Amazon PPC Audit Checklist is the #1 process brands use in 2026 to fix wasted ad spend, uncover hidden leaks in their campaigns, and scale profitable PPC across Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, Sponsored Display, and Amazon DSP. If your ads are not converting, your ACOS is rising, or your impressions are dropping a proper Amazon PPC audit is the first and most important step to fixing performance.
This definitive guide breaks down the complete 30-point Amazon PPC Audit Checklist, used by CaptenAMZ to optimize accounts across New York, New Jersey, Texas, California, Florida, and global marketplaces.
Whether you’re spending $5K/month or $500K/month, this audit will show you:
- Where your money is leaking
- Why your ads aren’t delivering
- Which keywords are killing your ACOS
- How to fix targeting, bidding, budgets, placements
- What data Amazon is hiding and how to uncover it
Let’s start.
What Is an Amazon PPC Audit & Why It Matters in 2026?
Before using the Amazon PPC Audit Checklist, brands must understand WHY auditing matters more than ever.
3 Reasons Audits Are Critical in 2026:
1. Amazon PPC is now AI-driven With Amazon integrating Rufus, AI-Recommendations, Predictive Bidding, and new Sponsored Ads signals, poor structures get punished FAST.
2. Competition exploded by 31% Global sellers = higher CPCs = lower profitability unless optimized.
3. Amazon PPC waste is at an all-time high Most brands waste 25–58% of ad spend due to incorrect bidding, wrong match types, or bad analytics. A PPC audit reveals all of this BEFORE scaling.
THE COMPLETE 30-POINT AMAZON PPC AUDIT CHECKLIST & use this Amazon PPC audit checklist (2026 EDITION)
Use this checklist exactly as CaptenAMZ uses it during audits.
Account Structure Audit
1. Campaign Naming Convention
Check if campaigns follow clear structure:
- SP — Auto — ASIN
- SP — Manual — KW — Exact
- SB — Category — Competitor
Messy naming creates messy data → wrong optimization.
2. Separation by Objective
Campaigns must be split by:
- Awareness
- Consideration
- Conversion
- Retargeting
If everything is mixed → poor ROAS.
3. ASIN Segmentation
Each ASIN must have:
- Dedicated SP Auto
- Dedicated SP Manual
- SB campaigns
- SD retargeting
If not you’re starving your profitable ASINs.
Sponsored Products Audit (Core)
4. Auto Campaign Performance
Analyze:
- Substitutes
- Complements
- Close Match
- Loose Match
Most accounts WASTE money here.
5. Manual Keyword Structure
Should be split:
- Exact
- Phrase
- Broad
If mixed → bidding data becomes useless.
6. Keyword Harvesting System Check
Do you pull converting search terms weekly? If not you’re losing profitable keywords every day.
7. Negative Keywords Audit
Most PPC waste comes from:
- No negative keywords
- Wrong negatives
- Missing brand negatives
Audit all 90 days of search terms.
Sponsored Brands (SB) Audit
8. Brand Defense Campaigns
Are you defending your brand keyword? If not competitors are stealing your traffic.
9. SB Video Performance
Check:
- Thumbnail CTR
- First 3 seconds
- Mobile performance
Video ads now dominate SERPs.
10. Store Spotlight Optimization
Ensure:
- Correct subpages
- Seasonal modules
- Linking to bestsellers
Sponsored Display (SD) Audit
11. Retargeting Coverage (Critical)
Audit:
- Views Remarketing
- Purchase remarketing
Missing these = losing warm traffic.
12. Competitor Targeting
Check if you’re targeting:
- ASINs stealing your sales
- Lower priced alternatives
This is mandatory for defense.
13. Cross-ASIN Promotion
Push traffic to variety packs, bundles, or high-margin sizes.
Bidding & Budget Audit
14. Portfolio Budget Allocation
Check:
- High ACOS portfolio
- Low ACOS
- Scaling portfolio
Move budgets from losers → winners.
15. Dynamic Bidding Settings
Audit:
- Down only
- Up & down
- Fixed bids
Wrong setting = wasted spend.
16. Placement Adjustments
Check:
- Top of search
- Product pages
If your TACOS increases, remove placement multipliers.
