Amazon PPC

Amazon PPC Cannibalization Audit Workflow Guide

Accounts can look stable on spend while ACOS remains stuck. A frequent reason is internal overlap: the same query is triggered by multiple campaigns competing with each other. This weekly audit resolves that conflict.

What overlap conflict looks like

• The same query is triggered in multiple campaigns, inflating CPC against your own budget.
• Defense and acquisition intents are mixed, so low-intent traffic drains daily budget early.
• Broad and Exact are not isolated with negatives, preventing stable ownership for converter terms.

30-minute audit workflow

1. Export the latest 7-day search term report and aggregate spend plus orders by query.
2. Flag overlap terms where one query appears in multiple campaigns and spend share exceeds 15%.
3. Assign ownership by campaign role: defense, exploration, or converter scaling.
4. Add negatives or reduce bids by 15%-25% on non-owner campaigns, then review after 48 hours.

Action priority

• P0: high spend with zero orders, enforce single-direction ownership immediately.
• P1: has orders but ACOS is materially above target, bid down first then reassign ownership.
• P2: healthy ACOS with orders, migrate to primary Exact tier with budget protection.
• P3: low sample size, monitor only.

Minimum tracker fields

• Query, campaign count, 7-day spend, 7-day orders, 7-day ACOS
• Owner campaign, conflict action, execution timestamp, review timestamp
• 48-hour outcomes for CPC, clicks, orders, and ACOS deltas

FAQ

Should every overlap term exist in only one campaign?

No. Brand defense and acquisition can coexist, but trigger boundaries must be controlled through negatives and bid hierarchy.

How often should we run cannibalization audits?

Weekly for fast-moving accounts; at least biweekly for stable accounts.

Takeaway

The goal is not less traffic, but cleaner traffic ownership. Clear overlap first, then scale with confidence and better Amazon PPC profit stability.