How to Remove Microsoft Syndicated Search Partners from Ad Campaigns? 

You are running a well-optimized ad campaign on Microsoft advertising. The keywords are all dialed in, your ad copy is performing well, and solid returns are expected soon. However, when you check your reports, something seems… off. 

You notice clicks coming in from weird, random websites you don’t recognize, and your conversion rates are plummeting. And worst of all, you are spending a huge chunk of your budget on what looks like bot traffic. If this situation seems familiar, there are chances that you might be dealing with Microsoft Syndicated Search Partners or a network of third-party sites, where Microsoft places your ads. While some of these partners are legit (like DuckDuckGo), others might not be. 

Many advertisers, including myself, have seen inflated click counts, suspicious traffic patterns, and wasted ad spend due to low-quality sites. 

However, you don’t have to make the same mistakes. In fact, you can remove syndicated search partners and have more control over your campaign performance, stop wasting ad budget on sketchy sites, and improve your ROI. Wondering how? Well, here’s how you do it. 

What is Syndicated Search

Syndicated Search in Microsoft Advertising means your ads can appear on Bing, Yahoo, and a network of third-party partner sites that use Bing’s search technology to display your ads across their platforms. These external sites, called Syndicated Search Partners, integrate Bing’s search engine into their own platforms, expanding your advertising reach far beyond Microsoft properties.

Advertisers use syndicated search to increase impressions and clicks, but how the ads appear can affect quality.

Why Exclude Microsoft Syndicated Search Partners?

Microsoft Partners include third-party websites and networks that display ads via Microsoft’s platform. As I have said earlier, some of these partners can deliver good traffic, but others don’t. I have personally spent hundreds of dollars on Microsoft ads, and while it is a great platform, I have wasted my hard-earned ad money on traffic from Syndicated Search Partners. Why? Because spam protection within these networks is less than ideal. 

To explain why you should remove syndicated search partners, let me paint you a picture: You are reviewing your reports, and you find that certain placements have click-through rates (CTR) higher than 100%! Or maybe the conversion rates are suspiciously high on seemingly irrelevant websites. This behavior is often a sign of bot traffic, and it’s surprisingly common with Microsoft’s Syndicated Search Partner. 

So, the issue here is twofold:

• Bot traffic slips through on these third-party sites, unlike the core Microsoft Network (Bing, AOL, etc.), where Microsoft has more control. 
• Revenue incentives for these partners are skewed toward impressions and clicks, and unfortunately, this can lead to partners using shady practices (like bots) to inflate their numbers, hence wasting your ad budget. 

How to Exclude Microsoft Ads Search Partners from Campaigns?

Now that we have covered why you would want to exclude Microsoft Partners, let’s dive into how to actually do it: 

Step 1: Sign in to Your Microsoft Advertising Account

The first step is a no-brainer because all you need to do is head over to Microsoft Advertising and sign in to your account. Once you are logged in, go to your dashboards, and you will be able to see all your life campaigns. 

Step 2: Select the Campaign You Want to Adjust

The next thing you need to do is navigate to the “Campaigns” tab, and this is where you will see a list of all campaigns. Pick the search campaign you want to exclude Microsoft Partners from. If you want to remove these partners from multiple campaigns, you will need to do this process for each one. 

Step 3: Go to Campaign Settings

Now that you have selected the campaign, it’s time to head to the settings. There, you will find a small gear icon (it’s usually in the top-right corner or somewhere near the campaign details). Click on it to open the settings for that specific campaign. 

Step 4: Adjust Network Settings (Where Ads Appear)

Then, you need to scroll down to the section labeled “Network Settings.” This section is responsible for controlling where your ads appear. By default, Microsoft will show your ads across several networks, including their own search network (Bing, AOL), Microsoft-owned sites (Outlook, MSN), and Syndicated Search Partners.

To remove Microsoft ads search partners or other traffic sources, you will need to uncheck the appropriate boxes. Let’s go through each option: 

• Microsoft Search Network:

The core search network of Microsoft includes Bing, AOL and other Microsoft-owned sites like MSN and Outlook. Usually, you will want to keep this checked, as these are the high-quality placements you are after, but if you are really specific about where you want your ads to show, feel free to uncheck it.

• Microsoft Sites and Select Traffic (Other/ Top):

These options refer to traffic from Microsoft-owned sites (MSN, Outlook, etc.) but also include partner sites with lower traffic. “Microsoft Sites and Select Traffic Top” usually refers to higher-quality sites, while “Other” might be lower-quality sites with less traffic.

If you want to restrict your ads from showing on Microsoft’s lower-traffic sites, you can uncheck “Microsoft Sites and Select Traffic Other” and “Microsoft Sites and Select Traffic Top.” This gives you more control over your ad placements.

Here’s one example of one of my best placements from where I have received most of the conversions for my client:

• Syndicated Search Partners:

Syndicated Search Partners are third-party websites that partner with Microsoft to display ads using Microsoft’s search technology. As I mentioned earlier, this is where a lot of the spam traffic comes from. You have two options here: “Syndicated Search Partners Top” and “Syndicated Search Partners Other.” The “Top” tier includes higher-quality partners (like DuckDuckGo), while “Other” refers to a broader range of less-trusted sites.

If you are seeing spammy activity, I would recommend unchecking both of these options. It will keep your ads from showing on any Syndicated Search Partner, which is where most of the issues arise. 

