Why advertise on Amazon? #
Amazon is a high-intent marketplace: shoppers arrive ready to compare and buy. Advertising helps you win placements, defend your brand, and accelerate launches when organic rank is still building.
The goal isn't clicks — it's profitable, incremental sales. Strong campaigns align spend with inventory, margin, and your stage in the product lifecycle.
Optimize your listing first
Even perfect targeting can't fix a weak detail page. Improve conversion before you scale bids.
Types of Amazon ads #
Amazon groups ads into formats that serve different goals — from capturing high-intent searches to building awareness. Most sellers start with Sponsored Products, then layer Sponsored Brands and Display as they grow.
Sponsored Products appear where shoppers are already looking — search results, product pages, and related placements.
For step-by-step setup, read the Sponsored Products guide.
Sponsored Brands highlight your brand story and product line in premium placements.
Use them to complement product-level campaigns: introduce the brand, then route traffic to your best-converting ASINs.
Sponsored Display reaches audiences based on shopping signals — views, purchases, and similar interests.
It's a strong fit for retargeting, conquesting complementary categories, and supporting launches.
Budget planning #
Budgets should follow your objective: discovery for new ASINs, profitable scale for mature winners, and defense where competition is fierce.
- Launch: Allocate enough daily budget to exit learning periods and gather meaningful data.
- Growth: Increase budget as efficiency holds; shift spend toward campaigns with clear incrementality.
- Maintenance: Protect branded queries and core keywords; trim waste with negatives and tighter structure.
Plan for seasonality
Peak weeks need higher caps and earlier bid adjustments. Build a calendar so budgets don't bottleneck when demand spikes.
Key metrics to watch #
No single metric tells the whole story. Use ACoS and ROAS for efficiency, CTR for creative and placement fit, and CVR for retail readiness.
Getting started with Amazon ads #
Start with clear goals and clean structure: separate discovery from performance, document naming, and review search terms weekly.
Deepen tactics with the Sponsored Products and campaign strategy guides.