Amazon Ads Certifications: A Comprehensive Guide

Amazon advertising now accounts for a significant share of digital ad spend in the US, with Amazon's ad revenue crossing $68 billion in 2025. As Amazon advertising campaigns grow more complex, so does the demand for professionals who can prove they know what they're doing. Amazon Ads certifications offer a structured way to validate that expertise, whether you're a seller managing your own campaigns, an agency professional serving clients, or someone looking to build a career in Amazon advertising.

This article covers everything you need to know about Amazon Ads certifications: what they are, why they matter, types of Amazon Ads certifications, how to prepare, and how tools like atom11 can help you put your certification knowledge into practice.

What Are Amazon Ads Certifications?

Amazon Ads certifications are official credentials issued by Amazon that validate your knowledge of Amazon's advertising platform. They are available at no cost through the Amazon Ads Learning Console and cover everything from sponsored ads campaign setup to programmatic advertising, measurement frameworks, and creative best practices.

Certifications are earned by completing self-paced course modules and then passing a timed certification assessment. Once you pass, you receive a digital badge that can be added to LinkedIn profiles, resumes, and agency credential pages. These credentials are globally recognized and signal to employers and clients that you have passed Amazon's own standard for advertising expertise.

The Amazon Ads Learning Console organizes courses by advertising type and skill level, making it straightforward to identify which certification path is right for your role.

Why Is Amazon Ads Certification Important?

Amazon Ads certification is important because it formally validates your expertise and distinguishes you as a professional who has mastered Amazon’s specific ecosystem rather than relying on trial and error. This boosts your career prospects and builds credibility with clients. The certification process also deepens your strategic understanding of full-funnel advertising and attribution.

Here’s why you should get Amazon Ads certifications: 

Validates Your Expertise in Amazon Advertising

Amazon Ads certifications confirm that a professional has completed formal training and passed a structured exam, not just picked up habits through trial and error. For self-taught advertisers especially, this distinction matters. Certification demonstrates that you understand best practices across campaign creation, keyword targeting, bidding strategies, and campaign optimization within Amazon's actual ad ecosystem, not just generalized PPC principles.

Improves Job Prospects and Career Growth

Demand for Amazon advertising professionals continues to grow as more brands shift spend to retail media. Many employers now list Amazon advertising certification as a preferred or required qualification for roles such as Amazon PPC manager, digital advertising specialist, and e-commerce manager. Even where certification isn't mandatory, it signals commitment to the field and makes your profile stand out in a competitive hiring market.

Builds Trust with Clients and Stakeholders

For agencies managing Amazon ads on behalf of clients, certification provides external validation of your team's capabilities. It gives clients a measurable reason to trust that their ad spend is in experienced hands. Internally, certified professionals are often positioned as the go-to authority on Amazon advertising strategy, making it easier to influence decisions and align stakeholders.

Enhances Strategic Thinking and Campaign Performance

Certification courses go well beyond basic campaign setup. They cover audience solutions, campaign planning, measurement and attribution models, video ads strategies, and full-funnel advertising approaches. Completing this coursework often reveals gaps in existing strategies and introduces techniques that improve campaign effectiveness, benefits that extend directly into day-to-day campaign management. This includes learning how to structure ad campaigns using various tools available inside Amazon’s advertising ecosystem to reach potential customers more effectively.

What Types of Amazon Ads Certifications Are Available?

Amazon offers several certification tracks, each focused on a specific area of Amazon advertising: Sponsored Ads, DSP, Retail Media, and creatives/measurements.

Sponsored Ads Certifications

These are the most accessible entry point into Amazon Ads certifications and cover the sponsored ads products most sellers and agencies use daily. These certifications are particularly useful for advertisers managing campaigns through Seller Central or Vendor Central, where sponsored ads strategy directly impacts visibility and sales performance.

• Sponsored Products Certification: Covers campaign setup, keyword targeting, bidding strategies, and optimization using Sponsored Products. Ideal starting point for beginners and solo sellers.

