Brief
Google Ads channel priority: what to set now
You set two things: which channel gets funded first, and how much of your daily budget the lower-value channel may take. Google began rolling both out on October 15, 2026. In February 2027 the spend split changes for Search campaigns that run on the Display Network, and what you set today is what protects your account from that change. Whether your campaign is limited by budget decides if any of this touches you.
What did Google release on October 15, 2026?
Google released a new control called channel prioritization. It sorts every channel into High priority or Low priority, and it comes with a budget allocation you place on Low priority channels only. Every channel is High priority by default. The rollout is progressive and starts October 15, 2026 across Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen.
It works like this. High priority channels get funded first, within your target if you use Target CPA or Target ROAS. Whatever is left flows down to the Low priority channels. On Search campaigns you can split Google Search, search partners and the Google Display Network, which is the set of sites and apps that show your ad outside the search page.
The allocation is a percentage of your average daily budget, not of your actual spend. Google gives the example itself: a 5% allocation on a 1,000 dollar daily budget means the system aims to keep that channel at or below 50 dollars a day. The allocation resets daily and nothing carries over.
A 0% allocation means Google spends nothing on that channel. That is the replacement for the full opt out, which was the only lever you had until now.
What is different in a Saudi account?
Most Saudi store accounts are limited by budget, and that is exactly the case where priority does something. Google says channel prioritization does not change the split when a campaign is not limited by budget, and that the allocation still applies either way. The large account that spends under its ceiling sees no effect from priority. The small account sees it.
The second difference is how these accounts are managed. Most Saudi accounts sit under one manager account that holds every client. Google says you cannot set channel prioritization from a manager account, only inside each account or at campaign level. It adds that Google Ads API and Google Ads Editor support is coming later. So today this is manual work, one account at a time.
The third difference is in older Search campaigns. Many Saudi store accounts were built quickly with the Display Network left on, and the owner does not know it is running. Google says those campaigns migrate automatically to the new system in February 2027, and that spend may shift between channels when they do.
When does this not work?
It does not work if your campaign is not limited by budget. Google says priority has no effect there, because the system chases your target across every channel. Anyone who sets priority in an account like that is waiting on a result that will not come, and the only lever they hold is the allocation. The difference between the two cases is covered in this read on budget limited campaigns.
The second limit is that the allocation is a best effort, not a guarantee. Google says the system aims to keep spend within the percentage, that this is not a guarantee, and that daily spend on the channel may exceed it at times. Anyone who builds a monthly report on a channel staying under its share is building on an attempt, not a ceiling.
The third limit is Demand Gen. Channel prioritization is available there, and budget allocation is not supported by the text of Google's own page. If you lean on Demand Gen, you own the order of the channels and not the spend ceiling on them.
The fourth limit is Target Impression Share. Google says the Display Network will stop serving on Search campaigns that use that strategy from February 2027. The rollout itself is progressive too, so the setting card may not be in your account today.
The test I run
With a Saudi Search account that has the Display Network running, I neither switch it off nor leave it as it is. I open account settings, put the Display Network on Low priority, which means it gets funded after the others, and give it a 50% allocation.
Then I go down to the single campaign that sells the most. I drop its allocation there to 10% alone, and leave the rest of the campaigns at 50%. I run both for three weeks on the same budget, then compare what an order cost me in each.
I keep the rest at 50% because that is the share Google says preserves your current split. Anyone who waits for February 2027 without setting it wakes up to a split they did not choose. Then they read a more expensive order the next month and do not know what changed.
Frequently asked questions
What happens to Search campaigns in February 2027?
Google says Search campaigns running on the Display Network migrate automatically to channel prioritization, that the current spend setup goes away, and that spend may shift between channels. To keep your current setup, you put the Display Network on Low priority with a 50% share of the daily budget.
Does the allocation guarantee a channel stays under its limit?
No. Google says the allocation works on a best effort basis, that the system aims to stay inside the percentage without guaranteeing it, and that spend may exceed it on some days. It is calculated from your average daily budget, not your actual spend, and it resets every day.
Can I set it once for all my clients?
No. Google says the setting is not available from a manager account, and that you set it inside each account or at campaign level. Google Ads API and Google Ads Editor support is coming later. What I manage across accounts is detailed on the work page.