What are Search Partners in Microsoft Ads?
In Microsoft Ads, search partners are third-party sites and syndication partners where your ads can appear alongside search results. These include sites like Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, AOL, and other partner properties within the Microsoft Search Network.
Search partners are enabled by default for Search and Shopping campaigns. When enabled, your ads show on these partner sites in addition to Bing's own search results.
Why should I turn them off?
Search partner performance is unpredictable. Some advertisers see strong results from partner traffic, while others find that partner sites deliver a significantly higher CPA or lower ROAS compared to Bing's own search results.
The main concerns with search partners on Microsoft Ads:
No placement control. You can't choose which partner sites your ads appear on or exclude specific ones.
No bid adjustments. Partner site bids must match your main campaign bids — you can't bid differently for partner traffic.
Variable traffic quality. Partner sites often have different user intent compared to Bing search, which can lead to higher costs per conversion.
Limited reporting granularity. While Microsoft shows partner vs. Bing performance, you can't break it down by individual partner site.
How does this Improvement work?
Opteo analyses each of your Microsoft Ads Search campaigns, comparing the CPA and ROAS of search partner traffic against Bing's own search results.
When partner traffic is performing significantly worse, Opteo surfaces the Improvement and shows you the performance comparison so you can see the difference for yourself.
By applying this Improvement, all of your campaign budget will be spent on Bing search results rather than on partner sites.
When can search partners be helpful?
Search partners can add value in certain scenarios:
Low-volume campaigns. Partners can provide additional reach when Bing alone doesn't generate enough traffic.
Brand campaigns. Partner sites may deliver cheap impressions for brand terms with minimal downside.
Broad audience products. If your offer appeals to a wide audience, the extra reach may convert well enough to justify the cost.
If search partner performance is acceptable for your campaigns, you can dismiss the Improvement.