Google Ads adds channel priorities and best-effort budget limits

What changed

What changes

Advertisers can place eligible networks into high or low priority. Lower-priority inventory can receive an allocation based on the average daily budget. Google describes this as best effort, so daily spend can exceed the chosen amount.

The Help Center dates the progressive rollout from 15 October. Demand Gen supports priority settings but not budget allocation. Performance Max groups Google-owned inventory together; this is not a separate budget for each Google surface. API and Editor support are described as forthcoming.

Plan for the Display Expansion transition

From February 2027, Search campaigns using Display Expansion move to the new setup. Google documents low priority and a 50% allocation for GDN to retain the existing configuration, with an additional Target Impression Share exception. Review the current help page for the affected campaign rather than applying that percentage across every account.

PMC recommends starting with a written question: which inventory do you want to test, and what would justify continuing? Record the current network settings, bid strategy and budget ownership before making a change. Avoid comparing a holiday week with an ordinary week and attributing the entire difference to one setting.

Why it matters for advertisers

A priority choice and a spending limit answer different questions. For an unrestricted target-based campaign, changing priority alone may not redirect spend. Give reporting colleagues the configuration history and assess conversion quality alongside cost. Keep the test separate from the earlier Performance Max alpha that adjusted conversion values; that was a different control, with different evidence.