Seasonal Google Ads Strategies: Year-Round Playbook

Google Ads performance fluctuates throughout the year based on consumer behavior, competitive dynamics, and cultural events.

Seasonality Impact

Seasonal changes affect:

• Search volume (what people search for)
• Competition (who's bidding and how much)
• Conversion rates (intent levels)
• Average order values
• Customer acquisition costs

The Seasonal Advantage

Smart advertisers:

• Anticipate changes before they happen
• Adjust budgets proactively
• Create seasonal creative
• Capture opportunity windows
• Avoid wasted spend in low periods

Reactive advertisers:

• Scramble when performance changes
• Miss opportunity windows
• Overspend in slow periods
• Underspend in peak periods

This Guide Covers

• Quarter-by-quarter strategy
• Monthly tactical adjustments
• Key dates and events
• Budget allocation frameworks
• Creative planning calendars

Industry Variations

Seasonality varies by industry:

• Retail: Q4 heavy, January slow
• B2B: Summer slow, Q1 and Q4 strong
• Services: Varies by service type
• Travel: Summer/holiday peaks

Adapt these frameworks to your specific business patterns.

Q1 is transition time—from holiday highs to new-year patterns.

January

Characteristics:

• Post-holiday slowdown
• "New year, new me" mindset
• Gift card redemption
• Lower CPCs (less competition)

Opportunity areas:

• Self-improvement products
• Fitness and health
• Organization and productivity
• New year deals positioning

Tactics:

• Reduce budgets to match volume
• Test new campaigns (cheaper CPCs)
• Target gift card redeemers
• New Year resolution messaging

February

Characteristics:

• Valentine's Day peak (Feb 1-14)
• Slight recovery from January
• Tax season begins

Key dates:

• Super Bowl Sunday (usually early Feb)
• Valentine's Day (Feb 14)

Tactics:

• Valentine's campaigns for gift products
• Couple-focused messaging
• Self-love angle for non-gift products
• Begin tax season messaging if relevant

March

Characteristics:

• Spring break period
• Tax season intensity
• Spring cleaning/home improvement
• Weather-dependent categories

Key dates:

• St. Patrick's Day (March 17)
• Spring equinox (March 20)
• Easter (varies - sometimes March)

Tactics:

• Spring refresh messaging
• Spring break travel/preparation
• Home improvement season begins
• Tax deadline approaching

Q1 Budget Allocation

Month	Typical Budget %	Notes
January	70-80% of normal	Lower volume
February	85-95% of normal	Valentine's bump
March	95-105% of normal	Recovery begins

Q1 Key Actions

• Reduce budgets after New Year
• Launch Valentine's campaigns by Jan 25
• Prepare spring creative
• Test new strategies in low-cost January

Q2 brings spring momentum and leads into summer.

April

Characteristics:

• Tax deadline push (April 15)
• Easter (if not in March)
• Spring in full swing
• Outdoor season begins

Key dates:

• Tax Day (April 15)
• Easter (varies)
• Earth Day (April 22)

Tactics:

• Last-minute tax messaging (early April)
• Post-tax "treat yourself"
• Easter promotions if relevant
• Spring/outdoor product push

May

Characteristics:

• Mother's Day peak
• Memorial Day weekend
• Graduation season
• Wedding season begins

Key dates:

• Mother's Day (2nd Sunday)
• Memorial Day (last Monday)
• Graduation season

Tactics:

• Mother's Day gift campaigns
• Memorial Day sales
• Graduation gift messaging
• Summer preview

June

Characteristics:

• Father's Day peak
• Summer officially begins
• Wedding season peak
• Vacation/travel season

Key dates:

• Father's Day (3rd Sunday)
• Summer solstice (June 20-21)

Tactics:

• Father's Day campaigns
• Summer product launches
• Vacation/travel preparation
• Outdoor/summer activity focus

Q2 Budget Allocation

Month	Typical Budget %	Notes
April	100-110%	Spring recovery
May	110-120%	Mother's Day + Memorial Day
June	105-115%	Father's Day + summer

Q2 Key Actions

• Launch Mother's Day campaigns by April 20
• Prepare Memorial Day promotions
• Father's Day campaigns by June 1
• Summer product/messaging transition
• Wedding/graduation targeting if relevant

Q3 is traditionally slower but has specific opportunities.

