May 12, 2026

Understanding “Top of Search” in Amazon Ads: A Beginner’s Guide to Better Visibility and More Sales

Running Amazon ads for handmade or premium products like marble décor can feel confusing at first. Many sellers focus only on keywords and budget, but one hidden setting often changes the entire performance of a campaign:

“Top of Search” Placement Adjustment

For beginners, this setting may look technical, but once understood properly, it becomes one of the most powerful tools inside Amazon PPC.

In this guide, you’ll learn:

What Top of Search means
Why it matters
How Amazon uses it
Best percentage ranges
Common beginner mistakes
How to optimize it step-by-step
When to increase or decrease it

What is “Top of Search” on Amazon?

When customers search on Amazon, products appear in different positions.

The most valuable positions are:

first few products on page 1
sponsored listings near the top
mobile first-screen visibility

These premium positions are called:

Top of Search Placements

These placements receive:

highest visibility
highest clicks
better conversion rates

Because customers naturally click products they see first.

How Does Top of Search Adjustment Work?

Inside Amazon campaign settings, Amazon allows sellers to increase bids specifically for top placements.

This is called:

Placement Bid Adjustment

You may see:

Top of Search (first page)
Product Pages
Rest of Search

Example:

If your keyword bid is:

₹10

And your Top of Search adjustment is:

+50%

Then Amazon can bid:

up to ₹15

ONLY for premium top positions.

Why Is Top of Search Important?

Not all traffic on Amazon is equal.

A product shown:

at the top of page 1
gets dramatically more clicks than:
page 2
lower sponsored positions

Especially for:

luxury décor
marble products
visually attractive items
gifting products

Visual trust matters heavily.

Customers often:

compare quickly
click attractive images first
rarely scroll deep

Beginner Example

Imagine two marble cake stands.

Product A

Appears:

top of page 1

Product B

Appears:

middle of page 3

Even if both products are similar:

Product A usually gets more clicks
more conversions
more sales history
stronger ranking growth

That is why placement matters.

Different Placement Types Explained

1. Top of Search

Highest value traffic.

Shown:

top row of search results
first page
mobile priority areas

Best for:

proven keywords
converting products
premium handmade items

2. Product Pages

Ads shown:

on competitor listings
below buy box
“similar products” sections

Good for:

competitor targeting
alternative products

3. Rest of Search

Lower placements:

middle pages
lower rows
less visible areas

Usually:

cheaper clicks
lower conversion

Best Top of Search Percentage for Beginners

This depends on:

CTR
reviews
product quality
image quality
conversion rate

Recommended Beginner Ranges

Situation	Recommended Top of Search
New campaign	+10% to +20%
Moderate conversion	+25% to +40%
Strong converting keyword	+50% to +80%
Aggressive scaling	+100%+

Best Range for Handmade Marble Products

For products like:

marble cake stands
marble trays
marble bathroom sets
luxury décor

The safest starting range is:

+20% to +35%

Reason:
These products rely heavily on:

appearance
first impression
premium positioning

When Should You Increase Top of Search?

Increase gradually if:

✅ CTR improves
✅ Orders increase
✅ ACOS stays profitable
✅ Main image is strong
✅ Reviews improve

When Should You NOT Increase It?

Avoid aggressive Top of Search bids when:

❌ CTR is poor
❌ Main image is weak
❌ No reviews
❌ Product price is uncompetitive
❌ Conversion rate is low

Otherwise:
Amazon spends more money without improving sales.

How to Set Top of Search Adjustment

Step-by-step:

Step 1

Open:

Campaign Manager

Step 2

Select your campaign.

Step 3

Click:

Campaign Settings

Step 4

Find:

Placements

You will see:

Top of Search
Product Pages
Rest of Search

Step 5

Enter percentage.

Example:

Top of Search = +25%

Save changes.

Real Beginner Strategy

Week 1

Use:

+10% to +20%

Observe:

CTR
CPC
orders

Week 2

If converting:
increase to:

+30% to +40%

Week 3+

Only scale higher if:

profitable
stable sales
strong reviews

Biggest Beginner Mistake

Many sellers increase:

bids
budgets
Top of Search

before fixing:

images
titles
reviews

This causes:

high spend
low conversions
poor ACOS

Amazon ads amplify listing quality.
They do not replace it.

Why Top of Search Works Well for Marble Products

Marble products are:

premium
visually driven
emotional purchases

Customers decide quickly based on:

elegance
polish
texture
presentation

That means:
higher visibility creates stronger buying chances.