The Amazon PPC audit checklist

20 checks, in the order an agency runs them on a new account. Tick them off as you go, or print the page.

Know your numbers

• Calculate your break-even ACoSProfit margin before ad spend equals break-even ACoS. A product with a 32% margin breaks even at 32% ACoS.
• Pick a target ACoS for each productLaunch products can run above break-even. Mature products should run below it.
• Track TACoS, not just ACoSAd spend divided by total sales shows whether ads are growing the whole business or only buying sales.

Account structure

• Every advertised product has an auto campaignAuto campaigns find search terms you would never think to target.
• Manual campaigns are split by match typeKeep broad, phrase and exact in separate campaigns or ad groups so you can bid each one on its own.
• Proven search terms live in exact matchWhen a term converts well in auto or broad, add it as exact and bid on it directly.
• Harvested terms are negated where they came fromAdd the term as a negative exact in the source campaign so the two don't compete.
• Campaign names tell you what's insideUse a pattern like Product | Type | Match so reports are readable at a glance.

Search terms

• Review the search term report every 1–2 weeksSort by spend, then look at terms with clicks and no orders.
• Negate terms that spent past your limit with zero ordersA common rule: negate once a term spends about 1.5× your average cost per order without a sale.
• Negate irrelevant terms on sightFree, cheap, wrong product type, competitor terms that never convert.
• Check ASIN targets in the same reportProduct pages that eat budget without orders get negated as product targets.

Bids and placements

• Adjust bids toward your target ACoSAbove target: lower the bid. Well below target with good volume: raise it.
• Look at placement performanceCompare Top of search (first page), Rest of search and Product pages, then set placement adjustments where conversion is strongest.
• Use the right bidding strategyDynamic bids – down only is the safe default. Up and down suits proven exact-match campaigns.

Budgets and listings

• No profitable campaign runs out of budgetCheck for campaigns that stop mid-day and shift budget from the ones that waste it.
• Ads point to listings that can convertMain image, title, price, rating and reviews decide conversion. Ads can't fix a weak listing.
• Out-of-stock and suppressed products are pausedAds on unbuyable products waste spend and hurt relevance.

Reporting rhythm

• Weekly: search terms, bids, budgetsTwenty to forty minutes per account keeps waste from building up.
• Monthly: structure, placements, TACoS trendStep back and check that the account is growing profit, not only sales.

Last updated November 2026.