Mastering Amazon PPC: Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Optimization Tasks

How To Optimize Your Amazon PPC - Daily, Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly Tasks

Hi there, Vova Even here, Amazon seller, your trusted guide to all things Amazon!

In this article, we're revving up to take a deep dive into the world of Amazon PPC.

If you've been scratching your head, wondering how to squeeze out more profits from your PPC campaigns, boy, do I have some goodies for you!

We'll journey through the what, when, and how of optimizing your PPC activities – from the tasks you should be tackling daily, right up to the all-important monthly to-dos.

To make this ride even more thrilling, I've got a superstar co-pilot, Szymon Sekściński.

As the founder of AMZ Guardian, Szymon is a bona fide PPC whizz!

Get a free consultation with Szymon here. He'll help you, especially if you are a 7+ figure seller.

Buckle up as we navigate through our insights-packed conversation, which we originally had on video.

(Psst, if you're more into watching than reading, feel free to catch the whole thing on the video below)

So, ready to dive in?

Let's zoom into the fast lane and optimize your Amazon PPC strategy!

Let's unleash the magic of my chat with Szymon!!!

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Introduction

Vova: Welcome back to another lively conversation about how to keep your Amazon PPC well-groomed and thriving!

We're going to dive into daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly processes for optimizing your Amazon PPC.

These handy habits will help you turn a potentially chaotic PPC scenario into a well-orchestrated symphony.

The cherry on top?

A well-tuned PPC campaign that will help you seize those prime organic spots and give your business a much-deserved boost.

Today, I have a special guest on my YouTube channel, Szymon.

For those who don't know, he's the man behind AMZ Guardian, an agency that specializes in "done-for-you" Amazon PPC and ranking.

They aim to catapult your products to the high ground of organic rankings using PPC.

It's like having a silent partner who works behind the scenes, helping your Amazon business grow.

If that sounds intriguing, then below is a button to book a free consultation with AMZ Guardian as well as a review video of their services.

There's also a blog post with AMZ Guardian review.

Feel free to dive deeper into what they offer and how you can collaborate with them.

AMZ Guardian Free 45-Minute Consultation

Unboxing My Guest Star, Szymon Sekściński, and the Theme of This Article

Vova: Welcome to the show, Szymon!

Good to see you again for another enlightening session.

Szymon: Thank you for having me, Vova.

I'm thrilled to be back and share with your audience some high-octane strategies.

Our chief aim at AMZ Guardian is to help you scale the organic rankings mountain using PPC.

The structure of today's session is a simple yet effective one: we'll outline how often you should perform specific tasks, making it easier for you to schedule and organize your routine, whether you use project management software or a good old calendar.

Vova: So, Szymon, it’s all about turning these tasks into regular habits, right?

Szymon: Precisely! Jotting them down in our project management tools or calendars as gentle nudges, like "Hey, it’s PPC time!"

This is what we do daily in our agency, as our specialty lies in the heart of PPC.

Szymon: Today, I'm excited to share insights from our daily grind in PPC.

It's something we're truly passionate about, and it was born from lots of data points.

We aggregate all that valuable information and turn it into best practices. 

We continually measure our outcomes, which have inspired the list I'm going to share today.

This will help you sketch out your own PPC calendar!

Vova: Sounds fantastic, Szymon!

We're going to explore some exciting aspects of organizing and structuring Amazon PPC strategies.

Seems like we're gonna give PPC enthusiasts an ultimate roadmap.

So, Szymon, I know our audience is eager to hear about these daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly recurring processes.

Basically, it's a way to make PPC fun, organized, and structured, isn't it?

It's like making a PPC sandwich with all the tasty layers.

Let's dive right in!

The First Amazon PPC Task

Vova: What's the first task?

Szymon: Absolutely, Vova, that's the secret sauce!

The cornerstone of PPC, a task that requires your utmost attention, is efficient Amazon keyword research.

Think of it as choosing the right ingredients for our PPC sandwich.

This one-off task requires you to find at least 80% of all your keywords, both long-tail and short-tail.

Organize them like a pro, and you'll have a bountiful pantry to create PPC dishes that wow.

The more precise and organized you are with your keywords, the more success you'll cook up with PPC.

And that's exactly what we do.

We don't just find keywords; we dive deep into the rabbit hole of keyword research, checking manually to ensure each keyword is truly relevant to the product.

If we're in doubt, we cross-check with Amazon.

But here's the kicker, and it's something you shouldn't overlook: negative keywords.

