Google’s New Sponsored Results Grouping
Google has quietly rolled out a new feature on its search results page that is already getting attention across the SEO and digital marketing world. Instead of showing paid ads at the top of the search results with each ad marked by a small “Sponsored” label, Google is now grouping all paid listings under a single “Sponsored results” section. More importantly, users now have the option to minimise the sponsored results block entirely, which pushes the organic results further up the page.
This adjustment, while not yet available to everyone and for every query that ads show up for, could have a big impact on how users interact with search results, how advertisers plan campaigns and how SEOs measure visibility.
What Has Changed in the Search Results?
Up to now, when ads are triggered, Google displayed ads individually at the top of the page, with each one carrying its own sponsored tag. With this update, all the ads are lumped together in a block under one “Sponsored results” heading. At the bottom of the block, there is a call to action to “Hide sponsored results” with a drop-down arrow that lets users collapse the section.
That means instead of scrolling through several paid ads before getting to the first organic result, users who minimise the block will see organic listings straight away. This is currently most noticeable on branded searches, where paid ads tend to appear more often.
Why Users Might Welcome the Change
For everyday searchers, this update provides more control over how the results page looks. People who don’t like ads, or who already use ad blockers, can achieve a similar effect directly within Google. Collapsing the ads makes the page appear cleaner, more relevant and less cluttered with commercial content.
It also matches what many users already prefer. Surveys regularly show that people trust organic results more than ads. This new option speaks to that preference without needing third-party tools.
The Drawbacks: Less Clarity Between Paid and Organic
There are transparency issues to consider with this new update though. Grouping ads together removes the individual “Sponsored” labels that clearly signposted which results were paid. Now, unless someone notices the section heading, it could be harder to tell where the ads stop, and the organic listings begin.
For advertisers, this may become a challenge. Their visibility will depend not only on ad ranking but also on whether users leave the sponsored section open. If more people collapse it, click-through rates could fall leading to less traffic overall particularly for brands that rely heavily on paid search.
SEO Impact: A Boost for Organic Results?
From an SEO perspective, this change could be seen as a win. With the option to hide ads, organic results gain more prominence. If users minimise the sponsored section, the first organic result effectively becomes the top listing. This could drive higher click-through rates for websites ranking in the top positions.
It could also influence behaviour over time. If people get used to collapsing ads, we might see a trend towards greater engagement with organic content. For SEOs, this reinforces the value of achieving strong rankings, especially in competitive industries where ads typically dominate.
However, until more data comes in, the impact is hard to measure. The SEO community will be watching closely in the coming weeks to see whether click-through rates and visibility shift as a result.
Paid Search Impact: Hiding in Plain Sight
The distinction between Paid and Organic results has become increasingly blurry over the years. A few years ago, it was reported that over 40% of users couldn’t tell the difference between paid and organic results. Changes like this are no doubt moving the needle on that figure every year.
Sceptics would say these updates are a ploy to make more ad revenue, however the gold rule remains the same; it will be the relevance of the ad to the user’s query that will win the click. With the option for users to hide all paid advertising in one move, advertisers would do well to consider how they measure the success of a campaign, considering now an ad may deliver an impression but that ad may not remain visible. This means impression share, or ad opportunities may not tell us the whole story.
Instead, focusing on driving traffic (measuring CTR and Click Coverage) and conversions (conversion-rate and cost-per-sale) will better highlight if ads are reaching the right users. Google Ads has a wealth of new, dynamic formats, that can be adapted to be as relevant as possible to the query, giving new scale and meaning to showing the right ad to the right user at the right time.
What It Could Mean for the Irish Market
In Ireland, where Google dominates search, even small changes to the layout of results can have significant effects. For Irish businesses investing in paid advertising, this might mean less visibility on branded searches if users start hiding the ads.
On the other hand, Irish companies that focus on SEO could see this as an opportunity. High-ranking organic results may capture traffic that would previously have gone to paid competitors.
Currently, this feature is only appearing for certain types of searches, and it is not yet clear how widely it will be rolled out. Still, it is something that Irish marketers and advertisers will want to keep an eye on.