The 4-stage bidding ladder
Google Ads Smart Bidding works best when you climb a ladder of increasingly aggressive strategies as you accumulate data. Most agencies do this manually. VibeAds automates the climb.
Why a ladder
Smart Bidding algorithms need conversion data to work. Going straight to Target ROAS on day 1 means Google has no signal to optimize against and your campaign chokes. Going manual forever means you leave Google's machine learning on the table.
The right path is to start manual, accumulate data, switch to a volume strategy once you have 30+ conversions/month, switch to value bidding once you have revenue data, and lock in a ROAS target once your value-stage performance is stable.
The 4 stages
| Stage | Google strategies | Goal | Min signal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Manual | MANUAL_CPC, MAXIMIZE_CLICKS | Get clicks, accumulate data | None (entry point) |
| 2. Volume | MAXIMIZE_CONVERSIONS, TARGET_CPA | Maximize conversion count | 30+ conversions/30d |
| 3a. Value | MAXIMIZE_CONVERSION_VALUE (no target) | Maximize conversion value | 30+ paid invoices/30d |
| 3b. Target ROAS | TARGET_ROAS, MAX_CV with target | Lock in a specific ROAS target | 50+ conversions/30d + 2-week stable ROAS |
Promotion criteria
- Stage 1 → Stage 2: 100+ clicks (intermediate rung) or 30+ conversions in 30 days. Switches to MAXIMIZE_CONVERSIONS or TARGET_CPA based on conversion consistency.
- Stage 2 → Stage 3a: 30+ paid invoices/30d AND 50+ total conversions. Flips the REVENUE conversion action to primary, changes campaign to MAXIMIZE_CONVERSION_VALUE.
- Stage 3a → Stage 3b: 50+ paid invoices/30d AND 2-week stable observed ROAS (variance under 20% week over week) AND on MAX_CV for 14+ days. Locks in TARGET_ROAS at 90% of observed ROAS (headroom for growth).
campaign.start_date. Campaigns that moved themselves to Max Conversion Value months before importing into VibeAds unlock Target ROAS on day 1 (when the data supports it).Demotion criteria
Demotion is conservative. The agent will warn but not auto-demote. Three warning diagnostics:
- revenue_signal_starved. REVENUE is primary but paid invoices dropped under 20/30d. Suggests reverting to lead-primary bidding or switching to MAX_CONVERSIONS while signal recovers.
- stage_health_regression. Audit on managed campaign caught a drift into data_starved or misconfigured state. Suggests review.
- revenue_action_missing. Pre-Phase-36 campaigns without the REVENUE conversion action. Suggests re-publishing through VibeAds to enable the full ladder.
Off-ladder strategies
Some Google Ads strategies do not fit the VibeAds ladder and are flagged as off-ladder:
- Portfolio bidding strategies (PORTFOLIO_*)
- Manual CPV (video campaigns)
- Manual CPM (display-only campaigns)
- Any legacy or shared strategy
Off-ladder campaigns are recognized by the audit and explicitly marked. The agent acknowledges them but does not fire ladder rules. You can continue managing them outside VibeAds while VibeAds tracks their performance.