Imagine you're selling a black speaker, and you've set up your keywords, including the word "pink."

However, the term pink keeps popping up and causing unnecessary costs.

Now, it's time to take action and protect your budget with the negative keyword shield.

By adding pink as a negative keyword, you can prevent your ads from showing up for irrelevant searches and save your resources for more relevant audiences.

So, our first step is twofold: keyword research and negative keyword research, both equally vital.

The Second Amazon PPC Task

Next up, the second step is daily bid optimization.

We employ a data-sufficiency model, which means we don't review the same keywords every day.

Instead, we analyze the keywords that have gathered enough data, and this keyword set might change every day.

However, if you're navigating your PPC journey from within your Ads Manager account, a simpler approach might be to review your bids every four days, checking if your ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sales) is soaring too high.

So, our foundation is laid with robust keyword research and daily bid optimization.

Vova: Got it, Szymon. So, before we dive into the deeper waters of PPC, we need to solidify our "semantic core" of keywords, right?

Is this for the PPC campaign or should these already be in the product listing?

Szymon: Good point, Vova! It's indeed for the PPC campaign.

But here's something crucial - checking your listing index.

You see, the keywords you've identified for your PPC won't make a splash if you're not indexed for them.

Tools like Helium 10 Index Checker can help you check your indexing status.

If you're not indexed, it's time for a keyword rotation—shuffle them in and out of your listing, and backend, until you start indexing.

Only then will your PPC campaign kick-off.

Consider this your PPC bedrock.

If you haven't nailed down the right keywords, or you're not indexed for them, or you haven't sorted your negative keywords, then, unfortunately, your PPC campaign is missing a key foundation.

But once you've got this in place, you're ready to move on to optimizations.

Vova: Aha! So, once our listing is indexed, and we have our core keywords from our research, we can finally dive into PPC.

You also mentioned negative keywords, but how do we identify them if we haven't launched our PPC campaign?

Are you suggesting that we identify negative keywords from our initial research?

Like, if we know that our speaker isn't portable, then "portable" would be a negative keyword.

Szymon: Absolutely, Vova, you've got it!

Let's say you're selling a speaker that is not Bluetooth-enabled.

You'll want to set "Bluetooth" as a negative keyword, so you're not throwing money at clicks that won't convert.

Similarly, with colors—if you don't offer a specific color in your product line, consider it as a negative keyword.

It's all about getting familiar with your keywords and negative keywords.

Taking time to include these will save you a lot of money.

Vova: So, even before we start our PPC campaign, we're identifying our 'go-to' and 'no-go' keywords.

And then you mentioned daily tasks like bid optimization.

It seems a bit advanced, and perhaps more suited for daily review by more experienced sellers.

For beginners, should they also look at this every four days?

Szymon: Indeed, Vova. When you launch a new campaign, it might be beneficial to check in every day for the first two weeks.

High-volume keywords can really skyrocket costs if left unchecked.

Let's say you've included a popular keyword that isn't converting; if you wait for four days to review, it could leave a dent in your budget.

So, for the initial couple of weeks, especially if you're managing your keywords yourself, you'll want to check in daily.

After that, you could perhaps slow down to every four to six days to let the bids settle.

It all depends on your comfort level, but I'd suggest checking in every three to six days to adjust your bids.

Vova: Cool, got it! So, we've covered the pre-launch phase and daily management.

What else is there to do daily PPC optimization?

Is it mainly about bid adjustments?

Szymon: There's quite a bit more to daily PPC optimization, Vova.

But for the sake of brevity, we're focusing on bid adjustments today.

Key metrics to watch include your conversion rates and ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale).

If your conversion rates are high, feel confident about increasing your bids.

Keep your ACoS at or above the break-even point for competitiveness, but don't forget to consider your total ACoS (TACoS) too.

And remember, thresholds depend on product price—you might afford more clicks without sales for a higher-priced product.

For example, 50 clicks for a 500-dollar product – so you'd be close to having a break-even.

But for daily bid optimizations, I'd say every four to seven days is a good rule of thumb.

Figure out the metrics that work for you, and keep an eye on them.

Vova: Awesome insights, Szymon!

Get a free consultation with Szymon here. He'll help you, especially if you are a 7+ figure seller.

Weekly PPC Tasks

Vova: Now, what about weekly tasks?

What goes into optimizing our campaigns on a weekly basis?

Szymon: Great question, Vova!

In our agency, there are a couple of weekly tasks that we believe are crucial.

The first one I call "Weekly Keyword Bleeder Management."

