OTTO Sponsored Product Ads: how to measure your ad position

What are OTTO Sponsored Product Ads?

Sponsored Product Ads are paid placements in otto.de search results. They appear between the normal results and are labelled as ads. According to OnlinehändlerNews, these placements via OTTO Advertising are one way to become more visible in search.

Billing, bids and budgets are defined by OTTO Advertising – OTTO's own documentation is the reference there. This article answers the question campaign reports alone don't: where exactly does the ad appear in search?

Why the ad position alone isn't enough

The ad position tells you how your ad performs against other ads. Whether it pays off only shows when you compare it with the same product's organic position:

• High organically, high as an ad: the product is visible anyway. Check whether the ad brings extra sales – otherwise the budget may work harder elsewhere.
• Deep organically, high as an ad: the ad brings the product forward. This is where it works hardest.
• Ad not found: the ad wasn't shown at the time of the check. Check campaign, keyword and budget.

How to measure the ad position, step by step

1. Pick keywords: use the search terms your campaign targets – written exactly as shoppers type them.
2. Record three values: ad position, organic position and overall position for every keyword.
3. Repeat regularly: at least weekly, under the same conditions where possible. Ads rotate; a single check is a snapshot.
4. Mark changes: note when you changed bids, budget or the listing, and compare the weeks before and after.

MarktRank records all three positions automatically, weekly or daily, and keeps the history. It only reads the search results and never changes your campaigns.

How do you know whether a campaign pays off?

Position data shows visibility, not revenue. For the decision you need both: OTTO's campaign reports (clicks, cost, sales) and the position in search. If the overall position improves clearly with the ad while the organic position stays the same, the campaign buys visibility the product wouldn't have otherwise.

Common mistakes

• Judging a single check instead of the trend.
• Ignoring the organic position – and paying for ads on products that already rank at the top.
• Checking page 1 only: without the ad, a product often ranks much deeper, and only the full depth shows how much the ad does.

Frequently asked questions