PPC Settings
Connect your Amazon Ads account, configure marketplaces, set automation preferences, and manage sync schedules for your PPC Manager.
Difficulty: 🟡 Intermediate · Reading time: ~15 min
Open this page in your dashboard: Go to PPC Settings [BETA] →
BETA: The PPC Manager is currently in beta. Some features may behave unexpectedly or change based on user feedback. Please report any issues at [email protected].
📋 Overview
The PPC Settings page is where you manage your Amazon Advertising connection, configure automation preferences, set target ACoS (Advertising Cost of Sale) and bid boundaries, configure budget alerts, and control data sync schedules. This is the first place to visit when setting up the PPC Manager, every other feature (AI Optimizer, Analytics, Keyword Research) depends on the configuration you establish here.
New to SellerMagnet PPC? Complete the Getting Started Checklist at the bottom of this page before moving on to the AI Optimizer. A properly configured Settings page is the foundation for every automated action the system takes on your behalf.
🎥 Video Walkthrough
Video tutorial coming soon. A full guided walkthrough of this feature will be available here shortly.
🗂️ Page Layout
The Settings page uses a sidebar navigation with the following sections:
Account
Amazon Ads Connection: Connect or disconnect your Amazon Advertising account via OAuth
Profiles & Marketplaces: View and manage connected marketplace profiles (EU, NA, FE)
Configuration
Optimization Settings: Set target ACoS, bid ranges, and lookback periods
Automation Settings: Configure approval modes, daily limits, and schedules
Budget Alerts: Set thresholds for spend warnings and overspend protection
Integration
Sync Schedule: Configure how often campaign data is refreshed from Amazon
API Status: View connection health, last sync timestamp, and error logs
Connecting Your Amazon Ads Account
Step-by-Step
Connection status is shown at the top of the page:
Connected
Green dot
Account linked and data syncing normally
Pending
Blue dot (pulsing)
Initial sync in progress: may take 5-15 minutes for large accounts
Disconnected
Red dot
No account connected: click Connect to begin
Error
Red dot with exclamation
Connection failed: see Troubleshooting section below
Pro Tip: If you manage advertising for multiple seller accounts (e.g., your own brand plus a client), you can connect each account separately. Each account gets its own set of profiles and independent sync controls.
Common Mistake: Do not connect with a sub-user Amazon account that has restricted advertising permissions. The connection will succeed, but the sync will fail for campaigns the sub-user cannot access. Always connect with the account that has full advertising console access.
Profiles & Marketplaces
After connecting, all your Amazon Advertising profiles are listed with:
Country flag and marketplace code (e.g., DE, FR, US, UK)
Account name as registered in Amazon Ads
Sync status indicator (green = syncing, gray = paused)
Last sync timestamp showing the most recent successful data pull
Campaign count: total number of campaigns detected for this profile
Option to set as default profile: the profile used when you open the PPC Dashboard
If you have multiple accounts (e.g., EU and NA), each profile appears separately with independent sync controls.
Scenario: Managing 3 EU Marketplaces
You sell on Amazon DE, FR, and IT. After connecting, you see three separate profiles. You set DE as your default (it is your largest market) and leave all three syncing on a Daily schedule. When you open the PPC Dashboard, it loads your DE campaigns by default, but you can switch to FR or IT with one click.
Quick Win: Set your highest-revenue marketplace as the default profile. This saves clicks every time you open the PPC Dashboard, since you will be viewing your most important data first.
⚙️ Optimization Settings
These settings define the global boundaries the AI Optimizer and all automation rules use when generating recommendations.
Target ACoS (%)
Global target ACoS used across analytics, AI suggestions, and automation rules
25%
15%--40% depending on margins
Min Bid
Floor bid: automation will never suggest a bid below this value
0.02
0.02--0.10
Max Bid
Ceiling bid: automation will never suggest a bid above this value
5.00
2.00--10.00
Lookback Period
Number of days of historical data the AI analyzes when generating suggestions
14 days
7--30 days
Currency
Display currency for PPC metrics across all dashboards
Auto (from profile)
Match your accounting currency
How to Choose Your Target ACoS
Your target ACoS should reflect your profit margins after all costs (product cost, FBA fees, shipping, returns). Use this formula as a starting point:
Target ACoS = (Selling Price - Total Costs) / Selling Price x 100
For example, if you sell a product for 30.00 and your total costs are 18.00:
Target ACoS = (30 - 18) / 30 x 100 = 40%
This is your break-even ACoS. Set your target below this to ensure profitability. Most sellers set their target at 60--80% of their break-even ACoS.
