Search Partners is a network of websites outside Google that can show your Google search ads, including other search engines, app stores and site search boxes.
The Google Search Partner network is a group of third party sites that run Google search results. When a person searches on one of those sites, your Google search ad can appear there too.
It is switched on by default in every new search campaign. Most advertisers never notice the checkbox.
Google does not publish the full list, which is the main criticism of it. The known categories are these.
[table]
What it includes | Example | Quality for B2B
Other search engines | AOL and similar | Low volume, mixed
Google properties | Google Maps, Google Play, YouTube search | Varies by product
Site search boxes | Search bars on news and retail sites | Usually poor for B2B
Directories and aggregators | Comparison and listing sites | Can be decent, can be junk
Parked and low quality domains | Unnamed long tail sites | Poor
[/table]
The variation is wide, and you cannot pick and choose. It is one switch. On or off.
Do not take anyone's opinion, including this one. The report is right there.
In Google Ads, open a search campaign, go to Segment, and choose Network. Your numbers split into Google Search and Search Partners. Look at three things for each: cost, conversions, and cost per conversion.
Give it at least 30 days of data. In most B2B SaaS accounts, Search Partners ends up somewhere between 5 and 15 percent of spend with a worse cost per conversion than Google Search. In a few accounts it performs fine. Your numbers decide it.
Two reasons this one is worth doing early.
It is on by default and invisible. Nobody turned it on, so nobody thinks to look at it. Money leaves the account every month through a setting no one has ever opened. It is one of the fastest checks in a Google Ads audit.
The conversions can look fine and still be wrong. Search Partners sometimes produces cheap form fills that never become opportunities. If you judge it on cost per lead it can look acceptable. Judge it on cost per SQL, using offline conversion import, and the picture often changes.
Check it in the first week of any account, then decide with data rather than with a rule of thumb.
Segment by Network. Compare cost per conversion on Search Partners against Google Search over the last 30 days. If Search Partners is clearly worse and taking real budget, turn it off and move that money into Google Search where you already know it works. Watch what happens to your impression share afterwards, since that spare budget usually buys you more of the traffic that was already converting.
If it is performing in line, leave it on and check again next quarter. Some B2B accounts genuinely do fine on it, and turning it off just to follow advice would cost them volume.
One extra step if you can. Judge it on cost per SQL rather than cost per lead. Search Partners is the setting most likely to look acceptable on leads and poor on real pipeline.
Websites outside Google that show Google search ads, including other search engines, Google properties like Maps and Play, and the search boxes on third party sites. Your search ads can appear on any of them.
Check your own data before deciding. Segment your campaigns by Network and compare cost per conversion over 30 days. In many B2B SaaS accounts the results are weaker than Google Search, but not in all of them.
No. Google does not publish the full partner list and there is no placement report for the search network. This lack of visibility is the main reason advertisers are cautious about it.
No. Search Partners shows text search ads on third party search results. The Display Network shows image and responsive ads on websites and apps. They are separate settings and separate networks.
Typically between 5 and 15 percent in a B2B search campaign, though it varies. Since it is on by default, this is spend most advertisers have never consciously approved.
ScalixAI is a performance-driven Google Ads agency specializing in helping high-growth, AI-first companies scale with predictable, profitable customer acquisition. Founded by an ex-Googler with 9 years of insider advertising experience, we manage the entire Google Ads lifecycle—from campaign strategy and account setup to conversion tracking, analytics, and ongoing optimization. Our data-centric, AI-powered approach ensures you know exactly which campaigns are working, why they’re working, and what to do next to outpace your competitors.ScalixAI is a performance-driven Google Ads agency specializing in helping high-growth, AI-first companies scale with predictable, profitable customer acquisition. Founded by an ex-Googler with 9 years of insider advertising experience, we manage the entire Google Ads lifecycle—from campaign strategy and account setup to conversion tracking, analytics, and ongoing optimization.
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