Why are my Amazon ads not working? Ad campaigns are a great way to boost your Amazon sales. It’s frustrating that you don’t get adequate results. You might be thinking that why are my amazon ads not showing? As an Amazon seller, you should be evolving as things are continually changing. Here are we discussing 12 reasons and how to fix them:
Not A Retail-Ready Product
Your product should be ready for the traffic before you put an amazon ad. Whenever a customer visits your PDP, the information will meet them. You should provide them with all the information to understand the product they buy. We call this retail-ready. If it’s not retail-ready, of course, advertising dollars will be wasted. If Amazon ads are not working, make sure that your product is optimized by experienced Amazon product listing optimization experts. Points that are important:
- You should stay in stock
- Images having lifestyles and infographics
- Informative, SEO-friendly content on the page
- At least 15+ verified reviews with a 3.5 rating or above
- Having a buy box
Not Having A Buy Box
Not having a buy box finally results in you not being able to advertise your product. Yet, in Amazon advertisements, the Buy box plays a significant role. Losing a buy box is a common reason why Amazon ads are not working. Few points that show why the product loses its buy box:
- You list higher price on your Amazon storefront than on your website
- Another seller have the same product at a lower price
- Negative reviews on your page
What Is The Buy Box?
When the customer purchases some product, Amazon has to decide which seller gets the sale. At a time, one seller owns the buy box and is named “sold by” as he wins the buy box. If he is not winning the buy box, he is named as “other seller” in the box below the buy box.
How Do You Win The Buy Box?
If your Amazon ads are not working, you have to win the buy box.
- Having the lower price
- Having a good seller rating
- Having a professional selling account
Not Leverage Data From Automatic Campaigns
You want to have control over your PPC campaigns, so you can make effective decisions. We understand that manual campaigns can help you to meet the target ACoS value. But Automatic campaigns are the best way to “test” the market. If Amazon ads are not working, automatic campaigns help you.
- Use your search terms from automatic campaigns. As a result, your visibility of manual campaigns can increase.
- If you use search terms from Automatic campaigns, it does not mean that you are skipping the PPC keyword research apart.
- Automatic campaigns should run with a less budget as these are your test campaigns.
| Pros | Cons |
| set up easily | No control on bids |
| Long-tail search terms can identify | Amazon itself defines your search terms |
| Does not require effort for keyword research | Sometimes not ne profitable |
Not Categorize Keywords According To Match Type
If your Amazon ads are not working, you should focus on your keywords. Amazon gives you a chance to categorize keywords as per the following:
Broad Match Type
In the front, middle, and after your keyword, you can surely add words. This match type has the widest audience. For example, if the broad match keyword is “coffee mug” then people searching for “mugs for cold coffee” capture this because this has both keywords. But, It is the least targeted.
Phrase Match Type
Before and after your keyword, you can add words but not in between the words of your keyword. For example, if the phrase match keyword is “coffee mug” then people searching for “small coffee mug” capture this but people searching for “small mug for coffee” cannot because the order is not the same as the original keyword. However, it is a great way to find keyword variations.
Exact Match Type
Plural versions or misspellings of your keywords will show in your ads except when extra words are added or the words are separated. For example, if the exact match keyword is “coffee mug” people who search for “coffee mugs” also capture this but those who search for “mug for hot coffee” cannot because the order is not the same. However, it is the most targeted match type.
Summary
Retail ready product increases your chance to win the buy box. It recommends that you should stay in stock. Use your search terms from automatic campaigns in manual campaigns. As a result, your visibility increases. Amazon ads are not working due to your use of keyword type. Make sure that you categorize keywords according to match type.
Not Adding Negative Keywords
If you want the best results, you should use negative keywords as per match types. However, one key to a best-targeted campaign is deciding what or who not to target. Better targeting can put your ad in front of interested people. As a result, it maximizes your return on investment (ROI). For display and video campaigns, negative keywords work quite differently. A max of 1000 negative keywords considers accountable for display and video adds. If Amazon ads are not working, you should keep in check your search term report regularly. At last, you can find keywords that have more visibility.
