diff --git a/octodns/provider/route53.py b/octodns/provider/route53.py
index 97809b9..db6f6a7 100644
--- a/octodns/provider/route53.py
+++ b/octodns/provider/route53.py
@@ -469,9 +469,9 @@ class _Route53GeoRecord(_Route53Record):
 
 
 _mod_keyer_action_order = {
-    'DELETE': '0',  # Delete things first
-    'CREATE': '1',  # Then Create things
-    'UPSERT': '2',  # Upsert things last
+    'DELETE': 0,  # Delete things first
+    'CREATE': 1,  # Then Create things
+    'UPSERT': 2,  # Upsert things last
 }
 
 
@@ -483,18 +483,18 @@ def _mod_keyer(mod):
     # name/id of the rrset
 
     if rrset.get('GeoLocation', False):
-        return '{}3{}'.format(action_order, rrset['SetIdentifier'])
+        return (action_order, 3, rrset['SetIdentifier'])
     elif rrset.get('AliasTarget', False):
         # We use an alias
         if rrset.get('Failover', False) == 'SECONDARY':
             # We're a secondary we'll ref primaries
-            return '{}2{}'.format(action_order, rrset['Name'])
+            return (action_order, 2, rrset['Name'])
         else:
             # We're a primary we'll ref values
-            return '{}1{}'.format(action_order, rrset['Name'])
+            return (action_order, 1, rrset['Name'])
 
     # We're just a plain value, these come first
-    return '{}0{}'.format(action_order, rrset['Name'])
+    return (action_order, 0, rrset['Name'])
 
 
 class Route53Provider(BaseProvider):
diff --git a/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py b/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
index 4c5ed4f..67fcb76 100644
--- a/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
+++ b/tests/test_octodns_provider_route53.py
@@ -2273,7 +2273,7 @@ class TestModKeyer(TestCase):
         # First "column"
 
         # Deletes come first
-        self.assertEquals('00something', _mod_keyer({
+        self.assertEquals((0, 0, 'something'), _mod_keyer({
             'Action': 'DELETE',
             'ResourceRecordSet': {
                 'Name': 'something',
@@ -2281,7 +2281,7 @@ class TestModKeyer(TestCase):
         }))
 
         # Creates come next
-        self.assertEquals('10another', _mod_keyer({
+        self.assertEquals((1, 0, 'another'), _mod_keyer({
             'Action': 'CREATE',
             'ResourceRecordSet': {
                 'Name': 'another',
@@ -2289,7 +2289,7 @@ class TestModKeyer(TestCase):
         }))
 
         # Then upserts
-        self.assertEquals('20last', _mod_keyer({
+        self.assertEquals((2, 0, 'last'), _mod_keyer({
             'Action': 'UPSERT',
             'ResourceRecordSet': {
                 'Name': 'last',
@@ -2299,7 +2299,7 @@ class TestModKeyer(TestCase):
         # Second "column" value records tested above
 
         # AliasTarget primary second (to value)
-        self.assertEquals('01thing', _mod_keyer({
+        self.assertEquals((0, 1, 'thing'), _mod_keyer({
             'Action': 'DELETE',
             'ResourceRecordSet': {
                 'AliasTarget': 'some-target',
@@ -2309,7 +2309,7 @@ class TestModKeyer(TestCase):
         }))
 
         # AliasTarget secondary third
-        self.assertEquals('02thing', _mod_keyer({
+        self.assertEquals((0, 2, 'thing'), _mod_keyer({
             'Action': 'DELETE',
             'ResourceRecordSet': {
                 'AliasTarget': 'some-target',
@@ -2319,7 +2319,7 @@ class TestModKeyer(TestCase):
         }))
 
         # GeoLocation fourth
-        self.assertEquals('03some-id', _mod_keyer({
+        self.assertEquals((0, 3, 'some-id'), _mod_keyer({
             'Action': 'DELETE',
             'ResourceRecordSet': {
                 'GeoLocation': 'some-target',