It’s an exciting time in the world of Google Ads, as new features roll out to give us more control and transparency over our campaigns. The latest update, Full Placement Reporting for Search Partners, is a significant step forward, offering a more detailed look into where our ads are appearing.

For years, the Search Partner network has been a bit of a black box. We’ve known our ads could show up on hundreds of non-Google search sites, but we had little insight into which ones were actually driving results. That changes now—at least in part.

 

What’s New and What It Means for You

 

Google is now providing advertisers with placement reporting for the Search Partner network. This is a crucial piece of the puzzle, as it allows you to see the specific sites where your ads have received impressions.

The key benefit here is the ability to exclude placements. If you notice a specific search partner site is generating a high volume of impressions but appears to be a waste of ad spend, you can now proactively exclude it. This gives you greater control over your budget and can help you refine your campaign’s reach.

This new report can be found by navigating to Google Ads > Campaigns > Ad Groups > Placements > Where Ads Showed.

The Missing Pieces

 

While this update is a welcome addition, it’s not a complete solution. The reporting currently provides impression data, but it unfortunately does not include conversion or cost data. This is a major limitation, as it makes it difficult to definitively determine the ROI of a specific placement. You can see where your ads are showing, but you can’t know how much it’s costing you or if it’s leading to sales.

 

My Takeaway: The Verdict

 

From my experience, the Search Partner network often doesn’t bring in qualified traffic or conversions. It can consume a significant part of your budget without a tangible return. This new report is useful for cleaning up your placements by excluding low-performing sites. However, I will remain cautious about using this network. Once Google provides conversion and cost data, I may reconsider activating it for my campaigns to see if the value is there.

For more details on this update, you can check out Google’s official support article: https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16286960?hl=en