Structure Amazon PPC by shopper intent. Group products that share margin and audience, then give each group four types of campaign: brand, competitor, category and auto discovery. Use exact match for proven terms, broad and phrase for testing, and a naming convention that tells you what each campaign does at a glance.
A messy account doesn’t just look bad. It hides where money is going. When brand terms, competitor terms and generic terms all sit in one campaign, one blended ACoS tells you almost nothing. Splitting by intent fixes that.
The four buckets
1. Brand
Searches that include your brand name or product line. These shoppers already know you, so conversion is usually strong.
2. Competitor
Other brands’ names and their product pages (ASIN targeting). Shoppers are comparing, so your price, reviews and main image need to hold up.
3. Category
Generic searches like “bamboo cutting board” or “vitamin d gummies”. This is where most new customers come from.
4. Auto discovery
Amazon picks the searches and placements. Useful for finding terms and ASINs you didn’t think of.
A naming convention you can copy
| Campaign name | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| SP | Brand | Exact | Cutting-boards | Sponsored Products, own brand terms, exact match |
| SP | Comp | ASIN | Cutting-boards | Sponsored Products, competitor product pages |
| SP | Cat | Broad | Cutting-boards | Sponsored Products, generic terms, testing |
| SP | Auto | Cutting-boards | Sponsored Products, auto discovery |
| SB | Cat | Video | Cutting-boards | Sponsored Brands video, generic terms |
Keep the same order everywhere. When you filter a report by “Comp” or “Auto”, you instantly see what that type of search costs you.
How keywords move through the account
This loop is the core of most good PPC work. Our guide to lowering ACoS without losing sales covers the cutting side in more detail.
Where Sponsored Brands and Display fit
Structure checklist
- Products grouped by shared margin and audience.
- Brand, competitor, category and auto campaigns for each group.
- One clear naming convention, used everywhere.
- Proven terms in exact match with their own bids.
- Negatives added so campaigns don’t compete for the same search.
- Budgets set per intent, so brand campaigns don’t hide the cost of growth.
- A weekly search-term review on the calendar.
Need help with the setup?
Our in-house PPC team builds and runs Amazon PPC accounts for brand owners, with campaigns optimized every week. See our Amazon PPC management service, or read what a managed PPC week should look like.
FAQ
What is the best Amazon PPC campaign structure?
For most brands, group products that share margin and audience, then split their campaigns by shopper intent: brand, competitor, category and auto discovery. It keeps budgets and bids clear for each type of search.
How many keywords should be in one ad group?
Keep it tight. Exact-match ad groups often work best with a small set of closely related keywords, or even one important term, so each gets its own bid.
Should I use one product per campaign?
Not always. Products with the same margin and audience can share a campaign. Split them when one product would take all the budget or needs a very different bid.
How should I name Amazon PPC campaigns?
Use the same order every time, for example ad type | intent | match type | product group. It makes reports easy to filter and keeps the account readable as it grows.
Do I still need auto campaigns in 2026?
Yes. Auto campaigns are a cheap way to discover new search terms and ASINs. Keep their bids modest and move what works into manual campaigns.