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Use Google Ads’ Channel Prioritization controls to decide which channels receive budget first inside each campaign. Mark demand-capturing channels High priority; place exploratory or lower-value channels Low priority and, where available, assign an allocation percentage. Then use Performance Planner to decide how much total budget each campaign should receive. The percentage is calculated from a campaign’s average daily budget and is a best-effort target, not a guaranteed spending cap.
This guide reflects the rollout beginning October 15, 2026. Labels and available channels can differ by account, campaign type, and rollout stage, so verify the controls visible in your own Google Ads account before changing budgets.
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What Channel Prioritization controls
High priority is funded first
Google Ads now provides two priority levels: High priority and Low priority. When a campaign is constrained by its budget or by its bidding target, Google AI directs spend to High-priority channels before distributing any remaining budget to Low-priority channels. Every available channel starts as High priority by default (Google Ads Help, 2026).
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Priority is evaluated inside an individual campaign. It does not decide whether Campaign A receives more money than Campaign B. That higher-level allocation requires a planning tool or your own budget process.
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Low-priority percentages are intended allocations
A Low-priority channel can have an optional allocation percentage. Google calculates that percentage from the campaign’s average daily budget, not from what the campaign happens to spend on a particular day. Google’s example is straightforward: 5% of a $1,000 average daily budget gives Google AI an intended allocation of $50 per day for that channel (Google Ads Help, 2026).
“Intended” matters. The percentage is a best-effort limit, not a hard, real-time cap. Delivery can vary as eligible auctions, conversion signals, targets, and channel demand change. Treat the number as a guardrail for planning, then check actual spend and results in reporting.
A 0% allocation prevents planned delivery
For a Low-priority channel, a 0% allocation is the documented way to prevent spend on that channel while keeping it in the priority framework. This is useful when you want the setting recorded centrally but do not want that channel to receive budget.
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The October 14, 2026 announcement describes a progressive rollout for Search, Shopping, Performance Max, and Demand Gen. Availability is not identical for every account. The controls you see may be incomplete until Google enables them for your account and campaign type.
| Campaign type | Channel groups or channels described by Google | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Search | Google Search, Search partners, Display Network | These can be assigned separately when the controls are available. |
| Performance Max | “Google channels” grouping Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail, and Discover; Search partners and Display may be separate where supported | You generally cannot set an independent priority for every surface inside the Google channels group. |
| Demand Gen | “Google channels” grouping Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail, and Discover; Search partners and Display may be separate where supported | Expect grouped control rather than a separate switch for each Google surface. |
| Shopping | Channel options depend on the controls enabled in your account | Check the campaign’s Channel Prioritization panel rather than assuming a universal list. |
The grouping in Performance Max and Demand Gen is a material limitation. If you need independent control of Search versus YouTube, Maps, Gmail, or Discover, a campaign type that exposes those channels separately may be more appropriate than relying on a grouped “Google channels” setting.
Choose account defaults or campaign overrides
Use account-level defaults for consistency
Account settings are appropriate when the same policy should apply across campaigns—for example, protecting high-intent demand capture while keeping prospecting channels secondary. A default reduces the chance that a newly created or edited campaign uses a different priority policy by accident.
Use a campaign override for a different objective
A campaign-level override is better when one campaign has a distinct purpose, geography, target, or risk tolerance. A brand-protection campaign may need a different policy from a new-market test. A campaign with a strict return-on-ad-spend target may also need a more conservative allocation than one optimized for reach.
Overrides should be deliberate. Document why the campaign differs, which channel is protected, and what evidence would justify changing the setting again.
Set account-level channel priorities
These steps follow the current Google Ads interface described by Google. Menu labels can change during the rollout.
- Sign in to Google Ads and open Account settings.
- Find the Channel Prioritization card.
- Select the campaign type you want to configure.
- For each available channel, choose High priority or Low priority.
- For Low-priority channels, optionally enter an allocation percentage. Use 0% when the channel should not receive planned spend.
- Review the policy across all listed channels, then select Save.
After saving, open a representative campaign and confirm that the account policy is visible. If a campaign has an override, its settings can differ from the account default.
Set a campaign-level override
- Open the campaign whose policy needs to differ.
- Open the campaign’s Settings.
- Expand Channel Prioritization.
- Select the option for a campaign-level override.
- Assign High or Low priority to each available channel.
- Add allocation percentages for Low-priority channels when needed.
- Select Save, then record the reason for the exception in your change log.
A campaign override does not create a separate budget. It only changes the order and intended distribution of eligible channel spend within that campaign.
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Shared-budget constraint
Campaigns that share a budget must use identical campaign types for these settings to apply. If a shared-budget group mixes campaign types, the Channel Prioritization policy may not be usable as expected. Check the campaign type of every member before troubleshooting a setting that appears unavailable.
