What are Google search partners?

Google says that on search partner sites your ads and listings can appear on search pages such as a list of search results, site directory pages, product detail pages, YouTube search results and watch pages. When you create a campaign for the Search Network, search partners are included by default, and you can opt out at any time through your campaign settings, under Networks, by unticking 'Include Google search partners'.

Three details matter when you judge them. Google Ads doesn't provide information detailing the website where your ad was shown on the Search Network, unless you are running a Performance Max campaign. And Google's own note warns that clicks from partner sites that display and link to products for sale may not always reflect highly-targeted traffic. It also says the click-through rate on search partner sites doesn't impact your Quality Score on Google.

Our practice, not Google's: because there is no site list to read, we judge partners with the Network (with search partners) segment, which Google says compares Google Search, search partners and Display Network performance. Inside one campaign, we look harder at partners once their cost per acquisition drifts past about 120% of Google Search's. That is our threshold, not a measured benchmark, and we count the acquisitions the business recorded, not only the platform's.