Why You Should Pay Attention To The Top Of Search Metric

George Leyva
DTC Daily Digest
Published in
3 min readMar 22, 2024
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash

In the realm of Amazon advertising, one metric that often flies under the radar — but shouldn’t — is the Top of Search impression share (ToS IS). The Domin8 Commerce team is here to shed light on why paying attention to this particular metric is crucial for optimizing your ad spend and enhancing your overall advertising strategy on Amazon.

Understanding Top of Search Impression Share

Thanks for reading Retail Media Voice! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.

So, what exactly is Amazon’s top of search impression share? It’s a PPC metric that indicates the percentage of top-of-search impressions your campaign secures, out of all the possible top-of-search impressions it could receive within a specific date range. This metric is a treasure trove of insights, allowing advertisers to pinpoint where there’s potential to dive deeper, scale up, and identify limits.

For those who might not be familiar with ToS, it’s readily accessible on the main screen of Amazon’s ad console. This makes it an exceptionally convenient metric to monitor during regular account reviews.

Why ToS Impression Share Matters

A compelling aspect of ToS IS is its ability to tell a story beyond the surface. When you observe a satisfactory Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) that meets your targets for a specific keyword, coupled with a low ToS impression share (less than 15%), it signals an opportunity. This combination suggests that while conversions are happening at your desired rate for that keyword, your ads are reaching only a fraction of the potential audience. In other words, there’s likely room to scale up that keyword and capture a larger share of the audience.

A Rough Guide to Sponsored Product Ads and TOS

When dealing specifically with Sponsored Product Ads, ToS impression share becomes even more instrumental. It not only helps in scaling successful campaigns but also acts as an early warning system when things begin to veer off course. For instance, ASIN campaigns designed to sidestep Search Placements should exhibit a very low ToS impression share. A sudden increase in this metric could indicate a misalignment in strategy, prompting a closer examination of placement modifiers which may require adjustments.

The Takeaway

ToS impression share is more than just a number — it’s a reflection of your campaign’s visibility and effectiveness at the very top of Amazon’s search results. By integrating this metric into your regular ad strategy reviews, you unlock the potential to make data-driven decisions that can significantly improve your advertising outcomes. Whether you’re looking to scale your most successful keywords or troubleshoot campaigns that aren’t performing as expected, paying attention to ToS IS can be the key to unlocking greater success on Amazon.

As we navigate the complexities of Amazon’s advertising landscape, understanding and leveraging metrics like top of search impression share becomes indispensable. It’s not just about maximizing visibility; it’s about making informed decisions that drive better returns on your ad spend. The path to optimizing your Amazon advertising strategy starts with a closer look at the top of the search metric — don’t let this crucial insight slip through the cracks.

— -

Want to maximize your advertising strategy on Amazon and master the nuances of ToS impression share along with other crucial metrics? At Domin8 Commerce, our full-service digital marketing team is ready to unlock your brand’s potential. — contact us to see if we’re a fit!

--

--

George Leyva
DTC Daily Digest

CEO of Domin8 Commerce | Marketing Leader | Fueling Scalable Growth & Performance in DTC and CPG