Google Ads channel prioritization: cap Display and search partners down to 0%
Partner · Strategy, advertising and measurement
Since October 15, 2026, Google Ads has been rolling out two settings that let you rank a campaign's channels by priority and cap, as a percentage, the spend of secondary channels such as the Display Network and search partners. A 0% cap turns the channel off. In February 2027, the current Display Network setting in Search campaigns goes away: those campaigns will move to the new system automatically.
What Google announced
Google introduced the two settings on October 14, 2026 in a post by Tal Akabas, Director of Product Management for Google Ads. In the interface, they are called "Channel prioritization" and "Budget allocation." They are optional and have been reaching accounts gradually since October 15, over the next few months according to Google.
- Channel prioritization. Each channel in a campaign is set to "High priority" or "Low priority." Google first fully funds the high-priority channels (within your target CPA or target ROAS), then sends the rest of the budget to the low-priority channels.
- Budget allocation. For a low-priority channel, you can set a daily cap as a percentage of the campaign's average daily budget. With 5% of a $1,000 average daily budget, Google aims for about $50 a day on that channel.
- A cap that is not a guarantee. Google applies the allocation on a best-effort basis: daily spend on the channel may occasionally exceed the cap.
- Nothing changes by default. All channels start at high priority. Your campaign runs as before until you move one.
The setting lives at the account level (Account settings, "Channel prioritization" card), the campaign level or on a shared budget. It cannot be set from a manager account. Google says support for the Google Ads API and Google Ads Editor is coming soon.
Which channels you can set, by campaign type
| Campaign type | Channels you can set |
|---|---|
| Search | Google Search, search partners, Google Display Network |
| Shopping | Google Search, search partners |
| Performance Max | Google channels, search partners, Google Display Network |
| Demand Gen | Google channels, Google Display Network (priority only: the help page excludes budget allocation) |
In Performance Max and Demand Gen, Search, YouTube and Google's other surfaces form a single group, the "Google channels." They cannot be ranked separately.
Turning a channel off with 0%
For many advertisers, the most useful case is the 0% cap. According to the help page, if you set a low-priority channel's allocation to 0%, Google won't spend on that channel.
For a Performance Max campaign, it is a way to keep the Display Network or search partners out without changing campaign type. For a Search campaign, it is a way to keep partners at a small dose (5 or 10%, for example) rather than choosing between all or nothing. Google itself presents allocation as a way to test secondary channels safely.
February 2027: the end of the Display setting in Search campaigns
Starting in February 2027, Search campaigns that use Display Expansion will automatically move to channel prioritization and budget allocation. The current spend allocation setting goes away. Since all channels start at high priority, spend could shift between networks.
To keep things close to how they run today, Google suggests setting the Google Display Network to low priority with a 50% daily budget allocation. A campaign set up before February takes its new settings right away.
A second change affects one bid strategy: according to the help page, the Display Network will no longer serve in Search campaigns that use Target Impression Share.
What still needs clarifying
- Demand Gen. Google's post announces the settings for Demand Gen, but the help page excludes budget allocation there. Only priority would be available for now.
- Bid strategies. The help page names Target CPC. The post only mentions target CPA and target ROAS.
- Shared budgets. The post says the settings apply to shared budgets, but the shared budgets help page says Performance Max is not compatible with them.
What we recommend
- Find your campaigns with Display Expansion. They are the ones that will change in February 2027. Note their Display Network spend now, using the network segment in your reports, so you can compare after the switch.
- Decide based on sales, not clicks. Compare, network by network, the cost per lead or per sale over the last three months. A channel that brings sales at a cost you accept doesn't need to be cut.
- Set the channel that doesn't sell to 0%. If the Display Network or search partners bring neither leads nor sales, set them to low priority with a 0% allocation.
- Test a small percentage rather than all or nothing. For an uncertain channel, a 5 to 10% allocation lets you measure its sales without exposing the whole budget.
- Check spend by network again. The cap is not a guarantee: look at daily spend by network for the first two weeks after each change.
- Look for the "Channel prioritization" card. If it does not show up in your settings yet, the rollout has not reached your account: check again in a few weeks.
Setting up networks and reading your campaigns' sales is part of our Google Ads management service.
Since October 15, 2026, Google Ads lets you rank a campaign's channels by priority and cap the Display Network and search partners as a percentage, down to 0% to turn them off. In February 2027, Search campaigns that use Display Expansion will move to this system by default. Base your settings on each network's sales.
To see where your Display ads actually appear, see Google Display: check which apps are showing your ads. To set your targets with a small budget, see Google Ads: managing target CPA and ROAS with a limited budget. The overall structure of an account is covered in Google Ads: a guide to structuring and measuring your campaigns.
- Google, Guide your campaign spending with new priority and allocation features, Tal Akabas, October 14, 2026.
- Google Ads Help, About channel prioritization and budget allocation, accessed October 19, 2026. Source of the channels by campaign type, the 0% cap, the rollout date and the February 2027 change.
- PPC Land, Google Ads lets advertisers limit Display and partner spend by percentage, October 14, 2026. Source of the gaps between the post and the help pages.
- Search Engine Roundtable, New Google Ads Controls: Channel Prioritization & Budget Allocation, October 14, 2026.
Gabriel almost always takes your first call and carries out your audit. He builds the strategy starting from your growth goal: where to put your budget, which market to test and how to connect each lead to a real sale in your CRM. He mainly leads engagements for three goals: Optimize the profitability of your digital campaigns, Develop a new market, and Generate demand and growth. With Geneviève, he also works on organic search (SEO), AI visibility (GEO) and conversion rate optimization (CRO). The sales a Google Ads or Meta Ads campaign brings in depend on the page that receives the click. He writes mainly about marketing strategy, paid advertising and measurement.
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