When you pay for search advertising, your ads are not shown only on Google itself. Depending on the settings, they can also appear on Google’s partner sites and on the Display Network (banners on websites and in apps). Until now you could steer this split almost only by switching networks on and off. On 14 October 2026 Google announced new settings: channels can now be given a priority and a cap on the share of budget they may take.
Below we explain in plain words what this is, where to find it, what changes in February 2027 and what not to expect from it. We checked the facts against the Google Ads Help Center and the Google blog on 20 October 2026. Names are given as in the Help Center; depending on your interface version they may differ slightly.
What exactly Google added
There are two settings that work together:
- Channel prioritization. Each channel in a campaign can be set to “High priority” or “Low priority”. High-priority channels get the budget first, and only then, if money is left, low-priority channels do.
- Budget allocation. For a low-priority channel you can set a percentage of the campaign’s average daily budget that it may spend at most. Example: a budget of UAH 1,000 a day and 10% for partner sites means roughly up to UAH 100 a day. Set 0% and there will be no spend on that channel.
In a Search campaign the channels are Google Search, “Google search partners” (third-party sites where Google shows search ads) and the Google Display Network. In Shopping — search and search partners. In Performance Max (a campaign that distributes budget across Google’s placements by itself) Google describes “Google channels” — Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail and Discover — as one block: you cannot prioritize YouTube separately from Search, but search partners and the Display Network can be rated separately.
Where to find it
The setting arrives gradually: the rollout began on 15 October 2026 and will take weeks, so it may not be in your account yet. If it is, there are two routes.
For the whole account: “Account settings” → the “Channel Prioritization” card → choose a campaign type → set priorities and, if you like, percentages → “Save”. It applies to all eligible campaigns.
For one campaign: “Campaigns” → the campaign → “Settings” → “Channel Prioritization” → “Use campaign-level settings” → set priorities → “Save”.
Check it yourself in five minutes. Open the campaign settings and see whether “Channel Prioritization” is there. If it is, everything is at its default: all channels have high priority, so nothing has changed until you decide otherwise.
The main caveat: the limit is approximate
Google states directly that budget allocation works on a best-effort basis and cannot be guaranteed. Daily spend on a channel can occasionally exceed the percentage you set. The percentage is calculated from the campaign’s average daily budget, not from actual spend, and it restarts every day: unspent amounts do not carry over.
So this is not an off switch but a hint to the system about where to give budget reluctantly. Do not count on “exactly ten percent”.
Automated bidding and a small budget
According to the Google Help Center, if a campaign uses a bid strategy with a target (target CPA or target ROAS) and the budget does not limit it, priority alone does not change how spend is distributed. Only the percentage for low-priority channels applies. If the budget does limit the campaign, high-priority channels are funded first and the rest goes to low-priority ones when they can deliver conversions at your target.
In plain words: if you really want to hold partner sites back, in a campaign that is not limited by budget you need the percentage, not just the “low priority” label.
What changes in February 2027
This is the date that matters most to owners. From February 2027, for Search campaigns with the Display Network turned on, the current spend allocation setup will go away, campaigns will move automatically to the new settings, and spend between channels may shift. If you set priorities earlier, they take effect immediately.
What Google recommends to keep the current behavior: set the Display Network to “Low priority” with a 50% budget allocation. One more change from the Help Center: in Search campaigns that use the target impression share strategy, the Display Network will stop showing after this.
What this means for you. Open the network settings of your Search campaigns and check whether the Display Network is on. If so, decide before February whether you need it, and set the priority yourself instead of waiting for Google to decide for you. We explained what the Display Network is and how it differs from search in our article about Discover.
What about partner sites in a Search campaign
Whether partner sites hurt you depends on the campaign, and there is no universal answer. In our practice this part of the traffic can be both useful and weak, so the decision is best made from a report, not a feeling: look in the campaign report at how much spend and how many conversions the different networks deliver. Check the name of the right report breakdown in your own account.
If partner sites bring leads at an acceptable price, leave them as they are. If there is spend but no leads, set “Low priority” and a small percentage and watch for a few weeks. Neither Google nor we promise savings here: it is a control tool, not a guarantee of a better result.
Who this matters for most
It matters most for people running search ads on a small budget who do not know exactly where it goes. A business owner does not need to understand every detail: it is enough to open the account, make sure the setting is there, and ask yourself whether you know how much of your budget goes beyond Google Search itself. If you have no answer, that is already a reason to look at the report by network. And decide to “limit” or “leave” after that, not before.
Where the sources disagree
We do not hide contradictions, because they affect your decisions:
- API and Editor. The Google Help Center page of 14 October says Google Ads API and Google Ads Editor support is “coming soon”. According to ppc.land’s account, a Google representative said on 16 October that the API is supported already and the Editor is coming soon. The two sources do not match; for us the Help Center remains the official one, and you should check API availability before automating.
- Demand Gen. The Google blog implies budget allocation for Demand Gen campaigns, while the Help Center says it is not supported for them (only priority works). Here we rely on the Help Center.
- The February date. Some sources mention “February”, others “February–March” 2027. The Help Center and the Google blog say February 2027.
Also, per the Help Center, the setting cannot be changed from a manager account: only in the client account or in the campaign. For an owner this means: if you work with a contractor through their manager account, it is still done separately in each of your accounts.
Summary: five steps
- See whether the “Channel Prioritization” card has appeared in your account (“Account settings”) or in the campaign settings.
- Look in the campaign report at how much spend and how many leads partner sites and the Display Network bring.
- In Search campaigns, check whether the Display Network is turned on.
- Decide before February 2027: leave it as it is (Display Network — “Low priority” and 50%) or limit it harder.
- Remember: the percentage is approximate, and savings are not guaranteed.
You can read how we set up advertising in the search advertising and Performance Max sections.
Want a free audit of your Google Ads account? Send us a request — we will look at your account and tell you where the spend goes by network and what is worth fixing.