Let’s get… visible.
Google is giving advertisers more visibility into its Search Partner Network (SPN). As flagged by Adsquire’s Anthony Higman on X (who also appears to have spotted ads in Google’s new AI Mode), the company quietly rolled out an update this month that provides full placement reporting for search, shopping, and app campaigns.
Advertisers will now receive site-level reporting — this includes a list of sites where their ads ran and impression data for each site. According to Google’s announcement, the move “directly addresses advertiser feedback by offering full transparency on where your ads run, including impression data at the site level.” With the added transparency, Google says the change also supports brand suitability while opening up control and improving optimization.
This update follows an April change to SPN, when Google introduced pre-screen safety and suitability from media verification vendors.
Why This Matters:
The Google Search Partner Network or “SPN” expands the reach of Google Ads beyond Google’s own search pages by including a group of partner websites, search engines, and apps that display Google Ads alongside their own search results pages.
However, SPN has long been criticized for its lack of transparency. Earlier this year, Smarter Ecommerce’s Mike Ryan wrote on LinkedIn: “This year I want to burn Google’s Search Partner Network to the ground,” while adding it features “fraudulently bad traffic.” Similarly, the DOJ raised concerns about SPN in its antitrust search case against Google.
Today’s update represents some real progress as advertisers get greater visibility into where their ads are running. That said, Ryan’s take was more sobering: “I mean, good step but also, it’s the PMax version: impression data only.”
Experts React:
Here are some of the best reactions and replies to Higgman’s original post:
Our Take:
This is a meaningful step forward for Google. It increasingly feels like transparency is no longer optional in adtech, especially with regulators circling and advertisers demanding more and more control. Still, will impression-level reporting for SPN be enough? Ultimately, buyers might want even more transparency to feel like they can fully and truly evaluate the value of SPN traffic.
