How do you exclude Search partner sites in Google Ads?
Part of Google Ads placements
The short answer
Since March 2024, account level placement exclusions in Google Ads also apply to the Search Partner Network, covering Search, Shopping, App, Smart and Performance Max campaigns. Add root domains under Content suitability, because subdomain and subpage exclusions do not work on Search partners. To leave the network entirely, uncheck Include Google search partners in each campaign.
Key takeaways
- Google extended account level placement exclusions to the Search Partner Network in March 2024, so one account list now reaches Search, Shopping, App, Smart and Performance Max campaigns on partner sites.
- Search partner exclusions only work on whole domains: Google says subdomain, subsite and subpage exclusions do not work on the Search Partner Network.
- Google's Search Partner Network full placement report lists partner sites with impressions for Search, Shopping and App campaigns, though another Google page still says site level data is limited to Performance Max.
- Excluding a few partner domains and switching partners off are different decisions: one removes named sites, the other removes the whole network from a campaign.
Can you exclude Search partner sites in Google Ads?
Definition
- Google Search Partner Network
- The sites outside Google that show Google search ads, such as site search results, site directory pages, product detail pages and YouTube search results. Google includes them by default when a campaign is set up for the Search Network.
Yes, at the account level. Google's help page on account level placement exclusions (opens in a new tab) says that starting in March 2024 these exclusions also apply to the Search partner network, for Performance Max, App, Search, Shopping and Smart campaigns in the account. Before that change, a Search advertiser who disliked one partner site could only remove the whole network from the campaign.
The scope needs care. Google documents Search partner coverage for the account level list, not for exclusions added to a single Search campaign. Google's content suitability page (opens in a new tab) shows which controls reach the Search and Search Partner Network row of its coverage table, checked October 22, 2026.
| Control | Applies to Search partners | Where it is set |
|---|---|---|
| Excluded placements | Yes, whole domains only | Account level list under Content suitability |
| Excluded content keywords | Yes | Account settings, per Google's footnote for this surface |
| Content type exclusion | Yes | Account level content suitability settings |
| Inventory types (Maximum, Moderate, Limited) | No | Not available for this surface |
| Digital content labels | No | Not available for this surface |
| Excluded content themes | No | Not available for this surface |
What changed in March 2024 for Search partners?
Two help pages record the same month from different angles. The account level exclusion page says account exclusions began to apply to the Search partner network in March 2024. The help page on Performance Max placement reports (opens in a new tab) says the same month brought Search partner network sites into that report, alongside Display and Google owned placements. Taken together, March 2024 gave advertisers a way to see partner domains in one campaign type and a way to block them in all of them.
Partner inventory has also shrunk since then. Google's exclude webpages and videos page (opens in a new tab) says parked domains were part of the Search Partner Network and ceased to be an ad surface within it effective February 10, 2026. The change was automatic; the parked domains guide covers it.
How do account level exclusions apply to Search partners?
The account list behaves differently on partner sites than on the Display Network. Google's account level page says exclusions for subdomains, subsites and subpages do not work on the Search Partner Network, that different country domains need separate exclusions, and that new exclusions typically take effect within 12 hours. The same page allows up to 20,000 placement exclusions entered at a time and 65,000 per account. Account exclusions override campaign and ad group settings.
Adding a Search partner domain to the account exclusion list
- Take the root domain from the report. Strip the protocol, the www. prefix and any path, so partner.example rather than shop.partner.example/search.
- List each country domain. A partner that runs partner.example and partner.example.ca needs two entries, since Google treats country domains separately.
- Open the account exclusions. The account level page gives Tools, then Content suitability, then Advanced settings, then Excluded placements. Google's help pages gave two paths for account settings when checked in October 2026, Tools > Content suitability and Admin > Account settings; confirm in the account.
- Paste the domains and save. Use the option to enter multiple placements for a list, one domain per line, without www.
- Wait before judging. Allow 12 hours for the exclusion to take effect, then confirm it in Change history before reading the next report.
Agencies keeping a shared blocklist in a manager account should know Google's help pages disagreed when checked in October 2026: one says exclusion lists can only be created in manager accounts, another that each client account can have up to 20; one gives 250,000 exclusions per manager list, another 65,000 per list. Confirm the limits in the account.
How do you see where Search partner ads ran?
