Finally, Google has included Search Partner reporting. Examine placements to see where your advertisements appear and determine whether Search Partners should be included in your budget.
Google has quietly introduced site-level reporting to the Search Partner Network, something marketers have long been requesting Google to introduce.
Advertisers had minimal control over where their ads appeared and could opt in or out up until this point.
With this change, budget expenditures outside of Google are finally visible.
Although it wasn’t widely publicized, Google cites this as an August 2025 update in its Help Center.
Continue reading to learn about Google’s upgrade, the response from advertisers, and what you can do with this new knowledge.
How Has Search Partner Reporting Changed?
Search, shopping, and app advertisements are all subject to the new reporting. The partner websites that delivered your advertising and the number of impressions they each received are now visible to you.
Imagine it as Search Partners’ version of the placement data we already receive in Performance Max.
This upgrade comes after Google has taken various actions to address long-standing concerns about the quality of its partners.
They launched brand safety pre-screening services with Zefr, DoubleVerify, and IAS earlier this year. Additionally, they stated that by the end of 2025, parked domains will be automatically opted out.
The missing component that improves the usability of the other improvements is this visibility layer.
How Does This Update Affect Advertisers?
Anthony Higman wrote about X (formerly Twitter) after learning about the Search Partner Network reporting update.
Why This Matters & How to Take Action
In the absence of Search Partner Network reporting, opting in was difficult to defend. Now that they have data, advertisers can finally audit where their advertisements display, determine whether they align with brand guidelines, and determine whether partner traffic actually provides value.
Having said that, the quality of the update depends on how advertisers use the information at hand.
Some websites fail to adhere to the brand’s guidelines. Others might produce clicks but not high-quality conversions.
The distinction is that you can now use factual information instead of relying on intuition when making decisions.
To help you make this update actionable, here are some simple tips:
Final Thoughts
With the facts on your side, this update offers you the opportunity to reconsider your scepticism about Search Partners.
If you have already opted in, you can now demonstrate which placements are beneficial to your campaigns and which are not.
In summary, advertisers now get to see the Search Partner Network. Greater exposure leads to more control and more informed discussions about whether search partners are worthy of inclusion in your search campaigns.
