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Performance Max channel prioritization allows you to categorize each campaign channel as either high or low priority. Your daily budget is allocated to high-priority channels first, with the remainder going to the others, optionally capped by a percentage. In a Performance Max campaign, there are three groups: Google channels, Search Network partners, and the Display Network.
Google introduced these settings on October 14, 2026, and began a gradual rollout on October 15 for Performance Max, Search, Shopping, and Demand Gen campaigns. For Performance Max, this is the first time budget distribution between channels has become a configurable setting: here is how it works and how to use it.
What is channel prioritization in Performance Max?
A Performance Max campaign serves your ads across all Google inventory using a single budget. Until now, the choice of distribution channel was entirely up to the algorithm. If you are new to the format, our guide to Google Performance Max campaigns lays the groundwork.
High priority, low priority: just two levels
Each channel or group of channels is assigned one of these two levels. With high priority, the channel is funded first, within the limits of your target CPA or target ROAS if you are using one. With low priority, it only receives the remaining budget.
These are also referred to as high and low priority, a direct translation of the English labels. There is no 1-to-3 ranking: classifying channels is about choosing which ones take a backseat, and with what cap.
Which channels can be prioritized based on campaign type?
In both Performance Max and Demand Gen, Google groups its own surfaces (Search, YouTube, Maps, Gmail, Discover) into a single block called "Google channels."
A direct consequence for Performance Max is that you cannot favor YouTube over Gmail, or Search over Discover. The lever applies to Search Network partners and the Display Network. For Demand Gen campaigns, only prioritization is available, without a cap.
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How does prioritization actually distribute the budget?
The effect of prioritization depends on your bidding strategy and whether or not the campaign is budget-constrained. This is the factor that determines whether the setting will have a real impact.
The effect based on bidding strategy
In practice, a Performance Max campaign with a target ROAS that spends without budget constraints will not react to simply being set to low priority. In this case, it is the budget allocation that does the work: without a cap, the change in priority remains theoretical.
Budget allocation: a percentage cap on the daily budget
For each low-priority channel, you can enter a maximum percentage of the budget. Four rules govern this cap:
- it applies to the campaign's average daily budget, not to the actual spend;
- it is applied on a "best effort" basis and may be exceeded on certain days;
- it resets daily, with no carryover of unspent or overspent amounts;
- a value of 0% prevents any spending on the channel.
With a daily budget of €200 and a 10% cap on the Display Network, the campaign therefore targets a maximum of €20 per day on Display. For a shared budget, the percentage applies to the entire shared budget. It is in addition to the standard rules for setting and managing your Google Ads budget, it does not replace them.
Where can I find and configure channel prioritization?
The setting exists at two levels. The account setting serves as the default value, and each campaign can deviate from it.
At the account level
- Open the account settings, then the "Channel prioritization" card.
- Choose the relevant campaign type, for example, Performance Max.
- Assign a priority to each channel, then enter a percentage for low-priority channels if needed.
- Click "Save".
At the campaign level
In the Campaigns tab, select the campaign, open its "Settings," and expand the "Channel prioritization" card. Choose "Use campaign-level settings," adjust the priorities and the cap, then save. You can revert to the account setting at any time.
Limitations to keep in mind
According to the Google Ads help page dedicated to channel prioritization, several constraints apply:
- the setting cannot be configured from an administrator account (MCC); you must go through each individual client account;
- the Google Ads API and Google Ads Editor are not yet compatible, whereas Search Ads 360 already allows these settings to be managed;
- shared budgets must group campaigns of the same type;
- in an A/B test, all channels maintain the same priority level.
The rollout is still gradual: if the tab does not yet appear in your account, this is normal. Google is also alpha-testing a more granular, channel-by-channel adjustment in Performance Max with a small number of advertisers, which has not been officially announced to date.
How do you prioritize your Performance Max channels?
A one-size-fits-all setting for every account does not make sense. The priority order should be determined in four steps, based on your data and the campaign objective.
1. Read the channel performance report
Before changing any settings, open the channel performance report (Campaigns, then Insights and reports, then Channel performance). Its breakdown table details the cost, conversions, and conversion value for Google Search, the Display Network, YouTube, Discover, Maps, Gmail, and Search Network partners.
First, look at the spend share and conversion contribution of partners and Display, the only two channels you can isolate. According to Google, a channel that receives little traffic often does so because Performance Max is finding a lower return on investment there at that particular time.
2. Start with the campaign objective
The right ranking depends on what the campaign needs to achieve. Here are some starting points, to be adjusted based on your own data.
For a catalog with varying margins, this ranking is combined with a campaign structure based on margin levels. The logic is detailed in our article on managing Google Ads campaigns by margin.
3. Test a cap before moving to 0%
Setting a channel directly to 0% is effectively excluding it, which risks losing conversions it was actually driving. It is better to start with a low priority and a moderate cap, then tighten it if the results justify doing so.
Only change one channel at a time and note the date of the change: the performance report's trend chart for channels will then allow you to read the effect of the adjustment. If you had already implemented exclusions in Performance Max (brands, placements, audiences), keep them, as they do not play the same role as prioritization.
4. Measure over a sufficiently long period
Give the campaign time to stabilize before drawing conclusions, especially if it is running on Target CPA or Target ROAS. Monitor these indicators at the campaign level, not just the channel level:
- the campaign's overall CPA or ROAS, compared to the previous period;
- the volume of conversions and conversion value;
- the actual spend share of low-priority channels against the set cap;
- the quality of conversions in your CRM, for lead generation campaigns.
If overall performance drops while the capped channel seemed underperforming, loosen the cap: that channel was playing a role in the journey. Also check the Status column in the report, which flags missing components: a channel poorly served by creatives will underperform, hence the importance of asset groups being complete.
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February 2027: what is changing for Display in Search campaigns
Channel prioritization also replaces an older setting. Starting in February 2027, Search Network campaigns with Display Network expansion will automatically switch to this system, and the old spend configuration will disappear.
To maintain behavior similar to the current one, Google indicates that you simply need to set the Display Network to low priority with a 50% allocation. Two other points should be anticipated:
- the Display Network will no longer serve ads on campaigns using Target Impression Share;
- priorities set before February 2027 will apply immediately and replace the expansion behavior.
How datashake supports you with Performance Max
datashake is among the top 3% of French agencies with Google Premier Partner status and supports over 1,000 advertisers. For Performance Max, the datashake SEA team starts with the data: analyzing channel performance reports, campaign structure, and the quality of product feeds and conversion signals.
For i-run, this approach took the form of margin-based segmentation in Performance Max, resulting in a 21% increase in conversion volume, a 15% higher conversion rate, and a 10% boost in incremental ROAS. Channel prioritization adds another layer of optimization to this management strategy. To compare potential support options, also check out our selection of the best Performance Max agencies.
FAQ
Can you prioritize YouTube alone in a Performance Max campaign?
No. In Performance Max, YouTube is grouped with Google Search, Gmail, Discover, and Maps under "Google channels," which are managed as a single block. Only Search Network partners and the Display Network are categorized separately.
Can you disable Search Network partners in Performance Max?
Yes. By setting partners to low priority with a 0% allocation, the campaign will no longer spend anything there. However, we recommend testing a moderate cap before cutting them off entirely.
Is the budget allocation cap guaranteed?
No. Google applies it as best as possible, and it may be exceeded on certain days. It applies to the average daily budget and resets each day, with no carry-over.
Is prioritization available in Demand Gen?
Yes, for Google channels and the Display Network. However, budget allocation—meaning the percentage-based cap—is not available for Demand Gen.
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