to find search terms, exact and product-targeting campaigns to scale the winners, and separate campaigns for branded, competitor and generic traffic.
At a glance
- Discovery: automatic targeting and broad match find new search terms.
- Scaling: exact match and product targeting give you control over proven terms.
- Separation: branded, competitor and generic traffic in their own campaigns.
- Bidding: fixed bids, dynamic bids – down only, or dynamic bids – up and down.
- Placements: top of search (first page), rest of search and product pages, each adjustable up to 900%.
What is an Amazon PPC campaign structure?
An Amazon PPC campaign structure is the way you divide products, targets and budgets into portfolios, campaigns and ad groups. Budgets and bidding strategies are set per campaign, and bids per target, so the structure decides how precisely you can control spend.
The hierarchy runs: portfolio, then campaign, then ad group, then ads (your products) and targets (keywords or products). Amazon’s own guides suggest using portfolios to organise campaigns by brand, category, product or season, and portfolios can also carry a budget cap.
Should you use automatic or manual targeting?
Use both. Automatic targeting finds search terms and products you would not have thought of; manual targeting lets you bid precisely on the ones that work. Amazon’s Sponsored Products targeting guide says advertisers often succeed running both, and suggests letting an automatic campaign run for about two weeks before building manual campaigns.
Automatic targeting groups
Amazon splits automatic targeting into four groups, which you can bid on separately:
- Close match: search terms closely related to your product.
- Loose match: search terms loosely related to your product.
- Substitutes: detail pages of products similar to yours.
- Complements: detail pages of products that complement yours.
Watching the four groups separately in the Targeting report shows which kind of traffic converts for you.
How do keyword match types work?
Match types decide how closely a shopper’s search must match your keyword. Broad gives the most reach, exact the most control, and phrase sits between. Negative phrase and negative exact keywords stop your ads showing on searches you do not want.
| Match type | How Amazon matches it | Best used for |
|---|---|---|
| Broad | The search can contain your keyword terms in any order | Discovery of new terms |
| Phrase | The search contains all parts of your keyword in the same order | Controlled discovery around a core phrase |
| Exact | The search matches your keyword word for word, in the same order | Scaling proven terms with precise bids |
| Negative phrase | Blocks searches containing the complete phrase or close variations | Cutting a whole irrelevant theme |
| Negative exact | Blocks searches matching the exact phrase or close variations | Cutting one specific search term |
Definitions follow Amazon’s targeting guide. Amazon can also match close variations, so check the Search term report rather than assuming what a keyword will catch.
What is product targeting?
Product targeting shows your ads on specific products’ detail pages and related shopping results, instead of against keywords. You can target individual ASINs or whole categories, and refine categories by brand, price range, star rating and Prime shipping eligibility.
- Competitor ASINs: products where your offer compares well on price, ratings or features.
- Your own ASINs: to keep shoppers within your range and cross-sell.
- Categories: for discovery, refined so you do not pay for irrelevant products.
- Negative product targets: ASINs or brands you never want to appear against.
How does keyword harvesting work?
Keyword harvesting moves search terms from discovery campaigns into exact match campaigns once they prove they convert, then blocks them in the source campaign. Amazon’s targeting guide describes the first half: check the Search term report for automatic campaigns and add top performers to manual campaigns.
- Run discovery: automatic campaigns and broad match campaigns at moderate bids.
- Review weekly: download the Search term report and sort by orders and spend.
- Promote winners: add converting search terms as exact match keywords; add converting ASINs as product targets.
- Negate in the source: add the same term as negative exact in the discovery campaign, so the two do not compete and the exact campaign takes the traffic.
- Cut waste: add non-converting terms with enough clicks as negative exact or negative phrase.
- Repeat: discovery never finishes, because search behaviour changes.
How should you separate branded, competitor and generic traffic?
Put each in its own campaign. Searches for your own brand often convert better and cost less than generic or competitor searches, so mixing them makes the averages misleading and lets cheap brand sales hide expensive generic ones.
| Campaign type | Typical goal | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Branded | Defend your brand searches from competitors | Impression share; keep bids modest |
| Competitor | Win shoppers comparing alternatives | Conversion rate against your break-even ACoS |
| Generic | Grow category sales and rank | Spend and TACoS, as these are your largest growth campaigns |
Use negatives to keep them apart: add your brand name as negative phrase in generic and competitor campaigns.
Single-keyword or themed ad groups?
Single-keyword ad groups give the most control over bids and reporting but create many campaigns to manage. Themed ad groups, with a handful of closely related keywords, are easier to run and gather data faster. Most accounts do best with themed groups, and single keywords only for the top earners.
- Single keyword: use for your highest-spend exact terms, where a precise bid and budget matter.
- Themed: group keywords with the same intent and similar conversion rates, such as size or colour variants of one search.
