I’m a new seller and just launched my first product ads 5 days ago.
My problem: extremely low impressions, almost no clicks, and I’m totally lost on what to adjust.
My current setup:
-
Launched Auto campaign (Close Match only) on Nov 1, fixed bidding, $20 daily budget.
-
After 6 days: only around 1,000 total impressions.
-
I started with a $0.90 bid and gradually raised it to $1.55 (no suggested bid was shown when creating the campaign).
-
Added +25% bid adjustment for Top of Search yesterday.
-
Finally got 1 click today at $0.45 CPC, even though my max bid is $1.55.
I also set up a few other campaigns and have some beginner questions:
-
Why is my actual CPC ($0.45) so much lower than my set bid of $1.55?
-
There’s a default ad group bid AND a separate targeting bid for Close Match ($1.55). What’s the difference? Should they be the same? How do they work together?
-
My category is correct, I have the Buy Box, and my listing isn’t suppressed. How can I improve impressions and clicks?
-
I ran another Auto campaign with Loose & Similar targets, $20 budget, but only got ~100 impressions in 3 days and zero clicks. I turned it off and moved those match types into my main Auto campaign. What caused those near-zero impressions?
-
I also have a Manual campaign with 1 broad main keyword + 1 broad core keyword, $20 budget. Only ~600 impressions in 2 days, still no clicks. Most impressions are on product pages, not search results. Is this just because my bid is too low?
I really don’t have a clear strategy yet.
How should I actually structure ads for a new listing from scratch?
Answers (7)
If impressions stay low even with higher bids:
Hard truth:
New listings almost never rank well on search without higher ad spend. Established listings with hundreds of reviews will outbid you easily at lower CPCs.
Your biggest issue right now is extremely low impressions.
Unless you’re targeting tiny, low-search keywords, the real issue is likely low listing/keyword weight plus high competition in your category. Even at $1.55, you’re just not competitive enough.
For new listings, you need to go after larger, higher-volume keywords first to activate traffic and build momentum. Small long-tail keywords alone won’t move the needle early on.
Once your main keywords get consistent impressions and spend budget quickly, you can layer in long-tail keywords. If your ads are buried past page 3, you’ll get almost no traffic at all.
My recommended quick reset:
Give each $20 budget and run 7 days for Amazon to learn.
If impressions are still weak after 2–3 days, raise bids by 30–50%.
Also fill out all product attributes – incomplete listings kill indexing.
Quick checklist for low/zero impressions:
New products often show almost exclusively on product pages. To get search placement, you usually need to bid 30%–100% above suggested bids.
Try targeting competitor ASINs with product targeting to find more accessible traffic positions. Focus on finding a workable “ecosystem” for your product instead of chasing top spots immediately.