How do I turn off search partners in Google Ads?
For a Search campaign, open the campaign's settings, find the Networks section and untick "Include Google search partners", then save. New Search campaigns have the box ticked by default, so check each one. Performance Max does not offer the same simple checkbox; use account-level placement exclusions and whatever network controls Google currently offers for that campaign type.
The checkbox is the basic form of advertiser opt-out. It applies per campaign, so audit existing campaigns as well as new ones. The equivalent in Microsoft Advertising is the ad distribution setting at ad group or campaign level, which lets you choose Bing and partner sites or exclude specific websites.
For Performance Max, Google added search partner placement reporting and account-level exclusions in 2024, after first offering a temporary opt-out, and trade press reported in 2026 that Google was testing a way to exclude search partners from these campaigns. Interfaces change, so follow Google's current help pages. If you only want to remove a few poor sites, a placement exclusion is gentler than switching the whole network off.