Google Search Partners in 2025 – A No-Fluff Playbook for Advertisers Who Want Reach and ROI

1. Why the Search Partner Network Is Hot Again

Google’s core SERP still rules intent-driven clicks, yet the Search Partner Network—think niche engines, toolbars, on-site search boxes, even console browsers—delivers millions of incremental impressions you can’t buy elsewhere. Three moves in the past year turned that previously “messy” marketplace into strategic inventory:

2025 change	What it means for you
Parked-domain purge: All accounts were auto-opted out of parked-domain traffic on 19 Mar 2025. Opt-in is now manual.	Junk traffic dropped overnight; quality trended up.
Account-level Placement Exclusion Lists now work for every campaign type, including Performance Max (PMax).	One list lets you block low-value sites at scale—no more whack-a-mole.
New placement report for PMax & App campaigns shows impressions by site (clicks and conversions still hidden).	You finally see where budget leaks—then ban offenders fast.

Quick stat: When Logical Position audited 148 e-commerce accounts after the purge, impressions fell 11 % while conversions slipped only 4 %—proof that the clean-up removed fluff, not revenue.

2. Four-Step Test: Keep Partners On or Turn Them Off?

Step	Where to click	Why it matters
1 · Clone a winning Search campaign → untick Include Google Search Partners. Run the A/B for 14 days (≥ 500 clicks each).	Campaigns › Settings › Networks	Isolates network impact with real statistical power.
2 · Segment by Network (Search vs Partners).	Reports › Predefined › Networks	Search campaigns still aggregate site data, so compare at the network level.
3 · Open the PMax placement report for extra intel.	Report Editor › Placement	You see impressions-only by site—perfect for spotting big, irrelevant domains.
4 · Update your Placement Exclusion List (account-level).	Tools & Settings › Shared Library	One CSV shields Search, Shopping, PMax, and YouTube in < 12 h.

Fresh Benchmarks (April 2025, 31-agency data set)

Metric	Core Google Search	Search Partners*
Click-through rate	3.17 %	2.8 %
Avg. CPC	$1.40	$1.20 (≈ 14 % cheaper)
Conversion rate	5.1 %	4.6 %

*Partners numbers assume parked domains remain opt-out.

3. Monday-Morning Checklist (10 min, tops)

Task	Good looks like
Scan Network split (Search/Partners).	Partner CPA ≤ 120 % of core Search CPA.
Review PMax impressions by site.	≤ 5 % of impressions on off-brand or totally irrelevant partners.
Append domains to Placement Exclusion List.	List syncs across the account within 12 h.
Tweak network-level bid modifier.	+10 % if partner ROAS ≥ target; –20 % if under.

4. Advanced Optimisation—Within Google’s Real-World Limits

Important: Google still hides clicks, cost, and conversions at the site level. You must optimise at the network or audience layer.

4.1 Restrict Partners to High-Value Audiences

Combine the “Search Partner” network segment with a first-party customer list. Accelerated DM logged a 35 % ROAS lift running this setup for a 10-day flash sale (Apr 2025).

4.2 Network-Level Bid Guardrails

Daily script logic:

if yesterday_partners_roas >= target_roas:
set_bid_modifier(+10)
else:
set_bid_modifier(-15)

Works because ROAS exists at the network level—even if site metrics don’t.

4.3 Exclude Junk Fast

ProductHero’s March 2025 study showed 51 % of PMax impressions came from Search-Partner sites—some downright weird. Build your exclusion list every Friday. Producthero Blog

4.4 Retest Quarterly

New engines join, others leave. Re-run the 14-day on/off test every 90 days and let data—not habit—decide.

5. Troubleshooting Cheat-Sheet

Symptom	Likely cause	Quick fix
Partner CPC > Core CPC	You re-enabled parked domains.	Opt out again (Settings › Content Suitability).
CTR plunges overnight	A low-intent engine joined.	Check the PMax placement report; exclude the culprit.
GA4 sessions > Ads clicks	Redirect stripped `gclid`.	Add manual UTM parameters in Final URL suffix.

6. Mini Case Study: OutdoorGearCo

Metric	Feb 2025 (Core only)	Apr 2025 (Core + Partners)	Δ
Impressions	2.1 M	3.4 M	+62 %
Clicks	66 k	93 k	+41 %
Avg. CPC	$1.32	$1.15	–13 %
Conversions	1 980	2 880	+45 %
ROAS	4.1	4.3	+5 %

Playbook they used

Opted into partners post-purge.
Limited partner reach to 180-day purchasers.
Updated exclusion list weekly.

7. Key Takeaways

Cleaner inventory: Google dumped parked domains, improving baseline quality.
Stronger controls: Account-level exclusion lists + impressions-only placement reports.
Still opaque: No clicks or conversions at site level—optimise by network or audience.
Automate guardrails & retest quarterly to keep performance on-track.