A Full Handbook for Becoming Experts at Amazon PPC Marketing

Using Amazon’s pay-per-click (PPC) advertising system, sellers can effectively expand their customer base. To maximise your return on investment, you must, however, also comprehend a few sophisticated techniques . In this in-depth guide, we’ll explore how to properly leverage Amazon PPC ads to boost sales.

What is Amazon PPC?

Amazon PPC allows merchants to create sponsored ads that appear in search results or on relevant product pages. There are three main types of ads:

• Sponsored product ads promote individual product listings and target keywords.
• Sponsored brand ads showcase your brand name, logo, and up to three products pointing to your store page.
• Product display ads offer more options for behavioural targeting and customisation than other ad types.

When someone searches on Amazon and your ad is relevant, you only pay if they click. This allows you to reach out to buyers while they are actively shopping.

Who Can Use Amazon PPC?

Vendors (first-party sellers) can create any Amazon PPC ad. Third-party sellers need a professional selling plan to run product ads and brand registry for brand ads. Link to Amazon selling plans

Estimating Amazon PPC Costs

Costs vary greatly based on competition but average between $0.50 and $3 per click. More competitive categories, subcategories, and keywords tend to be higher. To estimate costs, research top-selling products in your niche and note their average keyword bids.

Is Amazon PPC Worth It?

For most merchants, yes—if done right. One big advantage is improved organic rankings; higher ad traffic often boosts organic placement algorithms. But controlling costs requires nuanced strategy, which will be covered later. Approached half-heartedly, PPC can be a money pit versus other channels offering certainty, like simple ads or sponsorships.

Optimising Your Amazon Product Pages

Before diving into ads, ensure your listings entice clicks into sales. Refresh title or bulletins to address buyer intents rather than features. Customers want to understand problems solved rather than specs.

Use A+ content to its potential with multiple high-res images, bulletized benefits, and anything capturing attention. Well-optimized pages boost both ad clicks and organic traffic.

Choosing Effective Keywords

Keyword selection heavily influences targeting and cost. Start broadly to get ideas, then focus on long-tail variations addressing specific needs. Consider:

• Volume: Weigh traffic potential versus competition for keyword.
• Specificity: More specific keywords may cost more but attract very interested buyers.
• Variations: Account for plurals, misspellings, and related terms.
• Negative keywords: Exclude unrelated searches that waste budget.

Test combinations to refine your keywords gradually_link to Google Keyword Planner

Bidding Strategies

You have control over bids but not where your ads appear. Choose Manual CPC bidding for granular control. Alternatively, Enhanced CPC lets Amazon optimise bids automatically but with less input.

Always start bids low; even listings below organic listings can get impressions. Gradually increase bids for top-performing keywords until ads appear higher in searches. Cease raising bids once your campaign’s advertising cost of sales (ACoS) exceeds the break-even point.

Tracking Key Metrics

Monitoring campaign stats helps refine spending.

• Advertising cost of sale (ACoS): Ad spend divided by sales value; aim below break-even costs.
• Click-through rate (CTR): clicks or impressions; optimise titles/keywords for engagement.
• Conversion rate (CVR): Purchases/clicks—improve product pages for checkout conversion.
• Cost-per-acquisition (CPA): Spend/number of customers; gauge true customer costs.

Strive to improve these metrics iteratively through continual A/B tests and bid adjustments. Integrate sales tracking for complete picture.

Retargeting and Remarketing

Once customers show product interest, retarget them across Amazon for continued engagement and purchases. Remarketing shows prior visitors similar products through sponsored ads. This lowers customer acquisition costs substantially.

Combine with email lists for further re-engagement beyond Amazon’s platform. Consider how these behavioural data helps improve personalisation across channels_link to Google Analytics).

When to Consider Outsourcing

Running PPC effectively requires ongoing daily management, which may overwhelm small teams. Consider dedicated Amazon PPC services for:

• Initial campaign setup and keyword research
• Daily bid adjustments and A/B testing
• Analytics integration and reporting
• Scaling multiple campaigns and products simultaneously

Experts stay ahead of algorithm changes to continuously optimise towards goals more efficiently than going it alone, especially for larger portfolios. Evaluate outsourcing versus hiring in-house.link to best Amazon PPC agencies

Key Takeaways

• Optimise product listings before launching ads
• Start with broad keywords and gradually focus bids
• Continually A/B test titles, bids to improve metrics
• Integrate retargeting and remarketing visitors
• Outsource for large catalogues or limited time/budget

FAQs

Q: How long until I see ROI from PPC?

A: Most campaigns take 2-4 weeks to acquire enough data for optimisation. Stick with it 6+ months for seasonal adjustments.

Q: Do I need a brand registry for product ads?

A: No, only sponsored brand ads require Brand Registry access. Product ads are open to all professional sellers.

Q: Can I advertise out-of-stock items?

No, PPC will automatically pause ads for out-of-stock listings to avoid disappointing buyers.

Q: What is the best device for Amazon shopping?

A: While desktop conversions are higher, mobile traffic dominates Amazon usage. Ensure listings are optimised for smaller screens too through high-quality mobile images.

Q: Can I advertise on other marketplaces with PPC?

Amazon PPC only runs on Amazon marketplace listings, but similar paid search options exist on other sites like Google Shopping, Walmart, Target, etc. to reach customers elsewhere.

Q: Should I advertise internationally?

A: Consider testing ads targeted to other Amazon regions like the UK, DE, and FR if your products are relevant and shipping and taxes allow. This expands your potential reach, but performance depends heavily on local demand and competition.