Let’s talk about self-auditing your Amazon account.
Now I’m not saying I’m a pro but after navigating the twists and turns of running my own Amazon business I’ve learned a thing or two.
This self-audit stuff sounds like a lot of work, but it’s probably worth it. I’m kinda lazy though. 🤔 Is there a shortcut or something? Maybe this tool can help? 😉
The Why What and When of Self-Auditing
This self-audit stuff sounds like a lot of work, but it’s probably worth it. I’m kinda lazy though. 🤔 Is there a shortcut or something? Maybe this tool can help? 😉
Think of it as a checkup for your Amazon empire.
You wouldn’t skip your doctor’s appointment would you? A self-audit helps you understand what’s working where you’re falling short and how to make improvements.
The “Why”
- It’s your roadmap to success: A regular audit shows you where your efforts are paying off and where you need to refocus. It’s like looking at your bank statement – you need to know what’s coming in and going out to make smart decisions.
- It’s about finding your gold nuggets: You’ll spot those keywords that are converting like crazy and those that are just draining your budget. It’s about learning from your wins and cutting your losses just like in any good poker game.
- It’s about optimizing your performance: A self-audit is your chance to make your Amazon store run like a well-oiled machine increasing sales and minimizing those nasty budget-eating inefficiencies.
The “What”
Here’s the big picture – your self-audit should cover these key areas:
- Listing Optimization: Your product listing is the shop window for your products. A self-audit will check if it’s enticing customers to click read and buy.
- Campaign Structure & Organization: A messy disorganized campaign is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. A good self-audit will clean things up making it easier to analyze data and make those vital optimizations.
- Keyword Analysis: Your keywords are your bridge between shoppers and your products. You need to ensure they’re relevant targeted and bringing in the right traffic.
- Budget Management: Don’t just throw money at campaigns! A self-audit helps you set realistic budgets track your spending and ensure you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck.
- Bid Adjustments: There’s a science to bid adjustments – they can be your secret weapon but they can also backfire if not managed properly. A self-audit ensures you’re using them effectively.
- Search Term Performance: This is where you dig into the data and see what search terms are driving sales and which ones are just costing you money.
- Keyword & Product Target Bids: Are your bids working for you or are they holding you back? A self-audit lets you tweak those bids to optimize your performance.
The “When”
So how often should you do this self-audit? There’s no one-size-fits-all answer.
If you’re just starting out a monthly audit might be perfect.
But as you grow you might want to audit more frequently – even weekly or even daily depending on how your sales are going.
Diving Deeper into Your Audit:
1. Listing Optimization:
A. Your Product Detail Page (PDP):
Think of this as the face of your product – a crucial first impression.
- Images: A picture paints a thousand words and your images should be professional high-quality and captivating. If the images aren’t great you’re losing a lot of customers before they even read a single word.
- Titles: Keep it short and sweet but packed with relevant keywords. Avoid jargon – remember you want to be understood by as many shoppers as possible.
- Bullet Points: Highlight your product’s key features and benefits keeping it concise and to the point.
- A+ Content: This is where you have space to go into more detail providing a story for your product showcasing its benefits and explaining how it solves customer problems. It’s a chance to really connect with potential buyers.
B. Review Your CTR (Click-Through Rate) and CVR (Conversion Rate):
- CTR: This tells you how often people are clicking on your product listing when they see it. If your CTR is low your listing might not be enticing enough.
- CVR: This tells you how many people who visit your product page actually end up buying it. If your CVR is low you might have a problem with your PDP – maybe it’s not convincing enough or there’s a lack of trust.
C. Benchmarking:
- Competitor Analysis: Never underestimate the value of spying on your competition. Look at their listings – what are they doing well? How can you improve your own listing to stand out from the crowd?
- Split Testing: Don’t be afraid to experiment! Test out different images titles bullet points and even A+ content to see what works best for your product.
2. Campaign Structure & Organization
A. Portfolio Management:
- Centralized Management: Think of portfolios as holding companies for your products. It’s a way to organize your campaigns for easy tracking and analysis.
- Product Level Performance: By grouping campaigns under product portfolios you can quickly see which products are winning and which ones need a little TLC.
B. Campaign Naming Conventions:
- The Power of Consistency: Don’t underestimate the power of a well-defined naming convention. It’s like having a filing system for your campaigns keeping everything neat and tidy.
- Standardize for Success: Create a system that clearly identifies each campaign including information about the product the target audience and the keyword strategy.