Pro Tip: If you are in a product launch phase, consider temporarily setting a higher Target ACoS (e.g., 50--60%) to prioritize visibility and keyword ranking. Lower it once you have established organic sales velocity.
Important: The Min Bid and Max Bid apply to all AI-generated bid suggestions. If your Max Bid is set too low for competitive categories, the AI may be unable to bid effectively on high-value keywords. Check your category's average CPC before setting this limit.
Lookback Period: Which to Choose?
7 days
Fast-moving categories, daily deal products, recently launched campaigns
Reacts quickly but may overfit to short-term noise
14 days (default)
Most sellers: good balance of recency and statistical significance
Recommended starting point
30 days
Stable, evergreen products with consistent demand
Slower to react to sudden changes but highly reliable
60: 90 days
Seasonal analysis, long-term trend identification
Use sparingly, data may be stale for bid decisions
⚙️ Automation Settings
These settings control how and when automated changes are executed.
Approval Mode
Manual Review, Auto-Apply, or Paused
Manual Review
See comparison table below
Daily Bid Change Limit
Maximum percentage a single bid can change in one day
20%
Prevents sudden large swings
Automation Window
Time range when automation can execute changes (HH:MM--HH:MM, in your local timezone)
00:00--23:59
Restrict to business hours if you want to monitor changes as they happen
Blackout Dates
Specific dates when no automated changes are applied
None
Use during Prime Day, Black Friday, or other promotional events where you want full manual control
Manual Review vs. Auto-Apply: Which Mode Is Right for You?
How it works
AI generates suggestions; you approve or reject each one in the Approval Center
AI generates suggestions and applies them automatically within your configured limits
AI still generates suggestions but takes no action
Best for
New users, cautious sellers, agencies managing client accounts
Experienced sellers with proven AI trust, high-volume accounts
Temporary pause during promotions or account audits
Control level
Full control: nothing changes without your explicit approval
Hands-free, changes happen within your guardrails (bid limits, daily change caps)
Full pause, no automated changes
Time investment
10--30 minutes per day reviewing suggestions
Near zero (periodic monitoring recommended)
Zero
Risk level
Lowest: you see everything before it happens
Moderate, bounded by your limits but changes happen unsupervised
None, no changes made
Recommended for
First 2 weeks of using SellerMagnet PPC
After you have built confidence in the AI's suggestions
Prime Day, Black Friday, or any event where you want manual-only control
Best Practice: Start with Manual Review for the first 1--2 weeks. Review every suggestion the AI makes. Once you see that 80%+ of suggestions align with your judgment, switch to Auto-Apply to save time. Keep the Daily Bid Change Limit at 20% as a safety net.
Common Mistake: Switching to Auto-Apply on day one without reviewing any suggestions first. If your Target ACoS or bid boundaries are misconfigured, the AI will optimize toward the wrong goals. Always validate your settings with Manual Review first.
Blackout Dates: When to Use Them
Set blackout dates for any period where you want complete manual control:
Prime Day (typically July): bid competition spikes; manual bidding gives you real-time control
Black Friday / Cyber Monday: same reasoning; budgets can drain in hours
Lightning Deals or Coupons: if you are running a promotion, you may want to manually increase bids temporarily
Inventory low periods: if stock is running low, pause automation to avoid driving sales you cannot fulfill
Budget Alerts
Configure notifications for budget-related events:
Daily spend threshold
Alert when daily spend exceeds a set amount
Off
In-app notification + optional email
Budget exhaustion
Alert when a campaign's daily budget is fully consumed before end of day
On
In-app notification
Overspend protection
Automatically pause campaigns that exceed their daily budget by a configurable margin
Off
In-app notification + automatic action
Weekly spend summary
Receive a summary of total spend vs. budget across all campaigns
Off
Email digest
Quick Win: Enable Budget Exhaustion alerts immediately. If your daily budget runs out by 2 PM, you are missing the entire evening shopping window. The alert lets you react by increasing the budget or adjusting bids before you lose more impressions.
