Story-at-a-Glance
- Amazon PPC has become one of the most competitive (and expensive) growth channels for brands, making expert management critical 📈
- Understanding the difference between what a PPC consultant does and what a PPC agency does helps sellers choose the right partner for their growth stage 🤝
- Asking the right questions upfront can prevent wasted ad spend, poor strategy, and stalled organic growth 🚫💸
- Top-performing Amazon PPC specialists focus on TACOS, conversion, and long-term profitability, not just lowering ACoS 📊
- Working with an experienced agency like beBOLD Digital ensures PPC is aligned with SEO, listing optimization, and scalable brand growth 🚀
Hiring the right Amazon PPC partner can be the difference between scaling profitably and burning ad spend with little to show for it. As Amazon advertising becomes more competitive and expensive, brands can no longer afford to guess their way through PPC management. More than half of US consumers (56%) start shopping searches on Amazon, so your PPC partner directly influences how customers discover you.
What Does a PPC Consultant or PPC Agency Do?
At a high level, both PPC consultants and agencies manage Amazon advertising campaigns, but the scope, depth, and scalability of their work often differ.
An Amazon PPC consultant typically:
- Designs and implements Amazon PPC campaign structures and monitors results
- Builds and optimizes Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display campaigns
- Conducts keyword research using Search Term Reports, SQP, and third-party tools
- Manages bids, budgets, and negative keywords
- Optimizes for key metrics like ACoS, TACOS, CTR, and conversion rate
- Diagnoses underperforming campaigns and identifies wasted spend
A PPC agency, on the other hand, usually provides:
- Dedicated account managers and backup teams
- Proven campaign frameworks and internal SOPs
- Access to proprietary dashboards, automation, and analytics tools
- Integration with SEO, listing optimization, creative, and inventory strategy
- Scalability across SKUs, brands, and international marketplaces
Note: Amazon’s ad business hit $56.2B in 2024, which is why PPC strategy has become a core growth lever, not a nice-to-have.
Why Does Asking the Right PPC Questions Matter?
Because Amazon PPC isn’t a ‘set it and forget it’ channel, understanding how long it takes for Amazon PPC to work helps you set realistic expectations with your consultant. With the right questions, you can map out your goals, their capabilities, and align them with a realistic plan.
In addition, asking the right questions helps you:
- Identify strategic thinkers vs. button-pushers
- Understand how decisions are made under pressure
- Avoid agencies that focus only on lowering ACoS without revenue context
- Ensure PPC supports long-term brand growth, not just short-term wins
Real-Life beBOLD Digital Scenario:
To help you better understand the importance of these questions, here’s a real scenario that we encountered at beBOLD Digital. A beauty brand came to beBOLD Digital after working with a previous PPC agency that never explained why bids were being raised or budgets were shifted.
By asking the right questions during onboarding, around campaign structure, TACOS targets, keyword strategy, and reporting cadence, the brand quickly uncovered that their former agency was optimizing purely for short-term ACoS. After restructuring campaigns and aligning PPC with listing optimization and SEO, the brand improved overall profitability while recovering lost organic rankings.
A PPC partner should be able to clearly explain their strategy, not hide behind vague answers like “it depends.”
What Key Questions Should You Be Asking Your PPC Consultant?
Choosing the right Amazon PPC partner starts with asking questions that reveal how decisions are made, not just what tactics are used. The best consultants and agencies can clearly explain their thinking, adapt strategy to your category, and connect PPC performance to broader business goals. Use the questions below to separate strategic growth partners from tactical operators.
Has the Consultant or Agency Owner Ever Been a Seller on Amazon?
Firsthand seller experience often translates into better decision-making. Consultants who have managed their own Amazon accounts tend to understand margin pressure, inventory constraints, Buy Box volatility, and fulfillment challenges more deeply.
This experience becomes especially valuable when campaigns need to be adjusted quickly due to stock issues, pricing changes, or operational limitations.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Expert consultants should prioritize PPC decisions that protect margin and inventory health. Seller-side experience helps prevent aggressive scaling that looks good in-platform but creates downstream operational issues.
What Is Their Experience in the Specific Industry?
Amazon PPC performance varies widely by category. Beauty, supplements, pet, and medical products all come with different compliance rules, CPC ranges, and shopper behavior patterns.
Industry experience helps reduce trial-and-error and allows your PPC partner to:
- Anticipate competitive pressure
- Navigate category-specific ad restrictions
- Apply proven strategies faster
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Category-specific insights allow experts to forecast CPC volatility and set realistic TACOS targets based on how shoppers actually behave in your niche.
Do They Have Experience with Other Retailers in the Industry?
Working with similar brands is not inherently a negative. Lack of transparency is. A strong agency should be able to explain how they avoid conflicts of interest and protect proprietary data while still leveraging category insights.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Expert consultants or agencies should use category-level learnings without duplicating strategies or data, ensuring each brand receives a custom campaign structure aligned to its positioning.
