Amazon Advertising Fundamentals

Name: Amazon Advertising Fundamentals
Rating: 4.4 (277 reviews)

For complete Beginners. Plan, Create & Launch Successful Amazon Ads. Become a Skilled Amazon PPC Manager from Scratch.

Created byDavid Zimmermann

Last updated 1/2026

English

What you'll learn

Start off on the right track with ideal campaign structuring & profitable keyword bidding
Make the most out of your campaign budgets
Set the right targets for your PPC Campaigns in different product lifecycle phases and optimize towards them
Research and target the right keywords...and competitor products
Understand and reap the benefits of the major advertising options provided by Amazon

Course content

7 sections • 35 lectures • 4h 16m total length

Welcome!3:24
May I introduce myself? :)
I'm David and for the past 4 years I have dealt with and solved literally thousands of Amazon PPC questions while working as a customer success manager for Sellics, the leading Amazon PPC automation software, among other things. What to do with all that knowledge, I asked myself...well, why not just make it available to anyone looking to up their game in this exact field?
And so I decided to break it down to the most essential knowledge and share what I have been able to acquire through years of talking to sellers and vendors of all sizes (1-man-shows to some of the world's best known brands), giving advice for products (campaigns) of all types and making use of the unique position Sellics has to analyze big data across multiple advertisers, to really understand how things work and what works best.
I wanted to share it in the most effective and to-the-point way possible, building a presentation that I even started using to teach new Sellics team members the ins and outs of PPC from scratch. In this process I was able to continually optimize the course's outline, before I made it available to everyone on here ;)

...but enough about me. Like I was saying in the video, this will be the last time I talk/write about me or Sellics!
Well, almost, 2 little mentions later in the course were unavoidable since I only want to give the best advice possible...I hope you will forgive me! :)

Other than that, this video gives you the agenda of the course, ie. what you will be learning. Here it is again:
What is PPC (Pay per Click) and why do you need it?
Knowing all of your Amazon advertising options, as well as their Pros & Cons
Setting the “right” targets
Getting started with ideal preparation, ie. how to effectively structure your campaigns, target the right audience and set the right bids
How to measure & optimize your campaigns
If any questions come up during the course, don't hesitate to post them in the Q&A section!
What is Amazon PPC? The main principles of "Pay per Click" explained7:24
Basic intro into Amazon PPC (Pay per Click):
what does the end result look like?
How does it work?
how much does it cost?
The main reason why sellers use PPC
Who can use PPC?
Where to get started and manage your campaigns
Why do you need PPC? There is more behind PPC than you might think...7:54
Going through the many reasons why Amazon PPC is indispensable for Amazon sellers.
That should put us in the right mind set for this course...:)

Sponsored Products vs Brands vs Display- When & Why to use which PPC Output Type11:41
Explaining the differences between the main three Amazon ad type output formats and highlighting their unique advantages. Know exactly when either ad type is the ideal solution for you!
Automatic vs Manual Campaigns - Benefits & Negatives of both Ad Control Types6:41
There are two options to manage your campaigns - this videos explains their difference, who should use which and how you can take advantage of both.
Keywords vs Search Terms - Why do we need these different terms?1:58
Just a quick video explaining a fundamental terminology in Amazon Advertising you need to understand for the sake of understanding the rest of the course's content, especially your campaign structure strategy.
Exact, Phrase & Broad - Match Types and their different use cases explained6:54
Building on the difference between keywords & search terms, understanding Amazon keyword match types and their advantages & disadvantages, is another cornerstone of Amazon PPC knowledge.
Product Targeting - Stealing your competition's traffic6:24
Still unknown and unused by many sellers, Product Targeting is a relatively new way to place your Sponsored Product ads in front of the right audience. In this video I explain where you'll find the option, how you can make use of it, as well as the difference and advantages of ASIN vs Category targeting.
Tailored Automatic Targeting - New bidding control for your Auto Campaigns7:14
Not only keyword targets have match types! Automatic targeting now offers more options than it used to. In this video I go into more detail of the "close", "loose", "complementary" and "substitutes" match types and explain how you can make use of them.
Negative Targets - Avoiding Bad Traffic7:58
Explaining the concept of negative keywords and asins, the different negative match types, as well as how and when to use them.
Budgets - the underestimated option that can make all the difference5:50
Budgets are a thing many sellers set once but then don't think about anymore - if used correctly though, they can not only save your bottoms, but also help you make a whole lot more money.
Campaigns & Ad Groups - the fundamental difference you need to know9:37
Understanding the difference between these two can make the difference between running successful Amazon PPC campaigns or not.

