Google Search Partners: An Overview and Their Importance
In the world of online advertising, Google's Search Partners network offers a unique opportunity for businesses to expand their reach beyond Google Search. However, this feature, introduced in 2014, also comes with its share of potential drawbacks.
The Benefits
The main advantage of Search Partners is the increased reach. Ads can appear not only on Google Search but also on other Google-owned properties and partner sites, providing exposure beyond Google’s main search engine. This broader reach can lead to more clicks and conversions, as campaigns gain additional traffic.
Moreover, traffic from Search Partners can sometimes be less competitive, potentially resulting in lower cost-per-click and cost-per-conversion in some cases.
The Drawbacks
Despite these potential benefits, the use of Search Partners can also present challenges. Advertisers often find themselves with less control and transparency, as they have limited insight into where their ads appear within the Search Partners network and less ability to exclude specific sites.
Additionally, Search Partner sites generally have lower relevance and performance compared to Google Search itself, which could lead to wasted ad spend. Reporting on Search Partner performance is also aggregated, making it difficult to optimize or exclude poorly performing segments effectively.
Making an Informed Decision
In 2014, the decision to include Search Partners involved a trade-off between broader reach and less precise targeting with a possible impact on cost-effectiveness and campaign control. This was a common topic in Google AdWords documentation and industry analyses of that period.
However, the exact impact often varied by campaign and industry specifics. By 2025, the Search Partners network is less emphasized as Google’s ad ecosystem has evolved, focusing also on display, video, and AI-driven placements.
It is always important for advertisers to use their own data and analysis to ensure that Search Partners are working effectively for their specific campaigns. A good benchmark for determining the effectiveness of search partners is if they provide at least 20 percent more clicks.
If an account is on a tight budget, it might be beneficial to turn off search partners due to a higher cost per conversion. Optimizing campaigns for Search Partners can be challenging, and it is suggested to use Bing as a reference for understanding how it works on Google campaigns.
Danny Richman, founder of Richman SEO Training, posted about this issue on Moz, suggesting that Google needs to make advertisers more aware of these potential negatives. A significant number of comments on Richman's post indicate that this issue is not unique to him, suggesting that Search Partners may not be well-understood by marketers due to a lack of clear explanation from Google.
Users are encouraged to share their experiences and thoughts about Search Partners in the comments section. If search partners are underperforming on only certain campaigns, they can be paused by going to the settings.
- Paid search campaigns that include Google's Search Partners network can potentially lead to more conversions due to the increased reach, as ads can appear on other Google-owned properties and partner sites.
- Despite the possible benefits of Search Partners, advertisers often face challenges such as less control and transparency, higher cost-per-conversion in some cases, and the risk of wasted ad spend due to lower relevance and performance compared to Google Search itself.
