Google Ads has introduced a beta feature that allows app marketers to apply seasonality adjustments to Smart Bidding, offering more precision during short-term, high-impact events such as flash sales or new product launches.
The update enables advertisers to signal expected conversion spikes to Google’s automated bidding system in advance. This helps Smart Bidding ramp up performance proactively, rather than reacting after the event has already started.
Announcing the development on LinkedIn, Qais Haddad, Google’s senior app growth manager, described the feature as a way to help marketers capture more value during crucial promotional periods.
How seasonality adjustments work
The new beta is designed to work across all app campaign bid strategies. It is intended for use during short, intense periods of activity, typically lasting between one and seven days. This makes it particularly suitable for events like weekend promotions or limited-time launches where conversions can rise sharply within a short window.
According to Google, the tool is not meant for minor fluctuations in performance, as Smart Bidding already accounts for those through its regular learning models. Instead, it provides advertisers with a specific lever to boost bids during predictable spikes, ensuring campaigns do not miss out on valuable traffic and revenue.
By applying a seasonality adjustment, advertisers can inform Smart Bidding of the expected surge in conversions. This allows the system to adjust bids proactively, making campaigns more predictable when business outcomes matter most.
Why this matters for advertisers
App campaigns often experience significant conversion swings during promotions. Without prior adjustments, Smart Bidding tends to adapt reactively, sometimes resulting in missed opportunities or under-optimised bids.
By giving marketers a way to prepare for these spikes, Google aims to make promotional windows more profitable. The ability to forecast conversion surges and align bidding strategies accordingly helps ensure advertisers make the most of limited-time events, rather than losing momentum at critical moments.
For advertisers focused on app growth, the seasonal bid adjustment tool provides greater confidence when running campaigns tied to sales events, launches, or other high-stakes promotions. It marks a shift towards giving advertisers more flexibility and predictability within Google’s automated systems, balancing automation with strategic human input.
A step towards smarter automation
While Smart Bidding has long been a cornerstone of Google Ads’ automated strategy, the addition of seasonality adjustments suggests a move towards a hybrid approach. By combining automated learning with manual foresight from advertisers, Google is aiming to create a more reliable system for managing volatile campaign periods.
The beta rollout is expected to give advertisers more immediate results when conversions surge, reducing the risk of wasted impressions or underinvestment. In practice, app marketers will be able to compete more effectively during critical timeframes when user activity is at its peak.
With the new feature now available in beta, app marketers will be closely watching its impact on performance, particularly as end-of-year sales seasons and major product launches approach.