• Sponsored Brands Certification: Focuses on brand-building campaigns, video ads, and creative best practices for Sponsored Brands. Recommended for brand managers and content marketers.

• Sponsored Display Certification: Covers display advertising on and off Amazon, audience targeting, and retargeting strategies using Sponsored Display ads.

If you are new to campaign structures, targeting, and optimization basics, understanding Amazon PPC fundamentals helps build the foundation for these certifications.

Amazon DSP Certification

The Amazon DSP certification is aimed at media planners, agency professionals, and advanced advertisers managing large-scale display advertising campaigns. It covers programmatic solutions, Amazon DSP audience targeting, supply quality, and Amazon DSP advanced measurement.

• Amazon DSP Certification: Foundational programmatic advertising concepts, audience solutions, and campaign management for DSP campaigns.

• Amazon DSP Advanced Certification: Covers Amazon DSP audience solutions in depth, video ad reporting, advanced targeting, and optimization strategies for experienced DSP practitioners.

• Ad Server Advanced Certification: For professionals using Amazon's ad server to manage and measure advertising campaigns across multiple platforms on behalf of Amazon's selling partners and brand clients.

| Related read: Amazon DSP vs Sponsored Display Ads: All You Need To Know

Retail Media Strategy Certifications

These certifications are designed for senior marketers, strategists, and agency leads. They cover Amazon Ads retail certification tracks focused on full-funnel advertising, category growth strategies, and omnichannel advertising across Amazon and connected channels.

• Amazon Ads Retail Certification: Focuses on retail media strategy, including how advertising integrates with product detail pages, inventory, promotions, and category-level growth goals.

• Amazon Advertising Foundations Certification: Introductory certification covering the core Amazon Ads products, advertising console navigation, and foundational advertising strategies across sponsored ads and DSP.

  
  

Creative and Measurement Certifications

These tracks are valuable for designers, content marketers, and analysts.

• Amazon Video Ads Certification: Covers creative best practices for Amazon video ads, including format requirements, creative strategy, and video ad reporting.

• Amazon Ads Campaign Optimization Certification: Focuses on campaign management, performance analysis, and strategies for improving campaign effectiveness using Amazon's measurement and attribution tools.

• Amazon Ads Campaign Planning Certification: Covers campaign planning frameworks, audience insights, and how to align Amazon Ads campaigns with broader business goals.

• Amazon Marketing Cloud: Covers the use of Amazon Marketing Cloud for custom audience building, campaign attribution, and advanced analytics using Amazon Ads event tables.

  
  

Where Can You Get Amazon Ads Certified?

You can obtain official Amazon Ads certifications exclusively through the Amazon Ads Learning Console, the primary and free platform for all self-paced courses and assessments that requires only a standard Amazon account to access. 

Even though the Amazon Advertising Partner Network provides additional training resources for agencies and third-party platforms like Udemy or Coursera offer supplementary preparatory material, only the Learning Console grants actual Amazon-issued digital badges and credentials upon passing the certification exams.

Let’s go over each path in detail:

Amazon Ads Learning Console

The Amazon Ads Learning Console is the official and primary source for all Amazon Ads certifications. Access is free and requires only an Amazon account. You do not need an active Amazon Ads account to access course content, though hands-on campaign experience is highly recommended before taking certification assessments.

Courses are self-paced, organized by certification track, and include video lessons, quizzes, and study guides. You can track progress through a personal dashboard and download your digital badge immediately after passing a certification assessment.

Amazon Advertising Partner Network

Agencies and technology partners enrolled in the Amazon Advertising Partner Network get access to additional training resources, early access to new course content, and support for displaying certified team members on their agency profile pages. Partner network membership also provides access to Amazon Ads solutions teams and priority support.

