Google Ads finally lets you cap the Display Network: more control for Belgian SMEs

On 14 October 2026, Google announced two new Google Ads settings: channel prioritisation and per-channel budget caps. Until now, a business could only switch the Display Network and Search Partners fully on or fully off. For Belgian SMEs running their own campaigns, this is a real gain in control over where the money goes.

1. What Google actually changed

Until now, the Display Network and Search Partners worked on an all-or-nothing basis: either they received a share of the budget with no clear limit, or they were switched off entirely, risking lost volume. According to Search Engine Land, Google now lets advertisers rank each channel as high priority or low priority, and cap secondary channels at a percentage of the average daily budget.

The example given by PPC Land is telling: with an average daily budget of 1,000 dollars, a 5% cap on a low-priority channel targets roughly 50 dollars a day. The setting remains indicative, Google calls it "best effort", meaning spend may slightly exceed the set limit on some days.

2. Why this setting was missing for so long

The Display Network and Search Partners often perform worse than standard search, but they also bring extra volume. Many businesses switched them off out of caution, losing useful conversions along the way. Others left them active with no visibility into the real share of budget flowing there.

The new setting applies to Search, Shopping, Performance Max and Demand Gen campaigns, rolling out progressively from 15 October according to both sources. It cannot be configured from a manager (MCC) account: each client account must set it individually, a detail that matters for anyone managing several accounts.

3. What this means for a Belgian SME running its own campaigns

For a Belgian business managing its own Google Ads account, often with a limited monthly budget, this setting avoids a frustrating binary choice. It can keep the Display Network active for brand awareness while capping its weight at 10 or 15% of the budget, and concentrate the bulk on search, where purchase intent is strongest.

One caution remains: the cap is a target, not an absolute guarantee. A business that poorly tracks spend per channel will still find, at month's end, that the money didn't go where it expected.

The AI lens, humans first

Google's automated bidding tools, Target CPA and Target ROAS, continue to arbitrate budget allocation within the limits set by the advertiser. The AI optimises in real time based on conversion signals, but it is up to the business to decide which channels deserve priority and what level of risk it accepts on secondary channels. That strategic choice, tied to its actual commercial goals, cannot be delegated to the algorithm. AI executes. Expertise decides, and keeps watch.