Google Ads ends hidden 50% Display split for Search in February 2027

Google has confirmed that Display Expansion on Search campaigns has been running with a 50% budget allocation applied in the backend, a setting advertisers could never see in the interface. From February 2027, that fixed rule disappears and Search campaigns with Display Expansion move to Google’s new channel prioritization model, as reported by PPC Land.

What changes for Google Ads Display Expansion in February 2027?

In February 2027, the hidden 50% split is replaced by priority tiers (High or Low) and an optional daily budget percentage cap that advertisers set themselves. According to the undated Google Ads Help Center page on Display Expansion, the old setup used unspent Search budget on the Display Network with that 50% backend allocation, and after the switch you “may see a shift in channel spending” between Google Search, search partners and the Display Network.

Google’s own recommendation to keep today’s behavior is to set the Display Network to Low priority with a 50% daily budget allocation. PPC Land also points out a detail found only in the separate channel prioritization documentation: the Display Network will stop serving on Search campaigns that use Target Impression Share bidding.

Will Search campaigns spend more on the Display Network?

They might, if nobody touches the settings. The help page does not say Google will automatically write a 50% Low priority configuration into migrated campaigns. Under the channel prioritization documentation, channels default to High priority, which would put Display on the same tier as Google Search with no percentage limit unless your account defaults say otherwise.

That matters most for Maximize conversions and Maximize conversion value campaigns, where Google spends on high-priority channels first. For Target CPA and Target ROAS campaigns that are not budget-limited, the documentation says priority tiers generally do not change distribution and only the percentage cap has an effect.

Keep in mind that the new cap works on a best-effort basis, so even a 50% setting is a target rather than a guarantee. Google’s performance claims on the page (up to 15% more conversions at similar CPA, an average 14% more conversion value) come with no method or date range and have not been independently verified. Treat them as Google’s marketing, not a benchmark for your account.

There is also a creative angle: Display Expansion may build responsive display ads automatically from image assets you uploaded for Search. If brand control matters, that is worth checking before more budget potentially flows to Display.

How to keep the 50% Display split in Search campaigns

• List every Search campaign with the Display Network included. These are the ones that migrate in February 2027.
• Decide on account-level defaults first. Campaigns without overrides inherit them, so set Display priority and any percentage cap per campaign type.
• To mirror the current setup, set the Google Display Network to Low priority with a 50% daily budget allocation, as Google suggests.
• Check Target Impression Share campaigns. They lose Display delivery entirely, so plan for any reach you were getting there.
• Review auto-generated responsive display ads and the image assets they draw from.
• Segment reporting by network before and after February 2027 to spot spend shifts between Search, search partners and Display early.
• Consider whether you want Display Expansion at all. Now that the split is visible, it is a good moment to test its real contribution.

Sources

• PPC Land: Google Ads Search campaigns lose 50% Display budget split in February 2027