Google Ads Rolls Out Campaign Total Budgets - Why PPC Teams Are Watching This Test

Google Ads campaign total budgets in Search, Performance Max and Shopping

Campaign total budgets are available in open beta for eligible Search, Performance Max, and Shopping campaigns within Google Ads. Advertisers can select a single total budget amount and a start and end date for each campaign, and Google then manages spend across the chosen period.

According to Google's product description, campaign total budgets support both short tests and longer promotional flights:

• Budgets can cover periods from several days to several weeks within a single campaign.
• The product is designed for time-bound efforts such as sales events, promotions, and product launches.
• Google says the feature reduces the need for frequent manual budget changes during the campaign flight.
• Google reports that campaigns aim to spend the total budget by the campaign's end date.

Google cited Escentual.com, a UK-based online beauty retailer, as an early tester of campaign total budgets.

"Our goal was to increase traffic to our website during a promotion," said Tom Jenkins, Insights Manager at Escentual.com.

He said the feature helped achieve a 16% traffic increase while staying within the promotion budget and target ROAS.

Background context on Google Ads budget controls

Google Ads has traditionally used daily budgets as the primary spending control for Search and Shopping campaigns. Advertisers set an average daily amount, and Google may spend more on some days and less on others, aiming to balance spend across the month. Google notes that advertisers running short, fixed campaigns often make frequent manual budget adjustments.

Campaign total budgets introduce a separate option based on a fixed sum and a fixed date range. According to Google, the setting appears on the Budgets page during campaign setup, labeled "Campaign total budget." Advertisers choose a budget amount and specify the start and end dates for the campaign flight.

Google describes campaign total budgets as suitable for 72-hour tests, short promotional pushes, and month-long activations. The company positions the control as a way to keep campaigns on track with a total spend target across the selected period and to reduce time spent on daily budget management.

Official sources and documentation

Details of campaign total budgets in Search, Performance Max, and Shopping campaigns are documented in Google's official help and product resources. These sources describe eligibility, setup, and the current open beta status.

• Campaign total budgets in Google Ads Help explain the feature and supported campaign types in official documentation.
• The Google Ads and Commerce blog announces the open beta for campaign total budgets in eligible campaigns.
• Google also provides an illustrative budgets page screenshot for the feature in its official media assets.