Third-Party Training Platforms

Platforms such as Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning offer supplementary Amazon PPC and Amazon advertising courses that can help you prepare for certification exams. These are not official certifications and do not result in Amazon-issued credentials, but they can be useful for building foundational knowledge before completing courses on the Amazon Ads Learning Console.

| Related read: 3 Must-Track Amazon Advertising Metrics Beyond ACoS

How to Prepare for Amazon Ads Certification Exams

To prepare for Amazon Ads Certification exams, start by completing all course modules in order and reviewing the official study guides. Supplement this with hands-on campaign management experience, especially for advanced certifications. Amazon Ads Help documentation and Amazon advertising communities on LinkedIn and Reddit are also great ways to reinforce your knowledge. 

Here are the most effective preparation strategies used by advertising professionals:

• Complete all course modules: The Amazon Ads Learning Console structures each certification with required modules. Work through them in order rather than skipping to the exam.

• Gain hands-on campaign experience: Certification content is grounded in practical campaign management. Actively managing Amazon advertising campaigns before attempting advanced certifications like Amazon DSP or Amazon DSP Advanced will significantly improve exam performance.

• Review official study guides: Amazon provides study guides for each certification track. Download and review these before the exam.

• Use Amazon Ads Help documentation: The Amazon Ads Help Center reinforces concepts covered in courses, particularly for technical topics such as Amazon DSP audience targeting, supply quality, and advanced ad server features.

• Join Amazon advertising communities: Reddit forums (r/PPC, r/AmazonSeller) and LinkedIn groups focused on Amazon PPC provide peer insights that complement official course content.

| Related read: A Data-Driven Approach to Amazon Ad Optimization

How Long Does It Take to Complete Amazon Ads Certification?

The time required to obtain an Amazon Ads certification depends on your experience level, ranging from a few days for pros to a month for those new to the platform.

• For Beginners: Plan for 2–4 weeks to study course modules, review documentation, and build the necessary familiarity with campaign mechanics.

• For Experienced Advertisers: Seasoned professionals can typically review the material and pass the exams within 1–2 days, focusing mostly on specific platform terminology.

• Exam Duration: The actual assessments are relatively quick, taking only 45 to 60 minutes to complete with a passing score of 70–80%.

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Do Amazon Ads Certifications Expire?

Most Amazon Ads certifications expire after 12 to 18 months, depending on the specific certification type. This expiration policy is intentional: Amazon's advertising platform updates frequently, and active certifications signal that a professional has kept pace with platform changes, new Amazon Ads products, and evolving best practices.

How to Renew Your Amazon Ads Certification

Renewal typically requires retaking the certification assessment or completing a shorter recertification course through the Amazon Ads Learning Console. Letting a certification lapse can undermine credibility with clients and employers, especially in agency settings where certifications are listed on professional profiles and partner pages. Build renewal dates into your calendar and allow a few days for preparation before the expiration date.

Are Amazon Ads Certifications Free?

Amazon Ads certifications are free-of-charge. You can access course content, take certification assessments, or earn digital credentials. Amazon does not charge for any part of the certification program through the Amazon Ads Learning Console. Optional third-party courses on platforms like Udemy or LinkedIn Learning may cost money, but these are supplementary and not required.

The only real investment is time, typically four to eight hours of course content per certification, plus exam time.

Are Amazon Ads Certifications Worth It?

Yes, Amazon Ads Certifications are a highly valuable investment that validates your expertise and directly improves campaign performance. Whether you are managing your own spend or handling millions for clients, the training provides the technical foundation needed to avoid costly mistakes, optimize bidding strategies, and lower ACOS, serving as a verified marker of skill in a competitive industry.

Here is the specific value for each group:

• For Job Seekers: Acts as a key differentiator and preferred qualification on resumes, demonstrating both technical proficiency and the initiative to formalize your skills.

• For Agency Professionals: Builds immediate client trust and enhances competitiveness in pitches by displaying certified expertise directly on your agency’s partner profile.