What Is Their Client Retention Rate?
Client retention is often one of the clearest indicators of long-term performance and trust. High retention usually reflects:
- Consistent, measurable results
- Clear communication and reporting
- Strategic alignment with client goals
If an agency is unwilling to share retention benchmarks, it may signal performance or relationship challenges. Long-term retention is built by aligning PPC goals with overall business KPIs; not just short-term efficiency metrics.
Do They Have Case Studies?
Case studies should go beyond surface-level wins. Look for concrete details such as:
- ACoS or TACOS improvement
- Revenue or profitability growth
- Keyword ranking gains
- Timeframe and constraints
Specific data points help validate whether results are repeatable or situational.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Experienced agencies and consultants should emphasize case studies that show how PPC supports organic rank growth and profitability, not just reduced ad spend.
What’s Your Strategy for My Industry and Target Audience?
Strong PPC partners tailor strategy based on both the product and the shopper. This often includes considerations like:
- Purchase intent vs. discovery behavior
- Brand maturity and price positioning
- Competitive intensity
- Seasonality and demand cycles
Generic answers or templated strategies are a clear red flag.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Successful agencies/consultants should be able to design PPC strategies that evolve as brands move from launch to scale, adjusting aggressiveness and budget allocation at each stage.
How Do You Structure and Optimize PPC Campaigns?
Campaign structure is the foundation of scalable performance. Ask how they leverage both manual and automatic campaign setup to uncover high-potential search terms early. Well-structured accounts commonly include:
- Brand defense campaigns
- Exact-match ranking campaigns
- Research campaigns (auto and broad)
- Competitor and product targeting campaigns
Poor structure often leads to keyword cannibalization, inflated CPCs, and wasted spend. In addition, Sponsored Products typically drives the majority of spend (80%+ of Ad Console spend in Q2 2024), which is why campaign structure and search intent isolation matter so much.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Structures are designed to isolate intent, control spend, and make scaling decisions data-driven rather than reactive.
How Do You Balance Short-Term ROI With Long-Term Growth?
Top consultants look beyond short-term ACoS and optimize toward TACOS and organic lift. This approach supports sustainable growth rather than temporary efficiency.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
During launches or rank-building phases, expert agencies may intentionally accept higher ACoS to gain keyword traction, then reduce spend once organic rankings stabilize and conversion improves.
What’s Your Approach to Keyword Research and Bidding?
Effective strategy calls for robust Amazon PPC keyword research, using Search Term Reports, SQP, and competitive analysis. Most high-performing PPC specialists rely on:
- Amazon Search Term Reports
- Search Query Performance (SQP)
- Long-tail keyword discovery
- Competitive gap analysis
Bidding strategies should evolve with performance data, not rely on static rules.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Experienced agencies/consultants should know how to continuously mine search term data to uncover high-converting terms competitors miss, allowing efficient scaling without CPC inflation.
What Tools and Tech Stack Do You Use?
While tools don’t replace strategy, they enhance execution. Top consultants should integrate the best Amazon PPC software alongside native data sources for smarter decision-making. Look for partners who use a mix of:
- Amazon-native data (Ads Console, SQP, AMC)
- Third-party tools (Helium 10, Jungle Scout, proprietary dashboards)
- Reporting and automation platforms
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Your PPC consultant should prioritize Amazon-native data first, using tools to support, not override, strategic decision-making.
How Will You Report and Communicate Results?
Strong communication is as important as performance. High-quality reporting typically includes:
- Weekly or biweekly insights
- Clear explanations of changes made
- Actionable next steps
Avoid partners who only deliver raw data without interpretation.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Reporting should focus on why performance changed and what actions to take next, not just what the numbers say.
How Do You Handle Competitors Bidding on My Brand?
A proactive brand defense strategy usually involves:
- Exact-match branded keyword campaigns
- Product page optimization to reduce reliance on ads
- Selective competitor targeting when profitable
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Experts should know how to defend branded terms aggressively while optimizing listings to reduce long-term dependency on paid brand traffic.
What’s Your Plan for Scaling or Seasonal Campaigns?
Scaling should be intentional and data-driven. Successful expansion depends on:
- Stable conversion rates
- Inventory readiness
- Margin protection
- Historical performance trends
Scaling without these inputs increases risk. In addition, for brands with seasonal or time-sensitive traffic patterns, advanced tactics like Amazon PPC dayparting can improve efficiency.
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Consultants should pre-plan seasonal budgets and bids weeks in advance to capture demand without sacrificing profitability.
How Do You Integrate PPC With SEO and Other Channels?
