Amazon PPC Campaign Structure: The Framework That Actually Works

After managing PPC for dozens of Amazon accounts, I've seen every campaign structure imaginable. Most are overcomplicated, poorly organised, or both. Here's the framework that consistently works.

The Three-Campaign Foundation

For every product, you need three campaigns:

1. Auto Campaign (Research): Let Amazon find search terms. Low bid, broad match. This is your keyword discovery engine.
2. Manual Broad/Phrase Campaign (Expansion): Take winning search terms from auto and add them here. This expands reach on proven terms.
3. Manual Exact Campaign (Performance): Your best-performing exact match keywords live here. This is where you optimise for ACoS and profitability.

The Keyword Funnel

Keywords flow in one direction: Auto → Broad/Phrase → Exact. As a search term proves itself (conversions, good ACoS), it graduates to the next campaign for tighter control and optimisation.

Negative Keywords

This is where most sellers fail. When a keyword graduates from Auto to Manual, add it as an exact negative in the Auto campaign. This prevents the campaigns from competing against each other for the same search term.

Budget Allocation

• Exact campaign: 50–60% of budget (your proven performers)
• Broad/Phrase: 25–30% (expansion and discovery)
• Auto: 15–20% (research, always running)