Target Keywords Are Missing
It is so important to select target or relevant keywords. As a result, it maximizes your click-through rate and return on ad spend (ROAS). Whenever you decide your keywords, think like an interested buyer. What he would write in the Amazon search bar. Make sure that you add targeted keywords in your detail page copy (title, bullets, and description). As a result, all relevant searches show your ad. If Amazon ads are not working, be aware of “stuff” your listing copy with keywords.
Not Defining Your Target Audience
Every year from ads that fail to engage the target audience, $37 billion is wasted in ad spending. If your Amazon ads are not working, you should know your target audience and think about what they would do. Knowing that your target audience watches a certain show means that your ad is seen by a few people. But the right people. For instance, ads in running
magazines are a better choice, if you sell running shoes. Knowing what time is better to run ads. For instance, your target audience is working parents. Ads running during the night or their lunch breaks will bring results.
Not Optimizing The Storefront
Your storefront should be a user-friendly landing page, built for conversion and yet attractive. However, Following are the points that may help you:
Call To Action
You should add “call to action” as your customers can easily find where to click or what to do. Instead of using words like “add to cart” or “buy”, words like “now” and “free” work well. You can attract customers by expiring content. However, we understand that as a Seller, the opposite teaches you. But expired content attracts too. That is the reason Snapchat is highly popular. Once it runs out of time, you lose the chance forever. However, Teenagers can’t get off their mobiles.
Add Images
You should add images or banners with Shop Now, buy here now. As a result, bounce rate would be reduced.
More Visuals
You can add more visuals. More text will be the reason of buyers turning off.
Social Proof
You should display social proof. 89% of users checking reviews before buying. 79% says they trust the reviews. Moreover, As Ashrefs does, you can add how many people are buying/have bought the product recently. However, you can add approvals from experts. For instance, Gong does that when they promote their app through Shopify plus rep. Finally you can label your product with “best seller” or “most popular” etc.
Short Taglines
You should use short and eye-catching taglines. Add mix of videos and images to keep a buyer glued.
Summary
You should decide what or who not to target. Check your keywords regularly to find out what keywords get more visibility. You should know your target audience. A storefront that is user-friendly and attractive.
Not Using FOMO Tricks In Marketing
It’s anxiety that people experience when they think they are missing out on a sweet deal. 64% have experienced fear of missing out. 56% of them are between the ages of 18 and 30. If your amazon ads are not working then following are the marketing techniques that you can use:
Adding Scarcity
Scarcity can apply to limited-time offers and quantity. For instance, the expert marketer Seth Godin wrote a book (800 pages long) and charged $400 for each. He released 2400 copies only. As a result, he sold all of them. Nice one!
Making Your Buyers Feel Special
This should be anything that casual buyers don’t get. People will jump onto that because they crave to be a part of your big and special group. For instance, Amazon does this psychological trait very well with its prime subscription. They offer fast and free delivery, access to their prime video and music streaming services, and much more.$12-$15 feels like a very small price for this big deal. However, 100M+ people have already taken this.
Set A Time Limit
A very classic trick. If your ad campaigns are not showing accordingly, this can be a better step. Make some of your products available only for a limited time. For instance, From early September to early November, Starbucks serves an iced pumpkin latte. That limited time makes the drink more desirable.
Offer Free Shipping For Limited Time
9 out of 10 buyers say free shipping is the main incentive for buying online. So it makes sense to offer free shipping for the limited time.
Offering Freebies
You can offer something free. For instance, If you bought Apple iPad pro or Mac, they offered a free pair of mightily-popular beat headphones last year.
Attracting Influencers
This means attracting famous people to be the ambassadors of your brand. For instance, Reebok got 3.5 million likes and over 15000 comments on Instagram by the involvement of Cardi B. You get the idea. Of course, it does not have to be as famous for your brand.
