When you create a new Search campaign in Google Ads, two networks come switched on: Search partners and the Google Display Network. Google adds them by default. I turn off both in every Search campaign I run, and since October 14 I do it with a new setting: 0% of the budget.
Until this month, you could only turn these networks on or off. On October 14, 2026, Google added two new controls: channel priority and budget allocation. I set them the same way in every Search campaign, and I don't follow Google's advice for February 2027.
What the new settings do
Priority. Each network gets High or Low priority. Google spends the budget on High priority networks first and gives what is left to Low priority ones. Google Search stays on High.
Budget allocation. For a Low priority network, you set a share of the campaign's average daily budget, in percent. With 5% on a $100 daily budget, Google aims to keep that network around $5 a day. Google calls this limit “best effort”, so the real number can move a little. At 0%, Google doesn't spend on that network.
Account or campaign. You can set priorities for the whole account, or pick “Customize for this campaign” and override the account settings for one campaign.
One detail matters for Smart Bidding. If your campaign isn't limited by budget, the priority alone changes little, because Google has money for every network anyway. The percentage is what limits the spend. Sources: Search Engine Roundtable, PPC Land.
How I set it in a Search campaign
- Open the campaign settings and find the networks block.
- Choose Customize for this campaign, or change the account settings if you want the same setup in every campaign.
- Leave Google Search on High priority.
- Set Search partners to Low priority and the max daily budget to 0%.
- Set the Google Display Network to Low priority and 0%.
- Click Save.
Google shows a yellow warning under each network: with 0%, your ads won't show there. For a Search campaign, that is the result I want.
Why I keep Display out of Search campaigns
A Search campaign answers a person who typed a query into Google. The Display Network shows the same campaign as banners on other sites, and in the accounts I work with those impressions land on placements that have nothing to do with the business. The budget you planned for people searching for your product goes to people who never searched for it.
Google's advice for February 2027
In February 2027, Google ends the old Display Expansion behavior in Search campaigns. To keep today's setup, Google suggests setting the Display Network to Low priority with a 50% allocation. That means up to half of your daily budget can go to Display. I set 0% instead.
Check this before February in every Search campaign where the Display Network is on. The new controls put every network on High priority by default, so a campaign you never touched keeps sharing its budget with Display.
Check where the money went
Google didn't add a new report for these settings. To see how the spend split between networks, open the campaign, click Segment and choose Network (with search partners). For Display, open the report on where your ads showed and look through the sites and apps on the list.
My tip: in every Search campaign, I give the budget to Google Search only. Search partners and the Display Network sit on Low priority with 0%. I don't follow Google's 50% advice for February 2027, because Display brings impressions on placements that have nothing to do with the search.
Once the budget goes to Google Search only, the next step is to check which searches you pay for. I explain how in Keywords vs Search Terms. If you'd like me to check these settings in your account, book an audit.
