Running a successful business on Amazon requires a combination of paid advertising (PPC), organic ranking strategies, and pricing tactics. Many sellers wonder, what happens when you turn off PPC? This article will break down why ranking drops when PPC is turned off, how to revive a struggling product listing, and what pricing strategies can help boost sales.
Why Does Amazon Ranking Drop When You Turn Off PPC?
Amazon is a pay-to-play platform, and turning off PPC can cause a rapid drop in ranking. Here’s why:
1️⃣ Sales Velocity Decreases – If your PPC campaigns were driving sales, turning them off means less sales activity, which lowers your Best Sellers Rank (BSR).
2️⃣ Loss of Momentum – Other sellers continue running ads, gaining visibility, and building their organic rankings while you lose yours.
3️⃣ Conversion Rate Decline – Fewer clicks and sales signal to Amazon’s algorithm that your product isn’t as relevant, pushing it further down the search results.
How to Prevent a Ranking Drop
✅ Monitor Performance: Gradually scale back ads and track the impact before completely turning PPC off.
✅ Pulsing Strategy: Instead of stopping PPC altogether, lower the budget temporarily and analyze changes in rank.
✅ Reinvest in PPC When Needed: If rank drops significantly, turn ads back on quickly before losing first-page placement.
How to Revive a Struggling Product Listing
If a listing isn’t generating sales, here are proven strategies to boost rankings and conversions:
1. Run a High-Discount Promotion
A 30-40% off coupon or discount can help boost your product’s visibility and increase sales. However, Amazon now requires sales history to qualify for coupons, making this more challenging for new or slow-moving products.
📌 Pro Tip: If your product doesn’t qualify for a coupon, try temporarily lowering the price instead.
2. Optimize Your Listing
🔹 Test a New Main Image: Your main image significantly impacts click-through rates. Try a more engaging or eye-catching version.
🔹 Refine Your Keywords: Ensure your title, bullet points, and backend search terms are fully optimized with high-converting keywords.
🔹 Improve A+ Content & Infographics: Make sure text is readable on mobile and key product benefits stand out.
3. Adjust Pricing to Trigger the Algorithm
Lowering your price can increase conversion rates and improve ranking. However, be cautious of Amazon’s pricing errors, which may suppress your listing if the price is too low.
✅ Strategic Price Drops: Temporarily lower the price to jumpstart sales and gain traction in search results.
✅ Use Coupons If Eligible: The green coupon badge attracts attention and encourages conversions.
✅ Test Different Price Points: See how pricing affects conversion rates and overall sales.
4. Combine PPC With Organic Strategies
A company in the coconut water industry tried spending £30,000-£50,000 on PPC alone to regain ranking but saw no results. Instead, they ran a 35-40% off coupon, reduced ad spend to £15,000-£20,000, and quickly regained top search rankings.
💡 Lesson: Throwing money at ads isn’t always the solution. A well-structured discount strategy can be more effective in reviving a struggling listing.
Final Thoughts: How to Succeed on Amazon
Amazon’s marketplace is highly competitive, and ranking requires continuous effort and strategic adjustments.
🎯 Key Takeaways:
✔️ Don’t completely turn off PPC—scale it back and monitor performance.
✔️ Use promotions, price drops, and listing optimizations to spark sales.
✔️ Test different images, keywords, and pricing strategies to increase conversions.
✔️ Stay adaptable—Amazon’s rules constantly change, so sellers need to evolve with the platform.