Maximizing Total Ads + Organic Profit - the impossible goal?4:26
Maximizing total Profit is probably what most sellers truly want in the end - but is it something we can truly measure / optimize towards with Amazon PPC? Well, me asking like that is probably already a spoiler for this one ;)
Maximizing Sales - getting them addicted ;)2:26
Possible Goal #1 - understand when increasing sales is what you should be aiming for.
Maximize Ads Efficiency - playing it safely2:11
Possible Goal #2 - understand why and when sellers turn to setting ads efficiency as their campaign's main goal.
Maximize Total Ads Profit - the true and more or less realistic goal2:39
Possible Goal #3 - should and can this be the ultimate PPC goal? Unlike the "impossible" goal of total (ads + organic) profit, this goal might be a bit more realistic...
Increase Brand Awareness - when & why you want to spend money just to be known2:21
Possible Goal #4 - is this goal something you should focus on for your campaigns? Understand when and why this might be the case!
Goals Metrics Overview - the actual numbers you need to aim and look out for10:39
How exactly will you measure all of these goals? In this video I make it very concrete which KPIs will be important to your campaigns (and products). I will also show you where you can see and add those KPIs in the Campaign Manager.
ACOS - the main Amazon Advertising KPI explained. What is a good ACOS?7:02
What is this ACOS thing everyone is talking about and does it bite? In this video I explain how it is calculated, what it tells you ie. how it can help you, and how you can calculate the "right" ACOS goal for your products' campaigns.

Intro to your final campaign preparation - what to consider before starting ads1:41
A quick overview of what you need to look out for before actually starting your campaigns.
Keyword Research - How, where and which keywords? Going for the right audience8:57
Explaining why and how Keyword Research will help your advertising efforts, and walking through your main options.
I also show in a very practical example what the end result of your research can look like and which kind of keywords you should focus on.
Optimal Campaign Structure - the secret to running successful ads11:29
Perhaps the most important lesson in this whole course - if you get this right, life as an Amazon advertiser will become a piece of cake!
Structure Philosophies - using negative targets to direct traffic - good or bad?9:03
A little "spin-off" video for those of you really interested in knowing it all and understanding why various experts out there are recommending quite differing strategies ...but which one is the best?
Optimal Campaign Naming - how to make things a lot easier for your future self4:06
You can have the best campaign structure in the world...but if you are not giving those campaigns proper names, it can be all for nothing!
Optimal Starting Bids - the foundation of profitable ads9:55
Are you aiming to run profitable ads? Well, then this video might just be of interest to you!

Learn about 3 ways of setting the bids for your keyword, product and automatic targets and understand when you should use which.

Here's the sheet I used during the video for your optimal bid calculation:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kz8T4AKLOu6MIM00g_ucyAVb0TmwcqQLGzyagL62E7c/edit#gid=1316239844
Starting your first campaign - bringing it all together!10:25
You've made it so far now and truly know all of your options, targets, and have prepared your upcoming campaign perfectly.
Now it's time bring it all together. In this video I'll walk you through all the steps in the Seller Central campaign creation process and show you how you can put into practice everything you've learned in this course so far!

Staying patient, but for how long? How much time do Keywords deserve?5:57
Before you want to analyze your KPIs, it's important to understand why you need to give those keywords (and ASINs) the time they deserve!
Low Impressions - how to get your product seen7:45
Are your ads not even being seen at all? Or just far less than you would have hoped for?
In this video I will let you know several methods to get that visibility and therefore get your PPC efforts rolling!
Low Click-Through-Rate (CTR) - how to get people clicking on your product8:03
Now your ads are being shown to customers...but you're not getting any or enough clicks?
In this video you will learn how to change just that.

PS. Here are Amazon's general product image requirements:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html?nodeId=202073580
Low Conversion Rate (CR) - how to increase your product's sales7:49
OK, great, now we have the clicks and people actually end up on your products' listing pages ... but you are not converting them into buying customers?
Find out the major reasons and what you should be doing.
High & Low ACOS - good CTR & CR, but you're still not profitable? How to react10:21
There it is again - the KPI that ultimately tells you if you are making money with your ads or not.
Find out how to react if your ACOS is above your target, even though your CTR and CR are good.
And what to do when things are going well for you!
My Final Thoughts, Recommendations & Predictions8:29
As a little thank you / send off, I'm giving you 4 final points to consider for your Amazon Advertising.

