PPC Toolsfor Virtual Assistants

Standard Operating Procedures

8 complete SOPs for daily PPC operations. Follow these for consistent results.

1. Daily Health Check

⏱ 15 minutes daily

Steps

1
Check Budget PacingReview each campaign's daily spend vs. budget. Flag any campaign at risk of hitting budget before end of day.
2
Scan for AnomaliesLook for: campaigns with 0 impressions (bid issue), sudden ACoS spikes, out-of-stock products.
3
Review Search TermsQuick scan for obvious non-converters to add as negatives same-day.
4
Check Competitor ActivityMonitor if competitors have increased bids on your key terms.
Pro Tip: Set up Amazon Advertising Console alerts for budget depletion and ACoS spikes >20%.

2. Weekly Search Term Analysis

⏱ 30-60 minutes weekly

Steps

1
Download Search Term ReportGo to Amazon Advertising Console → Reports → Search Terms. Download last 7 days.
2
Sort by Spend (Descending)Focus on top 20 spenders first — they have most impact.
3
Categorize Each TermGreen (keep), Yellow (monitor), Red (negate), Purple (harvest to manual).
4
Take ActionAdd negatives, adjust bids, harvest winners to manual campaigns.
5
Document ChangesLog all changes in tracking sheet for next week's comparison.

3. Bid Adjustment Routine

⏱ 30 minutes weekly

Steps

1
Export Campaign PerformanceDownload all campaigns with ACoS, CPC, CTR, and conversion rate.
2
Apply Bid RulesACoS > Target +10%: reduce bid 15%. ACoS < Target -10%: increase bid 10%.
3
Check Placement PerformanceIf Top of Search ACoS is acceptable but Rest of Search is high, adjust placement bids.
4
Review Keyword BidsEnsure top-performing keywords have competitive bids.
Pro Tip: Never change bids more than 20% at once. Let data accumulate before making big changes.

4. New Product Launch Checklist

⏱ 2 hours setup + ongoing

Before Launch

  • Product listing optimized (title, bullets, description, backend keywords)
  • Images meet Amazon guidelines (white background, 1000x1000px)
  • 定价 competitive with similar products
  • A+ Content (if available)
  • Break-even ACoS calculated

Campaign Setup

  • Create Auto campaign (discovery)
  • Create Manual Exact campaign (targeted)
  • Set initial bids (start at break-even ACoS / 10)
  • Set daily budget ($20-30/day minimum)
  • Add negative keywords (brand names, unrelated terms)

Post-Launch (Week 1-4)

  • Daily monitoring for first week
  • Weekly search term harvesting
  • Gradual bid reductions as ACoS improves
  • Enroll in Vine for reviews (day 1)

5. Negative Keyword Management

⏱ 30 minutes weekly

Steps

1
Identify Irrelevant TermsFrom search term report: misspellings, wrong product type, incompatible sizes.
2
Categorize NegativesCampaign-level (specific) vs. Account-level (universal like "free", "cheap").
3
Add to Shared ListsCreate negative keyword lists for reuse across campaigns.
4
Match Type DecisionUse Negative Exact for specific terms, Negative Phrase for broader blocking.
Pro Tip: Common account-wide negatives: free, cheap, used, refurbished, DIY, homemade, bulk, wholesale.

6. Campaign Restructuring

⏱ 2-4 hours (as needed)

When to Restructure

  • Campaign has >100 keywords with mixed performance
  • Too many campaigns with low budget ($2-5/day)
  • Campaign ACoS is erratic (some keywords great, others terrible)
  • Account was disorganized from previous management

Restructuring Steps

1
Audit Current CampaignsExport all data, identify which campaigns have meaningful conversion data.
2
Map New StructurePlan: Auto (1) → Manual Exact (top performers) → Manual Phrase/Broad (discovery).
3
Create New CampaignsBuild structure before killing old ones.
4
Migrate KeywordsMove proven winners to manual exact. Keep auto for ongoing discovery.
5
Monitor 2-4 WeeksDon't make more changes — let new structure stabilize.

7. Monthly Performance Review

⏱ 2 hours monthly

Steps

1
Compile MetricsTotal spend, revenue, ACoS, TACoS, orders, ROAS by campaign.
2
Compare to Last MonthIdentify trends: improving, declining, or stable.
3
Analyze Top PerformersWhat made them successful? Replicate.
4
Address UnderperformersDecide: optimize, reduce budget, or pause.
5
Client ReportPrepare summary with key insights and next month's recommendations.

8. Q4 / Holiday Preparation

⏱ 1 week preparation + ongoing

October (Preparation)

  • Audit and optimize existing campaigns
  • Research holiday-specific keywords
  • Set bid baselines for competitive periods
  • Prepare campaign structure for scaling

November (Ramp Up)

  • Increase budgets 20% weekly
  • Add holiday-specific campaigns
  • Increase bids 30-50% for Black Friday/Cyber Monday
  • Monitor hourly during peak days

December (Maintenance + Harvest)

  • Scale back to sustainable levels post-holiday
  • Harvest winning terms for year-round campaigns
  • Analyze Q4 performance for next year