I set up a Search campaign, but when I look at my reports, I see that my ads are appearing on random mobile games and weather websites. I thought Search ads were only for the Google Search Results page? This is wasting my budget on accidental clicks from people playing games. How do I stop this and ensure my ads only appear when someone actually types a query into Google?
3 answers
What you are experiencing is likely due to having the "Google Display Network" and "Search Partners" enabled within your Search campaign settings. By default, Google opts you into these to "expand your reach," but for most advertisers, it results in low-quality traffic from mobile apps and third-party sites. To fix this, go to your Campaign Settings, look under "Networks," and uncheck both "Include Google search partners" and "Include Google Display Network." This will restrict your ads to the actual SERP. You should also go to "Exclusions" and block all "App Categories" to prevent any spillover.
Do you think there is any value at all in Search Partners for niche industries, or is it always a waste of money?
Disabling the Display Network in search campaigns is the #1 tip I give to every beginner. It’s a total budget killer if left on.
So true, Nancy! I turned mine off yesterday and my average CPC dropped by 30% because those "junk" clicks were dragging down my overall account performance.
Richard, in my experience, Search Partners can occasionally work for very high-volume e-commerce brands, but for lead gen or service businesses, it's almost always 90% trash. I’ve seen cases where the CTR is high but the conversion rate is near zero because the "partner" sites often use deceptive ad placements that encourage accidental clicks. If you're on a tight budget, it's the first thing I would turn off to protect your ROI and ensure your data isn't being skewed by bot traffic.