Google Ads now lets you put Search ahead of Display: what should a local advertiser do?

01What exactly did Google change?

Google announced two new controls on its Ads and Commerce blog, in a post by Tal Akabas, Director of Product Management, Google Ads. Google's own summary is plain: "Say goodbye to all-or-nothing channel targeting."

• Channel prioritization. You can label a channel "High priority" or "Low priority". Google funds high-priority channels first, and only the remaining budget goes to low-priority ones.
• Budget allocation. For a low-priority channel, you can set the maximum share of the daily budget it may take. Google calls this best effort, not a hard limit.
• Where it applies. Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns. In a Search campaign, Google Search, Search partners and the Display Network can each get their own level.
• Where you set it. Search Engine Roundtable reports a Channel Prioritization card in Account settings, with an account default that a campaign or shared budget can override.

Google says the features arrive "over the next months". So if you open your account today and see nothing, that is normal.

02Why does this matter for a shop, clinic or school running Search ads?

Because the three channels are not the same kind of customer. Google Search is a person typing a need into Google, often on their phone, often ready to call. Search partners are other sites that show Google's search results. The Display Network is banner and image ads on apps and websites, including news and game apps.

In AMS's view, for a local business with a small daily budget, Search is where the calls come from. Display clicks can be cheap, but a lot of them come from someone tapping by mistake while reading cricket scores. Those clicks still cost money.

Until now, your choice was mostly on or off. Now you can keep Search first, give Display a small, capped share to test, or give it nothing. For a showroom in Rudrapur or a coaching centre in Haldwani spending a modest amount a day, that difference decides whether the budget reaches the person searching or a stranger's game screen.

03What happens in February 2027?

This is the part with a date on it. Google's post says: "Starting in February 2027, for Search campaigns with the Google Display Network turned on, the current spend allocation setup will go away, and advertisers may see a shift in channel spending."

Google also says how to keep things as they are. Set the Google Display Network to "Low priority" with a 50% budget allocation.

Our view is that most local advertisers should not simply copy that setting. It keeps the door open for Display to take a large part of the day's budget. Better to decide on purpose: keep Display with a small share if it has brought real enquiries, or switch it off if it has not. Either way, decide before February, so Google's change does not decide for you.

04What should a local advertiser check this week?

This takes about ten minutes in Google Ads, on the phone or a laptop.

• Open your Search campaign's settings and look at Networks. Note whether Search partners and the Display Network are ticked.
• Open the campaign report and segment it by network. See where your clicks, calls and form fills actually came from over the last month.
• If almost every call came from Google Search, keep Search at high priority and set Display to low, with a small share or none.
• If Search partners brought real calls, keep them. If they brought only clicks, give them low priority too.
• Check your bidding. Google says priority levels have little effect for Target CPA or Target ROAS campaigns that are not limited by budget.
• Write down what you changed and the date. Look again after two weeks, not two days.

If you do not see the Channel Prioritization card yet, do the first two checks anyway. The old on and off boxes still work.

05Should a local business turn the Display Network off completely?

Not always. It depends on what you sell and how people decide. Here is how we think about the three channels for a local business.

A furniture showroom or a resort with strong photos may get something from Display. A plumber, a clinic or a tuition centre usually gets very little. If you are still deciding between Google and Meta in the first place, our post Google Ads or Facebook ads: which is better for a local business? compares them for local businesses.

06What should you not panic about?

• Nothing breaks if you do nothing today. Your ads keep running as they are until Google's February change.
• These controls are optional. You can leave every channel where it is.
• Performance Max users cannot split YouTube, Maps and Gmail from each other. Google groups them as "Google channels".
• This is not a reason to raise your budget. It is a reason to check where the current budget goes.

One more Google Ads change from this month is worth knowing. Search ads in India can now carry an AI summary of your reviews, which we explain in Google Search ads in India now carry AI review summaries: what should you do?.

07How does AMS set up Search ads for a local business?

On the first call, we ask where your best customers come from and what they type when they look for you. Then we open the network report before we touch a single bid, because it shows where the money has really been going.

We keep Search campaigns tight: the searches you can actually serve, the towns customers really travel from, a call button, and a page that loads fast on a mid-range phone with patchy data. Display only stays on if it earns its place in calls or enquiries. The report you get says plainly what changed and why.

If you run Google ads in Rudrapur, Haldwani or anywhere in Kumaon and want a second look at your settings, see Google Ads Agency in Rudrapur for Local Search & Calls or call Advance Media Solution on +91 91059 43909.

08Questions people ask