#placements #Amazon Ads #KDP #bid adjustments
Amazon Ads Placements Explained
James Whitfield · July 23, 2026 · 6 min read
Placements are the different spots where your Amazon ad can appear: top of search, rest of search, and product pages. You can raise your bid for the placements that convert best. Unlike a keyword, a placement is a setting on the campaign, not a target. Here is how they work.
The three placements
- Top of search (first page): the most visible and usually the highest-converting spot, and the most competitive.
- Rest of search: further down and on later search pages.
- Product pages: the "Products related to this item" area on other books' listings.
Placement bid adjustments
For each placement you can add a percentage increase to your bid. If your base bid is $0.50 and you add 50% to top of search, you bid $0.75 there and $0.50 elsewhere. This lets you pay more only where it pays off.
| Placement | Typical behavior | Adjustment idea |
|---|---|---|
| Top of search | Highest conversion, highest cost | Raise once you know it converts |
| Rest of search | Cheaper, lower conversion | Usually leave flat |
| Product pages | Varies by niche | Test before adjusting |
How to use them
Start with no adjustments and let the campaign run. Then check which placement drives your profitable sales. If top of search converts well within your target ACOS, add a modest adjustment to win more of it. Do not raise a placement you have not proven.
Why this is easy to get wrong
A placement is a campaign attribute, not a keyword, so it is adjusted differently and often ignored. Managing placement adjustments across many campaigns by hand is fiddly, which is one of the things Essentia handles automatically.
FAQ
Is a placement the same as a keyword? No. A keyword is what you target; a placement is where the ad shows. You bid on keywords and can add a percentage on top for specific placements.
Which placement is best? Top of search usually converts best but costs most. Whether it is worth a bid increase depends on whether it stays within your target ACOS.
Should I adjust placements on a new campaign? No. Let it gather data first, then raise the placement that proves profitable.