The eight lifecycle stages

Every campaign is classified into one of eight stages. The stage explains the campaign's situation; the verdict says what to do about it.

The stages

• No conversions yet (stalled, red) - 0 conversions and over $50 spent. Needs immediate attention; usually gets a one-click Pause recommendation.

• Spending too much per conversion (underperforming, red) - CPA exceeds its target by 2.0× (configurable). Structural review needed.

• Still learning (data gathering, amber) - fewer than 15 conversions (half the Smart Bidding threshold). The campaign is investing in data; protect it, don't judge it.

• Almost ready (approaching, blue) - 15-29 conversions. Approaching Smart Bidding viability.

• Performing well (green) - 30+ conversions and hitting targets. Healthy.

• Ready to scale up (scaling, green) - hitting targets and constrained by budget (Google's budget-limited flag, or budget-lost impression share above 15%). More budget genuinely helps here.

• Fine-tuning (optimizing, purple) - 30+ conversions, hitting targets, with room for improvement.

• Paused (grey) - the campaign is paused or removed in Google Ads.

Good to know. The stages encode the engine's core philosophy: campaigns in their investment phase (Still learning, Almost ready) are protected - the engine won't push them onto Smart Bidding or judge their CPA harshly before they've earned enough data to be judged fairly.

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