This involves checking out your search term report.

You see when you're running broad, phrase, or auto campaigns, it's often the variations or spin-offs of your initial keywords that end up costing you.

So, each week, we dive into the report, find those troublesome keywords, and either reduce bids or pause them.

Vova: Oh, got it. So it's like giving a weekly health check to our keywords, pruning the ones that are bleeding money. That sounds important!

Szymon: Absolutely, Vova! The second weekly task is all about managing your placement adjustments, particularly your "Top-of-Search" (TOS) and "Product Placement Adjustments."

If your ads are performing well at the top of search results and your ACoS is low, it could be beneficial to increase your TOS bid slightly to capture more traffic and impressions against competitors.

This strategy helps maximize your visibility and profitability.

Vova: Ah, that's like flexing our muscles when we're winning the race.

Increase bids when we're already at the top, to stay there longer and attract more attention. Perfect!

Szymon: Absolutely, Vova, and now, onto the third weekly task – "Adjusting Your PPC Bidding Strategy."

This one is especially critical if you have seasonal products, as the keywords you'd want to target could vary with the seasons.

Each week, it's smart to consider rotating your keywords in and out to keep things fresh and relevant.

Vova: Ah, so we need to be in tune with the seasons and shift our strategy accordingly. Got it!

Szymon: Right! Lastly, there's also a monthly task to consider.

We call this our "Monthly Maintenance."

At the end of each month, we conduct a thorough check-up on all our campaigns, identifying the top performers.

This analysis might then inform whether we increase or decrease budgets for the following month.

Vova: Right, so it's like taking a monthly step back, observing the big picture, and adjusting course. Cool!

Szymon: Exactly! Now, remember the daily tasks we discussed?

They require more frequent attention and care, and they're highly individualized.

As we talked about, it's crucial to check on your bids and make sure your ACoS aligns with your target.

Every campaign is unique, and what works for one might not work for another.

So, you need to stay on your toes!

But let's delve a bit more into strategy.

As you may already know, in your sponsored product campaigns, you have the power to set a bid strategy - fixed, up and down, or down only.

Vova: Right, so which one's the best, Szymon?

Szymon: Well, it depends.

If you're seeing an excellent conversion rate – let's say about 50% on some keywords – choosing "up and down" can really pay off.

This setting allows Amazon's increasingly savvy algorithm to work its magic.

As it continues to refine its understanding of customer intent, we've noticed it's bringing in even better results.

Vova: So, with a high conversion rate, we can allow Amazon to take the wheel, and our ads should perform even better. That's brilliant!

But what if the keywords I've chosen aren't doing their job?

Szymon: Great question! This brings us to our fourth weekly task.

Sometimes, even though you've chosen seemingly perfect keywords, they just don't garner the impressions you'd expect.

So, what's the fix?

Each week, we come in and slightly increase those underperforming bids - say by around 10% to 15%.

This boost can often kick-start the process, leading to more impressions and more clicks.

Vova: I gotta say, Szymon, these weekly optimization strategies sound incredible!

It feels like we're taking a step back once a week to see how our PPC campaign is doing.

It's not as intense as the daily grind, but it's more about taking a broad look at things, right?

Szymon: Exactly, Vova!

Vova: I'm thinking that if something's been bleeding us dry for a week, that's a good time to spot it and figure out what to do.

And you know what's funny about Amazon?

It's like every day of the week has a different vibe.

For example, our barbecue-related products sell like hotcakes on Sundays.

So having a full week's data gives you some pretty valuable insights, doesn't it?

Szymon: Absolutely! You hit the nail on the head.

Vova: So, going back to our strategies, the first one dealt with those bleeders – keywords that aren't converting well and just burning money.

We assess them weekly and decide what needs to be done.

And the second one was…can you remind me, Szymon?

Szymon: Sure, yeah! So, the second strategy!

That would be adjusting your top-of-search, Vova.

If you're already performing well at the top, you can review your placement report and decide whether to increase your top-of-search bid for those high-performing products.

As most products tend to convert best when they're at the top of search results, it makes sense to try and keep them there.

Vova: So, we're talking about keeping our successful products right there at the top of the search results, right?

Pushing the winners up to rule page one! I can see the appeal.

Now, on to the third strategy, I recall something about an "up and down" tactic.

Is that something to do with bidding?

Szymon: Absolutely, Vova! This is all about your bidding strategy – up and down, fixed, or down only.

If something's performing really well, switch the bid to up and down.

But keep a close eye on it!

