Q4 rewards preparation and punishes improvisation, mostly because the learning phase does not care that it is your biggest week.
Six weeks before
- Fix tracking and verify against store orders. Do not discover a measurement problem on peak day.
- Clear every Merchant Center disapproval. Catalogue coverage matters more in Q4 than at any other time.
- Get feed and titles right — this is the last comfortable moment to touch them.
- Build and test creative now, while impressions are cheap.
Two to three weeks before
- Raise budgets gradually so the bidding learns at higher volume before the spike, not during it.
- Set up promotional assets and check landing pages handle the offer.
- Confirm stock and fulfilment can take the volume. Selling what you cannot ship is worse than not selling it.
During
Change as little as possible. Monitor spend pacing and disapprovals, adjust budgets, and leave structure and targets alone. A restructure on 22 November puts the account into learning for the exact week you needed it stable.
The expensive mistake
Waiting for peak week to raise budgets. The bidding then tries to learn a new spend level in the middle of the most competitive auction of the year, and usually spends badly for several days before settling.
After
Expect a slump and do not panic-cut. Q4 buyers pulled demand forward; January is slower for everyone. Judge the quarter, not the fortnight.