Google Ads Update: Display Network No Longer Auto-Selected in Search Campaigns

Google Ads Update: Display Network No Longer Auto-Selected in Search Campaigns — Here’s Why It Matters

Google Ads has quietly introduced a change that could significantly improve ad performance and budget efficiency for advertisers. As of now, the Display Network is no longer auto-selected when creating new Search campaigns, offering marketers more granular control over where their ads appear.

---

✅ What’s the Update?

Previously, when you set up a new Search campaign in Google Ads, the option to include the Google Display Network (GDN) was pre-selected by default — and even labeled as “Recommended.” This often led advertisers, particularly those new to the platform, to unknowingly serve ads on placements beyond search results.

With the latest change:

• The Display Network checkbox is now unselected by default.

• It still carries a “Recommended” tag, but advertisers must manually opt in.

---

🎯 Why This Matters for Advertisers

This may seem like a minor UI change, but it comes with major implications:

🔹 More Control Over Budget Allocation

Advertisers can now ensure that 100% of their search campaign budget is spent only on Google Search traffic, not spread across the Display Network, which often includes lower-quality or less-intent-driven impressions.

🔹 Prevention of Accidental Spend

New or less experienced advertisers often didn’t notice the auto-selected Display option — resulting in unintentional spend on placements that didn’t match their campaign goals.

🔹 Better Performance Tracking

Separating Search and Display allows for cleaner data, better optimization, and a more accurate understanding of ad performance.

---

⚠️ Not Available to All Yet

It’s important to note:

• This change hasn’t rolled out globally yet.

• Some advertisers still see the Display Network pre-selected.

• It might be part of a phased rollout or Google Ads UI redesign tests.

---

📉 Why the Display Network Isn’t Always Ideal in Search Campaigns

While GDN has its own benefits in a separate Display campaign, when combined with Search campaigns, it often leads to:

• Lower-quality traffic

• Reduced conversion rates

• Wasted ad spend

Many advertisers have long advised turning this setting off — now Google is making that decision easier by default.

---

🧠 Strategic Tip

If you do want to use the Display Network, create a separate Display campaign. This gives you:

• Better audience targeting options

• Improved ad formats for visual engagement

• Control over placement and bidding strategy

---

📝 Final Thoughts

Google’s decision to no longer auto-select the Display Network in Search campaigns is a welcome shift toward transparency and control. It may be subtle, but for advertisers who rely on precision, it’s a powerful change that:

• Helps eliminate wasted spend

• Boosts campaign efficiency

• Empowers smarter decision-making

If Google rolls this out universally, it will mark a small but significant win for advertisers seeking more control in an ever-automated ad ecosystem.

✅ Advantages

1. Better Budget Control

• Advertisers now have more clarity and control over where their budget goes.

• This ensures that funds are spent only on search traffic, which typically performs better for intent-driven conversions.

2. Reduced Wasted Spend

• Many advertisers — especially newcomers — were unknowingly spending on low-performing Display placements.

• With Display unchecked by default, this accidental waste is reduced significantly.

3. Improved Campaign Performance

• Search campaigns will now likely yield higher CTRs and conversion rates, as they target users actively searching for keywords — unlike Display, which is more passive.

4. Cleaner Analytics and Insights

• Separating Search and Display leads to clearer reporting.

• Marketers can now better understand what’s working without having to filter or split performance between ad networks.

5. Encourages Intentional Strategy

• Advertisers are now encouraged to create separate campaigns for Search and Display, allowing more tailored ad creatives and bidding strategies for each.

❌ Disadvantages

1. Missed Exposure on Display (if forgotten)

• Some advertisers who benefited from Display inclusion may now miss out on brand visibility across websites and apps — unless they manually opt-in or create a Display campaign.

2. Added Setup Step for Display Users

• For advertisers who want Display traffic in their Search campaigns, they now need to manually check the box — which could be an extra step for large-scale campaigns.

3. Possible Confusion During Transition

• Since the update hasn’t rolled out globally, some accounts may still see the box pre-selected, leading to inconsistency across teams or campaigns.

4. Newbies Might Miss Recommended Display Option

• Because the checkbox still says “Recommended,” some less-experienced advertisers might be unsure whether they should enable it or not, despite the unselected default.

---

🎯 Conclusion

This update is largely beneficial, especially for performance-focused advertisers. It:

• Promotes cleaner targeting,

• Saves budget from being diluted across less effective channels,

• And gives marketers deliberate control over campaign structure.

However, those who relied on Display Network for reach must now be proactive in enabling it where needed. As always, the best practice is to run separate campaigns for Search and Display to optimize both for their unique strengths.