For years, Performance Max felt like a black box. A new Partners setting changes that — you can now choose whether your campaign taps Search Partners, the Google Display Network, or both.
Why this update actually matters
Toggling Search Partners and the Display Network on or off directly changes where your ads show up, and that changes both the volume and quality of conversions you get back. It’s real control in a place that previously offered almost none. But reach by itself doesn’t prove anything — the setting only matters if you measure what it does to your results.
What the setting actually does
You can let Performance Max use both networks, restrict it to Search traffic only, or find whatever mix works for your account. Reach shifts immediately once you change it, but that’s just the input — the output is what you need to watch.
What this has looked like in practice
I’ve seen accounts gain lead volume after turning Search Partners on, and I’ve seen other accounts get better lead quality after turning them off. The same split shows up with Display traffic — it can produce cheap conversions, but those conversions sometimes drag down overall lead quality. Every account reacts differently, which is exactly why this needs testing rather than a rule of thumb.
How to actually test it
Skip the opinions and run a proper A/B: two near-identical Performance Max campaigns, with the Partners setting as the only thing that differs. Split by similar audiences or time periods to reduce bias, let the test run long enough to reach real statistical confidence, and resist the urge to tweak anything else mid-test — that’s what keeps the results trustworthy.
What to actually compare
Track CPA against your normal acquisition cost, ROAS to gauge profitability, and conversion rate to see how efficient the traffic actually is. Then go a step further and compare lead quality — sales, next-step engagement, whatever signals quality for your business — and revenue per lead where you can get it. CPA and ROAS alone can hide a quality problem that only shows up further down the funnel.
Where to check the official documentation
Google’s own Performance Max guidance (here) covers the setting directly, with more detail on Search Partners and the Display Network if you want the placement and reporting specifics.
A few practical starting points
Start small and test before committing either way. If sales quality is the priority, weigh lead quality over raw volume. If scale is what you need, enable partners cautiously and watch closely. If acquisition costs look great but conversions are weak, that’s usually the sign to disable partners and retest from there. Document what you find — it’s the fastest way to replicate a winning setup across other accounts.
Related reading on this blog:
- Scale Ads by Incremental Attribution
- 7 Skills That Replaced Our Ads Workflow
- Facebook Ads Limits That Kill Performance
- High-Converting Google Ad Anatomy
- Free Claude Skills for Paid Ads
The Partners setting hands advertisers real control for once — the only mistake now is guessing instead of testing across CPA, ROAS, conversion rate, lead quality, and revenue before you decide. Have you tried it yet?