Scenario: Protecting Against Runaway Spend
You manage 15 campaigns across DE and FR with a combined daily budget of 500. You set a Daily spend threshold alert at 400 (80% of total) and enable Overspend protection at 110% (550). If a click-fraud spike or unexpected search volume pushes your spend past 400, you get an alert. If it reaches 550, campaigns are automatically paused until the next day. You sleep soundly knowing your monthly budget cannot spiral out of control.
Sync Schedule
Hourly
Data refreshed every hour
Active optimization during peak events (Prime Day, product launches)
Every 6 Hours
Data refreshed 4 times per day
Sellers who check campaigns multiple times daily
Daily (recommended)
Data refreshed once per day, typically overnight
Most sellers, balances freshness with API quota usage
Weekly
Data refreshed once per week
Low-activity accounts or seasonal products in off-season
Manual
Only syncs when you click "Sync Now"
Testing, troubleshooting, or accounts on pause
You can click Sync Now at any time to trigger an immediate data refresh regardless of your schedule setting.
Recommendation: Use Daily sync for most accounts. Switch to Hourly only if you are actively optimizing campaigns during a high-stakes event and need near-real-time data. Hourly sync consumes more of your Amazon Ads API quota.
Note: After changing your sync schedule, the new frequency takes effect starting from the next scheduled sync. If you switch from Weekly to Daily, the first daily sync will run within 24 hours.
API Status Panel
The API Status section shows:
Connection Health
Green (healthy), Yellow (intermittent issues), Red (connection lost)
Last Successful Sync
Timestamp of the most recent complete data pull
Last Sync Duration
How long the most recent sync took
Records Synced
Number of campaign/keyword records updated
Error Log
Recent API errors with timestamps and codes (if any)
Disconnecting
To disconnect your Amazon Ads account:
Scroll to the bottom of the Account > Amazon Ads Connection section.
Click Disconnect (red button).
Read the warning message carefully.
Type "DISCONNECT" in the confirmation field and click Confirm.
Warning: Disconnecting removes all active sync schedules and pending automation actions. Your historical data within SellerMagnet is preserved, but no new data will be fetched until you reconnect. Any pending AI suggestions in the Approval Center will be discarded.
Tip: If you need to temporarily stop syncing without losing your configuration, set your Sync Schedule to Manual and your Approval Mode to Paused instead of disconnecting entirely.
Recommended Configuration Templates
Use these templates as starting points based on your seller profile. Adjust values as you learn what works for your specific products and margins.
New Seller (< 6 months on Amazon)
Target ACoS
35--45%
Higher target allows the AI to prioritize visibility and data collection
Min Bid
0.05
Slightly above floor to stay competitive
Max Bid
3.00
Conservative cap while you learn your category CPCs
Lookback Period
7 days
Shorter window to adapt quickly as you learn the market
Approval Mode
Manual Review
Review every suggestion to learn how PPC optimization works
Daily Bid Change Limit
15%
Tighter limit for more gradual changes
Sync Schedule
Daily
Sufficient for most new accounts
Experienced Seller (6+ months, established products)
Target ACoS
20--30%
Tighter target focused on profitability
Min Bid
0.02
Standard floor
Max Bid
5.00--8.00
Higher cap for competitive keywords you have validated
Lookback Period
14 days
Balanced recency and statistical reliability
Approval Mode
Auto-Apply
Trust the AI after initial validation period
Daily Bid Change Limit
20--25%
Standard range for established campaigns
Sync Schedule
Daily or Every 6 Hours
Daily is usually sufficient; 6-hour if actively optimizing
Agency Managing Multiple Clients
Target ACoS
Per client (set individually per profile)
Each client has different margins and goals
Min Bid
0.02
Standard across clients
Max Bid
Per client
Varies by client budget and category
Lookback Period
14 days
Consistent baseline across clients
Approval Mode
Manual Review
Agencies should review before changes hit client accounts
Daily Bid Change Limit
15%
Conservative to protect client relationships
Sync Schedule
Daily
Manageable across many accounts
Budget Alerts
All enabled
Critical for agency accountability
Agency Pro Tip: Set up Budget Exhaustion and Daily Spend Threshold alerts for every client account. Nothing damages client trust faster than an unexpected budget overrun. Alert thresholds should be agreed upon with the client as part of onboarding.