Thank you so much again for joining and sticking through the course until the end ...even if you just skipped through it! ;)

If you haven't already, I would be forever grateful if you rated this course - if you feel it was helpful, of course!
If not, that's totally fine, just thought I'd ask :p

Finally, I invite you to join our Amazon PPC/SEO community on Facebook and LinkedIn and stay on the pulse of time:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2897036966976505
https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8560885/

PS. in case you missed it before, here are the links the to the google sheets:

Calculate Target ACOS:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kz8T4AKLOu6MIM00g_ucyAVb0TmwcqQLGzyagL62E7c/edit#gid=0
Calculate Target Bid:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1kz8T4AKLOu6MIM00g_ucyAVb0TmwcqQLGzyagL62E7c/edit#gid=1316239844

And now have fun with the test! ;)

In practice: 5 Optimization Steps for Unprofitable Campaigns18:34
Branded vs Non Branded Campaigns18:55
Bonus: FREE & Heavily Discounted Amazon Marketing Tools0:37
Many of the optimization actions we discussed during the course can be either done in bulk, or automated to a great extent. For this, you'll need third-party software.

As you may know from my YouTube channel, this is somewhat my life's obsession - finding the best tools at the best value so you have the best chance at succeeding with your Amazon/Ecom business.
Not just for Amazon Ads, but for all areas that you'll need to be successful (SEO, profit tracking, pricing, reimbursements, and more)

Since you've come to the very end of the course, I'm very happy to give you access to two lists you'll find super valuable - both of which can save you far more money than what you paid for this course. ;)

1. Free & Discounted Beginner Friendly Tools:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14GajYcPpmLl23dTP9XDUizIDCGOLhlqWJYsNbFzfZ4U/edit?gid=248898913

2. Discounted Pro Tools:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bJhsdQVQSfk2U_0eu30V1WWLeMv2FmtnQ0z7MrxBV_8/edit?gid=612327617

Cheers guys, it's been an honour having you!
David

Requirements

No knowledge required, though it won't hurt if you have a basic understanding of Amazon (at least as a customer ;))

Description

Amazon PPC Basics course, updated in December 2025.

The aim of this course is to take away any kind of overwhelming feeling you may have with regards to Amazon Sponsored Ads and show you how to easily structure your ads campaigns, optimize them and the simple tricks you can use to remain profitable, including the right kind of goals, targeting the right keywords, setting ideal bids and optimising your ads' performances.

With well structured slides I will make things as clear as possible, step by step. After learning all the fundamental know-how, I will also give a live demonstration of creating your first Amazon ads campaign.

For anyone selling on Amazon or aiming to consult others. Amazon Advertising has, for many years now, been the fastest growing sector in global paid marketing and will in all likelihood soon eclipse Facebook (Google not quite yet), meaning the art of promoting products within Amazon is becoming a very necessary and demanded skill!

Amazon PPC has become indispensable in terms of ranking and selling products, but it really isn't all that complicated. I'm sure that after this course, you will agree with me!

PS. This course will constantly stay updated with any changes made within Amazon PPC, so you have life-long access to all the basic Amazon Marketing knowledge if you need a reminder at any point in time.

PPS. you'll also gain access to an exclusive list of free and discounted Amazon FBA tools - constantly updated with the latest software and (AI) tools that can help you with your Amazon sales goals. This is alone will more than get you back your money's worth!

Who this course is for:

For everyone who wants to start out with Amazon PPC and those who feel there is still more to get out of their advertising pursuits - this course will show you it really isn't all that complicated and you will feel like a Pro in no time.
Have you started or are you planning to start your own private label business on Amazon and want to boost your sales? Amazon PPC is the way to go and you should know the basics to play the game.
Or are you thinking of becoming an PPC Freelancer / work for an Agency? Look no further to gain all the necessary knowledge (and certificate ;) ) to get that client / job.

Amazon Advertising Fundamentals

What you'll learn

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Course content

Introduction3 lectures • 19min

Getting Ready for PPC - Knowing all of your Options9 lectures • 1hr 4min

Setting the right Targets7 lectures • 32min

Final Preparation7 lectures • 56min

Performance Analytics & Optimization6 lectures • 48min

Certificate Exam!0

Bonus Lessons3 lectures • 38min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: