What is a bid in OTTO advertising?
Last updated: 31 October 2026 · The MargenOptimierer app is in German. Button and menu names are shown exactly as you see them, with the English meaning in brackets.
A bid is the most you're willing to pay OTTO for one click on your ad.
In a manual campaign you set it per keyword, in an automatic campaign per item. In the ad console it sits next to every targeting in the Gebot (bid) column. MargenOptimierer first queues a changed bid, and it only goes to OTTO when you send it.
Example: Bid for “gartenstuhl holz”
Say you set the bid for the keyword “gartenstuhl holz” to 0.40 €. You then pay at most 0.40 € for a click on that ad.
What else matters for a bid
The first bid of a new campaign
If a keyword in the keyword list has a suggested bid, it starts with that bid in a new campaign. All other items and keywords start with the campaign's starting bid.
Not below the minimum bid
OTTO doesn't accept a bid below the minimum bid. If you type a smaller one, MargenOptimierer queues nothing and tells you the minimum bid.
Confirmation for high bids
If you type a bid above 2.50 €, MargenOptimierer asks for confirmation before it queues the change. The same goes for a bid that's more than 3 times the old one. 2.50 € and 3 times are the defaults. You change both under Einstellungen (settings) → Vorgaben (defaults).
Next
- Where do I change budgets and bids?
- How do I send my changes to OTTO?
Where this term appears
- How MargenOptimierer works
- How do I get started with MargenOptimierer?
- What does the Übersicht (overview) page show me?
- How do I create a product group?
- Why is an item a cost driver?
- How do I lower or raise bids based on my targets?
- Where do I change budgets and bids?
- How do I pause a campaign or change its end date?
- How do I add search terms as keywords or exclude them?
- How do I send my changes to OTTO?
- How do I undo a change?
- How do I see the numbers of several campaigns together?
- When does MargenOptimierer start rating my targetings?
- What can each role do?
- How do I write a support ticket?
- What does it cost to sell on OTTO?
- How do Sponsored Product Ads work on OTTO?
- Should I sell on OTTO or Amazon?
- Which metrics matter for OTTO advertising?
- What is a good ACoS on OTTO, and how do I calculate it?
- Should I use automatic or keyword campaigns on OTTO?
- When should I lower or raise bids on OTTO?
- How do I analyse search terms in OTTO's Keyword Report?
- Is advertising on OTTO worth it for small sellers?
- What are Sponsored Display Ads on OTTO?
- How do I become a seller on OTTO?
- How big is OTTO in 2026? Revenue, customers and sellers
- Can sellers from other EU countries sell on OTTO?
- What software is available for OTTO sellers?
- How does the OTTO search algorithm work?
- OTTO SEO: How do I optimize listings for OTTO search?
- How do I log in to OTTO Partner Connect?
- What is the OTTO Market API for sellers?