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Your consultant’s advice about doubling from $175 to $350 daily is too aggressive for what you’re trying to accomplish. Drastic budget increases trigger Google’s learning phase because the algorithm needs to recalibrate bidding based on your new spend level, which causes 2-3 weeks of unstable performance.
The better approach: Increase budget by 20% every 3-4 days if performance stays stable. This keeps campaigns in optimization mode without forcing re-learning. For your situation, go from $175 to $210, wait 3 days, monitor CPA and conversion volume. If stable, increase another 20%.
Key indicator to watch: If your cost per conversion jumps more than 15-20% after a budget increase, you’ve moved too fast. Pause the increase and let it stabilize for 5-7 days before pushing again.
During Q4 specifically, gradual increases work better because auction competition is already high. Sudden budget spikes amplify volatility since you’re bidding against aggressive holiday budgets. Slow scaling gives you better cost control when CPCs are elevated.
