What Google says about them
Partner placements include lists of search results, site directory pages, product detail pages, and YouTube search results and Watch pages, and partners can customize how ads look on their sites. Google says the clickthrough rate on search partner sites doesn't affect your Quality Score on Google, and cautions that these clicks “may not always reflect highly targeted traffic.” Parked domains stopped being a search partner surface on February 10, 2026.
How to turn them off, and the Display setting beside it
In the campaign's settings, open Networks and uncheck “Include Google search partners”. To show only on Google Search, leave just the Google Search Network box checked. Display Expansion, which lets a Search campaign also serve on the Google Display Network, is a separate setting. Google is moving both onto channel prioritization: in Search campaigns you can set Google Search, search partners and the Display Network to High or Low priority, with an optional daily budget allocation cap on Low priority channels. Every channel defaults to High, and Google says the controls are rolling out progressively. From February 2027, Search campaigns with Display Expansion switch to channel prioritization automatically.
Reporting on partner traffic
The “Network (with search partners)” segment splits results into Google Search, search partners and the Display Network. Google rolled out site-level placement reporting for search partners on Search, Shopping and App campaigns in August 2025 (Report editor, under Content suitability), though its Search Network help page still says otherwise, so check your own account. You can also exclude individual partner sites with site exclusions (see placement exclusions). We check the network segment before deciding: if partner traffic converts at a similar cost, we keep it; if it doesn't, we opt out or set it to Low priority.
Common questions
Are search partners on by default in Google Ads?
Yes. Google says search partners are included by default when you create a campaign for the Search Network, and you can opt out at any time in campaign settings.
How do I turn off search partners in Google Ads?
Open the campaign's settings, expand Networks, uncheck “Include Google search partners” and save. The setting is per campaign, so repeat it for each Search campaign.
Do search partners affect Quality Score?
No. Google says the clickthrough rate for ads on search partner sites doesn't impact your Quality Score on Google.
Can I see which search partner sites my ads showed on?
Google announced full search partner placement reporting for Search, Shopping and App campaigns in August 2025, in Report editor under Content suitability. Google's older Search Network page still says it doesn't provide this outside Performance Max, so check your own account.
Is Display Expansion the same as search partners?
No. Search partners are search placements in the Search Network, while Display Expansion serves your Search campaign on the Google Display Network. They are separate settings, both moving to channel prioritization.