July

Characteristics:

• Independence Day (US)
• Peak summer/vacation
• Slower for many B2B
• Amazon Prime Day impact

Key dates:

• Independence Day (July 4)
• Amazon Prime Day (usually mid-July)

Tactics:

• 4th of July promotions
• Summer sale messaging
• Compete with/leverage Prime Day
• Lower budgets if vacation-impacted industry

August

Characteristics:

• Back-to-school peak
• End of summer sales
• B2B often slowest month
• Labor Day prep

Key dates:

• Back-to-school (throughout August)
• Labor Day (early September)

Tactics:

• Back-to-school campaigns (parents and students)
• End-of-summer clearance
• Labor Day preview
• Fall transition messaging

September

Characteristics:

• Labor Day sales
• Fall transition
• B2B activity resumes
• Q4 planning begins

Key dates:

• Labor Day (1st Monday)
• Fall equinox (Sept 22-23)

Tactics:

• Labor Day promotions
• Fall product launches
• Back-to-routine messaging
• Begin Q4 preparation

Q3 Budget Allocation

Month	Typical Budget %	Notes
July	85-100%	Summer slowdown for many
August	90-105%	Back-to-school
September	100-110%	Activity resumes

Q3 Key Actions

• 4th of July campaigns ready
• Back-to-school campaigns by late July
• Labor Day promotions
• Begin Q4 planning in September
• Build Q4 audience lists

Q4 is the biggest quarter for most consumer businesses.

October

Characteristics:

• Q4 ramp begins
• Halloween preparation
• Early holiday shoppers
• Lower CPCs before BFCM rush

Key dates:

• Halloween (October 31)
• Pre-holiday shopping begins

Tactics:

• Halloween campaigns if relevant
• Early holiday messaging test
• Build remarketing audiences
• Test campaigns before peak costs

November

Characteristics:

• BFCM peak (see dedicated guide)
• Highest CPCs of the year
• Highest conversion rates too
• Pre-holiday gift shopping

Key dates:

• Singles Day (November 11)
• Thanksgiving (4th Thursday)
• Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving)
• Cyber Monday (Monday after)

Tactics:

• Full BFCM execution (see BFCM playbook)
• Pre-Black Friday warm-up
• Cyber Week continuation
• Post-BFCM holiday transition

December

Characteristics:

• Holiday gift shopping peak
• Shipping deadline urgency
• Last-minute shopper period
• Post-Christmas lull

Key dates:

• Shipping deadlines (varies)
• Christmas (December 25)
• Hanukkah (varies)
• New Year's Eve (December 31)

Tactics:

• Shipping deadline messaging
• Gift guide focus
• Last-minute buyer campaigns
• Gift card emphasis (late December)

Q4 Budget Allocation

Month	Typical Budget %	Notes
October	110-125%	Ramp-up
November	175-250%	BFCM peak
December	125-175%	Holiday shopping

Q4 Key Actions

• Q4 campaigns ready by October 1
• BFCM campaigns by November 1
• December shipping deadline updates
• Post-holiday planning for January

Allocate budget strategically across the year.

Annual Budget Distribution

Typical retail allocation:

Quarter	% of Annual	Key Periods
Q1	18-22%	Valentine's
Q2	22-26%	Mother's/Father's Day
Q3	18-22%	Back-to-school
Q4	35-45%	BFCM + Holiday

Monthly flexibility:

• Reserve 10-15% for opportunistic spending
• Buffer for unexpected peaks
• Ability to shift between months

Budget Adjustment Triggers

Increase budget when:

• Performance exceeds targets
• Competition decreases unexpectedly
• Opportunity window opens
• Inventory needs moving

Decrease budget when:

• Performance falls below threshold
• Seasonal slowdown hits
• Competition spikes unsustainably
• Inventory constraints

Bid Seasonality Adjustments

Google's seasonality tools:

• Use Performance Max seasonality adjustments
• Set conversion rate expectations for peaks
• Apply to specific date ranges

Manual adjustments:

• Raise targets 10-20% before peaks
• Lower targets 10-20% during valleys
• Adjust device/location modifiers seasonally

Rolling 13-Month Planning

Maintain:

• Current month: Active management
• Next month: Final preparation
• 2-3 months out: Campaign planning
• 4-6 months out: Budget planning
• Same time last year: Benchmark reference

Monthly budget review:

1. Review performance vs. plan
2. Adjust next month's budget
3. Update quarterly forecast
4. Document learnings

Plan creative ahead to avoid scrambling during peaks.