Allocate total budget across campaigns with Performance Planner
Channel priorities operate inside a campaign; they do not answer how much money Search, Shopping, Performance Max, or Demand Gen should receive relative to one another. Use Performance Planner for that decision. Google says Performance Planner models budget and bid-target changes, supports monthly and quarterly planning, and covers Search, Shopping, App, Demand Gen, Local, and Performance Max campaigns.
- Define the outcome. Choose the business result that determines success, such as conversion value, a cost-per-acquisition target, or a return-on-ad-spend target. Make sure the conversion action and value rules used for planning match the ones used for bidding.
- Build a plan. Select the campaigns and planning period, then model alternative budgets and bid targets. Include a conservative scenario and a growth scenario rather than accepting one projection as a promise.
- Check eligibility and constraints. Identify campaigns limited by budget, campaigns limited by their CPA or ROAS target, and campaigns with insufficient conversion data. A budget increase is not automatically useful when the bid target is the real constraint.
- Protect required demand. In each campaign, mark channels that must deliver core demand as High priority before applying the plan.
- Control experiments. Put exploratory or lower-valued channels at Low priority and add a conservative allocation percentage. Use 0% if the channel is not part of the approved test.
- Review the proposed changes. Performance Planner suggestions can be exported as a CSV. Review and post them in Google Ads Editor or implement the changes manually.
- Apply gradually. Change budgets and targets in a controlled batch, note the date, and allow enough time for conversion reporting before judging the result.
Do not invent a universal split such as “put 60% in Search and 20% in Display.” Google does not publish one percentage rule that fits every advertiser. The appropriate allocation depends on incremental demand, conversion value, target efficiency, measurement quality, and available auction volume.
How to decide which channels get priority
| Decision question | High-priority signal | Low-priority or capped signal |
|---|---|---|
| Does the channel capture existing, high-intent demand? | Yes; lost delivery would directly threaten a core revenue or lead goal. | No; the channel primarily tests incremental reach or assists another path. |
| Is the campaign constrained by budget? | Protect the channel that produces the most valuable eligible conversions. | Use a percentage to keep an experiment from consuming the campaign’s remaining budget. |
| Is the campaign constrained by its CPA or ROAS target? | Prioritize channels with reliable conversion signals and stable value measurement. | Keep channels with uncertain efficiency secondary until tracking and data improve. |
| Can the channel be measured consistently? | Conversion actions, values, attribution, and windows are stable and comparable. | Tracking is incomplete, attribution differs, or the channel has too little data for a confident decision. |
| How much allocation precision is available? | The interface exposes the channel separately and no tighter guardrail is needed. | The channel is grouped, or a best-effort percentage is necessary to limit risk. |
This framework keeps priority decisions tied to business consequences rather than to a fixed industry benchmark. A channel can move from Low to High after it proves incremental value; the reverse can happen when its marginal conversions no longer meet the target.
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Campaign-type playbooks
Search
Search exposes the clearest separation in the documented rollout: Google Search, Search partners, and the Display Network can be assigned independently when the controls are enabled. A common policy is to keep Google Search High when it captures the most intentional queries, then place Search partners or Display at Low while measuring their incremental contribution.
Do not assume Search partners or Display deserve a fixed percentage. Set an allocation only after checking conversion quality, query or placement relevance, and whether the campaign is budget-limited. If a secondary channel must not spend, use Low priority with 0% rather than relying on manual daily edits.
Search campaigns that still have Display Network expansion enabled without explicit Channel Prioritization settings follow the current behavior until February 2027. After that, the current Display Expansion setup goes away for affected campaigns. Review those campaigns before the transition so the intended policy is explicit.
Shopping
For Shopping, inspect the channels actually listed in the campaign’s Channel Prioritization card. Protect the channel combination that supports the product demand you must capture, then use Low priority for exploratory distribution when the account exposes that choice. Evaluate product-level conversion value and margin where those values are available; revenue alone may not represent the business outcome.
When moving money into or out of Shopping, use Performance Planner to model the campaign alongside Search and other eligible campaign types. A Shopping campaign that appears efficient can still be limited by inventory, feed quality, or its bid target, so increasing budget alone may not create additional valuable demand.
Performance Max
Performance Max and Demand Gen use a grouped “Google channels” concept for Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail, and Discover. That grouping means you may be able to prioritize the group but not set five independent percentages. Search partners and Display can be separately prioritized where the account supports them.
Use High priority for the grouped Google channels when the campaign’s role is broad, value-based acquisition and the conversion signal is trustworthy. Use a Low-priority allocation for a secondary group only when you can accept variation around the intended percentage and have a measurement plan for incremental value.
