Combining rankings with sales figures: which keywords on otto.de actually bring revenue

Why position alone is not enough

A rank tracker answers 'where do I stand?'. It does not answer 'what does that bring me?'. Two products at position 5 for comparable search terms can differ in revenue by a factor of ten, because one has a better main image, a better-fitting price or more reviews. Conversely, some products sell well although they rank poorly for every term in tracking, because buyers arrive through category navigation, through ads, or through a term you do not measure at all.

Only the combination of position and sales figures shows where work pays off.

The data you need

• From the rank tracker: per product and search term the current position, the best position of the last 30 days and the page-1 share. In MarktRank you export that as CSV.
• From OTTO Partner Connect: per product the views, orders and revenue of the same period. The reports there can be downloaded as a file; the product reference (SKU) or the MOIN is the key you use to join both files.
• Optional: ad spend per product, to separate organic from paid revenue.

One month is a good period: short enough to be current, long enough that daily outliers do not dominate.

The four fields of the analysis

Sort every product into one of four fields. A workable threshold for 'good position' is: main term on page 1, or a page-1 share above 50 percent. For 'good revenue' use the median of your range.

1. Good / good: your bestsellers. Change nothing, watch the position closely, secure stock.
2. Good position / weak revenue: the product is seen but not bought. Check the main image, the price against page 1, delivery time, reviews. This is where the fastest revenue gain sits, because the visibility is already there.
3. Poor position / good revenue: the revenue comes another way. Find it: keyword discovery in the tracker, ad reports, category navigation. Add the missing terms to tracking, otherwise your most important channel stays invisible.
4. Poor / poor: decide deliberately: optimise, advertise or let it rest. Not every product deserves attention.

An example

A garden furniture seller tracks 40 products. After the analysis six products sit in 'good position, weak revenue'. Five of them are priced above the page-1 median; one has a main image on a white background with no setting, while competitors show terrace scenes. Price adjustments on three and a new main image on the sixth bring measurably more orders within four weeks, at unchanged positions. The rank tracker would never have flagged these products, because the positions were good.

Regularly, not once

Repeat the analysis monthly with the same scheme. If a product moves from 'good / good' to 'good position / weak revenue', a competitor with a better price or offer has usually arrived; the tracker shows you who now sits next to you on page 1. If one moves from 'poor position / good revenue' to 'poor / poor', the unknown channel has collapsed, often an expired ad or promotion.

Frequently asked questions