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Google Ads Officially Rolls Out Grouped Ad Labels in Search Results

Google has officially introduced a new grouped sponsored label in search results. With this update, multiple ads are now grouped together under a single “Sponsored” label, followed by a “Hide” button at the end of the ad section.

According to Google, this change aims to make navigation easier for users. However, it may also lead to an increase in ad clicks — possibly because users could mistake ads for organic results, at least initially.

Google first started testing this feature in May, gradually expanding it over the past few months. It is now fully rolled out to all users.

Google stated, “To make navigation even easier, we’re updating how we show ads on Search.” However, many users find the new format more confusing — it’s becoming harder to tell which results are ads and which are organic listings. With dynamic ad placement possibly being phased out, Google clarified that if the test continues, text ads will appear within the new grouped label format. Even a single text ad would be displayed as a “Sponsored result,” with a “Hide” button placed at the bottom.

It seems likely that this new ad layout could result in more ad clicks, rather than fewer.

Google further explained:

“”Text ads on the search results page will now be grouped with a single “Sponsored results” label. This new, larger label stays visible as people scroll, making it clear which results are sponsored — upholding our industry-leading standards for ad label prominence. We’re also adding a new “Hide sponsored results” control that allows you to collapse text ads with a single click if you want to focus only on organic results. In our testing, we found that the new design helps people navigate the top of the page more easily. The new design keeps the size of ads the same and you’ll still never see more than four text ads in a grouping.

The new “Sponsored” label also applies to other ad units on the search results page, like Shopping ads. These updates are currently rolling out globally on desktop and mobile.””

Here is a screenshot of the desktop version