Google Ads is introducing new features to improve how advertisers manage their campaign spending. The new channel prioritization and budget allocation tools allow advertisers to categorize ad networks by priority and allocate funds to secondary channels, facilitating safer testing. These updates will become available globally in the coming months.
Advertisers can now designate channels as either high or low priority, influencing which channels receive funding first. Additionally, spending limits can be set on channels marked as low priority, preventing overspending and utilizing AI to handle budget management more effectively.
These enhancements build on previous updates like Smart Bidding Exploration and campaign total budgets, giving advertisers more control over their ad budgets. The new controls, including channel prioritization and budget allocation, offer greater flexibility across various Google inventories and partner networks, such as Search partners and the Google Display Network.
With channel prioritization, advertisers can define which channels receive their budget first. By classifying inventory as either ‘High priority’ or ‘Low priority’, marketers can ensure that high-priority channels are fully funded before allocating remaining budgets to lower-priority ones. This feature applies to Search, Shopping, Performance Max, and Demand Gen campaign types.
Alongside prioritization, budget allocation controls provide more flexibility at the channel level. For channels labeled as ‘Low priority’, advertisers can set a daily budget cap, keeping spending within desired limits. This feature benefits campaigns using Target CPA or Target ROAS bidding strategies that aren’t budget-constrained.
Historically, marketers who opted out of Search partners and the Google Display Network can now test these networks with more confidence by setting specific limits rather than disabling them entirely. If a campaign currently uses the Google Display Network, advertisers need to set it to ‘Low priority’ with a 50% budget cap by February 2027 to maintain the current setup.
These new features, rolling out to Search, Shopping, Performance Max, and Demand Gen, will allow marketers to strategically allocate their ad spend as the holiday season approaches, ensuring they meet customer demand during peak times. More details can be found in the Google Ads Help Center.