Search Partner Network: Is It Helping or Hurting Your Google Ads? Here's the How to Check
- Kristina Cutura
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
If you've never checked how your Google Ads budget is divided between Google's search results and Search Partners, you could be spending money on clicks that never turn into customers. As a Google Ads consultant, one of the most common issues I uncover during account audits is wasted ad spend coming from Search Partners traffic.
Search Partners is a network of third-party websites and platforms (sites like Amazon, AOL, Comcast, various smaller search engines, and other Google-owned properties) that can display your search ads alongside their own results. Google enables Search Partners by default, and many advertisers don't even realize they're showing ads there. In many accounts, Search Partners drive a significant amount of impressions but very few conversions. In this guide, I'll show you how to evaluate Search Partner performance in your account and determine whether opting out could improve your return on ad spend.
What Is the Google Ads Search Partner Network?
When someone searches on a site that's part of Google's Search Partner network, your ads can appear there too, using the same keywords, same bids, same budget as your Google Search campaigns. You don't set up separate ads for it. It just runs as p[art of the default recommended settings.
For some advertisers, this is useful but for most, it's a slow drain on budget with high costs. The only way to know which category you're in is to look at the data.
How to See if Search Partners Are Hurting Your Google Ads Performance
Before you decide whether to keep Search Partners enabled, run a report to see how it plays out in your campaigns. It breaks down impressions, clicks, costs, and conversions by network so you can quickly determine if Search Partners are helping your campaigns or wasting ad spend.
Go to Campaigns in your Google Ads account
Click Segment (the icon in the toolbar above the data table)
Select Network (with search partners)
Your campaign data will now break into three rows: Google search, Search partners, and
Display Partners.
Look at these columns side by side for each network:
Conversion rate
Cost per conversion
Click-through rate
If your Search Partners CPA is much higher than Google Search, or your conversion rate is a fraction of what you see on Google's own results, opt out. Often, search partners are generating no conversions at all despite thousands of impressions.
In the example below of an account we audited recently, we found 0 conversions from Search Partners despite over $9,000 in spend. This is a huge waste of ad spend and a quick and easy fix.
Are Google Search Partners Worth It?
I don't have a blanket recommendation to always turn Search Partners off; it works well for some advertisers. Industries with broad search intent, brand awareness goals, or where volume matters more than efficiency can see solid results from the network.
But if you're running lead generation or e-commerce campaigns where cost per conversion is tightly managed, Search Partners often underperforms. The traffic quality varies significantly depending on which partner sites are showing your ads, and you have no control over the specific placements.
How to Turn Off Search Partners in Google Ads
It's a quick change at the campaign level:
Go to Campaign Settings for the campaign you want to adjust
Find the Networks section
Uncheck Include Google search partners
Save
You can do this campaign by campaign, which I'd recommend over a blanket account-wide change. Some campaigns may perform fine on partners while others don't, and segmenting the data first gives you a clearer picture before you make changes.
Performance Max and Cross-Network Budget Leaks
If you're running Performance Max, the "Cross-network" segment you'll see in the report includes Search Partners traffic blended in with other placements. PMax doesn't give you the same granular controls as standard Search campaigns, so there's less you can do to exclude partners specifically, which is another reason I often recommend running a separate Search campaign alongside PMax rather than letting PMax handle everything.
Google Ads Search Partners: Frequently Asked Questions
Are Google Search Partners worth it for lead generation?
Generally, no. For lead generation campaigns where cost-per-acquisition (CPA) is strictly managed, the Search Partner Network frequently underperforms. Because traffic quality varies widely across third-party sites and you lack placement visibility, these clicks often result in higher CPAs and lower conversion rates compared to direct Google Search traffic.
Will turning off Search Partners decrease my Google Ads impressions?
Yes, your total impressions and clicks will likely decrease because you are shrinking your ad's total reach. However, if your data shows that Search Partner traffic isn't converting, this drop is actually a good thing as it stops budget leaks and reallocates your money toward high-intent searches directly on Google.
Can I exclude specific websites from the Google Search Partner Network?
Yes. If you find specific partner websites that are draining your budget without converting, you can exclude them using Placement Exclusions. Go to your account's Tools and Settings, select Placement Exclusion Lists, and add the specific domain URLs you want to block from showing your ads.
Does the Search Partner Network impact my Google Ads Quality Score?
No. Your performance on the Search Partner Network (including your click-through rate) has zero impact on your Google Ads Quality Score for direct Google Search. Your Quality Score is calculated based on how your ads perform when triggered directly on Google's own search results pages.
