Two clicks on the same keyword, for the same product, at the same bid, can have very different value depending on where the ad appeared. An ad in the first row of search results is seen by nearly everyone who searches. An ad further down the page, or on a competitor's product page, reaches a different shopper in a different frame of mind.
This guide explains Sponsored Products placements: what they are, how to read the placement report, how placement adjustments and dynamic bids combine, and how to decide whether top of search is worth paying more for in your account.
The placements
Amazon reports Sponsored Products performance in three main placement groups.
Top of search. The first row or rows of sponsored results on the first page of search results. The most visible spot, and usually the most competitive.
Rest of search. Sponsored results lower on the first page and on later pages of search results.
Product pages. Sponsored results on product detail pages and other non-search placements, such as the carousels shoppers see while viewing a product.
You do not choose a placement when you build a campaign. Amazon decides where each ad appears in each auction, based on your bid, the ad's relevance, and the competition. You influence the mix through bids and placement adjustments. How Sponsored Products ranking works covers the auction side.
How they tend to differ
Top of search tends to have the highest click-through rate and often the highest conversion rate, because it reaches shoppers at the moment of searching, before they have scrolled. It also tends to have the highest CPC.
Rest of search usually has lower CPC and lower conversion. Shoppers who scroll this far are often still comparing.
Product pages vary the most. A product page placement on a closely related, weaker competitor can convert well. One on an unrelated or much stronger product can spend with little return.
These are tendencies, not rules. The only way to know how placements perform for your products is the placement report.
Reading the placement report
Pull the placement report for each campaign over at least 30 days. For each placement, look at spend, clicks, CPC, orders, conversion rate and ACoS. The reports guide covers where to find it.
The key comparison is ACoS by placement. If top of search delivers an ACoS well below your target, it is underfunded: you are winning it some of the time and could win it more. If it delivers an ACoS well above target, you are paying too much for it. Do the same for product pages.
Check volume too. A placement with excellent ACoS on a handful of clicks is not yet a signal. Wait for enough orders before acting.
Placement adjustments
A placement adjustment increases your bid by a percentage when the ad is eligible for a given placement. Amazon allows adjustments from 0 up to 900 percent. Top of search and product pages have long had their own adjustments, and Amazon has expanded placement controls over time, so check which placements your console lets you adjust.
The adjustment multiplies your keyword bid. A keyword bid of $1.00 with a 50 percent top of search adjustment becomes $1.50 for that placement, before any dynamic bidding. The numbers here are illustrative.
Adjustments are set at the campaign level, so they apply to every keyword and target in the campaign. If keywords in one campaign behave very differently on top of search, that is a reason to split them into separate campaigns.
How dynamic bidding stacks on top
Sponsored Products offers three bidding strategies: fixed bids, dynamic bids down only, and dynamic bids up and down. With up and down, Amazon can raise your bid by up to 100 percent for top of search and up to 50 percent for other placements when it predicts a conversion. Bidding strategies covers each option.
That increase stacks on top of the placement adjustment. A high top of search adjustment combined with dynamic bids up and down can produce a top of search bid far above the keyword bid you set. This is the most common reason for unexpectedly high CPCs on top of search. If you use both, keep the placement adjustment modest, or switch to dynamic down only while testing adjustments.
When to pay for top of search
Brand and hero keywords. On your own brand terms and your most important generic terms, top of search often converts well enough to justify a premium, and losing it to a competitor has its own cost.
Products with strong listings. Top of search sends the most traffic. A listing that converts well turns that traffic into orders. A weak listing wastes it.
When the placement report already shows top of search below target ACoS. That is the clearest signal. Raise the adjustment in steps, check again after two weeks, and stop when ACoS on the placement approaches target. Improving ad rank covers what else moves you up.
When to hold back
Broad discovery campaigns, where the goal is cheap search term data rather than premium clicks. Products whose margin leaves little room for higher CPCs. And any campaign where you cannot yet read the placement report because volume is too low. In those cases, leave adjustments at zero and let the keyword bids do the work. If you want to know for sure whether an adjustment helps, a clean split test on comparable campaigns will tell you.
Frequently asked questions
What is top of search on Amazon?
Top of search is the Sponsored Products placement in the first row or rows of the first page of search results. It is the most visible placement and often converts well, but it usually costs more per click than other placements.
How do placement bid adjustments work?
A placement adjustment raises your bid by a percentage when the ad is eligible for a specific placement, such as top of search or product pages. Amazon allows adjustments of up to 900 percent. The adjustment applies on top of your keyword bid and any dynamic bidding increase.
Should I increase my top of search bid adjustment?
Only if the placement report shows top of search converting well enough that a higher CPC still lands below your target ACoS. Raise it in small steps and check the report after a couple of weeks. If ACoS on top of search rises past target, step back.
Off Hours bid adjustments step bids on trailing ROAS within a cap you set, so a campaign pushing for top of search never bids past the limit you chose. Start a free 14-day trial.