Amazon PPC and SEO work best when aligned. PPC data should be used to:
- Inform keyword prioritization
- Guide listing optimization
- Support creative and A/B testing
beBOLD Digital Tip:
Experts should know how to use PPC insights to strengthen organic rankings, ensuring paid traffic accelerates, not replaces, SEO growth.
What Happens if Campaigns Underperform?
A strong PPC partner should clearly explain how they diagnose and correct issues. Look for answers that include:
- Structured diagnostic frameworks
- Data-driven iteration
- Transparent communication
- Clear corrective actions
beBOLD Digital Tip:
When performance dips, experienced PPC experts should focus on root-cause analysis, whether it’s traffic quality, conversion issues, or competitive shifts, before making spend decisions. Blame-shifting is a red flag.
If you want even more depth, check out our full list of 25 questions to ask when choosing an Amazon PPC consultant or agency.
What Red Flags Should You Be Looking Out For When Choosing an Amazon PPC Consultant?
Not all Amazon PPC consultants or agencies operate with the same level of transparency, strategy, or accountability. Spotting red flags early can save brands months of wasted ad spend and lost momentum.
- Guarantees “instant results” or #1 rankings
Amazon’s ad and search algorithms are dynamic and competitive. Any consultant promising instant wins or guaranteed rankings is either oversimplifying the process or ignoring how Amazon actually works. - No case studies or proof of ROI
A credible PPC partner should be able to show real-world examples with metrics like revenue growth, TACOS improvement, or ranking lift. Vague success stories without data are a warning sign. - Vague or inconsistent reporting
If reporting lacks clear insights, explanations, or next steps, it’s difficult to understand what’s driving performance. Transparency is critical for informed decision-making. - Obsession with clicks or ACoS alone
Focusing only on lowering ACoS can harm long-term growth by sacrificing sales velocity and organic rank. Strong PPC strategies prioritize profitability, conversion quality, and total business impact. - One-size-fits-all strategies
Every brand, category, and lifecycle stage requires a tailored approach. Recycled campaign structures or blanket strategies often lead to inefficiencies and missed opportunities.
If your current PPC specialist doesn’t meet these standards, it may be time for a performance audit. beBOLD Digital’s Amazon PPC performance audit uncovers wasted spend, structural issues, and missed growth opportunities without guesswork.
Scale Your Brand With the Right Amazon PPC Partner
Hiring an experienced Amazon PPC agency or consultant isn’t just about improving ad performance. It’s about building a sustainable growth engine that supports visibility, profitability, and long-term brand equity. When PPC is managed strategically, brands gain far more than efficient campaigns.
With the right partner, you can expect:
- Increased product visibility in competitive search results that drives consistent demand
- Amazon-specific marketing expertise rooted in real marketplace data and shopper behavior
- Sales optimization through structured scaling, testing, and budget control
- Enhanced brand presence using Sponsored Brands and Sponsored Display to support full-funnel growth
- Compliance with Amazon policies, reducing the risk of suspensions and costly disruptions
At beBOLD Digital, we combine PPC strategy, SEO alignment, and conversion optimization to help brands grow smarter, not louder. If you’re evaluating a PPC partner or questioning your current results, schedule a call with our team and we will help you identify what’s working, what’s holding you back, and where the biggest growth opportunities lie.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does an Amazon PPC consultant or agency do?
An Amazon PPC consultant manages and optimizes your paid advertising campaigns to improve visibility, reduce wasted spend, and increase sales while maintaining a healthy ACoS and ROAS.
How much should I expect to pay for Amazon PPC management?
Amazon PPC management typically costs 10 to 20% of monthly ad spend or a flat fee between $500–$3,000/month, depending on account size, ad complexity, and service level.
How long does it take to see results from Amazon ads?
You can usually start seeing measurable results within 2–6 weeks, but consistent optimization over 60–90 days delivers stronger performance and more stable ROI.
Is it better to hire an agency or a freelancer for Amazon PPC?
Agencies offer broader expertise, data tools, and full-service support, while freelancers may be more affordable but limited in scale, the best choice depends on your growth goals and budget.
What’s the difference between Amazon PPC and DSP?
Amazon PPC targets shoppers searching on Amazon through Sponsored Ads, while Amazon DSP runs display and video campaigns that retarget audiences on and off Amazon to drive brand awareness and remarketing.
Does Amazon offer consulting services?
Amazon provides account support and learning resources, but it does not offer hands-on PPC strategy or campaign optimization like specialized Amazon agencies.
How do Amazon agencies differ from traditional marketing agencies?
Amazon agencies specialize in marketplace algorithms, retail readiness, and conversion data. Traditional marketing agencies often lack this depth.
How long does it take to see results when working with an Amazon agency?
While some early gains can appear within the first month, meaningful and sustainable performance improvements typically take 90 days or more, once enough data is collected for strategic optimization.
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