Targeting & Search Term Audit and  Tools & Templates to Run Your Audit
17. Search Term Performance
Check last 30–60–90 days:
- High spend, no sales
- Low CTR terms
- Terms with declining impressions
18. Keyword Conversion Lag Analysis
Some keywords convert after:
- 5 clicks
- 10 clicks
- 20 clicks
Audit CPC vs. expected conversion cycle.
19. Competitor Keyword Penetration
Identify gaps:
- New competitor entries
- Hyper-aggressive CPCs
- Category shifts
Creative Audit
20. Main Image CTR Benchmarking
Audit:
- CTR vs category baseline
- Zoomability
- Background cleanliness
21. A+ Content Conversion Impact
Check:
- Heatmap flow
- Scroll depth
- Module placement
22. Sponsored Brand Video Creative Quality
Check:
- 1080Ă—1080
- 3–5 product highlights
- Clear CTA
Listing Quality Audit (Critical for PPC)
23. Title Optimization
Check title length AND keyword placement.
24. Bullet Points Audit
Ensure:
- 200–250 chars each
- Benefit → Feature structure
- Machine-readable language
25. Backend Keywords
Audit:
- No repetition
- No banned terms
- Max 250 bytes
Profitability & TACOS Audit
26. Contribution Margin
Audit:
- COGS
- FBA fees
- Referral fees
- Promo deductions
Incorrect margins = incorrect bids.
27. TACOS Trendline
Check TACOS over:
- 30 days
- 60 days
- 90 days
If TACOS rises → you’re overbidding.
28. Hero ASIN Dependence
If 80% revenue comes from 1–2 ASINs → high risk.
Data & Measurement Audit
29. Attribution Window Check
Audit:
- 7-day
- 14-day
- 30-day conversion windows
30. Dashboard & Reporting Accuracy
Ensure:
- Bulk sheets match ad console
- Data refresh timing
- UTM + Google Looker dashboards
Common PPC Issues Found During Audits
- High ACOS because of unfiltered auto campaigns
- Low conversion due to weak listing content
- Wasted spend on irrelevant keywords
- Wrong bidding strategy
- Missing retargeting
- No negative keywords
- No brand defense
CaptenAMZ fixes these systematically.
CaptenAMZ 30-Point Audit (Free for 2026)
If you want your account analyzed by Amazon PPC experts:
CaptenAMZ will audit:
- Campaign structure
- Bids & budgets
- Keywords
- Search terms
- Placements
- Creative performance
- Listing quality
- Profitability
- TACOS trends
For brands in: New York, New Jersey, Texas, California & Florida.
Book Your Free Amazon PPC Audit Now
FAQs
What is an Amazon PPC Audit? A structured evaluation of your PPC campaigns to identify wasted spend, missed opportunities, and optimization gaps across keywords, bids, budgets, targeting, listings, and analytics.
How often should I audit Amazon PPC campaigns? Every 30–45 days for stable campaigns; weekly for scaling or struggling accounts.
Does PPC improve organic ranking? Yes, high converting PPC traffic drives keyword rank, which boosts organic visibility.
How many negative keywords should I add? As many as needed an average account requires 20–50 new negatives monthly.
What makes this Amazon PPC Audit Checklist effective? It covers structure, search terms, creative, profitability, data, AI, competitor intelligence, and funnel strategy 75+ expert checkpoints.
Finale
If your Amazon PPC performance still feels unstable high ACoS, inconsistent results, wasted spend, or weak organic ranking it’s a clear sign your campaigns need deeper structure and expert management. A single audit won’t fix everything, but a consistent, data-backed PPC strategy will transform the way your brand grows on Amazon.
At CaptenAMZ, we don’t just run ads
we rebuild your PPC system from the ground up using a 75+ point audit framework, AI-driven optimization, competitor intelligence, and state-level consumer behavior insights across New York, New Jersey, Texas, California, and Florida.
When your competitors are still guessing, you’ll be scaling with a structured PPC engine engineered for dominance.
If you’re ready to stop wasting money and start scaling with a real strategy, CaptenAMZ is here to help you grow faster, smarter, and profitably. See us on LinkedIn & Instagram.
Get your FREE 75-Point Amazon PPC Audit today.
Let CaptenAMZ turn your PPC chaos into predictable, profitable growth.