Creative Production Timeline

Creative Needed	Start Planning	Complete By
Valentine's Day	December	January 20
Easter	February	3 weeks before
Mother's Day	March	April 15
Father's Day	April	June 1
Summer	May	June 1
Back-to-school	June	July 20
Halloween	August	October 1
BFCM	September	November 1
Holiday	October	November 15

Creative Theme Calendar

January:

• New Year/fresh start
• Resolution themes
• Organization/improvement

February:

• Valentine's/love
• Red/pink/hearts motifs
• Gift/treat themes

March-April:

• Spring/renewal
• Easter (if applicable)
• Pastel colors
• Fresh/new messaging

May-June:

• Celebration (Mother's/Father's Day)
• Summer preview
• Outdoor/active themes

July-August:

• Summer/sunshine
• Vacation vibes
• Back-to-school (August)

September-October:

• Fall/harvest themes
• Halloween (October)
• Warm colors

November-December:

• Black Friday/Cyber Monday
• Holiday/festive
• Gift-giving
• Urgency themes

Creative Rotation Strategy

Refresh frequency:

• Seasonal creative: Change quarterly
• Promotional creative: Per promotion
• Evergreen creative: Refresh every 6-12 months

Avoid creative fatigue:

• Rotate within campaigns
• Test new angles continuously
• Monitor CTR for decline signals

Asset Checklist Per Season

For each major seasonal period:

• RSA headlines (10-15)
• RSA descriptions (4-5)
• Display assets (all sizes)
• Video assets (if using)
• Landing page updates
• Merchant promotions (Shopping)

Different industries have different seasonal patterns.

Ecommerce/Retail

Peaks:

• BFCM (biggest)
• December holidays
• Valentine's Day
• Mother's Day

Valleys:

• January post-holiday
• Late summer (before BTS)
• Early October (before Q4)

Strategy: Maximize Q4, use Q1/Q3 for testing and optimization.

B2B/SaaS

Peaks:

• January (new budgets)
• March (Q1 end push)
• September (post-summer)
• November (before year-end)

Valleys:

• Summer (vacation slowdown)
• Late December (holiday)

Strategy: Push hard in Q1 and Q4, maintain presence in slower months.

Travel/Hospitality

Peaks:

• January (booking summer)
• March (spring break)
• May-July (summer travel)
• November-December (holiday travel)

Valleys:

• September (post-summer)
• Early February

Strategy: Lead-time matters—book campaigns ahead of actual travel.

Home Services

Peaks:

• Spring (lawn/landscaping)
• Summer (HVAC cooling)
• Fall (heating prep)
• After storms (roof/repair)

Valleys:

• Deep winter (weather dependent)
• Post-holiday

Strategy: Weather-reactive campaigns, seasonal service focus.

Health/Fitness

Peaks:

• January (resolutions)
• March-May (pre-summer)
• September (back-to-routine)

Valleys:

• November-December (holiday distractions)
• Mid-summer

Strategy: Ride resolution wave, maintain through valleys.

Your Industry Analysis

Document for your business:

1. Highest-performing months historically
2. Lowest-performing months
3. Key industry dates/events
4. Lead time for your purchase cycle
5. Competitive intensity by month

Operationalize seasonal planning with this framework.

Quarterly Planning Session

6-8 weeks before quarter starts:

Agenda:

1. Review prior quarter performance
2. Analyze year-over-year data
3. Set quarterly goals
4. Allocate monthly budgets
5. Plan key campaigns
6. Assign creative needs

Output:

• Quarterly budget allocation
• Campaign calendar
• Creative brief

Monthly Review Cadence

First week of month:

• Review prior month performance
• Finalize current month budget
• Launch planned campaigns
• Confirm creative ready

Mid-month:

• Progress check vs. goals
• Adjust budget if needed
• Prepare next month campaigns

End of month:

• Performance summary
• Learnings documentation
• Next month final prep

Seasonal Transition Checklist

When transitioning between seasons:

• Pause expired seasonal campaigns
• Launch new seasonal creative
• Update promotional messaging
• Adjust budget allocation
• Update audience targeting
• Refresh ad scheduling
• Update bid adjustments

Annual Calendar Template

Create your own:

Month	Key Dates	Campaign Focus	Budget %	Creative Theme
Jan	NYE hangover	New year	75%	Fresh start
Feb	Valentine's	Love/gifts	90%	Hearts/romance
Mar	Spring	Renewal	100%	Fresh/new
Apr	Easter, Tax	Relief	100%	Spring
May	Mother's Day	Celebration	115%	Appreciation
Jun	Father's Day	Celebration	110%	Summer
Jul	4th July	Summer	90%	Outdoor
Aug	BTS	Preparation	95%	Ready
Sep	Labor Day	Transition	105%	Fall
Oct	Halloween	Pre-holiday	115%	Festive
Nov	BFCM	Peak sales	200%	Deals
Dec	Holiday	Gift giving	150%	Celebration

Documentation

Maintain:

• Seasonal performance archive
• Year-over-year comparisons
• Winning creative library
• Lessons learned by season