Not Leveraging Video Ads
If your amazon ad campaigns are not showing, then you are not leveraging video ads. According to HubSpot, 68% of shoppers want to learn about new product via video. About 84% of the shoppers are convinced about buying a product after watching the video of brand. Moreover, 66% of the shoppers say watching a video is more preferable than reading boring descriptions. It is recommended that you should add benefits of your top products as a mobile user can only see the main image or video ads. You can test your video ads for at least two weeks. Be creative and add variations to check the conversion.
Here are the guidelines you can do:
Goal Defining
Your content should be product-focused and educational. If your goal is brand awareness, you can show brand story and ethics.
Product Showing
Do not start with the empty frame. Show your product prominently within the first second.
Brief And Focused
Limit your video to just a handful key points. It is recommended that your video should be 15-30 seconds.
Optimize For Every Format
Your video should work if its mute. However, your video looks equally great on mobile screens.
Considering Loop
The video will automatically loop, when it ends.
No Use Of Long Tail Keyword
About fifteen to twenty percent searches come from mid-length keywords. However roughly seventy percent searches come from long-tail keywords. If you are not using long-tail keywords on your amazon ads, you will have a hard time. However long-tail keywords allow you to show your amazon ad in front of a serious people. If you sell “shoes” then its so hard to appear on top of the research. As there is a lot of competition. But if you specify it, shoes is for hiking, work and formal parties etc. However you can type on Amazon’s search bar and make a list of long-tail keywords that are suggested by Amazon.
Not Optimizing Your Campaigns Everyday
You must optimize your campaigns every day, even its just adjusting a couple of bids. This will help you avoid surprises.
- You should reduce bids on low-performing keywords and increase bids on high-performing keywords.
- You should remove low-performing keywords. Add negative keywords.
- Keep an eye on budget. If you have limited budget, just shift your budget towards high-performing campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions(FAQs)
If your ads are not running, you may lost your buy box to a competitor. If you want to get it, keep your price low. You may have bidding issues. Keep in mind amazon uses auction bidding system, so you have heavy competition. However, you should use long-tail keywords, negative keywords and relevant keywords. If your ads are pausing, there are some potential reasons for that. You may have billing issues. For instance, expired credit card. You may be run out of inventory or lose your buy box. If your impressions are dropping, it may be you have insufficient data, overcrowding or SEO is poor. Automatic campaigns usually start performing well within few days. Manual campaigns have a different story. It takes 2-4 weeks for warm up in 2016-2017. As in 2018, it takes up to 8 weeks on average. If you want to avoid suspension, make sure that all items are not damaged during shipping. Then go for excellent quality and packaging material should be protective. Sponsored brands, Most sponsored products and Sponsored display are the ads that are cost-per-click. It means that you have to pay when your ad is clicked. You can choose your budget. However, you can choose wisely how much amount you want to give per click. Yes for sure. However, amazon ads growth in 2021 is 58 percent that is more than 31$ billion in revenue. This makes the amazon online third-biggest ad seller in the US. Amazon video ads should be 15 second or less than this. Keep in mind that video starts without any audio until the sound is turn on from the device screen by tapping. 3 ad types 1- Why Are My Ads Not Running On Amazon?
2- Why Is My Amazon Ad Campaign Suspended?
3- Why Are My Impressions Dropping Amazon?
4- How Does It Take For Amazon Ad To Work?
5- How Do I Avoid Suspension?
6- Are Amazon Ads Are Free?
7- Are Amazon Ads Worth It?
Using pay-per-click ads where buyers are ready to purchase their interested product just makes sense.
Amazon sellers have the higher-conversions opportunity with their ads. However, this save spend in their marketing campaigns8- How Profitable Is Amazon Ads?
9- How Long Are Amazon Video Ads?
10- How Many Types Of Amazon Ads Are There?
There are three different ads types: Product display ads, Sponsored brands, Sponsored product ads.
Conclusion
Sounds like too much? But As a result of these tips, your sales will start increasing effectively. When your ads are not running, identifying the problem is the first step. Then you can find a solution. So think about the reason. Why are your amazon ads not working? What can be the reasons for the following? Once you find out the specific reason, it may be not using target keywords, not a retail-product, etc. you reach the solution.