Ads in Google search results are getting a more prominent label, and a way to hide them if you’re not interested. Handy! The thing is, you still have to look at them first.
Currently, Google labels paid results on search pages individually with a “sponsored” tag on each one. This change groups them all into a collapsable section at the top of the page with a single, larger label that remains in view as you scroll. At the bottom of the section you’ll see a button to hide sponsored results, so you’ll have to scroll by them first. Tap the button to hide them and they’ll remain collapsed under that sponsored heading; tapping again to show sponsored results unfurls them. Google says the update is rolling out now on both desktop and mobile.
Over the years, Google has made its paid search results look more and more like organic results, with plenty of backlash along the way. The company shifted from labeling paid results as “ads” to “sponsored” around 2020. A cynical person might think that sounds friendlier to a generation of people accustomed to influencer sponcon. The company calls this latest update an effort to “make navigation even easier,” which, I guess. Wouldn’t it make navigation easier if I could hide sponsored results before I’ve scrolled past them? I think so! But there’s no way Google would jeopardize its bread and butter business like that.