We come back to check on it every week as part of our systematic approach.

Vova: Great, that's pretty clear!

And the fourth strategy had something to do with "impressions", right?

It's all about giving life to keywords that aren't getting any traction.

Szymon: You're spot on, Vova!

Say you've got a keyword that isn't getting any impressions.

You think it's a great keyword, it's got a high search volume, it's relevant to your product, but it's just not bringing in any impressions.

That's when you step in once a week to give that keyword a little boost, a nudge to get it moving.

It's part of our automated weekly system, and trust me, it's an extremely effective process.

There's also a detailed post for Amazon PPC terms.

Bi-Weekly PPC Tasks

Vova: So, we've got these super-effective strategies on a weekly basis – fantastic!

But what about bi-weekly action?

You know, letting two weeks pass and then what?

Why this specific time frame?

Szymon: Well Vova, the bi-weekly interval is key for a process we call "graduation."

This means you've discovered campaigns that are performing exceedingly well in broad, phrase, or auto campaigns, but they're not yet in your exact match campaigns.

Moving these successful keywords to your exact match campaigns allows you to better control the sales on that keyword.

Vova: And why not do this weekly?

Is there a specific reason to leave it at a two-week interval?

Szymon: Excellent question, Vova!

If you try to do this weekly, you might find there's simply not enough fresh data or enough newly discovered keywords in these discovery campaigns.

It can become a bit of a time drain.

We realized that checking every week wasn't yielding anything new, so we pushed it to a two-week schedule for efficiency's sake.

We recommend this to everyone else too.

Vova: All right, that makes sense! Anything else in the bi-weekly agenda?

Szymon: Indeed, there's another bi-weekly process we've developed in our agency, known as the "keyword spin" process.

Here, we take keywords with high conversion rates, the ones that have been successful for you, and we conduct additional research around those keywords.

We dive deeper into those winning keywords.

Think about Amazon's auto-suggest feature, how when you start typing a keyword, it offers you a bunch of similar options?

Well, we adopt a similar approach to your top-performing keywords.

Every two weeks, we go on a "keyword discovery" expedition around your most successful keywords.

It's a strategy that has proved very effective!

Vova: Okay, got it!

So, on a bi-weekly basis, there are two main things we do, correct?

The first one is promoting successful keywords from auto to exact match campaigns.

And we're doing this on a two-week cycle because that's a sufficient time frame to understand a keyword's performance, right?

Szymon: Precisely!

Vova: So, we let two weeks pass – which includes two full weekends and two midweeks – to gather enough data.

After just a few days, we might get some clicks, but possibly with low conversions.

Two weeks gives us a clearer picture.

And the second thing we do bi-weekly is this intriguing "keyword spin" process.

Let me check if I got it right – we focus on our best-performing keywords, and then we do more discovery around these keywords, like how Amazon suggests.

Szymon: Yes, you've nailed it, Vova!

Say, if you're doing exceptionally well with a "black wireless speaker," we would then carry out additional research on related keywords.

Maybe "matte black," "space black," "sound equipment," or others you haven't yet discovered.

It's about exploring more around the areas where you're already winning.

Vova: So, you're saying, we can utilize Amazon's suggestion algorithm to do the "keyword spin" process? As we type in a keyword, hit space, and Amazon starts suggesting related keywords.

Like, let's consider the keyword "Bluetooth speaker."

I type "Bluetooth speaker," hit space, then type 'Q' to get suggestions like "Bluetooth speaker quiet." Delete the 'Q,' type 'W,' and get "Bluetooth speaker waterproof," and so on.

This way, we keep discovering more related keywords for a specific term.

And all this is done bi-weekly, correct?

Szymon: Yes, you're on the ball, Vova!

This QWERTY method coupled with our keyword spin process every two weeks can really help expand the potential of your successful keywords.

Vova: Yeah!

Monthly PPC Tasks

Vova: Now, let's move to the bigger picture - what do we do monthly, say, every four weeks?

Szymon: Good question, Vova.

At our agency, one of our prime focus areas each month is to review the performance of keywords.

We're particularly interested in those that were once high-flyers, bringing in lots of sales, but have since gone quiet.

Vova: A keyword performance audit, you mean?

Checking out why some keywords stopped bringing in sales?

Szymon: Exactly! You know, sometimes it might just be that we trimmed the bid a bit too much, and that could've caused the drop.

If we identify such keywords, we might decide to go, "Hang on, this keyword is pretty important, let's pump up the bid again" or even restructure it into a new campaign to give it a fresh start.