• AOL Search:

This option refers to ads shown on AOL’s search results. If you don’t want your ads to appear on AOL, all you need to do is simply uncheck the “AOL Search” box. 

When to Remove & Which Microsoft Syndicated Partners to Exclude

Should you just remove all Syndicated Search Partners, or is it worth keeping some? Well, the truth is it completely depends on your niche. 

Some advertisers see great conversions from Microsoft’s partner site, whereas others end up wasting their ad spends on irrelevant traffic. I would say the key here is analyzing data before you make a decision. 

Here’s how you can check if you should remove them:

• Look at the last 90 days of data, as this gives you a solid window to analyze trends instead of making snap decisions. 
• Go to your campaign’s ad placement report and navigate to the Segment and Ad Placement sections in Microsoft Ads to see which sites are driving traffic. 
• Check conversion rates vs. ad spend. If you are pouring money into certain partners but seeing zero conversions because those sites are probably bad placements for your business. 
• Compare niche performance, as some industries thrive on syndicated search traffic while others see nothing but low-quality clicks. For example:
  • E-commerce and lead generation- Some partner sites work well. 
  • B2B and high-ticker services- Here, syndicated partners often underperform.
• Exclude the worst defenders. If a partner site is draining your budget with no results, add it to your exclusion list ASAP. 

In a nutshell, don’t blindly remove all syndicated search partners. Instead, use data to cut the waste and keep the profitable ones. 

Google Search Partners vs. Bing (Microsoft) Search Partners- What’s the Difference?

If you have run ads on both Google Ads and Microsoft Ads (Bing Ads), you have probably seen the term Search Partners in both platforms. However, here’s the thing- they are not the same. 

Google’s Search Partner network includes reputed sites like YouTube, Amazon, and other Google-affiliated properties. While some third-party search engines use Google’s ad system, they tend to be higher quality and less spammy. Plus, Google gives more control, so you can see performance breakdowns and even opt out completely if the results aren’t great. 

On the other hand, Microsoft’s Search Partner network is way less transparent. It includes some solid names like DuckDuckGo and AOL, but it also has tons of low-quality sites that can drain your budget. The biggest issue? Limited visibility: Microsoft Ads doesn’t always tell you exactly where your ads are running, and unlike Google, opting out is more complicated.

Removing Individual Syndicated Search Partner Websites

If you find that only a few specific websites are causing problems, you can exclude individual websites. Although this requires a bit more manual work, it’s worth it. Here’s how you can do it:

• In your campaign, go to Settings and scroll down to the Exclusions section.
• You will see a large text box where you can enter URLs for the sites you want to exclude.
• Enter the URLs of the Syndicated Search Partners you want to exclude (you can usually find these in your placement reports).
• Click Save, and those sites will be excluded from your campaign!

If you want to exclude websites across your entire account (instead of one campaign), there’s a link above the text box that takes you to the account-level exclusion page. If you don’t see it, you can also use this link:  Microsoft Advertising Site Exclusions to save you some time. 

Removing All Syndicated Searching Partners at the Ad Group Level

If you are like me and want to avoid all the spammy sites in one fell swoop, you can exclude all Syndicated Search Partners at the ad group level. This is my go-to method, and it’s generally easier than excluding individual sites.

Here’s how to do it:

• Navigate to the Ad Groups tab on the left side of your dashboard.
• If you want to exclude partners from a specific campaign, click on the campaign, and it will take you to the ad group page. If you want to apply this exclusion to all ad groups, just go straight to the ad groups tab.
• At the top left, there’s a checkbox to select all ad groups. Click on it.
• Once all ad groups are selected, click Edit at the top, then choose Other Changes from the dropdown.
• In the settings box, select Select Your Ad Distribution, choose Microsoft sites, and select Traffic, as this option offers you everything except the Syndicated Search Partners.
• Click Apply, and you are good to got!

How to Monitor Performance After Removing Syndicate Search Partners?

Once you have removed syndicated search partners, track how your campaign performs without them. Here’s how you can monitor the impact:

• Check Clicks and Impressions: If you notice a drop in clicks or impressions, it’s because you have cut off lower-quality traffic sources.
• Compare Conversion Rates: Ideally, your conversion rate should go up since you are now reaching more relevant users.
• Analyze Cost Per Conversion: Your total ad spend may decrease, but if your conversion costs also drop, it’s a win-win.
• Monitor ROI and ROAS: Focus on actual sales, leads, or whatever metric matters most for your business.

A Quick Word on Audience Targeting

Before I wrap this up, let’s talk a little about audience targeting. While excluding Microsoft Partners controls where your ads appear, audience targeting is all about who sees your ads. This is separate from the network settings, but it’s another layer of control you have over your campaigns.

In the Audience section of your campaign settings, you can target users based on demographics, interests, and behaviors. Want to reach people who have shown interest in your products or services? You can set that up here! It’s a great way to refine your targeting and make sure your ads are seen by the right people.

Final Thoughts on Removing Microsoft Ads Search Partners

Whether it’s Bing ads search partners or Syndicated search partners, remember, spammy traffic isn’t just annoying; it wastes your ad spend and messes with your campaign data. So, take a few minutes to review your settings, make these exclusions, and optimize your campaigns for better performance.

I hope this guide was helpful! If you have any questions or if something wasn’t clear, feel free to reach out, I would love to help you further refine your campaigns.