C. Single Ad Group per Campaign
- Simplify Your Management: Why have multiple ad groups when one will do? By sticking to a single ad group per campaign you streamline your campaign management making it easier to analyze performance and adjust bids.
- Budget Efficiency: When you have multiple ad groups it can be difficult to track where your budget is going. With a single ad group you ensure your budget is focused in one place.
3. Keyword Analysis
A. Match Type Segregation:
- Auto vs. Manual: It’s crucial to keep auto and manual campaigns separate – each has its own unique strengths and weaknesses.
- Optimize for Effectiveness: By separating them you can make more targeted optimizations for each type of campaign improving performance and maximizing your budget.
B. Keyword Dumping: The Big No-No
- Quality over Quantity: Just because you can add thousands of keywords doesn’t mean you should. Think about the quality of your keywords – are they highly relevant and targeted?
- Limit Your Keywords: A good rule of thumb is to limit your keywords per ad group to 5 or fewer. This ensures your budget is being distributed evenly and that your keywords are getting enough attention.
C. Segregate Keywords:
- High Search Volume vs. Low Search Volume: This is like sorting your clothes – you separate your t-shirts from your pants to make it easier to find what you need.
- Branded vs. Generic: Treat your branded keywords differently – they’re your brand ambassadors and they need a separate campaign to ensure they’re getting the right attention.
4. Budget Management
A. Budget Allocation:
- No Budget No Problem? Wrong! A budget is your roadmap to success – it helps you plan your spending and prevent overspending.
- Balance Your Budget: Set realistic daily budgets for your campaigns ensuring you have enough to meet the demand but not so much that you’re wasting money.
B. Scaling Based on Performance:
- Double Down on Winners: If a campaign is performing well don’t be afraid to scale it up – increase the budget and drive more sales.
- Reduce Costs for Losers: If a campaign is struggling reduce the budget or pause it completely. Don’t waste money on something that’s not working.
5. Bid Adjustments
A. Placement Bid Adjustments:
- The Power of Placement: You can fine-tune your bids based on where your ads appear – at the top of the search results on product pages or even on other websites.
- Optimization is Key: Analyze your bid adjustments. Are they working for you or are they costing you money? Make adjustments to maximize your ROI.
B. Strategic Bid Adjustments:
- High-Converting Placements: Increase bids for placements where your ads have a high conversion rate.
- Low-Performing Placements: Reduce bids for placements that aren’t performing well as it’s wasting your budget.
6. Search Term Performance
A. Search Term Analysis:
- Gold Mine of Information: This is where you get insights into what people are searching for when they come across your ads.
- Identify Winners and Losers: Look for search terms that are driving sales and those that are bringing in irrelevant traffic.
B. Negative Keyword Management:
- Block the Unwanted: Add negative keywords to prevent your ads from showing up for irrelevant search terms saving you money and improving your ad performance.
- Product Target Exclusions: If you’re seeing high spend and no sales for certain ASINs (Amazon Standard Identification Numbers) add them as negative product targets to ensure your ads are reaching the right audience.
C. Finding New Opportunities:
- Uncover Hidden Gems: Keep an eye out for profitable search terms that you might not have considered before. This is your chance to expand your targeting and increase your sales.
7. Keyword & Product Target Bids
A. Bid Optimization:
- Performance-Based Bidding: Don’t just set bids and forget about them. Constantly analyze your keyword and product target performance and adjust your bids accordingly.
- Increase Bids for Winners: For keywords and product targets that are performing well increase your bids to capture more traffic and increase your sales.
B. Underperforming Keywords:
- Give Them a Second Chance: Don’t give up on those underperforming keywords or product targets. Sometimes a small increase in your bid can give them the boost they need to start performing.
- Make Incremental Changes: When adjusting bids make small gradual changes. This limits the risk of drastic drops in sales or spikes in spending.
Wrapping It Up:
Self-auditing isn’t just about crunching numbers.
It’s about understanding your business inside and out spotting trends and making those essential tweaks to optimize your performance.
It’s a continuous process but with the right approach it can be a powerful tool to grow your Amazon business reach new customers and ultimately increase your profits.
Remember I’ve learned these lessons the hard way so take it from me don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and get auditing.
You’ll be surprised at what you discover and your Amazon empire will thank you for it.
This self-audit stuff sounds like a lot of work, but it’s probably worth it. I’m kinda lazy though. 🤔 Is there a shortcut or something? Maybe this tool can help? 😉