I listened to 55 e-com videos and podcasts over the the past 2 weeks - so you don't have to.
Here's what stood out:
- The Golden Keyword ratio
- CamelCamelCamel to track price changes
- A reminder to avoid shiny software syndrome
Plus other cool Amazon tips.
👉 First time reading? Read the full FBA Notebook here.
If you’re looking for a daily P&L dashboard, SellerRise is my favorite. Use THIS link to get 10% OFF Sellerise for 12 months. It’s $16/mo for loads of beautifully organized Amazon data.
Notes on Amazon
📝 Finding Balance Between Ad Spend and Organic Ranking
High ad spend can backfire.
In every brand I work with, I see a strong correlation between reduced ad spend and improved organic rankings. Flooding the market with high-budget ads can attract less relevant traffic, ultimately harming conversion rates and hurting rankings.
Experiment with reducing ad spend by 30-50% on high-ranking terms while monitoring the change in organic rank. Use tools like Helium 10 Keyword Tracker to track changes in your product’s organic search visibility as you adjust your ad spend. Keep ad spend low until you notice your organic ranks start to drop.
📝 Mobile-first storefront design is non-negotiable
Nearly 70% of traffic is on phones - if your Amazon storefront isn’t built for mobile, you’re losing sales.
Split your layout into sections with background videos and shoppable images (not just static images). This allows customers to click into every image and be led to a PDP page for checkout.
Put high-demand products at the top.
Note: 1500 x 1800 shows up much larger on mobile than 1500 x 1500.
📝 Explore Top-of-Search ad performance
Product page ads might get you a lot of views but low CTR - maybe 0.23%. Top-of-search? Much higher - sometimes 10% CTR or more.
Track both CTR and conversion rate by placement.
See what actually drives sales, not just clicks.
Shift your budget to placements that pull real results, even if they cost more.
When increasing placement percentage, don’t just jack up your bids. Use the placement-bid adjustment formula - as you raise placement (say from 0% to 50%), drop your bid by around 20%. This keeps your spend stable and avoids blowing through your budget on one spot.
📝 Use CPR data to set your ad budget
Your ad budget should come from actual sales data rather than arbitrary numbers.
When planning a budget for ranking keywords, utilize tools like Helium 10’s CPR tool to determine how many sales are necessary for ranking within a specific timeframe. Multiple this by your estimated cost per order to arrive at your budget limit.
Let’s say CPR says you need 100 sales in 7 days to hit page one
If your average cost per order is $15, then your ranking budget is:
100 sales x $15/order = $1,500.
Could be more. But this method gives you a starting place.
📝 Use the Golden Keyword Ratio to tighten up your PPC
The sweet spot: 1 PPC keyword for every 2 organic keywords.
If you’re paying for keywords you’re not ranking for organically, you’re leaking budget and hurting overall ranking efforts.
Strong brands let their organic keyword foundation do the heavy lifting - PPC just fills the gaps and scales results.
Audit your listings with Helium 10.
If you’re running ads on 2,000 keywords but only index for 1,000, your SEO needs work.
Keep your PPC focused, your organic strong, and your ACoS drops while your exposure climbs.
📝 Broad campaign keyword structure
When inputting broad match keywords, limit the term count to four for optimal performance. Keywords with more terms can result in lower relevance, leading to wasted impressions.
When setting up broad match campaigns, intentionally select up to four-word phrases that directly relate to your offerings. Regularly analyze click and conversion metrics to adjust your keyword list.
📝 Pricing strategy awareness on Amazon
Incrementally raising prices on Amazon directly impacts your ranking. Unlike direct-to-consumer brands where loyal customers may overlook price hikes, Amazon sellers risk losing visibility if they exceed competitors’ pricing.
Use tools like Keepa or CamelCamelCamel to track competitors’ pricing and adjust accordingly. Consider maintaining price stability even in the face of rising costs to safeguard your ranking.
Featured Posts from X and LinkedIn
Expect shipping costs to increase over the next 30 days. Kian has the inside scoop:
I used to prioritize ROI above everything. Now it's ROWC.
Sprinkle of DTC Notes
📝 Quick wins with lifecycle marketing
Lifecycle marketing targets different consumer segments based on their interactions with your brand. Brands that actively retarget and engage previously interested customers see significant boosts in sales - often 30% higher than those relying on new customer acquisition alone.
Use email automation tools like Klaviyo to segment your audience. Create targeted campaigns that not only offer discounts but also provide content that educates about your products based on their last interaction to increase conversion rates.
📝 Maximize post-purchase moments for revenue growth
The post-purchase stage is the most lucrative but overlooked phase in e-commerce. With the psychological barriers lowered, leveraging this moment will increase revenue. Implement a post-purchase advertising strategy using platforms that allow for personalized offers. Brands using Disco have seen a 10-20% boost in their contribution margins by monetizing this engagement effectively.
📝 Avoid shiny software syndrome
Many sellers get distracted by the plethora of software options.
But key to sustainable growth is understanding your unique operational challenges and matching them with the right tech solutions, rather than jumping at every new opportunity.
Conduct a detailed audit of your current software stack to identify gaps and pain points. Choose one or two tools aimed at solving these specific issues over onboarding multiple new systems. For example, if customer acquisition costs (CAC) are rising, invest in CRM software that enhances retention rates.
How I can help:
👉 Book an Amazon strategy call.
👉 Get on the waitlist for BrandingOS.
Tools I use in my business (with discounts):
👉 Scale Insights for PPC automation (10% off for life)
👉 DataDive for in-depth keyword research ($50 off per month)
👉 Helium 10 for quick audits on Amazon listings (10% off for life)
👉 Finaloop for amazingly clean bookkeeping (50% off for 3 months)
Enjoy your weekend,
Evan
113 Cherry St #92768, Seattle, WA 98104-2205
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