Checklist
Amazon PPC Account Audit Checklist
Most Amazon advertising accounts leak spend in the same few places. This checklist is the audit we run on an account before changing anything — work down it and you will find the waste that structure hides.
1. Structure
- Are discovery campaigns separated from proven performance campaigns?
- Is each campaign doing one job (learning, scaling, or defending), not several?
- Are high-margin and thin-margin products kept out of the same campaign?
- Are Sponsored Products, Brands and Display each used for their intended role?
2. Targeting
- Does each ad group target a coherent set of terms rather than a random list?
- Are broad/phrase terms feeding exact-match performance campaigns when they convert?
- Is product/ASIN targeting used deliberately (offensive and defensive)?
- Are auto campaigns mined regularly, or left running untended?
3. Bids and budgets
- Do bids reflect each term’s role and margin, rather than one account-wide number?
- Are proven campaigns protected from being starved by experimental ones?
- Are budget caps set deliberately, or left on defaults that stop campaigns mid-day?
- Are changes made in measured steps so results stay attributable?
4. Search terms and negatives
- Is the search-term report worked on a fixed cadence (weekly is a sensible default)?
- Are non-converting spends negated so they stop recurring?
- Are converting terms promoted into dedicated campaigns?
- Is there evidence of broad/phrase campaigns cannibalising exact-match performance?
In most accounts we audit, unmanaged search terms are the largest source of wasted spend — money still being spent on terms that were already shown not to convert. Fix this first.
5. Measurement
- Is performance judged against contribution margin, not a headline ACOS?
- Is TACOS reviewed alongside ACOS as the brand grows?
- Are launch campaigns assessed on their stated goal rather than the same target as mature ones?
- Is there a named owner and a consistent reporting cadence?
For the underlying metrics, see what Amazon PPC is; for the cost side, what drives Amazon PPC management cost.
6. Account health and listing fundamentals
- Do advertised products have complete listings, competitive prices and adequate reviews?
- Are there suppressed or out-of-stock items still receiving ad spend?
- Are buy-box and eligibility issues checked before scaling?
Advertising cannot fix a weak listing — that work is listing optimization. To have the whole account run for you, see Amazon PPC management and Amazon account management.
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Frequently asked questions
How often should I audit an Amazon PPC account?
A light review (search terms, negatives, bids) works on a weekly cadence; a full structural audit is worth doing quarterly, or whenever performance drifts or you add products.
What is the biggest Amazon PPC mistake?
Not mining search terms. Spend on terms already shown not to convert compounds quietly, and it is usually the largest recoverable waste in an account.
Should I judge campaigns by one ACOS target?
No. A launch campaign and a mature, high-margin product should not share a target. Judge campaigns against their role and your contribution margin rather than a single number.
Can a listing hold back advertising?
Yes. Ads send traffic to the listing, so weak content, uncompetitive pricing or poor reviews limit what advertising can achieve. Fix the listing fundamentals first.
Can you run this audit on our account?
Yes. As part of Amazon PPC management we audit structure, targeting, bids, search terms and measurement, then prioritise the fixes. We do not guarantee a specific result.
Find the leaks in your ad account
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