Zrank dropped again anyone else seeing this?

[Susang6]

I was at a Zrank 8 for one day last month, then held steady at 7. Yesterday I dropped to 6, and I’m honestly not sure why. I’ve blogged 20 new product articles, promoted them across my platforms, and kept up with weekly product listings. It’s not a huge volume, but I’ve had offline life stuff to manage.

I also refreshed mockups for products that weren’t getting views some had zero and tried to give them a better chance. My store’s fully prepped for the upcoming holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. I’ve got a big seasonal listing live and a Christmas refresh in progress. It’s timely, trend-aware, and I’ve been working to keep it that way.

Sales were strong the first week of September. My associate referral link history is showing 200+ daily clicks, which feels like a healthy baseline. But I’ve had no sales for the past three days. I’m wondering if the Zrank drop is part of it or if something else is shifting behind the scenes?

Just so you know I run 7 active blogs where I promote Z products that match the article’s theme.  I’m admin of multiple Pinterest groups with 4.8K followers, and I manage several Facebook groups with 1.6K (personal) followers.  My one group Promote Your Posts has 4.6K members with daily activity and searchable in Google (ranked well)

I’ve been consistent with outreach, mockup refreshes, and seasonal prep. Just trying to make sense of the pattern. Anyone else noticing changes? my September sales were climbing now it feels like something’s stalled. (drop in Zrank?)

[Jadendreamer13]

How in the world can you accomplish so much? That’s amazing. My z rank was holding steady at 8, and then it fell to 7. My September sales and referrals have been great. As a result, I was expecting my z rank to rise back up to level 8, but that did not happen. It’s still holding steady at 7.

I have no idea how z rank works and if it’s important to reach a higher z level.

[Susang6]

I have ill husband and I am up all night, with phone close by in case I have to call 911.  I think I am able to do all this due to stress. I write, promote and list all night long.   I wish the explanation for drop in Zrank was clear.  Like we decreased your Zrank because "you need to do this" ...the guessing game...is nonproductive 

[Jadendreamer13]

So sorry, Susan, that your husband is ill. 

[VivianD117]

Here is Zazzle's answer to that question: https://help.zazzle.com/hc/en-us/articles/222927048-How-zRank-Works

[Susang6]

Yes I understand they have many reasons for a decrease or increase in z rank...but as you can see I do follow their suggestions and yet my Z rank decreased from 8 to a 6 with no clear explanation >  why?  Its nonproductive to do the guessing game ...I want Zazzle to tell me why specifically the decrease occurred.  example > decrease because low referral link history, decrease due to storefront set-up, just a simple reason as to why.   Not a list of maybe it was this or that. 

[klsantillo]

Same thing happened to me last month. I was a steady 8, and it dropped to 7. My sales have not decreased and I promote CONSTANTLY. I expected it to go back up after a few days, but it hasn't changed for three weeks 😞

[Susang6]

I think I’ve figured out why my ZRank dropped. I recently changed my public name to my pen name to protect my privacy especially now that I’m publishing local advocacy articles. I also updated my About section to reflect that shift. From what I’ve read at Facebook, any major changes to your store profile can trigger the algorithm, and it’s possible Zazzle algorithm flagged me as a “new creator” or “new store” even though nothing else changed.

That might explain the dip in visibility and maybe even the slowdown in sales. New name, new listings, updated profile… it’s hard to know exactly what the algorithm is responding to.

[MOM]

@Susang6 @Jadendreamer13  I‘m certainly no zRank expert (6 is the highest I have ever climbed in the almost two years I‘m now on Zazzle and that’s where I am right now) but I believe the number one driver for upping your zRank are referrals (especially Self referrals). What puts it down is the relation of listed items compared to sold items and finally cancelation  will also have a negative impact on your zRank.

I could be totally wrong, as I said I‘m still fairly new on Zazzle and I haven’t even crossed the halfway line to make Bronze so I definitely still have ways to go for that one.

[Susang6]

I am not sure if  Zrank is influenced by promotion activity, (linkoverhistory) I have a close creator friend I’ve known since 2009 we talk daily, they average about 10 referral  link history per day, have consistent third-party sales, and currently hold a Zrank of 8. What’s interesting is that their store isn’t seasonal or holiday-focused at all.

 I’ve had three “pink” in the past 30 days, but I honestly have no control over those. I still don’t know why those sales were pink, and Zazzle doesn’t always provide clear insight into the reason.

So I’m trying to understand what’s really driving the Zrank shifts. Promotion and consistency seem to matter, but the return logic and referral metrics still feel unclear.  A clear explanation would be helpful if only Z would say , decrease because you haven’t reviewed your purchase, or decreased because low referral link history…they should just tell us.

[VivianD117]

@Susang6 Here is Zazzle's answer to that question: https://help.zazzle.com/hc/en-us/articles/222927048-How-zRank-Works

[Wollastonite]

Don't stress about chasing zRank. It's just a quick measure for Zazzle of whether you're a serious maintained shop or just an account that posted a shirt once in 2006. I don't think Zazzle has even mentioned zRank in years. The only thing that matters is less than 4 vs. 4 or more. Whether it's 6, 7, 8, it doesn't matter, nobody's checking up on that and it has no effect on anything.

Make your products good and your shop successful. The tips on that help page will steer you toward that. The exact zRank number is distracting you from the real goal.