Amazon placement bid calculator
How much to raise your bids on top of search, rest of search and product pages. Enter a campaign's clicks and sales for each placement over the last month, and the calculator gives the increase for each that puts every placement on the same ACoS, with the reasoning below it.
| Placement | Sales a click | Set to |
|---|---|---|
| Top of searchACoS 14.4% | $9.00 | +100%now +20% |
| Rest of searchACoS 15.8% | $6.00 | +33%now +0% |
| Product pagesbase bidACoS 15.6% | $4.50 | +0%now +0% |
Product pages sells the least a click ($4.50), so it runs on your base bid. Top of search sells 2.00× as much a click, so it is worth bidding +100% there. Rest of search sells 1.33× as much a click, so it is worth bidding +33% there.
How it's worked out
- Sales per click for each placement = its sales ÷ its clicks. Where your ad shows changes what a click is worth: shoppers clicking at the top of the search results usually buy more often than shoppers browsing a product page.
- What you bid doesn't change what a click is worth, so bidding in proportion to sales per click lands every placement on the same ACoS.
- Amazon's increases only go up (0% to 900%), on top of the bid you set. So the placement that sells the least a click runs on the base bid, at 0%, and every other placement gets (its sales per click ÷ the base placement's − 1) × 100%.
- A placement needs 30 clicks to count: with fewer, one lucky or unlucky sale swings the answer.
In the example, top of search sells $9.00 a click, rest of search sells $6.00 a click, and product pages sells $4.50 a click. Product pages is the base; top of search is worth 2.00× as much a click, so +100%.
Then set the base bid
The increases decide how bids compare between placements; the bid on each keyword decides the level. Once the increases are set, judge each keyword on its whole ACoS against your target ACoS: lower the bid when it's above, raise it when it's well below, a little at a time. Your target ACoS comes from your product's margin: the ACoS calculator works out breakeven and target ACoS, and the PPC bid optimization guide walks through the whole method.
Where to find the numbers
- In the Amazon Ads console, open a campaign and choose Placements: it lists clicks, spend and sales for top of search, rest of search and product pages, and the increases you've set.
- In reports, the Sponsored Products campaign report broken down by placement lists the same. It calls rest of search Other on-Amazon and adds a line for ads shown off Amazon, which has no increase to set.
- Use at least a month, and leave out the last two days: Amazon keeps adding sales to a click for 7 days.
Placement questions
Should I always bid more for top of search?
Only when it sells more a click. For most products it does, but some sell better on product pages, next to the item a shopper is already looking at. A flat +50% on top of search is a guess; your own numbers are the answer.
How do increases combine with dynamic bidding?
With dynamic bids – up and down, Amazon can raise a bid by up to a further 100% for top of search and 50% for other placements when it expects a sale, on top of your increase. With down only or fixed bids, the increase is the whole adjustment.
How often should I change them?
Once a week at most, and in steps: move an increase part of the way, wait a week for the new numbers, then look again.
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