Overview

A recent conversation with Amazon advertising expert Eric Vela revealed seven common mistakes that sellers repeatedly make when running PPC campaigns on Amazon. These errors range from simple setup oversights to more sophisticated bidding flaws, and each can chip away at profit margins or stall growth. Fixing them is essential for any seller who depends on paid search to generate traffic and sales.

Key Points

• Absent Negative Keywords — Without a negative keyword list, ads waste money on unrelated searches, such as a “ceramic mug” seller paying for clicks on “ceramic tiles.”
• Overuse of Broad Match — Applying broad match to every term floods the ad group with low‑intent traffic; a “wireless earbuds” ad may appear for “wireless router” queries.
• Ignoring Search‑Term Reports — Skipping daily review of the search‑term report hides profitable opportunities, like a seller discovering “organic dog treats” and adding it as an exact match.
• Uniform Bids on Seasonal Items — Using the same bid for products that have seasonal demand, for example a winter coat listed year‑round, prevents the campaign from capitalizing on peak buying periods.
• Flat Budget Allocation — Setting a static daily budget without accounting for high‑traffic events (Prime Day, holiday spikes) can cause ads to stop exactly when conversion potential is highest.
• Mismatched Ad Copy — Generic copy that doesn’t reflect keyword intent—such as a “premium kitchen knife” ad mentioning “budget‑friendly”—confuses shoppers and lowers click‑through rates.
• No A/B Testing — Launching a single ad variation and never testing alternatives eliminates the chance to discover higher‑performing headlines or images, leading to stagnant ACOS figures.

How Amazon PPC Optimization Works

1. Keyword Research & Grouping — Use a tool like Helium 10 Magnet to pull high‑intent terms, then split them into tightly themed ad groups; for instance, separate “organic cotton baby onesies” from the broader “baby clothing” bucket.