10 Common Amazon PPC Mistakes (and How to Fix Them Fast)

Introduction

Amazon PPC can be one of the most profitable growth levers for your brand — or one of the fastest ways to burn through your budget.

If you’ve ever looked at your ad reports wondering “why aren’t my campaigns converting?”, you’re not alone.
Even experienced sellers make common mistakes that quietly kill performance.

Let’s break down the top 10 Amazon PPC mistakes (that we see every week at Brand GrowthIQ) — and how you can fix them fast.

1. Ignoring Search Term Reports

The Mistake:
Letting auto or broad match campaigns run unchecked.

Why It Hurts:
You’ll pay for clicks on irrelevant keywords that don’t convert.

The Fix:
Download your Search Term Report every 2–4 weeks.

• Identify search terms with high spend + zero sales

• Add them as negative keywords

• Move converting terms into manual campaigns

2. Not Separating Branded vs Non-Branded Campaigns

The Mistake:
Mixing “brand” and “generic” keywords in one campaign.

Why It Hurts:
You can’t measure how well your brand performs vs new customer acquisition.

The Fix:
Create separate campaigns:

• Branded: for customers already searching for your brand

• Non-branded: for discovery and competitor targeting

Then compare ACOS and ROAS side-by-side.

3. Overbidding on Broad Matches

The Mistake:
Running broad match at the same CPC as exact keywords.

Why It Hurts:
Amazon expands broad matches aggressively — you’ll pay for loose relevance.

The Fix:
Start broad match 20–30% lower than your exact bids.
Regularly mine new terms and graduate high performers to exact match.

4. Forgetting to Optimize Placements

The Mistake:
Leaving Top of Search and Product Page adjustments on default (0%).

Why It Hurts:
You miss opportunities where your ads perform best.

The Fix:
Check placement reports and adjust bids:

• If Top of Search has better ROAS → increase by 20–50%

• If Product Pages have poor returns → keep it low or turn off

5. Setting and Forgetting Bids

The Mistake:
Never adjusting bids based on performance.

Why It Hurts:
You’ll either overspend or lose visibility.

The Fix:
Review bids weekly.

• Lower bids for keywords with ACOS > target

• Increase bids for high-converting, low-ACOS terms

Automate with rules in tools like Pacvue, Perpetua, or Adtomic.

6. Neglecting Campaign Structure

The Mistake:
Stuffing 100+ keywords into a single ad group.

Why It Hurts:
Amazon can’t allocate budget effectively, and good keywords get buried.

The Fix:
Use the 1:1:1 structure:

• 1 campaign

• 1 ad group

• 1 keyword theme

It simplifies optimization and improves control.

7. Ignoring Budget Allocation

The Mistake:
Giving every campaign the same daily budget.

Why It Hurts:
Top performers run out early, while weak campaigns waste spend.

The Fix:
Reallocate budgets weekly based on performance:

• Increase for low ACOS / high ROAS campaigns

• Decrease or pause underperformers

8. Focusing Only on ACOS

The Mistake:
Using ACOS as the only success metric.

Why It Hurts:
ACOS doesn’t tell the full profitability story.

The Fix:
Track TACoS (Total ACOS) — it shows how ads impact organic sales.
If TACoS is decreasing, your ads are fueling long-term growth — even if ACOS seems high.

9. Not Testing Creative Assets

The Mistake:
Running the same ad creative indefinitely.

Why It Hurts:
Your CTR stagnates, and your relevance score drops.

The Fix:
A/B test new main images, titles, and Sponsored Brands headlines.
Small tweaks can increase CTR by 10–20%, lowering CPCs.

10. Ignoring Seasonality

The Mistake:
Keeping bids flat all year.

Why It Hurts:
You lose visibility during high-conversion periods (Prime Day, Q4, etc.).

The Fix:
Use data from last year’s events.

• Increase budgets during high-demand weeks

• Lower bids post-event to protect ROAS

Plan ahead — don’t let Amazon decide your pacing for you.

Pro Tip: Audit Your Account Quarterly

Even well-managed accounts drift over time.
Run a quarterly audit to check:

• Keyword efficiency

• Placement ROI

• Search term waste

• Budget pacing trends

This keeps your account aligned with your goals and avoids “hidden leaks.”

Conclusion

Amazon PPC success isn’t about guessing — it’s about eliminating inefficiencies fast.
By fixing these 10 mistakes, you’ll see higher profitability, steadier performance, and less wasted spend.

Need Help Fixing Your PPC?

At Brand GrowthIQ, we specialize in uncovering the gaps in your ad strategy — from wasted keywords to unbalanced budgets — and turning them into profitable growth opportunities.

🎯 Book your 2-week free consulting offer to get a tailored Amazon PPC performance audit.

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