The Search Network is the set of places where Google Ads can show your ads in response to something a person has searched for. It covers Google Search itself, other Google properties that have a search box, and a group of non-Google sites known as search partners.
How the Search Network works
The defining feature is that ads respond to a query. Someone types or speaks a search, Google matches it against advertisers’ keywords or other targeting, and runs an auction. That is different from the Display Network, where ads appear on websites and apps based on who the person is or what the page is about, whether or not they are looking for anything.
At the time of writing (October 2026), the Google side of the network includes the main search results page, Google Maps, the Shopping tab, Google Images and certain Google surfaces with search features. Search ads can also appear within or alongside AI-generated answers on Google; see ads in AI Overviews for how that works. The partner side is covered by search partners, a network of other sites that use Google to power their search results.
In a search campaign, you choose in the settings whether to include search partners and whether to let the campaign spill onto the Display Network. Google Search itself is always included. Shopping and Performance Max campaigns also serve on the Search Network, alongside their other placements.
Why it matters
Search Network traffic is driven by intent. A person searching “same day flower delivery Manchester” has told you what they want, so these clicks tend to convert at a higher rate than clicks from people browsing a news site. For most UK businesses with a limited budget, the Search Network is where to start.
For local businesses the Google surfaces beyond the main results page matter too. A café or garage that appears in Maps when someone nearby searches for directions or opening times can win a visit without the person ever seeing the standard results page. Those clicks often show up as calls or direction requests rather than website visits, so track them as conversions if they matter to you.
Knowing which parts of the network your ads ran on also explains odd results. If performance changes after you tick search partners, or a campaign quietly includes Display expansion, the network split usually tells you why.
Common mistakes
- Leaving the “include Google Display Network” option ticked on a search campaign, which spends part of the budget on banner-style placements with very different intent.
- Never segmenting reports by network, so partner and Google Search traffic are judged as one.
- Assuming search ads only appear on the main results page, then being surprised by clicks from Maps or Images.
- Comparing a search campaign with a display campaign on cost per click alone.
How to act on it
Open each search campaign’s settings and confirm which networks it uses. Turn off Display expansion unless you have deliberately chosen it. Then add the network segment to your campaign reports so you can see how much of each campaign’s spend comes from Google Search and how much from partners; the search partners entry covers how to judge that split.
If you are a local business, make sure calls and direction requests from Maps are tracked as conversions, so that part of the network is judged on what it delivers rather than on website visits alone. Checking these settings is one of the first things I do in an account review as part of my Google search ads management.