- Avoid: ad groups that mix unrelated themes, because one bid cannot suit all of them.
Which bidding strategy and placement adjustments should you use?
Amazon offers three bidding strategies per campaign and lets you raise bids by placement. Its Sponsored Products strategy guide describes dynamic bids as adjusted in real time, and fixed bids as using the exact bid you entered.
- Dynamic bids – down only: Amazon may lower your bid when a click looks less likely to convert. A safe default for most campaigns.
- Dynamic bids – up and down: Amazon may raise or lower your bid based on how likely a click is to convert. Useful for proven, profitable targets.
- Fixed bids: Amazon uses your exact bid. Useful for testing and when you want full control.
Placement adjustments
Amazon’s January 2024 announcement lists three Sponsored Products placements you can adjust: top of search (first page), rest of search and product pages, each by up to 900%. Placement adjustments apply on top of your bid and bidding strategy, so start small and raise them only where the Placement report shows better conversion.
A naming convention you can copy
A name should tell you the product, ad type, targeting and match type without opening the campaign. Pick one order and use it everywhere, so you can filter and sort in the console.
Example pattern: Brand | Product | SP | Manual | Exact | Generic
- Acme | Yoga mat | SP | Auto | Discovery
- Acme | Yoga mat | SP | Manual | Exact | Branded
- Acme | Yoga mat | SP | PT | Competitor ASINs
(“Acme” is a placeholder brand; SP means Sponsored Products and PT means product targeting.)EcommTech (ECOMMTECHAGENCY LTD) is a UK-registered Amazon and marketplace agency with a team in the UK and Pakistan, and this is the kind of structure our Amazon PPC management service sets up. To check an existing account first, use our Amazon PPC audit checklist, and read ACoS vs TACoS to set targets per campaign type.
How EcommTech builds and runs your campaign structure
We set up or rebuild the structure described above inside your own account, then keep it clean week by week: harvesting search terms, adding negatives and moving budget to what converts. EcommTech (ECOMMTECHAGENCY LTD) is a UK-registered Amazon and marketplace agency with a team in the UK and Pakistan. The team has worked with marketplace sellers since 2020, and the company was registered in England and Wales in September 2024.
For brand owners: how we work
- Free written audit: we review your campaigns, listings and account health and send a written audit within 3 working days.
- Plan and fixed fee: a plan with timeline, the team assigned and a fixed monthly fee, agreed in writing before anything starts.
- Onboarding: access through Amazon’s user permissions, so you keep ownership of your account and can remove us at any time. Daily check-ins while we settle in.
- Run and report: weekly reports on sales, ACoS, rankings and account health, plus a monthly review call. Month to month, with no lock-in.
You get a named account manager and an in-house team of 40+ specialists across PPC, listings, design and operations. See our Amazon PPC management service for the full scope.
For agencies in Germany, Europe and the US
We work white-label with marketing agencies, Shopify developers and consultants who want to offer Amazon, TikTok Shop and European marketplace services without building their own team. Your client, your brand, our specialists. See how our white-label Amazon PPC for agencies works.
- White-label delivery: PPC, listing and account management for your clients.
- Your branding: shared reporting you can forward under your agency’s name.
- European marketplaces: onboarding and management for your DACH, Dutch and Polish clients on Amazon, OTTO, Kaufland, bol.com and Allegro.
- Referrals: if you prefer to hand a client off completely, we can agree a referral arrangement.
- Working hours: our team in Pakistan starts the day before the UK and central Europe, so overnight data is checked before your morning.
Proof you can check
- Registered in England and Wales, company no. 15972352.
- 5.0 rating on Google from 14 reviews.
- Founder’s Upwork profile: Top Rated, 98% Job Success, 38 contracts, 5,700+ hours.
- Amazon Ads Verified Partner and Kaufland Verified Service Partner.
Frequently asked questions
How many campaigns should I have per product?
Most products need at least an automatic campaign, a broad or phrase discovery campaign, an exact match campaign and a product targeting campaign. Add branded and competitor campaigns as data grows.
Should I run automatic and manual campaigns at the same time?
Yes. Amazon’s targeting guide says advertisers often succeed running both. Automatic campaigns find new search terms, and manual campaigns let you bid precisely on the terms that convert.
What is the maximum placement bid adjustment on Amazon?
Amazon lets you adjust Sponsored Products bids by up to 900% for top of search (first page), rest of search and product pages, according to its January 2024 announcement.
Which bidding strategy should I start with?
Dynamic bids – down only is a cautious starting point, because Amazon can only lower your bid. Move proven, profitable campaigns to up and down once you have conversion data.
Brand owner or agency? Talk to the team that does the work. Get a free written audit of your Amazon account within 3 working days, or ask us about white-label Amazon PPC for your agency’s clients. WhatsApp +44 7878 479380 or email info@ecommtechltd.com. We reply within 24 hours.