Demand Gen
Demand Gen is designed for demand creation and often requires a different risk tolerance from a direct-response Search campaign. Decide whether the campaign is expected to produce immediate conversions, assisted demand, or both. If the measurement model cannot distinguish those outcomes, avoid granting it unrestricted High-priority access to budget needed for proven demand.
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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsBecause the Google channels are grouped, use campaign structure and Performance Planner—not an assumed per-surface split—to express different objectives. If YouTube, Discover, or other surfaces require independent budgets, consider whether separate campaign structures that expose the needed controls are justified by your reporting and operational capacity.
Monitor delivery after a change
- Check the setting. Confirm the intended High or Low priority and allocation percentage at the correct level: account default or campaign override.
- Check the denominator. Recalculate the intended amount from the campaign’s current average daily budget. A budget edit changes the dollar value represented by the same percentage.
- Check actual spend. Compare channel delivery with the intended allocation, remembering that the percentage is best effort rather than a hard cap.
- Check outcomes. Review conversions, conversion value, CPA or ROAS, and the quality of leads or sales—not only clicks or impressions.
- Check constraint status. Determine whether the campaign is budget-limited or limited by its target. A channel can appear under-delivered because the target is too restrictive, not because its priority is wrong.
- Allow reporting time. Conversion lag and attribution windows can make a recent change look unprofitable before all conversions are recorded.
Increase a campaign’s budget only when it is meeting its target and additional eligible demand exists. If performance is below target, first investigate tracking, bid targets, channel mix, and auction volume instead of adding money.
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The Channel Prioritization card is missing
- Confirm that the campaign type is one of the types in the progressive rollout.
- Check whether the account has received the feature yet; availability varies by account.
- Open the campaign and account settings separately. A control may exist at one level but not the other.
- For a shared budget, verify that all campaigns use the same campaign type.
The percentage does not match actual daily spend
Recheck the average daily budget and the date range. The allocation is calculated from that budget, not from actual spend, and Google describes it as a best-effort limit. Auction availability, targets, and conversion signals can produce day-to-day variation.
A Low-priority channel still receives some delivery
Confirm that the allocation is not higher than intended and that the channel is not being evaluated under a different campaign override. If the channel must be excluded, set its Low-priority allocation to 0% and save the setting. Continue checking reports because a policy change may not make historical spend disappear.
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Compare the change date with conversion lag, then separate volume loss from efficiency improvement. If the channel was supplying valuable incremental conversions, restore High priority or raise its allocation only after confirming that the result is repeatable and measured consistently.
There is no control for an individual Performance Max surface
This is usually a grouping limitation rather than an error. Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail, and Discover are grouped as Google channels in Performance Max and Demand Gen. Use the group-level priority, a different campaign structure, or Performance Planner to express the business decision.
Rollout dates to put in your change plan
Google’s October 14, 2026 announcement says the controls progressively become available starting October 15, 2026 for Search, Shopping, Performance Max, and Demand Gen. Accounts can receive the feature at different times, so date-stamp internal instructions and include a screenshot or account-specific check in your process.
For Search campaigns with Display Network expansion still enabled and no explicit Channel Prioritization settings, current behavior continues until February 2027. After that point, the current Display Expansion setup goes away for affected campaigns. Before February, decide whether Display should be High, Low with an allocation, or Low at 0%, and record that decision in the campaign settings.
Operational tools and support
Google Ads Editor
Google Ads Editor is a no-cost downloadable application for offline work and bulk changes. It can help review and post the CSV changes generated by Performance Planner, which is useful when many campaigns need the same budget or target update. Always review imported edits before posting and keep an export of the prior settings for rollback.
Google Ads experts
Google also presents Google Ads experts as a setup and media-planning path. If you use that option, provide the specialist with your conversion definitions, target efficiency, geographic scope, channel exclusions, and budget-change history so the priority policy reflects your actual constraints.
A repeatable budget-governance checklist
- Define the conversion or value outcome before selecting a priority.
- Verify tracking, conversion values, attribution windows, and reporting lag.
- Use Performance Planner for cross-campaign budget scenarios, not Channel Prioritization alone.
- Mark must-deliver demand High; place experiments Low with a conservative percentage.
- Use 0% for a Low-priority channel that must not receive planned spend.
- Confirm shared-budget campaigns use identical campaign types.
- Recalculate dollar implications whenever the average daily budget changes.
- Review actual spend, conversions, value, CPA or ROAS, and constraint status after the change.
- Increase budgets only when the campaign meets its target and additional eligible demand is available.
- Recheck account availability and Search Display Expansion settings before the February 2027 transition.
Channel Prioritization is therefore a control for sequencing and limiting delivery inside a campaign, while Performance Planner is the tool for deciding the campaign-level budget mix. Used together, they let you protect proven demand, contain experiments, and move money when measured results—not a universal percentage rule—justify the change.
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