Module 9 · Lesson 1
Account Architecture
What you’ll learn
- The blueprint of auto and manual campaigns
- How to group products and keywords by intent
- How to tier your SKUs for budget and bids
- Naming that keeps a big account manageable
Everything in Module 8 — keyword tiers, bid math, harvesting — only works if your account is structured to support it. Messy structure makes optimisation impossible; clean structure makes it routine. This is the blueprint.
The two-layer blueprint
A well-built Walmart account runs on two layers working together:
Discovery layer (auto)
One auto campaign per product grouping (similar products, same category), on a moderate daily budget. Its job is to find converting search terms.
Control layer (manual)
Manual campaigns separated by intent, holding your harvested winners at controlled, deliberate bids.
Separate manual campaigns by intent
Don’t lump all manual keywords together. A clean, scalable split:
- Exact high-intent — your product-specific winners.
- Phrase category — broader category terms for reach.
- Brand defense — your brand name in exact match.
Pair this with the principle from Module 3: one campaign per base item where you want tight budget control, and ad groups organised by keyword type.
Why this structure pays off
When each campaign holds one intent, you can set a matching budget, bid and ACoS target — and read its performance cleanly. Mixed campaigns hide winners inside losers and make every decision a guess.
Tier your SKUs
Not every product deserves equal budget. Sort your catalogue into tiers and fund them accordingly:
Tier 1 — heroes
High-margin, high-conversion, in-stock, strong listings. Your aggressive-bid, priority-budget products.
Tier 2 — emerging
Seasonal or moderate performers, or lower visibility. Controlled spend while they prove out.
Tier 3 — minimise
Low-margin, low-conversion or supply-constrained. Advertise only for a specific reason.
Naming conventions
Decide your naming before campaign #1 and never break it. Encode goal, ad type, campaign type and category — e.g. “Summer – SP – Manual Exact – Kitchen.” Once you’re running dozens of campaigns, consistent names are how you find and fix anything in seconds.
Quick recap
- Run two layers: auto campaigns for discovery, manual campaigns for controlled scaling.
- Split manual campaigns by intent — exact high-intent, phrase category, brand defense.
- Tier SKUs (hero / emerging / minimise) and fund each tier to match its value.
- Lock a naming convention before you launch and keep it consistent forever.