Amazon PPC Agency Onboarding: Step-by-Step Guide for New Clients

Learning Amazon PPC Onboarding

When a company enters into a partnership with an Amazon PPC agency, the process starts way ahead of the launch of the first campaign. Onboarding is the cornerstone to success — having both the agency and the client on the same page regarding goals, data, communication, and performance expectations.

A well-organized, clear onboarding process generates trust, transparency, and effectiveness. It prevents confusion down the line, makes certain all technical configurations are proper, and enables the agency to develop a PPC strategy tailored to the client’s unique business requirements.

In simple words: Onboarding is where strategy meets structure.

Why Onboarding Matters in Amazon PPC

Onboarding may look like a mere administrative process for most vendors. However, in reality, it is one of the most significant aspects of an agency-client relationship. Onboarding, when executed properly, assists in:

• Establishing business objectives — perhaps revenue growth, new product launches, or reducing ACOS.
• Establishing campaign expectations — so that both parties are aware of what success would mean.
• Organizing account access — without delay or miscommunication.
• Set defined reporting and communication rhythm — keeping things transparent throughout the partnership.
• Develop a customized strategy — grounded in your data, niche, and product performance.

Onboarding dictates how quickly your campaigns can go from configuration to measurable outcomes.

How Agencies Usually Do Onboarding

Professional Amazon PPC agencies have an orderly process when onboarding new clients. It’s not merely account linking — it’s more about getting to know the business from the inside out.

Here’s how a typical agency onboarding process works:

Step 1: Discovery Call and Goal Setting

It begins with an extensive discovery call. Agencies pose important questions regarding:

• Your product offerings and target market
• PPC performance and current issues
• Monthly ad spend and margin profit
• Short- and long-term objectives

This step assists in aligning the PPC strategy with your real business goals. For example, a brand that is introducing a new series of supplements will require a growth-hacking awareness-led strategy, whereas a brand that is already established can concentrate on profit maximization.

Step 2: Account Audit and Access Setup

After goals are established, agencies perform a thorough account audit. They check your campaigns, keyword performance, targeting setup, budgets, and structure.

Meanwhile, the agency also asks for needed access rights like:

• Amazon Advertising Console access
• Seller Central or Vendor Central roles
• Brand Registry confirmation

This makes it possible for the agency to receive accurate performance measurements and make proper adjustments in advance.

Step 3: Competitor and Market Analysis

Agencies conduct a competitor deep dive prior to running new ads. This involves looking at leading competing ads, analyzing their keywords, prices, and ad placement.

This informs:

• Which search terms to target
• Where your product can make a difference
• What type of creative or copy strategy will ring through

Step 4: Campaign Strategy and Structure Planning

Following research, agencies develop a bespoke PPC strategy. This typically consists of:

• Campaign structure (Sponsored Products, Brands, and Videos)
• Keyword segmentation (branded, generic, and competitor keywords)
• Bidding and budget planning
• Negative keyword planning
• Projected KPIs (ACOS, CTR, ROAS targets)

At this point, the client and agency go over and approve the strategy prior to launch — aligning all parties.

Step 5: Campaign Setup and Testing

The agency then creates campaigns with named conventions, ad groups, and targeting logic. They also create Sponsored Brand creatives, headlines, and video ads (if necessary).

After launch, campaigns experience a learning period — typically 7–14 days — where early performance data is utilized to identify early tweaks.

Step 6: Reporting & Communication Setup

Transparency is essential to a long-term relationship. Agencies will typically state how and when reporting will occur. These are:

 

• Weekly summary reports
• Monthly detailed reports with insights
• A shared dashboard for real-time metrics
• Regular strategy calls for feedback and next steps

This step helps clients always know where their money is spent and how their campaigns are doing.

Step 7: Optimization and Scale Plan

Once the initial weeks have passed, agencies begin optimizing bids, keywords, and ad placements. The aim is to optimize performance, eliminate wasted spend, and gradually enhance ACOS and ROAS.

As volume increases, agencies proceed to scale tactics — raising budget on top-performing products and broadening keyword coverage for optimal growth.

How eCom Manager Manages It

Onboarding with us at eCom Manager is a seamless, transparent process that’s specifically customized to each client’s objectives. We don’t jump into campaigns — we lay the groundwork for future success from day one.

Here’s how we onboard new Amazon PPC clients step by step:

Step 1: Kickoff & Brand Discovery

We start with a kickoff session where we discover everything about your company — your brand vision, product USPs, competitors, and what success for you means. We also look at your historical ad performance and identify areas of underperformance.

Step 2: Data & Account Setup

We take care of all the technical aspects of onboarding — from Amazon Advertising Console setup to data syncing. Our experts enable secure access setup without giving away control to the client.

Step 3: In-Depth Account Audit

We conduct a 48-hour audit with the following coverage:

Current keyword performance

• Ad group organization
• Budget distribution
• Bid effectiveness
• Use of negative keywords

From which we create a brief “Quick Win Report” indicating what can be fixed right away.

Step 4: Strategy Customization

No two brands are identical. We develop a tailored strategy that outlines:

 

• Types of campaigns and budget allocation
• Keyword targeting strategy
• Bidding and ACOS targets
• Creative direction (for Sponsored Brand and Video Ads)

We discuss this plan with the client prior to launching any campaign for maximum transparency.

Step 5: Campaign Launch & Early Optimization

After approval, our team initiates the campaigns and keeps a close eye on them for the initial 10–14 days. We monitor performance in real-time during this period and implement small, data-driven tweaks to optimize efficiency.

Step 6: Reporting Dashboard & Communication

We offer each client a bespoke live dashboard that includes:

• Ad spend, ACOS, and ROAS
• Keyword performance
• Conversion rates
• Profit trends

In addition to this, clients are provided with weekly email summaries and a monthly review call to go over strategy updates.

Step 7: Scale & Growth Management

Once stabilized, we scale. With long-term optimization strategies, we prioritize the best-performing keywords and products and budget more towards them. What happens? Lower ACOS, more visibility, and controlled growth.

Real-World Example: Smooth Onboarding to Success

One pet supply brand out of Colorado approached eCom Manager disillusioned with disorganized reporting and vague communication from its former agency. Within the initial two weeks of onboarding, we:

• Audited their current campaigns and rebuilt them from scratch
• Added a real-time reporting dashboard
• Set clear weekly calls and performance goals

In a month’s time, their ACOS went from 48% to 33%, and their sales increased by 25%. The difference was due to a clear, step-by-step onboarding process that synchronized both parties precisely.

Final Thoughts

Onboarding is where the process of managing Amazon PPC starts successfully. It’s the phase that sets expectations, establishes trust, and places a blueprint for long-term performance.

A well-crafted onboarding process guarantees that every subsequent campaign is based on clarity and collaboration.

We turn onboarding into an experience — not a procedure — at eCom Manager. From day one, clients are aware of what’s occurring, why it’s taking place, and how it contributes to growth.

Because when your onboarding is seamless, your performance is unstoppable.