Four Google Ads managers. Why couldn't they explain what went wrong?
What I'd do when Google Ads leads disappear and nobody can explain why.
Should you advertise on Search Partners?
Published April 2021. Last updated July 2026.
Normally the big "where to show your ads" decision is between the Display Network and the Search Network.
- The Display Network consists of websites that host Google adverts alongside their articles, usually news sites or blogs. You'll typically see a block of ads at the top or down the side of the page.
- The Search Network consists of Google Search (google.com, google.co.uk, google.co.za, etc.) and Search Partners.
Search Partners are hundreds of non-Google websites (such as AOL), as well as Google Maps, YouTube and other Google properties. New campaigns default to showing ads on both Google Search and Search Partners.
We check the campaigns we manage regularly to compare the cost per conversion (a sales lead in our case) on Google Search versus Search Partners.
Most of the time they're about the same.
Sometimes the difference is huge.
In the last two weeks, the cost per conversion on Search Partners almost doubled on one of our campaigns in South Africa: R85.41 per enquiry on Google Search versus R164.06 per enquiry on Search Partners.
The campaign still makes sense even at R164 per enquiry because each sale is worth much more than that. But disabling Search Partners and showing ads only on Google Search frees enough budget to fund an extra 60 enquiries a month.
Give me a yell if you need a hand checking how much your Search Partner enquiries cost.
Most Google Ads Problems Aren't Google Ads Problems
If my writing resonates with you, I'd like to give you a copy of my book, Profitable Google Ads. The book was written for business owners, but many PPC professionals have found it valuable too.
Before you download it, what describes you best?
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