Vova: So it's a bit like a keyword rescue operation!

What else do you focus on monthly?

Szymon: Campaign restructuring is a significant part of our monthly agenda.

One approach we're big on – and it seems to be a common thread in the industry in 2023 – is setting up single keyword campaigns.

You see, many folks tend to stuff a campaign with multiple keywords – say around 20.

We like to call it 'keyword dumping'.

Vova: That sounds crowded.

Szymon: Exactly! And here's the catch - usually, only the top three or four keywords perform well, while the remaining 15 or so get lost in the crowd.

This isn't ideal as these could be great keywords just waiting to shine!

Vova: So you're suggesting a kind of spring cleaning for keywords once a month, giving them their own space to perform?

Szymon: You got it, Vova! We recommend reorganizing them into single-keyword campaigns and launching them anew.

It's like giving these underperforming keywords a fresh start.

Vova: Makes sense! Anything else you'd recommend on a monthly basis?

Szymon: Absolutely! Regular upkeep of your negative keywords is vital.

While we talked about managing keyword bleeders on a weekly basis, it's essential once a month to gather these negative keywords and distribute them across all your campaigns.

This is to ensure they don't pop up and cause trouble in your other campaigns – be it auto, phrase, or broad.

Vova: So, in a nutshell, on a monthly basis, we should be checking if anything's stopped working and attempting to reactivate it, do a bit of campaign restructuring, and manage negative keywords, right?

Szymon: Spot on, Vova! It's like monthly house cleaning for your Amazon campaigns.

Vova: Wow, Szymon! We've covered quite a bit, haven't we?

I'm sure our readers are having some "aha" moments right now, thinking about their current strategies or how they can refine their approaches.

Some may even be considering passing these insights to their PPC virtual assistants.

We've shared four solid strategies today, which I think are valuable.

Szymon: Absolutely, Vova! We've certainly skimmed the surface of these tactics today, but there's a lot more to explore.

For those who wish to dive deeper, click on the button below to access a complete playlist containing all our videos.

Complete Amazon PPC Playlist

We'll continue creating content to explore these strategies further.

Get a free consultation with Szymon here. He'll help you, especially if you are a 7+ figure seller.

How Can AMZ Guardian Help You

Vova: And let's not forget about your agency, AMZ Guardian.

For those who feel a bit overwhelmed by all this, or need professional help, your agency offers done-for-you Amazon PPC and assistance with organic rankings for keywords, right?

Szymon: Exactly, Vova! It's a lot to take in, and we've barely scratched the surface of what we do at AMZ Guardian.

We specialize in areas like organic keyword ranking, using PPC to boost your organic standing for specific keywords.

Our mission is to take the complexities of PPC off the hands of sellers, freeing them up to focus on other crucial aspects of their businesses.

Vova: So, your passion is all about helping sellers scale, right?

Szymon: Absolutely, Vova! We live to see those numbers climb, both in PPC and organic metrics.

It's all about sharing our expertise and helping where we can.

If anyone out there is interested in learning more or needs some help, we're here.

And as I always say, I love chatting with entrepreneurs and sharing knowledge.

It's one of the best communities out there!

Vova: Sounds like a plan! I look forward to connecting more and sharing these insights.

Stay tuned for more strategies, folks!

Get a free consultation with Szymon here. He'll help you, especially if you are a 7+ figure seller.

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And that's it, folks!

We've hit the end of this roller coaster of a chat with the super-knowledgeable Szymon.

It was like diving headfirst into the world of Amazon PPC, splashing around in the insights, and coming out the other side sparkling with new knowledge!

I hope our conversation has sparked some lightbulb moments for you, got you thinking about your PPC strategies, or even given you a nudge to pass on some insider tips to your trusty virtual assistant.

In the spirit of never-ending learning, I'll keep the insights coming with more in-depth videos, so stay tuned!

If you're feeling a tad overwhelmed and need a helping hand, remember Szymon and his team at AMZ Guardian are your PPC superheroes, always ready to swoop in and save the day!

But hey, whether you're ready to conquer the PPC world solo, or would like a little help from your friends at AMZ Guardian, we're all here to grow, learn, and make the most of the amazing opportunities the world of Amazon provides.

Until next time, keep your thinking caps on, your spirits high, and your PPC strategies sharper than ever!

Here's to scaling new heights together in this thrilling Amazon journey.

Keep shining, you amazing entrepreneurs!

P.S. - Below you'll find more posts with Szymon about Amazon PPC.