Why Turning Off Ads Kills Sales and Rankings on Amazon (What Sellers Need to Know)

Amazon sellers often think they’re being strategic when they pause their ads to “save money.”
But in 2025, turning off ads — even for a short time — is one of the fastest ways to tank your sales velocity, keyword relevance, and organic rankings.

This post breaks down why Amazon ads and SEO are more connected than ever, what happens behind the scenes when you pause your campaigns, and how to manage ad budgets without killing your long-term performance.

🔁 The Amazon Algorithm: PPC + Organic = Sales Machine

Amazon’s A10 algorithm doesn’t just reward good listings — it rewards consistent performance. That means:

  • High click-through rates (CTR)
  • Steady conversion rates
  • Reliable sales velocity
  • Engagement and customer satisfaction metrics

And PPC ads fuel all of that. When you stop running ads, you cut off a major traffic and conversion source — and that slows down your entire flywheel.

🚨 What Happens When You Turn Off Ads

Let’s walk through what actually happens when you pause ads:

1. Sales Velocity Drops Instantly

If ads are driving even 30–50% of your daily sales, pausing them reduces your velocity overnight. Amazon sees this dip and assumes:

  • Your product is less relevant
  • Your competitors are more attractive
  • Your listing might not deserve high placements

Result? Your organic rank starts falling — especially on your most valuable keywords.

2. Keyword Relevance Weakens

Amazon tracks which keywords your sales come from, especially when they’re tied to paid ads.

When you stop spending on high-performing keywords:

  • You stop getting keyword-attributed conversions
  • You lose keyword relevance over time
  • Your rankings erode as Amazon shows your product less in search

3. Competitors Take Over Your Slot

You might think you’re “saving” money, but your competitors are gladly spending it.

While your ads are off, they’re:

  • Stealing your impression share
  • Winning over your previous customers
  • Taking control of top-of-search placements

Once they start converting consistently, they get the SEO lift you just gave up.

4. Recovery Takes Longer and Costs More

After you lose rank, reactivating ads doesn’t always bring your listing back to life immediately.

You may now have to:

  • Bid higher to regain top placements
  • Spend more to get conversions
  • Compete with the listings that replaced you

In short: turning off ads often creates a more expensive problem than running lean campaigns in the first place.

🧠 Why Sellers Turn Off Ads (And Why It’s Usually a Mistake)

Here are common reasons sellers pause campaigns — and what they should do instead:

❌ “My ACoS is too high”

True… but are you looking at TACoS (Total Advertising Cost of Sale)?

If your ads are boosting organic rankings and long-term sales, you might be getting value even if ACoS is above target.

✅ What to do:

  • Optimize ad structure
  • Pause wasteful keywords only
  • Use campaign negation
  • Adjust bids, not entire campaigns

❌ “We’re running out of stock”

You don’t want to run out, sure — but going dark too early hurts your organic rank and delays recovery.

✅ What to do:

  • Lower bids and budgets gradually
  • Shift spend to retargeting or branded keywords
  • Keep sales trickling in to maintain relevance

❌ “I’ll turn them off during slow seasons”

Even during slower months, cutting ads means:

  • Lost rank
  • Lost relevance
  • Lost audience data

✅ What to do:

  • Narrow your targeting to your most profitable keywords
  • Focus on bottom-of-funnel campaigns
  • Build retargeting audiences for Q4 or peak seasons

✅ What to Do Instead of Going Dark

Here’s how smart sellers adjust ad strategy without destroying momentum:

1. Lower Bids, Don’t Pause

If budgets are tight, reduce bids or daily spend caps — don’t turn off campaigns entirely.

This keeps the algorithm engaged and maintains data history.

2. Focus on Exact Match Converters

Cut broad keywords that aren’t profitable and double down on exact match terms that consistently convert.

Lean and focused always beats bloated and paused.

3. Run Branded + Retargeting Campaigns

These usually have:

  • Low ACoS
  • High CTR and conversion
  • Strong rank maintenance value

You can often keep these going for pennies on the dollar while staying visible to your warmest audience.

4. Use DSP or Attribution to Capture External Conversions

Drive traffic from off-Amazon sources with:

  • Amazon Attribution
  • TikTok or Meta ads
  • Google Shopping

Amazon rewards outside traffic — and those sales still help with ranking.

5. Use PPC to Protect Your Rank

If you’ve reached page 1 on your main keywords, you MUST defend those positions. Even a short pause can cause you to drop — and climbing back can take weeks or months.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Kill the Momentum You Worked So Hard to Build

Amazon ads aren’t just for paid clicks — they’re for fueling your entire listing’s success.

Turning them off might feel like a smart short-term decision, but it often leads to:

  • Lower rankings
  • Reduced sales
  • Higher reactivation costs
  • Competitive losses

✅ Instead of going dark, get strategic.
✅ Optimize your spend.
✅ Focus on high-impact campaigns.
✅ Keep the flywheel spinning.