Introduction
Most Amazon sellers spend their time optimizing keywords, bids, and budgets — and forget one of the most overlooked levers in their entire ad strategy: placement.
Where your ad appears on Amazon directly impacts:
- Click-through rates (CTR)
- Conversion rates (CVR)
- Return on ad spend (ROAS)
- Customer acquisition cost (CAC)
In this guide, you’ll learn how to use Placement Optimization to supercharge your Amazon ad results — without spending more.
What Is Placement in Amazon Advertising?
Placement refers to where your ad appears on Amazon. There are three major categories:
- Top of Search (First Page) – Premium placement at the top of Amazon search results.
- Product Pages – Shown on detail pages of related or competitor products.
- Rest of Search – Lower or mid-tier search results further down the page.
Each has a different cost, impact, and performance profile.
Why Placement Matters
Here’s what makes placement so powerful:
- Top of Search has the highest conversion rates
- Product Page is great for competitor conquesting
- Rest of Search usually drives lower-cost discovery traffic
If you’re running ads but not adjusting bids by placement, you’re letting Amazon decide your fate.
How to Analyze Your Placement Performance
Step 1: Navigate to your campaign reports in Amazon Advertising Console.
Step 2: Use the Placement Report to see how each campaign performs by:
- Impressions
- Clicks
- CTR
- Conversions
- ACOS
- ROAS
Look for:
🔥 High-converting placements
🚫 Poor-performing placements
⚖️ Discrepancies between CTR and conversion
Real Example
Client: Supplements Brand
- Top of Search ROAS: 6.2x
- Product Pages ROAS: 2.1x
- Rest of Search ROAS: 1.3x
We increased Top of Search placement bid by +50% and decreased Product Page bid by -20%.
Result:
- 18% sales increase
- ACOS dropped from 39% to 24%
- Ad budget stayed the same
How to Adjust Bids by Placement
Amazon allows you to set a bid multiplier (% increase) for:
- Top of Search
- Product Pages
💡 Best Practice: Start with a small multiplier (10–25%) and monitor.
If Top of Search drives better ROAS — increase the multiplier. If Product Pages are underperforming — reduce or set it to 0%.
When to Prioritize Top of Search
Use Top of Search if:
✅ You have a strong CTR and conversion rate
✅ You’re bidding on branded terms
✅ Your product is highly competitive and visually appealing
Avoid Top of Search if:
❌ Your listing isn’t optimized
❌ You’re in discovery mode
❌ You can’t afford the higher CPCs
When Product Pages Make Sense
Use Product Page placements to:
- Target competitor listings
- Show up on complementary products
- Build brand presence across categories
But keep a close eye on conversion rates — especially if you’re targeting outside your core niche.
Tips for Smart Placement Optimization
🧠 Segment Your Campaigns
Group similar ASINs or objectives to better analyze placement impact.
📈 Use Performance-Based Multipliers
Adjust bid increases based on what actually converts.
🛠️ Test Frequently
Try different placement strategies over 2–4 week periods.
🔍 Tie Placement Back to Keyword Intent
Brand keywords often do better on Top of Search. Broad terms might perform best further down the page.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
❌ Blindly increasing Top of Search without checking profitability
❌ Keeping default settings (0% adjustment) on all placements
❌ Ignoring Product Page opportunities for cross-selling or defense
❌ Not analyzing ROAS by placement regularly
Summary
Placement optimization gives you control over where your ads show up — and in turn, how they perform.
Even with the same keywords and budget, a change in placement strategy can dramatically shift results.
Fine-tune your campaigns by:
- Using Placement Reports weekly
- Increasing bids where ROAS is strong
- Cutting back where conversion is weak
- Segmenting campaigns for visibility and testing
Need Expert Help?
At Marketplace Valet, we specialize in:
- Full-service Amazon ad management
- Placement-level optimization
- ACOS reduction & ROAS growth strategies
- Competitive conquesting and brand protection
📩 Contact: justin@marketplacevalet.com
🌐 https://marketplacevalet.com