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
Setting Target ACoS without knowing your margins
AI optimizes toward the wrong goal, you may generate sales at a loss
Calculate your break-even ACoS first (see formula above), then set target at 60--80% of break-even
Max Bid set too low for your category
AI cannot compete for high-value keywords; you lose impressions to competitors
Research average CPCs in your category via Amazon Ads console and set Max Bid at 1.5--2x the average CPC
Switching to Auto-Apply on day one
Misconfigured settings + no human review = potentially wasteful changes
Start with Manual Review for 1--2 weeks minimum
Ignoring Blackout Dates during Prime Day
AI may over-bid during artificially inflated competition, draining your budget
Add blackout dates for major shopping events well in advance
Using Hourly sync when Daily is sufficient
Wastes API quota, increases load, and provides minimal benefit for stable accounts
Reserve Hourly sync for high-stakes events only
Connecting with a restricted Amazon sub-account
Sync succeeds partially but misses campaigns the sub-account cannot access
Always connect with the primary account that has full advertising permissions
## 🔧 Troubleshooting
Connection Issues
OAuth redirect fails
Browser blocks pop-ups or cookies
Disable pop-up blocker for SellerMagnet domain; clear cookies and retry
"Access Denied" after authorization
Amazon account lacks Advertising API permissions
Verify the account has Amazon Ads access (not just Seller Central); contact Amazon support if needed
Connection status stuck on "Pending"
Initial sync is processing a large account
Wait up to 30 minutes for accounts with 100+ campaigns; if still pending, click Sync Now
Connection drops after a few days
Amazon OAuth token expired
Re-authenticate by clicking Reconnect; SellerMagnet automatically refreshes tokens, but edge cases can require manual re-auth
Sync Problems
Last sync timestamp is stale (24+ hours old)
Sync schedule may be set to Weekly or Manual
Check your Sync Schedule setting and switch to Daily if needed
"API Rate Limit" error in error log
Too many sync requests (common with Hourly on large accounts)
Switch to Every 6 Hours or Daily sync; the error resolves automatically once rate limits reset
Missing campaigns in the dashboard
Campaigns created after the last sync
Click Sync Now to pull the latest campaign data
Data mismatch between SellerMagnet and Amazon console
Amazon Ads reporting delay (up to 12 hours for some metrics)
This is normal Amazon behavior, metrics like attributed sales can take up to 72 hours to finalize
Budget Alert Issues
Not receiving email alerts
Email notifications not enabled or email in spam
Check notification settings; add SellerMagnet to your email whitelist
Overspend protection not triggering
Threshold set too high or feature toggled off
Verify the threshold value and ensure the toggle is enabled
❓ FAQ
Can I connect multiple Amazon Ads accounts?
Yes. Each Amazon Ads account appears as a separate set of profiles. You can connect as many accounts as you manage.
Does disconnecting delete my historical data?
No. All data previously synced is retained within SellerMagnet. Disconnecting only stops new data from being pulled.
How long does the initial sync take?
Typically 5--15 minutes for accounts with fewer than 50 campaigns. Large accounts (100+ campaigns, thousands of keywords) may take up to 30 minutes.
Can I set different Target ACoS values for different campaigns?
The Target ACoS in Settings is a global default. You can override it per campaign in the Analytics Dashboard or per rule in the AI Optimizer. The global value is used as a fallback whenever no campaign-specific target is set.
What happens if I change settings while the AI has pending suggestions?
Existing pending suggestions in the Approval Center are not retroactively updated. They were generated under the previous settings. New suggestions generated after the change will use the updated configuration. You can dismiss old suggestions and wait for fresh ones.
Is my Amazon Ads API data secure?
Yes. SellerMagnet uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication (we never see your Amazon password), and all data is encrypted in transit (TLS 1.2+) and at rest (AES-256). Your advertising data is never shared with third parties.
What Amazon Ads API permissions does SellerMagnet require?
SellerMagnet requests read and write access to Sponsored Products, Sponsored Brands, and Sponsored Display campaigns. Write access is required only if you use Auto-Apply mode; Manual Review mode only reads data and stages changes for your approval.
Getting Started Checklist
Use this checklist to ensure your PPC Settings are properly configured before moving to the AI Optimizer:
➡️ What's Next?
PPC Manager: OverviewPPC AnalyticsLast updated