• For Business Owners: Essential for protecting your budget; the coursework helps you sidestep expensive beginner errors and master the mechanics needed to drive profitable sales.

  
  

When Certification May Not Be Necessary

For senior strategists with more than five years of active Amazon advertising experience and a strong track record of campaign results, certification adds less marginal value in terms of skills development. It may still be worth pursuing for credentialing purposes, especially for client-facing roles. For occasional or incidental Amazon advertisers, time may be better spent on hands-on campaign practice than coursework.

Using Your Skills to Improve ROI with Amazon PPC Software

Earning an Amazon Ads certification is one thing; putting that knowledge into practice across real, complex advertising campaigns is another. atom11, an Amazon PPC software, is built to bridge that gap. Here's how we support Amazon sellers.

Structured Onboarding for New Amazon Sellers

For sellers just getting started, atom11 offers a dedicated onboarding program for Amazon sellers that walks you through the platform and core advertising concepts in a structured way. Instead of dumping you into a dashboard and leaving you to figure it out, the onboarding covers how retail signals like inventory levels, pricing, and Buy Box status connect to ad spend decisions, building on the foundational knowledge that certification courses introduce.

This is especially useful for new sellers who have just completed their Sponsored Products or Amazon Advertising Foundations certification and are ready to apply that knowledge but want guidance on setting up their first automation rules and campaign structures correctly from day one.

Neo AI Explains Every Decision in Plain Language

One of the most common challenges for newer advertisers is understanding why their campaigns perform the way they do. atom11's GenAI copilot Neo addresses this directly. Rather than just surfacing metrics, Neo explains its recommendations and actions in plain English, so when it suggests reducing bids on a set of keywords or pausing ads on a low-inventory ASIN, it tells you exactly why.

This transparency reinforces what certified advertisers learn in their coursework on campaign optimization and measurement, and it helps newer sellers build their advertising instincts more quickly. Instead of guessing at root causes, Neo points directly to the retail signals, like a competitor price change or a Buy Box loss, that are driving a performance shift.

Conclusion

Amazon Ads certifications are a structured, free, and globally recognized way to validate your expertise in Amazon advertising. The Amazon Ads Learning Console makes the process accessible to everyone. With most certifications taking just a few weeks to complete and costing nothing, the barrier to entry is low and the upside is clear.

Certification knowledge becomes most powerful when paired with Amazon PPC software that helps you execute those strategies at scale. Ready to see how atom11 supports your Amazon advertising strategy? Book a demo to see retail-aware Amazon PPC automation in action.

FAQs

What is the difference between the Amazon Sponsored Ads Certification and the Amazon DSP Certification? 

Sponsored Ads Certification covers self-serve tools (Products, Brands, Display) and is ideal for sellers. The DSP Certification focuses on programmatic, off-Amazon advertising and audience targeting, making it better suited for agencies and advanced advertisers.

How can I access official Amazon Ads Academy training courses for certification? 

You can access all official training and take certification exams directly through the Amazon Ads Academy (Learning Console). Only certifications earned here are officially recognized.

Are there any practice tests for the Amazon Ads certifications? 

Yes, Amazon Ads Academy offers optional official practice assessments for select certifications to help you gauge your readiness before the final exam.

Do Amazon Ads certifications expire or need renewal? 

Yes, certifications expire after 12 months to ensure professionals stay updated with platform changes. You must retake the assessment annually to renew your status.

How long does it typically take to complete an Amazon Ads certification? 

Beginners should plan for 2–4 weeks of study, while experienced professionals can often finish in 1–2 days. The exam itself allows up to 120 minutes.

How much does the Amazon Ads certification cost? 

They are 100% free. All course materials, exams, and digital badges are provided at no cost through the Amazon Ads Academy.

What is the best place to master Amazon PPC? 

Combine Amazon Ads Academy theory with hands-on practice. Tools like atom11 accelerate this process by automating optimizations and explaining the "why" behind every move, helping you learn while you grow.