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What happens if you set an ACoS, ROAS or Cost per Conversion goal too early?

Karin Hollstein avatar
Written by Karin Hollstein
Updated this week

What happens if you set an ACoS, ROAS or Cost per Conversion Goal too early?

Choosing the right goal is essential for successful optimization.

If the goal is set before your campaign has collected enough conversions, Adspert’s algorithm results in unstable performance and declining sales over time.

Why Conversion Volume Matters

Adspert relies on statistical patterns in your campaign’s historical data.

To accurately calculate the relationship between costs, clicks, and revenue, the system needs a minimum amount of conversion data — ideally at least:

Around 30 conversions within the last 30 days

(≈ 1 conversion per day)

This ensures that Adspert can base its decisions on meaningful patterns rather than random fluctuations.

Example: Setting a Goal Too Early

Imagine your campaign currently generates:

  • 1 click per day

  • 1 conversion per day

  • Revenue-based goal = stable performance

Everything seems fine — but now one day passes without a conversion:

  • A click still costs money.

  • Your average performance drops because costs remain while no revenue comes in.

To compensate, Adspert’s algorithm lowers the bids to bring results back in line with the set goal.

However, when bids decrease:

  • Fewer auctions are won → fewer impressions

  • Fewer impressions → fewer clicks

  • Fewer clicks → even fewer conversions

The algorithm then reacts again by reducing bids further, creating a downward spiral:

Lower bids → fewer impressions → fewer conversions → even lower bids

The campaign gradually loses visibility and performance — not because Adspert isn’t working, but because the goal was defined too early with insufficient data.

How to Avoid This

  1. Wait for enough conversion data
    Make sure your campaign has at least 30 conversions in the last 30 days before setting or tightening a revenue-based goal.

  2. Start with a flexible optimization goal
    Begin with Maximize Sales so Adspert can collect enough conversion data first.

  3. Adjust gradually
    Once conversion volume is stable, introduce your revenue-based goal and refine it step by step.

  4. Check for over-correction
    If performance suddenly declines, review whether the goal may be too aggressive for the current data volume.

In short:

Setting a revenue-based goal too early can trigger a downward performance spiral.

Allow Adspert to collect sufficient conversion data first — then define a realistic goal to ensure long-term, stable optimization.

Be aware: 30 conversions within the last 30 days is the absolute minimum we recommend.

The more conversions the algorithm can use as a data basis, the more stable and reliable your results will be.

To read more on that topic please read this article.

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