Services split into three tiers: copy-only, copy plus creative, and ongoing testing. Copy-only
is cheap and cannot fix the thing that usually limits you, which is the primary image. Ongoing
testing costs most and is the only tier that keeps working after delivery.
The short version
- Three tiers: copy-only, copy plus creative, ongoing testing.
- Copy-only cannot touch your primary image, which caps all traffic.
- Ask who shoots. In-house production means fast iteration.
- Ongoing testing is the only tier that compounds.
- Compare scope, not price. The tiers are not alternatives to each other.
What each tier actually includes
I run Flapen with 50 operators managing about 70 brands, with creative produced
in-house through a Dubai studio and listing work included in every membership rather than sold
as a project.
| Copy-only | Copy plus creative | Ongoing testing | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Keyword research | Yes | Yes | Yes, refreshed from your data |
| Title and bullets | Yes | Yes | Yes, tested |
| Backend terms | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Primary image | No | Yes | Yes, tested first |
| Secondary images | No | Yes | Yes |
| A+ content | Sometimes | Yes | Yes |
| Video | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| A/B testing | No | Rarely | Yes, the core of it |
| Re-optimization | No | No | Continuous |
| Typical shape | One-off project | One-off project | Ongoing retainer |
The critical row is the primary image. It sets click-through rate, which caps the total
traffic your listing will ever receive. A copy-only service cannot touch it, which means the
cheapest tier is structurally unable to fix the most common constraint.
Which tier suits which problem
Copy-only makes sense when your images are good, your click-through rate is
healthy for the category, and the problem is that buyers arrive and are not persuaded. That is
a real situation and it is less common than the number of copy-only services sold would
suggest.
Copy plus creative is the right default for most brands doing this once. New primary
image, full secondary sequence, rewritten copy, A+ content. It addresses both the traffic cap
and the conversion problem in one pass.
Ongoing testing is right when the listing is already decent and you want it to keep
improving. It is also the only tier where your own converting search terms feed back into the
copy, which is the highest-quality keyword input available and does not exist before you have
sales.
How to compare quotes fairly
- Ask what the primary image treatment is. Reshoot, retouch, or nothing.
- Ask who produces images and video, in-house or subcontracted.
- Ask how many revision rounds are included and what triggers a re-quote.
- Ask whether A/B testing is included or sold separately.
- Ask what happens in month three. Project or ongoing.
Question two decides iteration speed more than anything else. Subcontracted creative means a
new brief and a new quote each time a test suggests a change, which in practice means the
first version becomes permanent.
The diagnosis that should come first
Before buying any tier, know which problem you have. Compare unit session percentage in
Business Reports against your category norm.
Low click-through with acceptable conversion points at the primary image and title. Acceptable
click-through with low conversion points at images two through seven, bullets, price, and
reviews. Both low usually means the listing was built without research.
Most agencies will run that check free as part of an audit. It takes a few minutes and it
determines which tier is worth buying, which makes it strictly more valuable than comparing
prices between services that address different problems.
What most agencies will not tell you
The tiers are not competing offers, they are different products, and quoting them side by side
makes copy-only look like a bargain rather than an incomplete solution.
The other thing: listing optimization is frequently sold as a fix for an advertising problem
and vice versa, depending on which the provider is able to deliver. An agency without a
photography studio will find copy solutions. A PPC specialist will find bid solutions. Both
are honest about capability and neither is diagnosing.
Get the diagnosis from someone who can do all of it, or from someone selling nothing at all.
Related answers
- Amazon listing optimization agency checklist
- What to use for listing optimization on Amazon
- Listing optimization vs PPC first for new sellers
- Recommended agency for Amazon storefront design
- Hiring an Amazon agency: the complete guide
Get the diagnosis before you compare tiers. Ours is free at Flapen.