Google's help page on Search Partner Network full placement reporting (opens in a new tab) describes a site level view for Search, Shopping and App campaigns. It is built in the Report editor: under When and where ads showed, choose Content suitability, which returns Placements and Impressions. A partner site is listed when, in the selected period, it had 5 or more impressions, or more than zero clicks, video views or conversions. In the Google Ads API the same data sits in two views, detail_content_suitability_placement_view and group_content_suitability_placement_view.
| Source | Campaign types | What it shows | Limits Google states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report editor, When and where ads showed, Content suitability | Search, Shopping, App | Partner site names and impressions | Sites below 5 impressions with no click, view or conversion are left out |
| Performance Max placement report | Performance Max | Webpage, app and YouTube placements, partner sites since March 2024 | Search itself is not a placement; Google calls the report a brand safety tool |
| Network (with search partners) segment | Search and others | Results split between Google Search, search partners and Display | Network totals, not individual sites |
Impressions are the only metric the partner placement report names, so it shows exposure, not performance. Google's segments page (opens in a new tab) describes the Network (with search partners) segment as the way to compare Google Search, search partners and Display Network performance.
Should Search partners be turned off?
Google gives both sides on its Search Network page. Search partners are included by default for Search Network campaigns, and the clickthrough rate on partner sites does not affect Quality Score on Google. The same page warns that clicks from these sites may not always reflect highly targeted traffic, and asks advertisers to consider whether including the networks fits campaign goals. To switch off, open the campaign settings, then Networks, and uncheck Include Google search partners.
| Question | Exclude named partner domains | Uncheck Include Google search partners |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Named root domains, across the account's campaigns that serve on partners | The whole partner network, one campaign at a time |
| Evidence needed | A placement report that names the domains | Network segment results for the campaign |
| What stays open | Partner sites not on the list, including new ones | Google Search only, if that is the only network left checked |
| Effect on Performance Max | Applies, since account exclusions reach it | Does not apply; Google describes the checkbox for Search Network campaigns |
| Undo | Remove the domain from the account list | Recheck the box in campaign settings |
Automated bidding changes the trade. Google's Smart Bidding page (opens in a new tab) lists Search Network partner as an auction time signal for Search, so a Smart Bidding strategy can already bid differently on partner traffic. A Manual CPC campaign has no such signal.
What does a Search partner review look like on a real brief?
Fictional example
A heating and cooling repair company in Nashville and Knoxville
An unnamed residential heating and air conditioning repair company runs Search campaigns for furnace and heat pump service in Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee, plus a Performance Max campaign for maintenance plans. Its agency reviews Search partner inventory once a quarter.
The planner applies the Network (with search partners) segment to each Search campaign, then builds the Content suitability report in the Report editor and sorts partner sites by impressions. Two domains are coupon directories that republish service listings, and one is a classifieds site with a separate Canadian domain.
She adds both directory root domains and both versions of the classifieds site to the account exclusion list, notes the date, and keeps partners switched on where the segment looks in line with Google Search. No performance figures are implied.
- Segment by network before reading individual sites.
- Exclude root domains, one entry per country domain.
How can a planner build the site list a partner review is checked against?
What should a buyer check during a Search partner review?
Search partner review checklist
- Network (with search partners) results were read for each Search campaign before any change.
- The partner placement report was built in the Report editor, or its absence in the account was noted with the date.
- Partner domains chosen for exclusion were entered as root domains without www. or paths.
- Each country domain of an excluded partner has its own entry.
- Exclusions were confirmed in Change history at least 12 hours after they were added.
For the Display Network side of the same account, see the placement exclusions guide, and for Performance Max specifics see Performance Max placement exclusions. The Google Ads placement targeting hub explains how exclusions sit beside placement targeting in each campaign type.
Frequently asked questions
Can I exclude one page or subdomain of a Search partner site?
No. Google's account level exclusion page says exclusions for subdomains, subsites and subpages do not work on the Search Partner Network. Enter the root domain, which blocks the whole site for partner inventory, and add each country domain as its own entry.
Does a campaign level placement exclusion block Search partner sites?
Google documents Search partner coverage for account level exclusions, which apply to Search, Shopping, App, Smart and Performance Max campaigns serving on the network. A domain that must stay off partner inventory belongs in the account list under Content suitability, where it also overrides campaign and ad group settings.
Do Search partner clicks affect my Quality Score?
Google's Search Network page says the clickthrough rate for ads on search partner sites does not impact Quality Score on Google. Partner clicks still count toward campaign results, so read the Network (with search partners) segment to see partner results apart from Google Search before changing settings.
Why is a partner site with a few impressions missing from my report?
Google's full placement reporting page lists a partner site only when it had 5 or more impressions in the selected period, or at least one click, video view or conversion. Sites below that threshold are left out, so widen the date range before concluding that ads never ran on a domain.
Sources
- Exclude placements at the account level (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About Search Partner Network full placement reporting (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About the Google Search Network (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Find or create placement reports for your Performance Max campaigns (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Exclude specific webpages and videos (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About content suitability (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- Use segments in your tables (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
- About Smart Bidding (opens in a new tab)Google Ads Help
Researched and written by PlacementGraph Research. Read how we research, source and update these pages. Corrections: diana@placementgraph.com.