Have you ever scaled your Amazon PPC campaigns only to watch your organic sales completely drop off? In this episode, Michael and Amazon advertising expert Brent Zahradnik tackle a fantastic listener question where a brand's ad sales tripled, but their organic sales actually decreased year-over-year.
They dive deep into the real reasons behind this frustrating scenario, exploring whether aggressive ad spend is truly cannibalizing organic placements or if there are other hidden factors at play, such as shrinking overall search volume or overspending on highly dominant branded keywords.
It is a common fear for Amazon sellers and PPC managers alike, but the reality of how the algorithm balances paid and organic traffic is rarely straightforward. To help you navigate this exact problem, the guys break down the actionable strategies and metrics you need to measure true ad incrementality.
We’ll see you in The PPC Den!
🦡 Highlights
00:00 - Intro
01:50 - Listener Question: Ad Sales Tripled, Organic Dropped
04:05 - What is a "Healthy" Organic vs. Paid Sales Ratio?
06:00 - Defining PPC Cannibalization & Incrementality
08:10 - Scenario A: Overspending on Branded Keywords
10:20 - Scenario B & C: Did PPC Save the Brand or Did the Market Shrink?
15:30 - How to Fix It Step 1: Track Organic vs. Paid Percentage
16:44 - Why Historic Rank Tracking Still Matters
19:10 - Step 2: Using Search Query Performance Data
22:15 - Step 3: Running a Holdout Test with AMC
26:24 - Final Verdict: Does PPC Actually Cannibalize 100% of Sales?
27:50 - Where to Find Brent
🦡 Resources & Links
🦡 GET AD BADGER ➡️
Find Michael Erickson Facchin — Ad Badger’s CEO and soul, PPC whisperer, and your go-to guide through the wild world of Amazon advertising
Where to find Brent Zahradnik of SellerPlex
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Host and Executive Producer: Michael Erickson Facchin
Guest Co-Host: Brent Zahradnik
Senior Producer: Nancy Lili Gonzalez
Podcast Coordinator & Graphic Designer: Sofiia Podash
Video and Audio Editor: Pedro Moreno
