How to Audit Your Current Amazon Ads Before Hiring an Agency

Struggling to make sense of your Amazon advertising performance? Before investing in an Amazon ads agency, a well-executed audit can spotlight quick wins and pinpoint gaps. This process empowers you to partner with an agency on stronger terms, armed with real insights and actionable data.

Why Audit Your Amazon Ads Before Hiring an Agency?

Reviewing your campaigns allows you to clearly understand what’s working and what’s not—so you don’t walk blindly into a professional relationship. An internal audit can reveal wasted spend, identify untapped opportunities, and help you ask the right questions when consulting an Amazon ads agency.

• Save money by spotting expensive mistakes early.
• Uncover neglected keywords and products with high potential.
• Present clear performance data to agencies for smoother onboarding.
• Set baselines for future campaigns and agency reporting.

Preparing this groundwork greatly improves your odds for a successful, productive partnership with advertising professionals.

Gather the Right Data First

An effective audit starts with current and comprehensive campaign data. Take time to assemble the following information, ensuring accuracy and recency:

• Recent reports (last 30–90 days) for all sponsored product, brand, and display ad campaigns.
• ACOS (Advertising Cost of Sale), click-through rates, conversion rates, and ad spend by campaign and product.
• Keyword performance data, especially top and underperforming terms.
• Placement reports showing where ads have run and how they’ve performed.
• Hardware sales data and organic ranking positions for main products.

Having these files at hand enables a thorough and efficient evaluation.

Review Campaign Structure and Settings

One often-overlooked aspect when evaluating Amazon ads before hiring an agency is the basic campaign setup. Proper structure forms the backbone of effective advertisements and reporting.

• Are campaigns organized by product line, goal, or match type?
• Have you separated branded from non-branded keywords?
• Are advertising budgets properly allocated according to product performance?
• Is negative targeting in place to block irrelevant searches?

A clean structure not only aids analysis but also puts your Amazon ads agency in the best position to optimize results from day one.

Analyze Spend and Return on Investment

Effective advertising delivers profitable returns, not just impressions. Take a close look at cost management and campaign profitability:

• Calculate ACOS for each campaign. Which are efficient, and which are burning through budget?
• Compare spend to organic sales growth over time.
• Analyze budget distribution: are you spending heavily on low-converting products or keywords?
• Look for anomalies like sudden spikes in spend or unexplained dips in sales.

These insights reveal where your marketing dollars are working hardest—and alert you to areas needing immediate attention before an agency steps in.

Evaluate Keyword Targeting and Search Term Reports

Keywords fuel your Amazon ad visibility. Neglecting keyword performance is a major cause of wasted spend. Dive into your keyword and search term data:

• Which keywords convert best? Are they receiving enough budget and exposure?
• Are irrelevant or poor performers excluded using negatives?
• Have you added high-converting search terms from reports as exact keywords or moved them into new campaigns?
• Are there consistent gaps in keyword coverage for important products?

Documenting these findings arms you with a nuanced view of your targeting efficiency—one of the first things an Amazon ads agency examines.

Check Ad Creative and Product Listing Quality

Even the best campaign targeting will underperform with weak copy or poor product pages. Ad creative and listing health have direct impacts on click-through and conversion rates.

• Review ad headlines and images for clarity, brand fit, and compliance.
• Are product titles, bullet points, and descriptions compelling and optimized?
• Check for missing or outdated information in any listings tied to your ads.
• Ensure that Enhanced Brand Content (A+ Content) and storefront are optimized and consistent.
• Confirm reviews, ratings, and inventory status aren’t quietly undermining campaigns.

An agency can fix creative, but enter that conversation with clear documentation of your current assets and weaknesses.

Assess Audience Targeting and Sponsored Display

Amazon offers advanced options beyond keyword targeting—including audience segments, retargeting, and product-targeted display ads:

• Are you utilizing Sponsored Brand or Sponsored Display placements to reach shoppers across the buying journey?
• Have you experimented with audience targeting, or are all ads limited to keywords?
• Do product targeting and competitor placement campaigns show strong ROI?

If these features are underutilized or absent, note them as opportunities for an agency to scale your reach and diversify your ad strategy.

Examine Reporting, Analytics, and Attribution

A strong measurement foundation is often the difference between clarity and wasted spend. Assess how you currently track results and make decisions:

• Which metrics do you review regularly, and how?
• Is reporting built around clear KPIs like ROAS (Return on Ad Spend), new-to-brand customers, or total sales impact?
• Are sales correctly attributed to paid and organic sources, or do you spot double-counting?
• Do you use Amazon attribution tools or third-party reporting solutions?

When hiring an Amazon ads agency, you’ll want to show them how you currently analyze campaign performance. This step can highlight areas for more rigorous reporting and sharper goal setting.

Identify Wasted Spend and Optimization Opportunities

A key goal of any audit is to minimize wasted ad spend and maximize results for each dollar spent:

• Spot high-ACOS campaigns with low conversions.
• Find broad or phrase-match keywords that pull in irrelevant traffic.
• Note products with low stock or poor reviews still receiving high ad budgets.

Compile a list of “quick wins”—areas you or your future agency can fix fast to start seeing better results.

Outline Your Current Limitations and Questions

Finally, write a summary of what you’ve discovered and where you feel limited, unsure, or overwhelmed. Think about:

• What issues are repeatedly holding back ad performance?
• Which optimization steps have you tried—or avoided due to lack of time or knowledge?
• Are there toolset or reporting gaps you need help filling?
• Which products or campaigns matter most for future growth?

This honest self-assessment makes your needs clear when consulting any Amazon ads agency, ensuring you get tailored solutions rather than boilerplate advice.

How to Present Findings to an Amazon Ads Agency

After your audit, organize your findings into a brief summary document for agency discussions:

• List data highlights (top-performing campaigns, keywords, and products).
• Note problem areas and inefficiencies needing urgent improvement.
• Share relevant historical performance charts and inventory data.
• Attach open questions and areas where you need expert input.

This preparation enables a highly productive initial meeting—agencies can assess your account quickly and offer targeted solutions designed just for you.

Conclusion

Auditing your Amazon ads before hiring an agency empowers you to make smarter choices and collaborate more effectively. With insights in hand, you’ll start your agency partnership from a place of strength and clarity.

Ready for a professional edge? Take these audit steps now to unlock your ads’ true potential before bringing in expert help.