@Aaron676 "Since turning on smartpricing seems to maybe boost your rankings, has anybody figured out how to turn it on and not have it result in a big loss in revenue?"
Yes, I have, and I've gotten extensive private feedback that many other hosts have, too.
You've already learned some important things to know about SmartPricing - (1) don't accept Airbnb's minimum under any circumstances, and (2) it doesn't work with pricing rule-sets.
Airbnb's SmartPricing works better with far-in-advance bookings than with close-in bookings. VRBO's Market Maker (I think that's what it's called), is the exact opposite, raising prices high for close-in bookings and gradually reducing them to the minimum the farther away the dates are.
This difference illustrates the different origin markets of each platform. Airbnb - "air bed no breakfast" - appealed to a younger and more budget-conscious demographic once upon a time, and VRBO - "vacation rental by owner" - appealed to the kind of demographic who used vacation homes. The former might be more spontaneous, booking things last-minute or without a great deal of advance notice, and the latter might plan well in advance.
The two platforms are pretty much trying to do the exact same thing - offer their perceived market the lowest rate possible. It's your job as the host to manage your prices, not Airbnb's. It's Airbnb's job to market your listing to the most customers possible.
The more you understand about Smart Pricing, the more you'll be able to use it to your advantage. Manually raise any rates you want. If you get more short-notice than long-notice bookings, you're probably not going to see a big change in price. My market is the opposite. I had an Airbnb guest book a week in August 2022 the other day whose nightly price was almost embarrassingly high, while a VRBO guest booked for the same month and got my base price.
Since I began using Smart Pricing, my annual earnings have increased on average 44%.