Google quietly adds full placement transparency for Search Partner Network

Google Ads rolls out SPN placement report for Search, Shopping & App campaigns. Here's what it shows - and how advertisers are reacting.

Purva August 21, 2025 5 min read

After years of advertiser demand, Google has quietly rolled out a long-awaited update to its Search Partner Network (SPN). Advertisers running Search, Shopping, or App campaigns can now see exactly which third-party websites and apps their ads appeared on, complete with domain-level impression data, available directly within Google Ads.

Google SPN Placement report now available

Here’s why this matters. For the longest time, SPN has been something of a black box. You could choose to include or exclude it, but there was no way to know where your ads were actually running. That lack of transparency led many performance marketers and agencies to opt out entirely, often out of caution.

Now, that dynamic is beginning to shift.

The new site-level reporting works much like what advertisers already use for Performance Max campaigns. Inside Google Ads, you can open the Report Editor, add the “Content suitability” dimension, and see a full list of SPN placements that received impressions. While you won’t get metrics like clicks, costs, or conversions at the domain level (at least for now), just knowing where your ads showed up is a meaningful step forward.

What advertisers can see now?

The updated placement report gives advertisers the ability to see exactly which domains served their Search, Shopping, or App ads, and how many impressions each received. This is the first time SPN has been anything but a mystery.

Acting on what you can find

This rollout doesn’t just surface new data, it enables action. Advertisers can now exclude specific websites and apps from showing their ads through the SPN. This is done using Content Suitability settings at the account level, where exclusions now apply across YouTube, Display, Performance Max, and crucially, the Search Partner Network.

But you have to be careful. Excluding example.com will block that entire domain, but excluding www.example.com or sub.example.com will not cover all subdomains. As such, root-level exclusions are recommended. Google allows up to 65,000 exclusions per account, and MCCs (manager accounts) can use shared exclusion lists supporting up to 250,000 entries each. Exclusions can be managed through Tools & Settings → Content → Edit Exclusions (Account tab).

Feature	Before	Now
SPN Site Visibility	❌ Hidden	✅ Full list of domains
Impressions by Site	❌ Not available	✅ Included
Click/Conversion by Site	❌ Not available	❌ Still unavailable
Placement-Level Exclusions	❌ SPN-wide only	✅ Domain-level exclusions

What are advertisers saying?

The PPC community has welcomed the update as long overdue.

Anthony Higman, known for his candid industry takes, posted:

“Uhhhh Holy ShT!!!!! This Is WILLLLDDDDDD!!!!!!”*
“Honestly NEVER Thought I Would See This Day.”

Melissa Mackey, another long-time voice in the paid media space, commented:

“We’ve been asking for this for 20 years!”

Nitan Jain, founder of a leading growth marketing agency, working with ecommerce brands, also commented:

This gives us a middle ground. Instead of shutting off SPN completely, we can now test, track, and fine-tune. It opens up a lot of opportunities.

Still, some advertisers are approaching the update with cautious optimism. The new report only includes impression data, not clicks, conversions, or cost per site. So, performance assessment still requires cross-referencing with analytics platforms or downstream CRM systems.

Some also speculate that this move may be influenced by regulatory pressure or an attempt to maintain advertiser trust as Google leans more into automated campaign formats.

What advertisers should do next?

The update was quietly added to Google’s Help Center with no major announcement, but its impact is already visible. Many advertisers are pulling SPN placement reports, scanning for misaligned domains, and applying exclusions account-wide.

If you previously avoided SPN due to its opacity, now is the time to revisit. The tools to evaluate and manage SPN traffic are finally available, offering a rare combination of expanded reach and brand control.

Run the report. Review the list. Exclude what doesn’t fit. For the first time in over a decade, SPN isn’t a gamble, it’s a channel you can manage with confidence.

And just in case you are running Meta Ads, we have a great suggestion for you. Try Vaizle AI and see if you can fetch some insights buried inside your Ads Manager or not. 

Our bet? You totally can! 

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